We never “let winter win” when we show up for the Winter 5k Series but this year was different. We had fantastic weather for ALL THREE RACES IN THE SERIES. What? That never happens!!
Last year, we had snow for Valentine’s Day. This year, we had sunshine and weather in the 50’s in the days leading up to the last race of this Run With Paula series, which happened to fall on, you guessed it, Valentine’s Day. There were a few random sprinkles that wouldn’t even qualify as rain but it was a great day in an unseasonably warm winter in the Pacific Northwest.
As usual, I couldn’t do “just” a 5k on what is usually a long run Saturday. I’m coaching a winter running program on Saturday through mid March, but I skipped it (thank you to my co-coach Heini for letting me play hooky!) for the last race of this series, so I had to get some extra miles in to make it “worth it.”
Crazy runner logic, but you might get that if you’re a runner too. So I got to Portland Running Company early and ran an extra 9 miles in some pretty epic fog. By the time I got back to the store, everyone was gathering and getting all pumped up for the last race of the series for the season.
There aren’t many races that I do over and over every year, but the Winter 5k Series is different. I always find so many friends who’ve registered and it’s like a fun reunion every time. This is what the running community is all about, and there’s something so special about having a standing “date” every month. I wish we had more than 3 of these to celebrate every year but we are so lucky to have the option in what is typically the worst weather season in Oregon.
My friend Tina brought her 12-year-old grandson and my other friend Sarah brought her husband and two kids, and it’s such a great family-friendly option for all ages and paces. Someday, I WILL get my pre-teen out of bed for the not-even-early start time of 9AM, but this unfortunately was not the year for it.
I headed out from the store to the nearby race start a bit early, which was maybe a mistake considering I was starting to cool down after my pre-race miles and my now-cold and damp sweat was making me a bit chilly. But Dave Harkin was there, getting everyone pumped up with commentary, plus everyone was stretching, chatting, and bopping around to some music. Dave sang the National Anthem and off we went, with my body feeling a bit stiff from “go.”
Watching the runners on this out-and-back route is always fun for me. I enjoy getting to see the insanely fast people (a 17-minute 5k? Are you kidding me?) heading back to the finish line before I’ve come even close to the turn-around with admirable intensity and the equally amazing back-of-the-packers with their smiles and determination at some point after that same turn-around. Paula is always out there somewhere, either running with all of us or taking pictures (but always encouraging everyone on her path).
The route takes runners through business neighborhood roads, into Greenway Park onto the Fanno Creek Trail, and back. You know when you reach the bubbles that you’re at the halfway point and honestly the 2nd half is so much harder for me. Once you leave Greenway Park and are back on the roads and have about a mile left, there is one continuous hill that doesn’t seem like a hill until you’re on it.
I always lose my gas here but I push myself to keep moving forward and I can see everyone else doing the same thing and it really encourages me. When I reach the last turn, I know I’ll see that finisher’s chute and it’s always further away than it should be but it’s encouraging to hear the cheers ahead.
Last month, I finished 2nd in my age group and this month I was a little slower and got 3rd. My friends Tina and Maia got 1st and 2nd respectively and I joked about how nice it feels to run a smaller race and get more opportunities to place. But what this actually reminds me is that it’s really not fair to downgrade ourselves by saying we are “slow” when we are constantly comparing ourselves to runners who regularly do 6-7 minute average paces. Yes, those people are fast, but that doesn’t make the rest of us slow.
Most of us are average runners and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of us are, in fact, slow runners and there’s nothing wrong with that either. The fact that we are still out there running – well, that’s the important thing. And as the Still I Run running community (who were there hanging out in the store as a guest this month) will remind us all: “Forward is a Pace.”
After the race, Paula was at the grill dishing up pancakes (chocolate chip or plain) and I found the coffee urns and a seat for the raffle. My friend Maia won the last raffle prize of the day and used her $30 PRC gift card to help pay for a new pair of shoes. The day was a success.
As we were leaving, we talked about how sad we were to have already reached the end of the 3-Race series, so we decided that only meant we better sign up for the Tualatin River Run 5k in March. Can’t wait!!
