Looking Back at 13.1 Miles of Memories

I began running in 2009 just to see if I could. I couldn't make it around the block, and the thought of running a half marathon was laughable to me. Fast-forward a bit and suddenly I was LOVING half marathons. I was doing them constantly and always excited to pick out the next one to register for. In 2019  I registered for the 2020 Eugene Half Marathon Doublestack Challenge and was feeling fit and ready to do it. Then Covid cancelled everything. For two years. And in the meantime my Ménière's disease really let me have it. Training stopped being fun because it was a constant battle between my legs wanting to run and vertigo wanting to knock me over. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and realized I need to retire from the long distances. Maybe some day things will improve and I can return, but for now I'll be sticking to shorter races and relays. It was a really hard thing to come to terms with, but now I feel pretty okay about it. So I thought I'd kind of wrap up my half marathon career with a little look back at each and find a highlight to attach to each race!

1. 2011 Disney's Princess Half Marathon in Walt Disney World. It was the first! That is the memory. I ran with Leslie and we had way too much fun sprinting from photo op to photo op. Hello Jack Sparrow! 

2. 2011 the Inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon. My iPod ended up having NO music on it. I was all alone. I was battling vertigo the whole time and kept drinking way too much water and each stop to try to feel normal. I puked my guts out at the finish line thanks to all that water.

3. 2011 Eugene Half Marathon. Amazon Parkway killed my IT band. I still deal with that if I run on an uneven surface! I ran great. I threw up on the track at Hayward Field. Hahaha. Go Beavs!

4. 2011 Seattle Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. I ran this one with my leg all wrapped up because of the IT band issue. My doctor hooked me up with tons of shots in my leg prior to the race so I could get it done. I got to meet Abby at the finish line party!

5. 2011 Lacamas Lake Half Marathon in Washington. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. The course was NOT what it was advertised. I saw no great views. And I had a terrible reaction to my Meniere's medicine which derailed me. Then the medal was seriously the size of a flattened penny. Never again. HATED IT.

6. 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon. Team Jam was born! This was the group race people aspire to have, but no one will ever be able to replicate. We. Were. Freaking. Awesome.

7. 2011 Portland Half Marathon. More memorable than the race was the expo. I met Jeff Galloway. I listened to awesome runners speaking about my running idol Steve Prefontaine. And then I met this woman ... and she was Steve Prefontaine's sister!! And she welcomed me to her family that day instantly. I adored her. AND THEN she introduced me to Frank Shorter - Pre's friend!! I never would have expected any of that. She and I still message now and then! And I got the PR I told Jeff Galloway I was going to get.

8. 2011 Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon. I ran dressed as the Cheshire Cat. I finished in tears because I had hurt myself during the race and was worried it was going to mess up the next race on the schedule. But I did it with a bunch of friends so that was awesome!

9. 2011 Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. It was the cluster f*$@ sh!t show everyone talked about after. I loved the course. I loved that it was at night. I loved the lights. I didn't love that I was one of the many, MANY people that got sick during the race. I collapsed after the race inside Mandalay Bay. A volunteer, Nancy, came to my aid with salt. It was insane. I really really do want to do this race again and have a fresh try!

10. 2012 Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Characters galore! And running with new friends.

11. 2012 Inaugural (and only) Walt Disney World Marathon Relay. I surprised myself by running back to back half marathons and doing incredibly awesome on the second one. I was with Corral A runners, so I guess they just intimidated me into running faster. I hit every photo stop without a line thanks to running with the people that never stop!

12. 2012 Heart Breaker Half Marathon. I saw Jeff Galloway again. I PR'd again. Is he the key?? And they gave us strawberries on the course.

13. 2012 Eugene Half Marathon. Another PR for me. I was on fire.

14. 2012 Portland Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. That course was a deceptive beast! So much uphill.

15. 2012 Seattle Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. The first race Shawn and I ever did together. His first race, period. He just followed my lead and we did awesome!! Then I convinced him to run the marathon with me that year. It was our first out of town trip together, too, other than our first date. I guess it all worked out since here we are still together a decade later!

16. 2012 Scappoose Half Marathon. This was essentially a training run for the next full marathon on the calendar. It was sooooo cold. Insanely cold.

17. 2012 Run to Stay Warm Half Marathon. No memories of this one. It was also a training run for the Disney races coming up.

18. 2012 Reindeer Run Half Marathon. Not enough aid stations along the way. I got so thirsty I was debating drinking water from a ditch.

19. 2012 Eugene Holiday Half Marathon. They had gingerbread man cookies and electrolyte drinks on the course that, when taken together, tasted like delicious dessert! And free Cliff Shot Block packages, too. We left with soooo many in Shawn's pockets.

