Birch Bay Road Race Results

I had a great time during the race. The weather was good (except for the wind towards the end) and the scenery was beautiful all along the bay and rolling country roads. I will definitely do this race again.

Here are my results:

bib number:	177
age:	41
gender:	F
location:	whoville, BC
overall place:	79 out of 232
division place:	8 out of 28
gender place:	43
time:	1:22:48
pace:	8:54

Here are the photos:

 The horn just sounded and the race has begun. db was taking photos from the side.

 Over the start line. Set your watches.

 And down towards the bay.

 Pretty nice scenery along this mostly flat route.

The pizzeria in Bellingham!

 Inside Rudy's Pizzeria in Bellingham. The post-race meal is almost as important as the pre-race meal.

It's definitely more rewarding. I found Rudy's online and once we saw that they had the delicious Daiya vegan cheese, we headed there for a quick bite.

 Rudy's Pizzeria was big on the mosaics. They were on the walls, the counter, and actually all over Bellingham.

It's a nice little city Bellingham. It felt very arts oriented.

It's not far from the border so we thought while we were in Birch Bay, we might as well head to Bellingham to check out what it has to offer.

The highlights:

Rocket Donuts. The donut shop with the rocket outside and with several vegan options inside. db and I pre-ordered our donuts online to make sure we got everything we wanted.


The Bellingham Community Food Co-op. A nice grocery with lots of those vegan foods and household products that I can't get here in Canada.

Rudy's Pizzeria. The photo of the pizza above says it all. It's a relaxed atmosphere and lots of room at the tables for a big pizza pie. They also have a gluten free crust option that I'll try next time I'm there. To keep it simple we got one pizza on a regular whole wheat crust.

Trader Joe's. This is a larger grocery chain, but some of the deals just can't be beat. db couldn't believe the price of some of the wines. We stocked up on a few staples and got some goodies as well (Luna Bars in flavours I can't get here and for half the price!). Between Trader Joe's and the co-op there's really nowhere else we need to go to shop. 

The size of Bellingham's downtown makes it very easy to walk everywhere. The architecture is made up of a lot of older brick and stonework buildings. With the view of the water and that small city artsy feel, Bellingham is really charming.

After our day there, I think I finally get the cross border shopping madness. There is so much more choice and for less money. I think we'll be getting Nexus passes soon.

Run Vegan Run

Wow! Two posts in one day! I'm trying to make up for lost time I guess.

I didn't make the Fort Langley Historic Half Marathon. I did all of the training and did not register. Then, came the taper week, the week before the actual event, and I came to the decision that I couldn't run the event because I wasn't ready. Yes, I could have run the event and finished, but I want to do better than finish, I want to challenge my previous times and I just didn't feel fit enough to do that. I thought that I might improve on my time, but I wanted to feel sure and strong.

Then, just like when I had to cancel my Victoria marathon plans and switch to the half, there was the bummer week, which is when I kind of moped around wondering if I could still do as well as I have previously, and how could I turn this into a fun running season? I really love participating in events so I needed to find a way to participate and compete with myself.

I made a commitment to train harder than I've been training. I started by signing up at our local rec centre's gym and bought a year's membership (now I have to go!). It has such a nice small town feel this gym. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles like the big name gyms do, but it has everything I need to train and more if I want to. Last week I started weight training again, which is something I haven't done in 2 years! I can't believe it's been so long. I felt great. I'm using Thrive Fitness as my guideline so that I ease into it (if red jane were here...).

My next step was to set up my running season. db and I did some research online for events that aren't too far from home. We want to avoid hotel costs since the registration fees, and my gym membership are costing us enough as it is. I found one in Blaine, Washington called the Birch Bay Road Race that is just across the border and is a 15 k road race at the end of March. I'm already at my 21 k distance so I can add in the strength training and adjust my running schedule to fit this road race. It looks like a pretty small race and a pretty route, so it should be low key and fun.

