Oregon! State 23

Oh Oregon! My new favorite state! I know I say that about every state but seriously Oregon. Forrests. Ocean. Mountains. Oregon has it all!

This race was in a small town outside of Portland and ran on the Banks Vernonia Trail. The trail is paved and runs through the forrest from point to point. 

Drew dropped me off at the high school where the race started. It's a tiny race and we hung out inside the school while the race director talked through a bull horn. Mostly he was just telling us the names and states of participants. I didn't pay much attention.

HAD I paid attention I might have realized that my blogging idol (from when blogging was a thing and I was obsessed.) was also running the race! Remember Skinny Runner? Hers was one of the first blogs I ever read and I loved it. And I loved her. And I missed her completely at the race. Oops.

"And then there's Skinny Runner, from Alaska."

 I loved this race from the get-go! I was literally in awe of the trees! They were so tall! So tall! I would just stare up at them and feel so lucky to be here.

 Around mile 4 I was joined by another gal who was lovely and running a similar pace and we ran and chatted for many miles. While company can be nice, I was sort of craving the solitude of running with the quiet and the trees. I know, I'm a complainer. But there you have it.

At mile 12 I pulled off to stop at a bathroom and wished her well.

I ran a couple of glorious miles alone with the trees before some dude popped out of the trees, returning from a bathroom break and decided I was his new running partner.

Having fun, even with the crowd!

I love running.

Somewhere along the way I ended up alone again. And that is how I finished the race. It was not fast, but it was running. And it was wonderful.

Which is better? A medal at the finish or an ice cream cone?

 We headed back to the hotel to clean up, then to Whole Foods for sandwiches and beer and then we were off to the beach! It was about an hour and a half drive through the forrests and mountains to get to the beach. How great is the beach? I mean, it's just the best.

Thanks Whole Foods for selling single beers.

Walking on the beach and standing in the ocean is hands down my favorite way to recover from a marathon.

Goonie rock!

And Drew is hands down my favorite person. The next day we drove into Portland where we stayed for a few days. We ate all the things and enjoyed all of the in-town nature that Portland has. Forrest Park was a favorite and we did a hike called Angel's Rest that was amazing. When can we move here?



The end.

State #22 - Wyoming!

Don't call it a comeback...

... Or I guess it really is a comeback. My first marathon in almost a year! After running the Frye Island Marathon on the 4th of July last year I took a much needed break from running altogether for a whole month! After that I limited my running to shorter distances and started experimenting with trail running. The break was so good for me and I came back in the new year mentally and physically ready to train hard. 

In April I PR'd in the half marathon at Rock the Parkway with a 1:34:09 time! 9 seconds quicker and I would have qualified for the NYC marathon... doh. A couple of weeks later I ran my first 50K and won! The win was awesome, but I was mostly so happy to have gotten through a tough training cycle with my legs still intact and my love of running still strong. 

The Casper Marathon was the first weekend in June. Britt & I road tripped with our friend Claire to Wyoming in one day... quite the feet in itself! We made sure to factor in plenty of time for stops at bakeries, breweries, and interesting stops along the way.

Practicing our candid shots.

It was my first time to Wyoming and wow! It's a super pretty state! Someone said it's like an underrated version of Colorado, and I would have to agree. 

We made it!

Britt & I haven't run a marathon together in several years, so we decided this was the perfect race. We didn't have a time-goal. We just wanted to enjoy our time together and finish strong... and we were pretty excited to rock our BRF tanks.

Best Running Friends.

Claire is not a runner, but boy is she a great spectator. For all the years I've been running marathons, I have rarely had anyone come out to watch, let alone drive 13 hours and show up with signs and my picture on a stick. Take note, Drew. :)

Claire is seriously the best.

The race went pretty much as expected. The day was warm and there wasn't much cover so our pace was slow, but we were having fun. 

At around mile 5, we witnessed the craziest thing I've yet to see at a race. One of the pacers, a tiny woman wearing head-to-toe neon yellow, pulled off to the side of the road a ways ahead of us. We thought she was stretching at first. She was in a lunch position and I realized when I saw the massive stream coming from her crotch that she was peeing! Standing up! On the race course! Where everyone could see! She had simply pulled the tiny spandex shorts to the side and let it loose. I was kind of in shock. She finished just as we were coming up on her so she re-adjusted her shorts and fell in with us on the race course and just chatted away like it was totally normal. What. The. Heck.

Later we caught up to a friend from our Oiselle Volee team who recently moved to Wyoming. It was fun to run with her and catch up on life for a few miles.

Our friend Shannon on the right.

We're having the best time.

The miles ticked away and pretty soon we were nearing the finish. I love that Britt and I can literally run 26 miles together and never run out of things to talk about. She's really the best running friend a girl can ask for.

State 22 - DONE!

We finished in around 4 hours and 26 minutes, one of our slowest races ever, but also one of the most enjoyable. I'm grateful for a healthy body and legs that can carry me over so many miles.

