Eugene Marathon – Race Day

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Amanda

Race Day

Alarm set for: 4:40am

Gross. The one part I really dislike about running is the horrible early wake-up calls. This was nothing compared to 2:45am for Disney World but 4:40am is still a horrible time to be awake. Lesley and I were up and moving before 5am. We dressed, had our breakfasts (I brought my english muffin with almond butter and jelly) and were out the door by 5:40am.

I was nervous on Race Morning. It has been awhile since I had pre-race nerves but I really wanted to try to run a sub 4-hour race. My first three marathons I really didn’t have specific time goals, I just ran, this time I had a goal.

We parked at one of the High Schools and took a shuttle over to the start. The race was really organized. We didn’t wait long for the shuttle and they had a ton of port-a-potties at the start so we didn’t have to wait long for those either. By the time we hit the bathroom, took a few pre-race photos and used the bathroom one last time it was about 15 minutes to the start so we got in line. I was in Corral B with Lesley and her mom. I said my good-bye’s and good luck’s and headed for the 4-hour Cliff Pace team.

Ready to Go!

Not long after we were off! The first two miles weren’t easy which was tough on me mentally but by Mile 3 or 4 I started to warm up and find my rhythm. We were in neighborhoods for the first 7-8 miles. Normally I would find this boring but I was in a new part of the country and I thought it was fun to look at the different architecture and admire the green mountains behind the homes. At one point I felt like I was in the movie Twilight running in Bella’s neighborhood. People were out cheering us on and holding signs which helped pass the miles. Somewhere around Mile 4-5 I got ahead of the pace group. I was just slightly ahead of them but felt comforted I was slightly ahead of them.

Mile 8-10ish we were back in more of a city area with a ton of people cheering us on. A friend from High School, Ashley, was in Eugene to support her boyfriend and she found me just before Mile 10. She yelled “Go Amanda, you look great!”. It was nice to have a supporter on the course. Ashley and her boyfriend are incredible runners – he ran a 2:40 marathon that day! Thanks Ashley for cheering me on!

Somewhere around Mile 11-12 I started to get comments on my Birthday shirt. A group of people told me I should be handing out “Birthday Cake” flavored Gu. I agreed! (They should really consider making a Birthday Cake flavored Gu.) At Mile 14ish one guy sang “Happy Birthday” to me. It was hilarious and kind of embarrassing at the same time. I loved all the spirit though. I chatted with quite a few people during miles 13-17ish.

We headed for a river that we were running out on and turning around at Mile 21 and coming back on the other side. It was really pretty but also tough to see people coming back on the other side when you knew how much ground you still had to cover. I was still feeling good a strong at this point. I was hitting a 9:08 pace on the dot for quite a few miles and was about 2-3 minutes ahead of a 4 hour marathon. As I got to Mile 20 it started to get a little tougher but I was trying not to let it mess with my head. Mile 20-22 was okay but Mile 22 it started to get tough to breathe. My legs were getting really heavy and tired. I started to take 20-30 sec walk breaks at the mile markers. I didn’t want to do this but it was allowing me to refresh my legs a bit and pick my pace back up when I started running again.

At Mile 24 I started to fall apart. The 4 hour pace group passed me on my quick walk break around 24.5 and I knew I wasn’t going to hit a sub 4-hour marathon. I was actually okay with this at the point. I wanted to stop running so badly but I kept thinking back to my first marathon when my Dad was with me at mile 24. He was saying, just keep running, it doesn’t matter how slow you are going, just keep running. So that’s what I did. I just kept running. I knew I was going to PR by a good amount so I kept pushing. Mile 25 was brutal, we were in a field by train tracks with no spectators. It was so hard. We finally got back into the city and onto the U of O campus and spectators were all over. As I turned into Hayward field people were really cheering us on. I wanted to have a burst of energy to run gracefully down the track but sadly I didn’t. I just had to keep my feet moving and I knew I was going to finish right at 4 hours. I did try to push hard to make it under 4 hours 1 minute. (For some reason 4 hours just sounds better than 4 hours 1 min)

My Garmin Results – You can see at Miles 24-26 my time just tanked!

