The final race of the PRC Winter 5k Race Series came at the perfect time. After waiting all winter for snow, we finally got it Thursday. But after two days, it had mostly melted to slush – typical. I had recently caught a cold and had opted to rest up over the snow days, so I was itching to get out and move. Though I still wasn’t feeling 100% on race morning, I knew I could get through a little over 3 miles fairly easily.
I arrived at Portland Running Company way too early, but I had been up since 5:30 thanks to my sick dog. Thankfully, the PRC 5k races have the luxury of a nice warm store to stand around in pre-race, and there’s always coffee and a few treats out before the main event. It took less than 5 minutes to check in and everyone, (as always!) was in such good spirits. It’s a great start to the day!
I headed off to the start line about 10 minutes before the race, and it was starting to look like the rain was coming. Thankfully it held off, and though there was still snow on the ground, nothing that resembled ice was present. Still, we were warned to look out for icy patches, especially by the one bridge crossing into Fanno Creek. Some salt had been put down as an extra precaution and there were plenty of volunteers in those spots. Run With Paula Events races keep safety in mind always!
After some warmup movements and the national anthem, we were off. I purposely held back a bit, in part because I was still feeling a bit ill and also because I was cold and needed to warm up. I also wanted to not fall and injure myself, if at all possible, as that would not be a great start to 2025 race season.
I found myself speeding up out on the Fanno Creek Trail and was so inspired seeing the first female finisher coming up well ahead of the first male way before I was even close to the turnaround. I love watching the faster runners as well as getting to see all my friends ahead and behind me on the course.
Paula Harkin was out there too, running with an old friend of hers and doing what she always does – encouraging every runner and walker out there. Her spirit is infectious.
Coming back through the backroads of the businesses is always the hardest part of the route for me, as the streets sometimes feel too long, but it really takes no time at all to get to the finish line. You can hear the cheers from a quarter mile back and you just want to get to the afterparty. On this occasion, there was hot soup waiting at the store for us, and it sounded like the best thing ever that frosty morning.
I reached the finish slower than either my December or January race this season, but it really didn’t matter. Though I did get 3rd in my age division, it was out of only 5 women total, and I was still very happy to be out there running at any speed at all. This race series isn’t about finishing 1st, at least not for me. It’s become a fun tradition and a chance to just be grateful for my health and what my body does to show up for me every day. As long as I’m healthy enough to keep doing these races, I’ll be happy and grateful to do so.
After I watched some of my friends cross the finish line, I grabbed a twinkie at the store and some delicious tomato soup. Dave announced the race winners, and the fastest runner this time was female at a blistering 17 minutes and 39 seconds! I stuck around for the raffle and won some stuff too. Talk about the icing on the cake! I don’t ever regret attending the PRC 5k Series, and I hope to continue doing it every year.