20. 2013 Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Shawn and I ran as Jessie and Woody from Toy Story and ended up on the news! The next day we ran the marathon as Batman and Batgirl and we melted.

21. 2013 Inaugural Hop Hop Half Marathon. A girl my age collapsed and an ambulance came. She looked lifeless. Her eyes were rolled back. She survived but I hear was hospitalized. It was really scary to see.

22. 2013 Portland Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. I was better prepared since I knew their elevation charts were deceptive. Andy Grammar was the post-race concert.

23. 2013 Grapes of Half. Gorgeous. Nature. Wineries. Killer hills at the end. Gravel road, going downhill. I had to sort of walk sideways down so I wouldn't slip.

24. 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon. Part of the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare weekend. We ran as Mario and Luigi! And found many friends along the way.

25. 2013 Women's Running Half Marathon. This was in Arizona. There were maybe 5 dudes, Shawn being one of them. The altitude and change in air completely shocked me. I wasn't expecting that!

26. 2013 Eugene Holiday Half Marathon. I forgot my tech shirt at home and had to wear the cotton race shirt we all got. This is soooo NOT me.

27. 2013 Portland Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. At the finish line the announcer saw us and said, "Always be yourself, unless you can be a pirate. Then be a pirate!"

28. 2013 Seattle Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. I got to see Sir Mix A Lot!

29. 2013 Eugene Half Marathon. I actually began this race with my DAD and Shawn. I ditched both of them somewhere along the race and waited for them at the finish line. Ha!

30. 2013 Vancouver BC Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. Shawn had to walk it - doctor's orders - but we both went dressed as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police! We even had police officers stop us to compliment us on our outfits as we walked to the race! My first time in Canada!! 

31. 2013 Disney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The 5th anniversary of the race. That morning we were on RunDisney's social media for our Jack Skellington and Sally costumes in the 5K. For this night race we were Pinocchio and Gepetto. This would be the last half for a while because we were about to start the whole IVF process.

32. 2014 Inaugural Shamrock Half Marathon. Did not do it. Doctor's Orders! NOT allowed!

33. 2014 Corvallis Half Marathon. Did not do it. Doctor's Orders! NOT allowed!

34. 2018 Eugene Half Marathon. Felt so good to be back at my favorite distance again and running with a new friend I had just made at Ragnar the year before!

35. 2022 Eugene Half Marathon. The final race. I'll never forget it. Emily let me be with her the entire time and we had so much fun! The poor guy by us having to hear all of our stories. I didn't train at all. I wasn't sure I'd do it. But I am so glad I did!

Is it the end? I really don't know. I hope not. But if it is, I had a great ... run! 

Eugene Half Marathon: My Final 1/2

My FINAL half marathon? Is it?? I think so. Or is it, I think so? I spent so much time during my training just struggling. When I could run I was doing great. My legs were happy, my mind was happy, training was awesome! But just as awesome as it was, it suddenly kept shifting to being really difficult and scary. I never wanted to run too far from home or Katura's school because what if something happened? Ménière's Disease was taking over and the joy was fading. I felt a bit of relief when I finally accepted that I needed to just retire my half marathon shoes. I am NOT done running. I LOVE relays. I can still run a lot of miles, just broken up into 3 different chunks. 13.1 miles has always been my favorite distance once I finally did it, so having this be my last was kind of emotional and sad. BUT I had a happy surprise that changed it so I didn't run a sad race!

I completely abandoned training for this race. Who goes out and runs 3 races in a row with zero training? Apparently ME!! Going into the Eugene Marathon weekend I still didn't know if I would run or not. In my head I was visualizing the course and trying to figure out a game plan if I couldn't finish or if I had a terrible Meniere's attack and needed to stop or get help. I wondered if I was going to drive up to Eugene and end up turning around and driving home. I WANTED to run, but was also scared. So finally it was race day. At 3:30am my alarm went off and by 4am I was on the road to Eugene. When I arrived I was super early, which I prefer, and settled in my parking spot. I walked to the porta potties and then to the start area to see them setting everything up. That solidified it. I was ready to race!

The sun came up and I made my way to the start area. As I was walking around just taking it all in I was so excited to see Emily! This was going to be a great retirement race! We decided we'd get through it together, and I am sooooo so glad we did. 

I conducted an experiment during this race. Okay, if you missed my pouting .... I had tickets to see Hamilton. I didn't let myself get excited about it until I was there. I was not even a block away and said to my mom, "Well, now I can get excited! We are here! It's happening!" Less than one minute later I learned the show was cancelled due to a flu outbreak among the company. Instant tears. I was heartbroken. **I now have tickets again for later this year.*** So to celebrate my new tickets I had decided to listen to Hamilton during the race and see how far could I get in the course before the show ended. This was my plan before I saw Emily, but I decided to stick with it because why not?!?

Once we crossed the start line I hit start on my Garmin and start on Hamilton! And we were off for 13.1 miles of non-stop chatter. Seriously, Emily, I had so much fun. Thank you! We talked about so much. Crazy medical things, races, Broadway, traveling. We never shut up except for when we were drinking water I think!

Run wise I don't really have things to report. We did it! Emily had her Garmin beeping at us in ratios so we'd rotate between running and walking. Thank goodness we had that. I honestly don't know what I would have done solo. I mean clearly I'd have been that girl performing Hamilton alone, but would I have remembered to start running if I walked? Would I have survived that last 5K?

The last 5K. Ugh. I've said this every time I've run the Eugene Half Marathon. The first 10 miles are the physical part. The last 3.1 is the mental challenge. The course gets quiet. No spectators. No hills. Just you and the half marathon runners since the marathon course diverts at that point. Around mile 8.7 you actually pass the finish line. From that point on it is just this mental battle. You get tired physically and you need your mind to help you, but it gets hard. Thank goodness for teamwork and laughter!! Another bonus, we found Jenn on course during this rough spot. Sometimes you just need to see a happy, familiar face to help revive a bit of a bounce in your step!

The last mile actually seemed to fly by now that I think about it. We entered Hayward Field and oops, costume fail. For some reason it seemed like I needed to put my sunglasses on. I don't know why. My brain was dead. When I tried it made my pirate bandanna fall off. So yeah, I totally had us stop so I could fix it for the finish line. I don't know!! I think we did a great job on the track keeping smiles on for the photos and coming in strong to the finish line. I even heard them say my name! I never hear it because I'm usually in a fog. I'm so glad that for this final race I actually heard it!

At the finish I really noticed my Meniere's battle, and thank goodness I found a fence I was able to grab on to. I didn't even grab my medals right away! And what I noticed and really appreciated was nobody tried to shoo me along. Sometimes at the finish they try to get you out ASAP. I physically couldn't do it. Heck a volunteer even brought me a barf bag (that I didn't have to use thank goodness). They were all so nice and patient then smiled when I was finally ready to grab the bling.

Yeah, we got TWO medals! Both Emily and I were doing the Doublestack Challenge which meant the bonus medal. Hot dog, I like ending with a bang and bling! Lots of photos happened before we made our way to the post-race party. I indulged in grilled cheese sandwich squares at the end and collected some yummy cookies. From there it was a mission to McDonald's for salty fries and a Coke! 

I'm so glad I did the race! It got hard at the end, but felt so dang good once I hit the track and got to see the end in sight. It's been a great run of great runs, and I am happy they aren't all done for good. Maybe some day I'll be back reporting on 13.1 miles. We shall wait and find out!

Eugene 5K

This was the race I expected to run in 2020, back when I was feeling great and planning on training for another marathon. Covid happened and races all came to an abrupt halt. I had to defer to 2021. And then I had to defer to 2022. Finally it was race day.... and I wasn't trained.

I had started my training plan and was feeling really excited about following my full calendar with short runs, long runs, cross training on my spin bike. It felt great to finally have racing becoming a reality again. But I was also faced with another reality... Ménière's disease. I've been dealing with this for close to 20 years and it seems like when it comes to running my desires are losing the battle to what my body wants. I was finding it more and more difficult to train. I'd sometimes only make it to the end of my street and I'd have to turn and walk back home. I'd always tell people where I was running and have someone on alert in case I needed picked up. Vertigo was dominating my runs and it just wasn't fun anymore. It was frustrating and scary at times. So after a lot of thinking I came to the realization that I can't fully train for the half marathon and I'd need to "retire" from long distances. 

Clearly the 5K race I was doing was not what I'd call a long distance. BUT the fact that I didn't train for the half meant I also didn't train for the 5K! Fortunately when it comes to racing I'm pretty dang casual. I don't set time goals for myself. I don't compete with other runners. I just go out to enjoy myself and the people. I didn't want to do virtual races during Covid because my idea of racing is having spectators, water stations, other runners. And that is exactly what I wanted from this 5K - to just enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie that comes with these big races.

I stood at the start line by myself, listening to some music and getting myself mentally prepared for the challenge ahead of me. Then I looked up and boom, there was Emily! We were both surprised to see each other, and also super happy. Emily and I have a knack of finding each other without trying when we don't even know we will both be somewhere. This has happened in Oregon multiple times, California and Washington. Clearly we were meant to be friends!