I finished in 4:00:41! Although I still don’t have the “3″ in front of my number I am really proud of my race. I took 11:55 seconds of my Boston Marathon time and set a new PR. Lesley finished her first Marathon in 4:21 and rocked it. She says she will do another one so I think we have another marathon addict. It was a really great day!

26.2 Miles later…

Marathon Medal #4 – Love that is has Hayward Field on it!

After the marathon we all showered, iced and then went out for my favorite post-race/Birthday lunch – a cheeseburger and beer! Lesley and I then went to the Ninaski Brewing company for beers. They had a great outdoor area where you could hang out and drink. A ton of marathoners were there – it was fun to see everyone!

Happy with Beer

I headed back to SF that evening. On our way to the airport Lesley and I drove be Steve Prefontaine’s memorial. It was really moving. People had left their marathon medals and numbers from that day. I’m really glad we made the detour to see it. I had a quick and easy flight back to SF and was home and in bed by 10pm. I took Advil PM so I would sleep well cause I had to go to work on Monday. It worked and I slept through the night with no leg cramping in the middle of the night.

Pre’s Rock

Overall, it was a great marathon and I really enjoyed my time in Eugene! I definitely want to go back and visit and maybe run again! I’m of course already thinking about which one to tackle next and I’d really love to run one in Europe next spring. We’ll see if I can pull that off!

On Thursday I flew out to Europe to see Laura and Tim. It was overall a great week and wonderful way to ring in my last year in my 20′s.

This morning I ran 11 miles with my running club. It wasn’t easy but I needed to get back to the long runs. I found a Google Offer for the See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon in Alameda on June 3rd. I’m running with my cousin. It should be a fun race! I haven’t run in a Women’s race since my first half marathon. I’m looking forward to the Champagne and Chocolate at the finish line. :)

Eugene – Tracktown USA

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Amanda

It’s almost been 3 weeks since the Eugene Marathon but it’s been a very busy and fun 3 weeks. Four days after running Eugene I took a 10 day trip to Europe to visit my best friend Laura. I’ll try to get a post up about my trip this week but figured it’s best to start with the Marathon!

I flew to Eugene on Saturday, April 28th and my friend Lesley picked me up at the airport. Lesley grew up in Eugene and her parents still live in Eugene so she spent and extended weekend there. We headed to her house to pick up her parents and head over to the Expo. She comes from a family of runners! Lesley was running the marathon along with her Dad and her mom was running the half marathon.

The Expo was well-organized and easy to get in and out. It wasn’t a big expo but it covered the basics. I of course made a few purchases. :)

Marathon Shirt and Bib

Eugene Marathon Purchases

After the expo Lesley and I headed over to “Saturday Market”. It’s a big Farmers Market that also includes food and crafts. We got a fresh squeezed lemonade and burritos! Yum! After that we walked around and looked at the different booths. Eugene loves it’s Tie-Dye – they had tie-dye everything. After spending time at the Market we headed over a famous donut shop – Voodoo Doughnut. I had a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting and cocoa puffs on it. It was most likely not the best pre-Marathon food but it was delicious and sooooo worth it.

Amazing Burrito!

Voodoo Doughnuts

Cocoa Puffs Doughnut

Lesley was a wonderful host and great tour guide and took me all around Eugene. Our next stop of the University of Oregon. We walked around campus and went to the school store. I love the spirit of U of O. They had “O’s” all over the place and everything was decorated in school colors. One of the founders of Nike has donated a ton of money to the school so they have some really great facilities, especially for athletes. We ended up walking all the way to “Hayward Field” which is the start and end of the Eugene Marathon. The track was all setup for the finish! It was exciting.

University of Oregon

Hayward Field – Finish Line

Eugene, Hayward Field and the University have a lot of running history. Steve Prefontaine was an Olympic runner that started at the University of Oregon in the 70′s. He had an interesting and tragic life. He was involved in the early days of Nike when his track coach Bill Bowerman was creating the first Nike running shoes on a waffle maker. Nike was started in Eugene and was the site of the first Nike store. We visited the store after the track and they had a little exhibit about Steve Prefontaine. It was really interesting!

