Portland Trail Series No. 4 (7/27/16)

After several days of playing with my family in Mount Rainier National Park, I hurried home, changed into my running gear and battled traffic to Forest Park. (It takes forever to get there that time of day!) (Race #1, Race #2, Race #3)

Race No. 4 was a simple double loop for 4.96 miles. Organizers said it was "double your fun" - but I'm not so sure :)

Because it was National Creme Brûlée Day, we were each handed a vanilla Gu as we finished our first lap. We were supposed to show it after the second lap to prove we'd done both, but by the time I finished, they'd stopped checking. HA!

I'm happy to say that only three people passed me on my second lap. We were all struggling with the heat and the long, steep hill. My heart rate was redlining, and I had to walk a ton of that second lap. At the top of the last hill, a kind volunteer told me I was looking great! I appreciated the well-timed lie.

My TomTom came up almost a half-mile short again at 4.58 miles. I finished in 51:52 - an 11:19 average on the real distance. This week I was 11/14 in my division, 38/47 in females and 94/116 overall. 

I finished exhausted and beyond sweaty but satisfied with my performance on legs that were just mountain climbing. And then I checked the raffle board and saw my bib number again! Free shirt for me :)

Four down and just one to go!

:)