Then I decided to sign up for a 5k trail run the weekend after. It's my first trail event and I'm really excited and nervous. It's a short distance and I think will be just right to start out with.

So far so good. Next I want to pick a half marathon spring event and then something bigger for the fall. My 2011 running season is looking pretty good so far.

Run Vegan Run Columbia Gorge

I did it! I ran the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon and finished. Not only did I finish, but I finished with a better time than anticipated. Even my split time suggested I would finish around the 2:08/2:10 mark because my split time was 1:04. That was the last time I looked at my watch because I was completely focused on the task before me. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I woke at 7:00 to a dark and rainy morning. When I peeked through the curtains of our hotel room, I saw pelting rain and the big Oregon trees swaying in the wind. It was confirmed that it would be a wet day to run. I tried to stay positive, hoping for a break in the weather.

I had my gluten free brownie from Sweetpea bakery, and made some tea. The brownie was really filling. I was probably still full from our feast the night before at Portabello in Portland. I changed into my running clothes and pinned my number to my long sleeve shirt. Then, I went to reception to see about a late check out. We thought we'd probably need an extra hour to make it back to the hotel from Hood River (20 minute drive), and for me to shower after my run. The woman who checked us in Friday night said we would have to ask the day of the race and that it shouldn't be a problem. She changed her story that morning, and told me that she had already given away their limit of 5 late check-outs! I was so pissed, but too tired and too concerned about my run to bother with her. db then went down to reason with her, but she wasn't budging. I can't believe she told me (with a smile) on Friday night that it shouldn't be a problem, and then Sunday told me (without a smile) that I was S.O.L. (well not those words exactly). I mean how many people are checking in on a Sunday afternoon in Cascade Locks, Oregon? Seriously!

Anywho...I pushed that out of my mind and focused on the run. We checked out around 8:15 or so and drove to Hood River. The rain was letting up. The closer we got to Hood River, the better it looked. The sky was still cloudy, but the rain had stopped, and there was even a double rainbow over the Columbia River; it was quite beautiful out.

 

missed the shot of the double rainbow, but this was lovely.

 

I did my usual "should I get in the continually growing line up for the porta-potties, or wait until the first aid station?" I walked around trying to figure out what to do. There wouldn't be time for a warm-up so I got into the long line joining the rest of the anxious runners. Everyone is always so friendly and chatty. I love races for that reason.

The start line was on a grassy lawn that faced the marina. We would run across the grass to a wide trail that went to the water and then loop back before heading into town. I kissed db for luck, and got into line.

 The frontrunners -- I'm obviously not in that group.

The gun went off and we all shuffled through the gate adjusting our clothes, earphones, and gaits. Not two minutes into the run, just as we reached the water where we began to turn towards the town, the sky opened up and pelted us with rain. I thought it was hale for a second because it was so strong, but no it was just hard pelting rain. Two minutes into my run and I was dripping wet, my feet squishy, but I laughed because that's all you can do and besides I was with a group of people who were all going through the same thing together.

The first hurdle was the suspension bridge that swayed violently back and forth when it filled with runners. I had to stop and walk, swaying from side to side trying to hold on and move quickly at the same time (it doesn't work). I stumbled over the bridge and headed into town.

The first series of hills we had driven so I knew what to expect. They did level out a bit, and I felt fine running up the hills. I told myself that it was just like running up Heritage Mountain at home, and it really wasn't much different except that it twisted and turned. Before I knew it, I was at the first water station at the entrance to the trail that we would follow for the rest of the run. I left my long sleeve shirt at the water station because it was water-logged, and told a volunteer that I'd pick it up on my way back since the route is an out and back route. I had to remove my bib number and pin it to my sleeveless, but I managed. I carried my Vega Sport mix in hand and away I went.

The rest of the route was beautiful. There were several lookouts that viewed the Columbia River from different angles. The path was paved and tree lined with firs and big leaf maples that were golden yellow. The trail went up and down and twisted and turned. Some of the aid stations had bananas and orange slices, which was brilliant because I could just grab an orange slice for some quick energy and keep going. Near the turn around point we ran through a tunnel, which was very cool.