Eugene Nike Store – Love that it says “Nike Running” on the Entrance

After all of our sightseeing we headed home to Lesley’s house and hung out with her parents. We had a ton of pasta and water and ended up watching the movie about Steve Prefontaine called “Without Limits”. It was a good way to get psyched-up for the Marathon. After that it was bed early to try to get a good night sleep for the big day!

Eugene Marathon – Ready!

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Amanda

Bag is packed, apartment cleaned and I’m loaded up with carbs and water. I’m ready for Eugene! My flight leaves at 8:30am tomorrow so it will be an early morning but I’m off to bed shortly. I never sleep well the night before the marathon so I’m aiming for 8 hours tonight.

I’ve never gotten “crafty” with my running clothes but I thought my golden birthday was worthy. Here is my shirt for Sunday!

Eugene Marathon – 6 days to go….

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Amanda

Training is done, tapering is almost done, carbo loading is about to begin. I think the carbo loading is probably my favorite part of running a marathon. Maybe not favorite but pretty close. I got some bagels, rice and am making some marinara sauce for pasta right night.

I got my Bib Assignment today! The excitement is building. I love the week leading up to a marathon, it’s so fun!

Bib Number 1625

After "family dinner" with my friend Kate, she sent me home with a little "care package" for my voice! So sweet!

The only downfall to this week is that I’ve been fighting off a cold since last Wednesday and yesterday completely lost my voice. I was a disaster at work today although my voice seems a bit better tonight. I can certainly run without a voice but I’m worried about chest congestion. I ran my first half marathon with chest congestion and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t think I could finish a full like that. Fingers crossed that I get this cleared up ASAP.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter (follow me on twitter at: @ahalle) my results will post in both places. I’m assuming it will be at the 10k, Half, 30k and Finish. Keep an eye out on Sunday morning, the race starts at 7am PST so 10am for all my East coast friends and family.

More as the week goes on! Hope everyone has a good week!

Eugene Marathon Training – Track Workout

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Amanda

On Tuesday I officially joined the SFFRC (San Francisco Road Runners Club). I’m really excited to be an official member of a running club. I realized how much I missed the L Street Running Club in Boston after running with the club on Saturday. It’s nice to talk to people who have the same passion and love for running. They also don’t give you weird looks when you say you are running 18 miles on Sunday – they get it. :)

Tuesday I went and did my first track workout. It was raining so the group was small but it was a great workout. I got to the track a little earlier so I ran a mile in Golden Gate park before meeting the group. I met the group at 6:30 and talked with the coach a bit. We did a 3 mile warm up in Golden Gate park as a group and then headed for the track. Once we were at the track we did some different drills and then I ran with the group doing shorter sprints because it was my first workout. We didn’t do a ton of speed-work just 4×200′s. It was great though, I was able to push myself and really get my heart rate up. Jenni (the coach) said we’ll probably keep my speed-work similar to what I did on Tuesday until after I’ve recovered from the Marathon, then I can really try to increase my distance and speed. I’m looking forward to being challenged and tackling some 5k and 10k’s this spring and summer!

Wednesday I did a 4 mile run at a slower pace, I was definitely a little sore from the speed-work. I ran on the Treadmill Wednesday because it was really raining, it was miserable. I officially hate the treadmill now. That night I went to a weights class with my friend Kate on Wednesday night and it was a lot of leg work. My legs were done – really tired and sore. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – right? Yesterday I got up and ran 5 miles outside in the rain. It was lonely, only a few people were out running with me compared to normal days. I’m really adapting to this running in the rain thing – it’s a good thing because I’ve got 14 miles to run in the rain tomorrow.

Today, a much-needed recovery day after 6 days of exercise. Happy Friday everyone!

“When it’s pouring rain and you’re bowling along through the wet, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t.” -Peter Snell

Eugene Marathon Training – 18 Miles

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Amanda

Saturday

I ran 18 miles in prep for the Eugene Marathon. I had a really tough long run the week before and really wasn’t looking forward to this run. In order to motivate myself and switch it up I decided to try running with a local running club – the San Francisco Road Runners Club. They run on Saturday mornings (my preference) and you can run anywhere from 5 miles all the way up to 24 miles.

