Remember how Eryn and I are training to run Portland Marathon in October? We've been doing great all summer, doing short runs alone and long runs together at Eryn's pace.
Well, the other half of this sister training team got a bad stomach flu and missed a week. That left me on my own for my 16 miler this weekend. I was a bit nervous about running that far at my own pace, so I decided to sign up last minute for the Canby Dahlia Run half marathon for some support, structure and distraction.
Mom decided to join me for the 10K, her first race in a while because of injury.
Because I needed 3 more miles than I'd get from the half marathon (13.1 miles), I got up extra early Saturday and did 3 on my treadmill. After a quick rinse and a change of clothes, I was on the road to pick up mom for the drive south.
Canby is a great small race with good organization and support. The course is pretty and easy and goes right through a field of dahlias!
This was just a training run for me, so no racing. I wore my heart rate monitor and kept it in the easy zone. Until the last mile or so. Once I hit the final aid station and took two swigs of water, I decided to go for it. I was thrilled to be able to significantly drop and maintain my pace, even up a slight incline, around a couple corners and into a headwind. The finish is a steep downhill, and I ran hard with a minivan on my heels:
The race was exactly what I needed to boost my confidence in my fitness and training.
Mom had a great time on her return to racing, though a not-yet-healed foot injury kept her walking most of the 6.2 miles. Thanks for keeping me company, Mom!
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