I turned and checked my watch: 1:04. I'd reach the finish around 2:08 or 2:10 as expected. Probably my slowest run ever, but considering the year I've had I would have been pretty happy to just finish.

After the turn around there was more descent that I expected. I still had several hills to climb, but there were longer descents so it was easier on my fatiguing body.  My achilles wasn't hurting and there was no calf pain; overall, I felt pretty good.

Unfortunately, I did see two runners turn around before reaching the official turn around point. They were cheating and that pissed me off. They were probably 1.5 km or so from the half way. I made a point of looking at their bib numbers as I ran passed them, because I did eventually catch them. They were obviously more fatigued than I was.

I reached that initial aid station and picked up my long sleeves before beginning the final long descent into town. I flew down that hill and into town. I typically start my kick too early, and this race proved to be no different. When I reached the suspension bridge again, I was toast, but I kept going and stayed focused. I crossed the grassy finish line to the sound of my name being called out and being thanked for coming down for the event...I checked my watch and realized that my stop watch had stopped a while ago, probably on my fast descent. db and I quickly found each other and he told me I had come in around 2 hours! The official time: 2:02!

 I look like the only runner out there, but there were many others. It's just a smaller race.

I couldn't belive it!  I did so much better than I ever thought possible for this race.

I hit the food tent and made us some bean tortillas with guacamole (best event food ever!), and then we headed to the car to get ready for our drive home.

I wanted to find the race officials and tell them about the cheaters, but db said that they were just cheating themselves and to not worry about it, so I let it go. No point it causing trouble when I was feeling so good.

The finisher medals they handed out were unique. Made by a local artist, I think it's the nicest finisher medal I have.

Run Vegan Run!

What's the best way to get over pneumonia? Why, run a half marathon of course! Just kidding.

With my Achilles issues, and then my illness, my running season started to look bleak. I had to cancel my plans to run the Bellingham Half and the Rubber Ducky Half in Burnaby. I was pretty bummed. It looked like my running season would go without any race run. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've run at least one event every year since I started running because it's one of my favourite things to do.

At the start of 2010, I was dreaming of running the Portland Marathon, but as the season wore on and the kilometres did not accumulate as I had hoped, I realized that once again I would have to put that dream on hold. Then, in the middle of my illness when I was feeling pretty low, db came to me with info about the Columbia Gorge race. It's just outside of Portland in Hood River, Oregon (a city I've been longing to go to since it's a vegan haven), and seems to be one of the most beautiful race locations along the Columbia river.

I became hopeful again. Of course it would all depend on how I felt running after having been sick.

I ran on Tuesday for the first time since getting sick and felt okay. I went further than I thought I would. It's still a bit difficult to take a deep breath, but I felt okay running with a couple of walk breaks.

Today I ran again, and felt even stronger. I kept thinking about the race to keep motivated. 

Last night we booked our hotel just outside of Hood River, since everything in Hood River seemed to be fully booked. We could stay in Portland, but it's at least an hour or more of a drive from the start line. We found another hotel only about a half hour from Hood River and booked that. db said even if I end up not running, we can at least go to Portland. It's also a big grape growing region for Washington and Oregon, so I'm sure we could find something to do as in visit a vineyard or two.

I'll run though. I haven't felt this motivated in a long time. Even if my time sucks and I have to walk the big hills, I'm going to finish this race. It is a hilly race too. Look at the elevation profile.

The steepest grade is only 5%, but it's a hilly route and looks demanding. I like the downhill to the finish though, that's always nice.

So, it's game on! I'm going for it. I haven't run a half marathon distance in a while...well, since my last half marathon last year, but I've consistently run more than 10 k throughout the year so I think the distance running memory is there. It also really helps to have lots of experience, so I know that I can at least be mentally tough when I need to (as in getting over those hills).

I can't wait!