Saturday morning I was up at 7am. I had prepared the night before getting my Gu and Water Belt all ready to go. Typical long run morning routine, roll out of bed, wash up, make an English muffin with Almond butter and jelly, glass of water, dress and head out the door. I met the club down at the Marina Green at 7:35am. I introduced myself to one of the leaders and he gave the run down on pace groups and introduced me to another new member. As I was chatting with the other new member I heard another lady say “I just moved from Boston 2 months ago” so of course I went over and introduced myself to her as well. I ended up running with both of them in the 9:00 min/mile pace group. The run was sort of typical run for me, through the Marina and out to the Presidio but when you live in a city that is 7 miles by 7 miles the options are limited. It was so nice to have people to chat with! Most of our group turned around for the 8 mile run but 2 girls stayed to do 10 so I stuck with them. We headed back the Marina green and finished at about 10.5 miles.

I had 7.5 miles to go but I planned it well! My friend Katie wanted to join me for part of my run so she met me at the Green at 9:30am. We headed off down the Embarcadero for another 7.5. She stuck with me the whole time which was great. It’s just nice to have company, even if you aren’t talking, having that person there is nice. It’s a nice change from iPod too. The music starts to get old day after day.

Overall, I had a great run! I think the company definitely helped but physically I felt much better than the week before. My legs were strong and only started to tired around 15 miles. I powered up the Fort Mason Hill at Mile 17 without an issue and felt great after my run! I was a little sore but nothing crazy.

New running shoes!

That afternoon I headed out for some errands. I made my first stop at Sports Basement for more Gu and Electrolyte Pills that my Dad got me into for the last marathon. I ended up buying new running shoes as well. I needed a new pair but kept putting it off. I ended up with the same shoes Brooks Adrenaline but after trying on the 2011 and the 2012 models ended up with the new model. They are much lighter than my previous pair. The best part was they had them in pink – I have never had pink running shoes, they are bright and obnoxious but I love them.

The rest of my day was spent running errands and then I crashed on the couch. I was in bed at 9:30pm on a Saturday night. That’s what marathon training and a long week of work does to you.

Sunday

I was up at 9:30am, made a good breakfast (egg whites, english muffin and fruit) and off to the gym by 10:30. I spent about 45 minutes doing a weights workout. I focused mainly on my upper body and core to let my legs rest after 18 miles but got a few leg exercises in. I hit the foam roller for about 15 minutes after that. I’m a little concerned my right IT band is acting up. I spent a lot of time trying to roll that out along with my right calve. It felt great to stretch and foam roll after my long run on Saturday.

I headed out on a hike with friends around 1pm. The weather was ify but who cares – just nice to get out in the mountains. We went south of the city to Pacifica and hiked up Mount Montara. It’s an 8 mile hike with a good incline but nothing crazy hard. It got my heart rate up and was definitely challenging at parts. It turned out to be sunny for most of our hike. We had a great view of the coast and could see all the way to SF and see the top of the Golden Gate bridge. It was a perfect hike for a recovery day, challenging but didn’t beat me up. After that we got post-hike beers in the Mission and headed home. It was 7:15 when I got home and the sun hadn’t set yet – love it!

View from about halfway up Mount Montara (SF is towards the back of the photo)

Monday

Last night I went to yoga. It was a great class, I definitely pushed myself and got a great workout in. I love when I have a good Yoga class!

Tonight I’m off to my first track workout with the running club. I’ll share more in the next few days!

Prepping for my 18 Miler

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Amanda

Tomorrow is an 18 mile run. It was supposed to be 16 but I’m swapping it for next weekends run because I’m heading to Arnold with my cousins. I’m going to try something new and run with the San Francisco Runners Club. I’m excited because they do long runs every Saturday morning which is my preference. It would be great to meet some new people as well!

I had to order new headphones this week. I’m due for new shoes so naturally my headphones died. I replace both every 4-5 months. I use old school Sony headphones. They are the only ones that stay on my head when running. I HATE messing ear buds falling out while I’m running.

I’m off to see a play with my friend Katie tonight. It’s a low-key night in prep for tomorrows run. I have all my running stuff ready to go, gu, water belt packed etc. I’m meeting the running club at 7:35am.

Hope everyone has a great Friday night!

Rise to Run

My running and life adventures

Tag Archives: Eugene Marathon