Portland Marathon Writeup

I had a great time today running the Portland Marathon. Tapering had been difficult for me, and yesterday I was full of doubt. But this morning I woke up in a good mood, and Dr. B played "Eye of the Tiger" while I crammed a banana and peanut butter bagel into my face.

We took the Max in before dawn, and it was full of other suburbanites in fluorescent shoes making jokes about pooping and chafing. The weather was clearly cooperating, with start temps chilly but not enough to warrant the extra layer I made my husband schlep. He was able to sit with me in my corral and see me off (although the tight security would mean later that no one could see us cross the finish line). At 6:30 the lines for the bathrooms were basically backed up into our faces, so it was somewhat of a relief to get going.

My approach to calm my nerves was to view this run as just another training run. For the most part, it was familiar ground. There was a rather large hill at the end of Naito Parkway which I hadn't practiced or even anticipated, but adrenaline carried me through. I felt a bit tired in the flat stretch around mile 7 or 8 doubling back through the industrial district, but folks on the sidelines and the fast people racing in the opposite direction kept my interest. There were plenty of water and Ultima stations (and port-a-porties with surprisingly short lines) available almost the whole time, with maybe one limited stretch between northwest neighborhoods and the St Johns Bridge. At 13 miles, I realized I'd shaved over twenty minutes off my half marathon time at the Timberline Half.

The hill for Germantown Road at mile 17 didn't hit me too hard, since I'd practiced going over that bridge several times. In fact, I think it tricked my body into thinking I hadn't been running as long, since it usually fell at about mile 10 in my practice runs. Plus, the mountains were out, with Adams perfectly framed in the arch.

After a slight dip and climb up to Willamette Blvd., the course flattens out for a while, and is much more scenic. Those neighborhoods are some of the prettiest in Portland, and the spectators were great. Here there were gummy bears, pretzels (the hard ones) and candy corn.I was feeling damn good sailing down Greeley into a headwind with my playlist changing from NPR podcasts to KMFDM.


After another modest climb from Interstate Ave. to the Broadway Bridge, I was in the home stretch. I knew I was ahead of the pacer for a 4:25 finish, but I wasn't believing it. I had resigned myself to thinking that it was silly to expect to run faster than your training runs. But I did just that, with a final time of 4:24:38. And I didn't even cry! I just felt a little... well, broken. The last two miles of every long run are the hardest. Dr. B had a smile and a bouquet of flowers waiting for me at the end of the security gates, which was the best part.

Cons: The whole security/Boston thing was frankly irritating and overwrought. No spectators at the finish? Come on! 

Also, the live tracking and results websites were glitchy and slow. Not a big deal. 

Pros: Portland in great weather is a thing of beauty. 

Gear: Pretty basic. Wicking tee and knee-length leggings, ankle socks and Brooks Pure Flow 2. Phone holster and headphones, SpiBelt with 2 Powerbar gels and a pack of Shotblocks, small medical kit, i.d. cards. Brooks running cap and sunglasses. Wore sunblock and chafe cream. Handheld Nike water bottle. Carried running jacket/windbreaker to the start but didn't need it. This all worked for me because I practiced with everything.