So we began the race together. For a little time we were separated because I think I just had the whole Eugene vibe rub off on me and I pushed harder than I should have. Add in that downhill and I hauled ass. I enjoyed that they changed up the 5K route. I was kind of over the one I have already done so many times.

Half way into the race I was bringing out my phone to vlog and Emily was back! We spent the rest of the race together and it was so much fun. It has been so long since I ran with a friend - and one that isn't Shawn. I think the last time I ran with someone that wasn't Shawn would be Dustin and I doing the Holiday Half in Portland back in 2018!

Time flew by and soon we were approaching Hayward Field ready for our big finish. I don't even know if they said my name because I was too busy waving at Katura and she stood at the side by the finish line cheering with her cowbell! That is a great way to finish a race!!

We got our medals, took our finisher photos and then parted ways. As I went home I was optimistic about the half marathon the next day, but still also not really sure if I would do it. And if I didn't, I at least had a blast doing the kid race with Katura and the 5K with Emily!

Spoiler alert... I DID do the half marathon!

Eugene Kid's Duck Dash

Well here's a first... a race report for a KIDS race!

In 2019 Katura and I registered for all of the 2020 Eugene Marathon weekend races. Well life had other plans. In 2020 and 2021the races were cancelled. Finally, in 2022 we had our change to have our first race together without a stroller!

Katura's race began at 8am right outside of Hayward Field. She was lined up and excited for her first race, a 1K. The plan was to just let her do her thing and I would follow. It was HER race, not mine.

She was a bit hesitant at the start, I think because she had no idea what was actually going on. I tried to encourage her and started showing her how sometimes you need to weave around other people to get an open path. Once she figured that out she was having a blast and on fire!

Let me tell you, she was awesome! There were times I had to work to keep up with her. After the race she said I was holding her back and next year she will do it all on her own without me. **All kids 6 and younger HAD to have an adult with them, as per the race rules.

We got to the entrance of Hayward Field and I could tell she felt the energy. The crowd was roaring and all of the kids were smiling and ramping up their pace. I deliberately stayed pretty far behind because I wanted her to have her own experience. I was just there as her documentarian.

I've got this girl trained without even trying. She didn't want to wear her medal because it was a Duck Dash medal, and not a Beaver Dash medal. She humored me and wore it for one single photo. 

It was pure chaos at that finish line. Kids. Parents. Volunteers. Medals. Water bottles. Goody bags. Too much in one little spot that all had to exit UP the stairs into the grandstands. Then the post-race party... yikes! I left Katura and Shawn to head to the start line for my next race and they tackled the crowds to get some free pancakes and a cowbell.

She had a great time and definitely seems interested in next year's race. I told her as long as she wants to do them, I will happily be there and let her race!

Castaway Cay 5K and a Half?

During our 2022 Spring Break cruise on the Disney Fantasy we were lucky enough to stop at Castaway Cay on our final day. I say "lucky enough" because we were already behind schedule the night before at dinner, then the weather wasn't good in the morning. Word on the pool deck among crew members was that they weren't positive we'd be able to dock. But we did! That meant running my fourth Castaway Cay 5K race on the island.

In all 4 times of running this is has never been 3.1 miles. Maybe I'll find the sweet turnaround spot next time?

I enjoyed the course, as usual. It was raining off and on. And crazy humidity at the same time.

I was running great, but the humidity always knocks me down. Oregonians and heat and super wet humidity don't mix, okay?!?

One thing I noticed very different during this race than the one in August was the amount of people. So many people this time! All ages, skills, sizes. It was really cool to have us all out there together. But what I also noticed was they all vanished. I followed the signs. I took the right hand turn and went toward the cabanas. And then I never saw another runner.

I also never saw a turn around sign. So I went to the end of the path and turned around when I hit the end - but not before taking in the views of the ocean and a nearby island. Back to the bicycle rental shack I went and hurried to the finish line.

3.6 miles.

A 5K race is 3.1 miles. I had an extra half of a mile. That's a lot when you want to just hurry and get back to the beach to go swimming! And all those other runners? Heck, I can tell you then didn't even get close to 3 since they didn't even make it to the cabanas at all. But you know what, I don't care! They were the smart ones. They got to the beach faster than I did. Smart!

At the end I was given my medal and a lady I had been around a lot during the cruise was getting hers. So we figured why not celebrate each other and get some photos!?! I seriously love Disney Cruises and the people I meet!

As per usual I loved it - even if it was long. Will I do it again? Yes. Very soon!