Iris Festival Half (5/18/14)

My injured self ran a terrific Hippie Chick quarter marathon two weeks ago. Well, I was also signed up for a race last weekend. 

I felt fairly good the week after Hippie Chick so I decided to go for Sunday's Keizer Iris Run. I was signed up for the half but thought I should again drop down to the 10K distance to be safe. I decided to play it by ear.

This race was so small! The Portland Rock and Roll was going on at the same time in Portland - with 10,000+. The Iris runs had a total of 300 between the 10K, half and full marathons. There were just four porta potties at the start/finish! Small-town races are fun :)

The forecast called for showers but the temp was good - around 50 degrees. We parked just one block from the start line and walked back and forth a couple times. Loved that! And we could hear the DJ blasting tunes from around the corner. Getting pumped!

Unfortunately, my Achilles hurt just a bit from the start, so I figured I'd turn back at the 10K turnaround (the whole thing was a giant out-and-back course). But as I approached the big arrow on the road, I told myself that if I didn't feel anything before I reached it, I would keep going - maybe going out a few more miles and then turning around.

No pain, so I just blew past the arrow and headed north.

The course was gorgeous. Only a few cars cruised by as we passed the fields. And I think most of those were spectators chasing their runners around the course.

It was almost totally flat with few turns. Easy running! I kept a good pace and trucked along, taking short walks at each water station. I felt like a real runner again - and it was glorious!!!

As I approached the half turn around (yeah, I ended up running the whole half!), I realized there had been a big tailwind. No wonder it felt so effortless ;)

After grabbing some water at the 6.5-mile mark, I kept walking and gave myself a bit of a break. I also stopped briefly to tighten my right shoe, which was rubbing like crazy. I'd never worn my Newtons for a long run before. Then my toes started to go numb. Rookie mistake.

Of course, Brad finished before me and snapped a couple pics. See that lady in the yellow? She was about a half-block in front of me. I kicked to the end with my only goal being passing her before the finish line. Mission accomplished!

I have no idea what I'm doing here, other than trying to pose while also trying not to pass out and hoping Brad takes the picture quickly!

I did the first half the race at about a 9:30 average. I took two short walks on the way back (plus the strong headwind), and finished in 2:12 - a 10:03 average.

My splits:

• Mile 1: 9:32
• Mile 2: 9:36
• Mile 3: 9:30
• Mile 4: 9:40 (water/gel)
• Mile 5: 9:22
• Mile 6: 9:41
• Mile 7: 11:33 (walk)

• Mile 8: 11:09 (water/gel)
• Mile 9: 10:02
• Mile 10: 11:28 (walk)
• Mile 11: 9:53
• Mile 12: 10:02
• Mile 13: 9:44
• Last .21: 8:19

Considering the last time I ran more than 9 miles was mid-March, I'm absolutely thrilled. It was a strong run, and once I warmed up, my tendon felt fairly good.

The weather held beautifully. The sun came out, but the temp stayed low. The rain held off until about the last half mile of my race when it just started misting. I actually loved it!

Brad also ran the half but didn't have a very strong race. He was disappointed, but I still think he's awesome :)

He felt better after eating some free pancakes :)

I'm glad I went ahead and ran the half. I'm so happy that I had a strong run. My Achilles was a little mad at me after, but I don't think it's a setback. I have almost a month before my next race, so I plan to baby it and do cross training and short distances.

The course was fantastic, support was great and the price was terrific. I would definitely recommend the Keizer Iris Run!

:)