To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. -Steve Prefontaine

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Prefontaine Memorial Run - 9 Years and Counting!

2018 marked the 39th year of the Prefontaine Memorial run in Coos Bay, Oregon. 39 years.... and I am 39... and this is my 9th year of racing it. So many 9s! And with this being my 9th year this might be the best one so far. Not my fastest, but overall still my best!

I was up very early to get ready for the race and he drive to the coast. Odd for me, I never set out a single thing the night before. After my shower I went down to my running room and and started grabbing what I needed without any nerves bothering me. What??!! At the same time I was gathering clothes for my little girl, and I think all the mother distractions actually helped this year. No time for nerves when you’re focused on someone else’s needs!

Around 8:15am our family was pulling into the Catholic Church for packet pick-up, and as always it was so easy and full of the nicest volunteers. Everyone there is like me... all about Pre and ready for a great day of remembering him!

We parked up at Marshfield High School (the finish line) and took time getting myself all set to run and dressing my little cheerleader. (She wasn’t too excited about having to put on pants, socks and a jacket for the first time in months!) There was plenty of time to kill, so we took a leisurely walk to downtown Coos Bay to visit a Prefontaine Memorial and some of the vendors setting up for the big festival about to happen.























Come 9:45 I was officially getting in the zone. I went upstairs in the art museum to the Prefontaine room where I could spend some time alone soaking in the greatness of my idol and visualize my race. I think it worked!


After a slight delay Linda Prefontaine (Steve’s sister) started our race and I was off on the most enjoyable experience in a very tough course!

I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted my cheerleaders on the sidewalk waving at my as I enjoyed the one flat spot on the course (other than the finish line). It was the perfect start to a race!

In no time at all it gets real. The hills begin. Up, down, up, down, down, down, up, down... and then flip that around and come back ... which means tons of up, up, up.

When that first hill started I just kept going. It was weird. I mean I was feeling great. Knowing this course so well I made the smart choice to start walking. I can walk fast when I want to. Perhaps it was because I wore my Lady Storm Squad hoodie before the race (??) but I laughed when I realized I was counting kills during my walk.... any walker I passed while also walking I was counting as a kill. Then I realized I couldn’t keep track and gave up on that.

And then I really got in the zone. It was always my favorite, but after Hood to Coast and running down a mountain I was all about the long downhill. I hauled ass and it felt incredible! I even pushed harder than normal and was having a blast!

My plan on this course is always the same —- fly down, walk fast up, finish strong on the track. I even pass people trying to run up when I’m walking, so I just stick with my plan and it keeps my legs happy. I do run uphill for a while, don't get me wrong. And this year every time I was running and thought of backing off I channeled the confidence I got from Lady Storm Squad and continued to push. I really can't stress how great Hood to Coast and Lady Storm Squad was for me. It was exactly what I didn't know I needed!

The runners this year were so friendly, maybe it was our perfect weather. I chatted with so many people and even ran with a coach or athletic director of some sort for a little while. Also of note, the first place female did it in her Hood to Coast shirt! And that girl's brother won for the men. This race is definitely a family affair! 

With around half a mile to go I got really social. I have no idea what was in me, but I do remember thinking (this is corny!) Wow, Pre really IS running with me. I felt weightless. My legs were just going. I wasn't panting. I was smiling. I was having such a runner high! There was a couple I started by and kept leap frogging with during the race. I started up convo with them, sharing with them how impressed I was because even with the gnarly hills we had to climb I never once saw the walking. Another women I was leapfrogging with during the last mile complimented me on my socks - which led to me asking about her adorable leggings that I really want. We all sort of ran together for the last stretch until we reached the top of the last tiny, yet steep hill. 

After that last incline we make the turn onto Elrod. I always get quiet here and give a special nod to the Prefontaine home as I round the final corner and set my eyes on Marshfield High School. Nothing distracted me and I kept laser focus on the entrance to the track. Football players and spectators line the entrance to the track, cheering on all of the runners. While you run that final lap the cheerleaders are there cheering you on. Up until this year it was always just a mental imagine I kept, but for some reason I decided why not get a selfie on Pre's track?? I have never done it, and I have mastered taking photos while running, so I did it!

I slipped my phone back in my belt and charged forward to that last turn that I love so much. Normally I'd be ramping up my pace but this year my little mini-me came running to the track to run with me! We smiled for a photo - but sadly it didn't turn out (you can see that photo below - and her tiny little hand). I sent her back to her daddy and went into the hardest finish line sprint ever. I was all smiles as I crossed that finish line! And then my jaw dropped when I looked at my Garmin. Did I seriously just run my second fastest time on that course?? There is no way I could have gotten a PR, that I know. I set my current 10K PR on this course in 2012 when I was only 3 weeks away from running the marathon, so I was in excellent race shape! But this year I certainly haven't done any speed work, I took a freaking selfie and on course photos, I hauled ass walking up Agony Hill ... and I still shaved over 4 minutes off of last year's time that I was pretty happy about. Hot dog!

I really don't ever care about my finish times and I never discuss them. This race, for me, definitely isn't about any competition. This is my chance to run in the footsteps of my idol, and this year was so incredibly fun! The atmosphere, the support of fellow runners, my family cheering me on at the beginning and end, it was the best!

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