After we cleaned up, we did what we do on race trips... we walked around town eating, drinking, and laughing. Casper is a pretty cute little mountain town with plenty of spots to keep us occupied.

"Try to look candid."

The next day it was time to head home! Our plan was to spend the night in Lincoln, but by the time we made it there we were all ready to get home so we made a late arrival back to KC. It was the quickest trip ever, but such a fun time.

Nebraska has some interesting spots... like Bitch's Bar.

I'm so happy to mark off another state. 22 down! 28 to go! And I'm already looking forward to another race trip with these girls next Fall.

The Frye Island Marathon - State 21 {Maine}

I had a panic attack in Maine while Drew & I sat on the deck of the chicken coop we were supposed to sleep in, wrapped in towels to keep the monster mosquitos from devouring us, drinking wine and recounting marathons. I got to Maine, which was supposed to be number 21 and I only had 20. I freaked out thinking I'd miscounted and was only on 20 and what the heck I am so dumb... then I realized I'd forgotten to count Iowa. Which really, who's surprised that silly race slipped my mind? Iowa... or as Drew likes to say, "Idiots out walking around". He really lacks respect for the state as a whole.

Anyways, back to the count. We're on 21. And if you're wondering (is anyone reading this?), yes I did start putting the numbers in the blog title so I wouldn't have to keep counting. Because states always go missing and remembering things is hard when you are 35. 

I was looking for an East Coast marathon in July and found the Frye Island Marathon! Perfect! The only problem was that there was no online registration, only an email address for the race director. So I emailed him and told him I was interested. He said the race was definitely still on and registration would go live soon enough. So we started planning our trip to Maine!

Fast forward several months and several more emails to the race director... I was panicking that this race was not real. I found results from past years and the number of participants ranged from 0 to 9 each year. And still no online registration. But our flights were booked and our chicken coops were confirmed. So we were going to Maine. 

Registration opened at the end of May. The race cost $10. Ten Dollars! I knew this was going to be a race to remember. 

On race day, Drew dropped me off at the ferry at 5:30 AM where the Mayor took 4 of us across the lake to Frye Island. The race director's brother picked us up and drove us to the start where we met up with the 5th participant and the race director gave us directions on the loop course. Then he set his watch and said go. And we were off!

I hadn't run much since Seattle and was battling injuries to my left hip flexor, my right hammy, and both calves. Originally I thought I'd shoot for a 9-minute pace and keep things nice and slow. But as we started I found myself with a gal named Julie who was training for a 100-miler and using this as a training run. We chatted and ran together and she told me she would be running very slow and walking the hills. I assumed I would pick up the pace and leave her after a few miles but quickly questioned WHY. Why do I need to run a 9-minute mile? Who am I doing this for? I was enjoying myself and her company so I stuck with her. I walked the hills, accepted cheers from the locals sitting in lawn chairs drinking beers, and enjoyed the day.

The course was a 1-mile loop followed by a 5-mile loop. Do the math and you'll realize that meant 5 5-mile loops. This seemed daunting, but even with how slow I was running, the miles flew by. I felt great.

At mile 11, we passed through the starting area and Drew was there! The race director's brother offered to let him use his bike. Drew hopped on and for the first time ever joined me on the course! I cannot even explain how much I loved this. He peddled by my side, filled my water bottle, and acted as my own personal photographer. For 15 miles!

The best part of my day. :)

I loved hearing this woman tell me her running stories!

All smiles!

My first self-supported course. That's the only aid station!

Coming into the finish!

Somewhere along the course my watch died. I'm so glad it did because I would probably have been freaking out about the end-time. Even though I said my only goal was to finish, I was still shocked when I came through the finish at 4:54. That's my slowest marathon time ever. And I know it doesn't matter. And I know I had so much fun during the entire race. But it was still a shock. I just keep reminding myself that it's not about the time. It's about the experience. I have nothing to prove.

I ended up as the 2nd place female... and also the 2nd to last female. During the 4th loop I left Julie at the aid station and picked up the pace a bit because I was feeling good. She came in about 15 minutes after me, still smiling. It was a race to remember.

However, we did not get medals! And I needed a medal! So Drew and I stopped by the Frye Island General Store (the only store/restaurant on the island) before heading back to the mainland. I found a nice Frye Island keychain and fashioned my own medal to add to the collection. Because I have to have 50 at the end of this right? Imagine if I didn't... I would be so confused with the count.

Maisy showing off the medal!

Y'all, have we even talked about Maisy? She's been around for 2 years now, but I'm not sure I have even introduced her to the blog! Because who reads blogs anymore???  Maisy is the pet-cemetery version of Mya. She looks extremely similar but is evil to her core. And now she's our only dog.

And with that, I'm taking a break... I've sworn off running for at least a month. I don't think I'll train for another marathon until at least after Christmas. I'm looking forward to slow Saturday mornings, time spent with Drew, and not being tired all the time. I'm ready for a change. I don't know what that looks like, but now I have extra time to think about it. See you next marathon!