Our world changed in July 7th, 2011 when Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer. One of the remarkable and unimaginable phenomenons is the outreach and support from not only friends and family members, but perfect strangers impacted by this disease. Strangers that become friend and allies against this disease. Scott is one of those friends, and wife is battling colon cancer - read more on her blog Loving on Shawna. They set up a 10k fundraiser to offset her medical bills Shufflin-for-shawna-10k.
I signed up for the race, and the day of the race (Saturday March 24th, 2012) I asked my sixteen year old son Cole if he wanted to run with me in the race. Cole did run cross country a couple of years ago, but had not did any running other than condition for basketball in some time. He said, "Sure." Easy for a sixteen year old to just go out and run a 6.2 mile race without training, must be nice!
Christina, Cole, Jackson and I head to the race. Prior to the race we met up with Scott and Shawna, and we also were introduced to their family members, and other volunteers that setup the race. Christina volunteered to help with the timing, and Jackson was there to cheer us on. Cole was a bit nervous being that he didn't train, but the start was about to happen... On your marks, set, go!
The race was of modest size with an estimated total of 100 runners and walkers. Cole took off with the leaders while I hung back running my pace of about 6:30 to 6:45 minutes per mile. Cole started slowing down around mile 4, and I started gaining on him. Near the top of the hill on Walnut near MLK park I was about 20 - 30 yards behind Cole as he started to walk/run. My plan to run up beside him and give him some encouragement to finish strong with less than half a mile to the finish was thwarted when he looked back! Seeing his Dad coming up behind he was enough encouragement as he started running again creating some more separation. Game on! About 100 yards from the up hill finish I was gaining on Cole, and he didn't know that I was gaining on him. Jackson was near the finish and yelled, "Go Dad, you can beat him!", or something like that. Cole swiveled his head ahead around and saw his Dad within a few yard of him. His eyes widened, and started sprinting to the finish. Cole finished 3rd, and I finished 4th behind him.
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| Shawna & Christina at the Shufflin' for Shawna 10k |
The next race I completed was the Corvallis Half Marathon on Sunday, April 15th 2012. While training for this race, I discovered quite a few of my friends from work, old high school friends, and local acquaintances were running or walking in the race! Some I discovered after the race as I was very focused at kept to myself for the most part prior to the start of the race. During training I have ran the full course at least once, and parts of the course numerous times. The winner of the race this year (Craig Leon) was interviewed and said that it was a nice course and pretty flat! I guess for the most part that was true, however there is a gradual incline from mile 3.5 to 5.5 beside Bald Hill, and another tougher hill at mile 7 to mile 8.25 up Walnut Blvd. It was a tough section, but my training on those hills helped me power through them.
Around mile 10 I hit the wall; my heart rate started rising, I was dehydrated, and my legs felt like lead. I hit both water stations on Tyler at mile 10 and I think 11. After the second, I felt the water in the stomach gosling around. That second stop was probably a mistake! It was tough haulin' for the next couple of miles. According to my watch I was right about on target to finish below 1:30:00.
Towards the finish I spotted a target, a slower runner that I was gaining on. I picked up the pace enough to pass that runner, and then spotted another target as we headed towards the stadium. I didn't have much left in the tank, but I always seemed to be able to sprint the last ~ 200 yards to the finish line. I sprinted and tried to pass my target, but he sensed I was coming and pushed to the finish as well. After the race in the beer garden I met up with him, Kelly, who works for HP out of Vancouver. He thanked me for pushing him in the finish. I ended up finishing 55th of 1,640 overall, 50/581 of male runners, and 7/76 of M4044, and a time of 1:30: 34. Dang, just 35 seconds faster and to get under 1:30:00! My watch let me down here as it had my pace a bit quicker. I did beat my PR nearly eight minutes. All in all a good race.
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| My Finish at the Corvallis Half Marathon 2012 |
After the Corvallis Half Marathon, I met up with a high school classmate Chris McCammon. He also works at HP, and we chatted in the HP fitness center about race and running in general. Chris had started training for the Lebanon Strawberry Festival 5k. I had ran that race in high school, and again in 2002 or 2003. After the Corvallis Half, I signed up for the Portland Marathon in October. My marathon training schedule does include some speed work, so I added this race to my schedule. I only had a few weeks to train for this 5k, and I didn't want to alter my marathon training activities too much. I did make an effort to hit all my speed workouts at or above target a little bit.
The day of the race the temperature was nice, in the 60's. Before the race I saw some high school classmates, my track and cross country coach (Marty Dannen), and some HP friends. The course is a flat out and back along Main and South Main in downtown Lebanon. My goal was to get under 20:00, which is under 6:26 min/mi. Now that I know my watch tracks my pace I bit quicker than reality, I set the watch to keep my pace between 6:10 and 6:15. The 5k felt more like a sprint after running in the half, and training for the full marathon! I kept my pace between the targets, but hitting toward the high end. My family wasn't at the event, but I did hear a few calls of my name during the race. Around the 1 mile mark, my shoe came untied, so I had to stop and retie my shoe. At the end of the race I saw a man probably about 50 yard in front of me, and I knew I could catch him. My heart rate was well into the 200's, but I sprinted hard... spectators were saying, "You can catch him! GO! GO! GO!" I caught him right before the finishing chute! Time, 19: 29 - 6:16 min/mil!
After the race I chatted with coach Dannen. There were several former students talking to coach Dannen including the winner that was 18 years old and ran a 16:31 @ 5:18. Coach Dannen congratulated me on my time, and as we chatted he told me he often used told a story to he former track runners. I was the only runner that every false started in the 3,000! That wasn't exactly the form of legacy that I wanted to be remember for, however that did trigger a memory of how much I despised that race in high school.. and that I probably false started on purpose. Marty though so too.
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