Race Report: Mary’s Peak 25k

There is a subtle, but significant difference between 25k and 17 miles.  At about 12 miles, I was feeling pretty good.  I dug pretty pretty hard from miles 13 to mile 15.5, thinking I was about to be done.  I used every fiber of my being not to cry for the last mile or so, when I saw the “1 mile to go” sign well after I though I should be finishing.   But I didn’t cry and I robot pounded my way to the finish.  I even managed a smile for the super psyched guy at the finish line (He ran the 50k and passed me. I was still smiling when he passed me because I thought I was less than a mile from the finish, and he told me that everything is great if you are still smiling at the end).  Other than the distance and the 2500 ft of climbing, it was a pretty nice race.  I got the full gamut of Oregon weather, light misty rain, heavy downpour rain, wind, thunder, sunshine.  I got to run some lovely single track and forest roads through mostly forest plantations.

blisters: 1

chafe: minimal

realizations: 2  (1.  don’t take race recommendations from really fit 20- something boys and 2. it is really nice to have a cool husband who will drive you home from the ridiculous runs you choose to go on)

holes in shoe with matching hole in sock : 1 (plenty enough to catch every twig on Mary’s peak)

race swag:  yes, that is a tecnu coin purse (everyone wants to think about poison oak while counting out change), finisher’s pint glass (much better than a useless medal), beer (the finish was at a school, so you couldn’t actually drink it), and t-shirt (yeah a white one!).

time I am going to go to sleep tonight: maybe now.

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Also, I wrote a post about a month ago with the following pictures (probably in a different order), but it never posted (user error):

Ladies weekend with my bestie, Lauren (back in April).  Only our healthy activities are documented in the following pictures.

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Bainbridge Island with the lovely Fiscus Family (I may have found a new dream home-  the last picture)

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a couple pictures I loved that Bret didn’t post from our trip to Minneapolis

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I ran this half-marathon in May with Lauren.  Well, Lauren and I both ran it (she is a lot faster than me).

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I rode my bike up McKenzie pass on a cold, rainy day with my awesome friend, German.

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One last cute picture of Oval.  After our very, very slow walk this afternoon.

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