SO Much Better Than Last Year

Exactly one year and three days ago, I was standing in church listening to the massive rainfall that morning. It was October 10th, 2010. I remember being amazed at the pounding and pouring that morning. I also remember not paying too much attention during Liturgy that day; and feeling very sorry for myself.

You see, a few weeks before that, I had developed a stress fracture in my left foot while I was training for the Portland Marathon. The stress fracture was so bad, that my doctor instructed me not to run the race and to basically stay away from running for 2-4 months. I know my inconsistent training is how I developed the injury. Training for a marathon requires a lot of 8+ mile runs, something I could not do with children and Hurricane's unpredictable work schedule. So, I ran on the weekends and then ran more consistently when the kids started school in September. My foot obviously did not like that, and protested the best way it knew how.

So that fateful Sunday morning, while the rest of the competitors were running in the massive downpour, I was bemoaning the fact that I spent $140 on a race that I would never run. I stared at the shirt and bag that falsely advertised my athletics. Humph.

In January 2011, things started feeling better. I did a 5K race with my sister-in-law and started running low mileage about twice a week. I registered for the Portland Half Marathon at the end of the month and by the middle of summer was in a consistent training schedule.

And boy, did it pay off!

This past Sunday, the 9th, I did the half marathon with my girlfriend who flew up from Utah. It was amazing!

Speaking of amazing, I have to brag a bit about Nicole. So, Nicole. She is pretty much the funniest person you will meet. Not only does she have a wonderful personality, she also has a positive attitude and a lot of courage. You see, she only started running this year. That is right! This year! Like me, she signed up for the half at the end of January. Like me, she started with a consistent training in the summer. However, unlike me, she did all her training on a treadmill! She only ran outside 4 times before coming to Portland for the half! She even did the longest training run, 10 miles, on a treadmill! How crazy is that? Pretty crazy!

But wait, maybe it was not so crazy when I tell you how much she rocked the half. Her first one. Ever. Well, here are her stats:

Half Marathon official time: 2:01
Official Pace: 9:18/mile
Overall Results: 443 out of 2272 (top 19%)
Women Results: 210 out of 1668 (top 13%)
Age Group Results: 29 out of 205 (top 14%)

I am SO proud of how well she ran. It was so much fun having her here for the extended weekend. I loved running with her and I cannot wait to do the next one!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:


Claire loved having someone around who actually knew how to fix her hair:


Hanging out with Claire at the LDS Portland Temple grounds Friday afternoon: