Cyndie Wants to Run A MARATHON?!?! What?!

It’s a pretty amazing day for the Marathon world. The NYC Marathon is being televised on ESPN.  It’s impressive watching the elite runners, effortlessly cover 26.2 miles and look like they’re barely breaking a sweat.  But my favorite part is watching the wave starts.  Watching the weekend warriors, out there fulfilling a dream, cross that start line with the excitement and anticipation of the day washing over them to the sound of Frank Sinatra.  It brought a flood of memories back to the start of the Portland Marathon, my first, just a month ago.  It was then that I realized, I had never taken the time to write down my thoughts from that amazing day… Or even, why I wanted to do this in the first place.  So I’m breaking this up into two posts.  I feel like each thought deserves its own story.

Cyndie Wants to Run a Marathon?!  WHAT?!

Running a marathon wasn’t something I EVER wanted to do.  EVER.  It wasn’t about believing I could do it, I just never had the desire to go 26.2.  My sister ran the Chicago Marathon in 2005, and while I was super impressed, I was never overcome with the desire to run one myself.   Fast-forward a few years, another baby, and regular attendance at Stroller Strides… I was suddenly surrounded with friends who made their health and fitness a priority.  The races started with a few 5 and 10Ks, and very quickly jumped to that elusive Half Marathon that I had failed to complete.  So fitting that my first Half would be the Girlfriend’s Half, a race that I never miss each year now.   My running buddies and I enjoyed participating in these races, as time spent with Girlfriends is never a dull moment (the post-race beer that follows just about every Portland race makes for a fun morning as well).  

Bridge to Brews 10K... CHEERS!

Shamrock Run 15K... CHEERS! (see the theme?)

Girlfriend's Half... with LOTS of Girlfriends!

“Participating” eventually turned into “racing” and Personal Records (PRs) would never stand for long without feeling that desire to beat it.  In 2012, I trained with one of my Best Running Friends (BRF), Marianne, as she worked her way towards the Portland Marathon.  I would join her for much of her long runs (never more than 14 miles…that one was tough for me), and I was in awe of what she was pushing her body to continue to do after I would drop off.  I was spent after our long runs together, and she still had 4, 5, even 6 more miles to go!  Marathon day, I was fortunate enough to jump in and run a few miles of the race with her.  She was so strong, relaxed and confident.  Proper training had brought her to the start line confident, ready to run and able to finish strong.   I was so excited for her, and I was honored to jump in and run part with her.

Celebrating Marianne's STRONG finish of 26.2!!!

Marianne and I after our first Sub2 Half!

After one particular training run with Marianne a few weeks before race day, I came home and registered for my first 26.2.  Portland Marathon 2013.  That “runner’s high” is strong stuff.  It makes you do crazy things (like register for a Marathon over a year away!).   I decided that after a few years of running, training for, and eventually racing plenty of Half Marathons, it was time to tackle the full deal.  And I was going to do it before my 40^th birthday.   

So at the end of 2012, 2013 was already shaping up to be a challenging and rewarding year for my running.  I was registered for the Eugene Half (April 2013), which I planned to train hard to break my own PR on, I was registered for several other half marathons to run with friends for fun, and I was looking forward to Hood to Coast with my Girlfriends!  The Portland Marathon was going to be a culmination of an amazing year of running and training and time with my Girlfriends.  I had no expectations for the Marathon (yet), I was just excited to see what I could do…

Guest Post on Another Mother Runner

I was thrilled to be asked by Sarah Bowen Shea, of Another Mother Runner, to run the Happy Girl Half Marathon in Bend, OR over Memorial Day Weekend and then write up a Race Report for her.  Loved the race, loved the experience of writing about it.  I need to remember to take the time to do this more often.

Here is the race report from the Happy Girl Half, edited by SBS. ;-)

Fun Run…Girls on the Run Helping Others

This is my second year of coaching Girls on the Run at Oak Hills Elementary, and each year has been so rewarding and meaningful.  As part of their curriculum, each group is required to develop and implement a Community Impact Project.  We start this process by asking the girls to discuss ideas they are passionate about.  Then they form groups and present one big idea that we, as a team, can do within the time frame of our Girls on the Run session, to make a difference in the community.  After presenting three great ideas, the runners up were:  1) Environmental clean-up at the school, and 2) Making toys for the animals at the Humane Society because, as one girls said, “Not everyone can have a pet, but everyone can make a difference in the lives of animals.”  My eyes are still a little misty after hearing that one.  

The winner, that almost the entire team voted for, was to organize a Fun Run for the Food Bank.  The girls wanted to host a 1 mile run at our school track.  They decided to charge $2 or pantry food for the race entry.  They made posters to hang all over school, and asked permission to go into all the classrooms to make an announcement about it.  Such great lessons and experience!  As their coach, I took the liberty of blasting the information all over Facebook and in emails.  My dear friend, and co-coach for the other GOTR team at Oak Hills, Amy Little (Race Director of Cause + Event Portland), graciously offered up extra Cause + Event race bibs for us to use and feel “legit.”  The girls planned to have an aid station with water cups, and a start/finish banner.  

Race day rain didn’t dampen their spirits.  It was pouring for much of the day.  We all showed up at 4pm to set up the course.  The girls brought chalk to write inspirational phrases all around the track.  We set up a canopy with an aid station, filling Dixie cups with water.  The girls set up the registration table, ready to make change and collect food.  Several of the girls brought their collections of silly bands to pass out to the runners as they completed each of their four laps, before heading down the finish chute.  They thought of everything, and a little rain didn’t seem to matter much.  For us Oregonians, it almost made it perfect. 

Aid station crew

Marking the course

The registration crew

We had advertised registration to open at 4:15pm, and we had people waiting with food and money in hand!  The girls were practically giddy!  My parents were in town, so my Dad grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.  I was so happy he did!  By 4:30pm, when we had said the run would start, there were still people lined up waiting to register.  Wow.  I was so humbled by our community.  We had families, friends, strangers who had heard about it on Facebook, and teachers come out to support our Girls and their mission.  So so so grateful to everyone.  I counted at least 65 runners!  Amazing.

Runners waiting to register

Girls excited to get this run started!

Some last-minute instructions...

At 4:35, I gave the runners a few instructions, thanked everyone for coming out to help us help those in our community who are hungry, sent the girls off to their posts, and headed up to the track.  An anxious group of boys (my son included) were at the front of the line, ready to take off.  The girls counted them down, and they were off!  Each lap, runners were given a silly band so they could keep track of their distance.  After they collected 4 bands, they were led off the track to the finisher’s chute, where two of the girls waited with a finish banner and many lined the chute with High 5’s!  The aid station was a hit, and the girls even kept the track clean of cups for the runners.  

And they're OFF!

So many community members came out to support our cause

Lauren and I running our laps

The Finish Line!

Girls on the Run is SO much FUN!!!

Future Girls on the Run

When all of the runners had finished, Caryn and I gathered the girls together, and we ran one lap as a team.  As we rounded the corner of the track to the finish chute, we noticed that all of the participants had lined the chute with their arms in an arch for us to run through!  Smiles all around, and our hearts so so happy!  

Happy Girls...Happy Hearts!

When it was all said and done, we raised just over $200 and 3 wagon-loads of food (totaling 185 pounds) for the local food bank!  Now our girls have one last week before hitting the streets of downtown Portland with their Running Buddies for the Starlight Run 5K!

Doing good FEELS good!

13 Weeks to Clarity...

Dates are important to people.  We connect a lot of meaning to important dates in our lives.  Birthdays, anniversaries, losing loved ones, medical diagnosis, triumph over tragedy… some dates we celebrate with smiles, and others with tears.   Today is one of those days.  April 9^th.  But I’ll get to that part in a little bit… 

I am training for a Half Marathon.  I’ve done 8 half  marathons (and countless other races, relays, and even a few triathlons).   This half marathon is different.  I have a goal.  A big goal.  One that, just a few short months ago, seemed insurmountable.  Unreasonable.  Un REACHable.  Until now.  Until today.  April 9^th.

On January 28^th, 2013, I began following my first Training Plan for the Eugene Half Marathon.  It’s a 13 week program from Train Like A Mother.  I’m a big stalker fan of the Another Mother Runner authors, I follow their Facebook page, and have been to a few of the book readings and get-togethers here in Portland, as one of the authors lives here.  I had developed a nice base of miles, and felt like taking on the “Own It” plan would be a good fit.  I had a big goal, after all.  At the time, I just wanted another PR.  Maybe even shed a few more minutes off of my previous best of 1:56:36.  At least, that’s what I would say out loud.  “I’ll be happy with 1:53.”  But in my head, I knew what I really wanted.  And those first two weeks on the plan were a shock to the system.  No workout was tremendously hard, but when I was asked to push my pace, I just didn’t feel like I had it in me.  I couldn’t reach down and find that extra something I needed.  I had done the math about 1,000 times.  I knew what pace I would need to average for 13.1 miles if I wanted to achieve my REAL goal.  My silent goal.  And I couldn’t even push the pace of the goal I kept saying I wanted.   I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t really have it in me to be a faster runner.  Maybe I had capped out?

I plugged along with the plan.  Honestly, I really really enjoyed following a training plan!  I loved having my workouts laid out for me.  I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I trusted that following this plan would eventually get me to where I wanted to be.  It mixed easy runs, tempo work, intervals, hill repeats, and long long long mileage runs on the weekend, with sections of miles where you were to push race pace.  This was new to me.  Normally, I just picked a number and ran that many miles, and checked it off.  I quit my swim class after a while, because it just got to be too much.  I wanted to focus on running.  My body was keeping up, so I figured I would just go with it and see what happens.  

The plan capped out in mileage on week 9, with a 15 mile run.  Leading up to this week, I had been doing double digit weekend runs for 8 weeks.  15 miles was the longest run I had ever done, AND I was supposed to push race pace for 6 of those miles.  Um, whuck?!  My BRF, Amy, and I headed down to my favorite place in Portland to run: the waterfront loop.  She needed to do her long run (10 miles!), so we planned to do the loop, and then I would head back out for the last 5 miles on my own.  It was a beautiful, glorious spring day in Portland.  And being on the waterfront made it more beautiful.  So many people out enjoying the day.  Cherry tree blossoms falling like snow (aaachooo!), and lots of friendly waves.  

We stopped to take pics, fuel, drink plenty of water.  I pushed the pace hard for my last 6 miles, and my last mile was close to race pace!  That run pretty much wiped me out for a week.  If you listen to the AMR podcasts, a recent discussion they had was with the woman who developed their training plans.  Sarah asked her MY question, which was “My friends all want to know why on earth I am running such high mileage when I’m just training for a half?”  Her answer: on the Own It plan, your goal is usually time related, and not just about crossing the finish line.  When you run 13, 14, 15 miles during your training, you aren’t concerned anymore about weather or not you CAN do it.  You already know you CAN.  Instead, you can focus on pushing your pace.  Hmmm, sounds about right.  I wouldn’t know just how RIGHT she was until the next week.

Like I said, that 15 miler wiped me OUT.  I slogged thru my training runs the next week, and even skipped one day!  Interestingly enough, the plan backed waaaay off during this recovery week.  Almost like she knew we would be wiped out.  (She did.)  The next Saturday was a 12 miler.  Nothing special about it.  Just 12 miles.  This one I did on my own, I had to fit it in before Andrew’s baseball practice.  So I ran my miles around my house in the Bethany area.  It ain’t flat around here, folks.  When it was all said and done, I looked down at my watch and was shocked at my pace.  I had just banged out 12 miles at darn near race pace, and had enough left to kick it in at the end.  I felt like a rock star!  And the whole time, you know what I was thinking?  “12 miles is nothing after that 15 miler!”  Yep, those gals know what they’re talking about for sure. 

Which brings me to today.  Today was what I considered the hardest training run on the plan.  Even more difficult that the 15 miler.  It was 7 miles, with 5 straight miles at tempo.  Now, it took me a while to completely understand what tempo meant.  Basically, it’s pushing yourself past your comfort level for longer distances.  Uncomfortably hard, is what some will say.  About 15-20 seconds faster than your goal race pace.  And today, I needed to do that for FIVE MILES.  I was nervous.  But after my rock star 12 mile run, I knew I could do it.  And I wanted to see if I could push my pace a little faster.  So I got on the mill, did my warm up, set the pace for 7:47, and found my rhythm.  I had 5 miles to think, and a lot of things went through my head during that run.  Never once did I think I needed to stop, or that I wouldn’t be able to finish.  In fact, I sped up during the last half mile.  I thought a lot about the date, and what it was supposed to be and what it had become…

Today, I should have been celebrating my 2^nd child’s 7^th birthday.  7 years ago, today was the due date of our 2^nd pregnancy.   I remember the date that I knew we would not be celebrating this birthday.  August 14^th, 2005.  The months following were difficult.  I was looking for an outlet for my sadness.  I don’t want to dwell on this, because this date has come to mean so much more to me over the years.   It is the day I became a runner.  The funny part is, I didn’t actually run at all on that date.  I had signed up to run the Race for the Roses on April 9^th, 2006.  That was supposed to be my due date.   During my training, I became pregnant with Lauren.   Lauren, my light, my love, my special girl.  God had a plan for our family.  And Lauren was a part of that plan.  Good things come to those who wait. 

And all of the sudden, my five miles were up.  I had done it.  I had pushed myself faster and farther than I thought I ever could a few short months ago.  I am more confident in myself, I am stronger, and I am faster.  And my goal for Eugene is 1:48.  I am so excited for that weekend.  So many people I know are going down there to tackle the half and the FULL marathon.  Some hoping to BQ for the first time!  I’m looking forward to spending time with my girlfriends that I don’t get to see nearly enough anymore.   I don’t know how I will feel on race day.  If I don’t make my time goal, I can still be so proud of my training and hard work.  I know now that I am capable of that time.  I just need to go get it.  

And then head for 26.2…

Another Dream...and a Nightmare

My friend and neighbor, Amy, came to me one day (OK, we were probably sitting in the driveway, watching the kids play, drinking wine already...but I digress...) and shared with me a dream of hers:  She was starting a new race (hopefully a Nationwide Series!) and wanted me in on it.  The concept was brilliant:  Your Cause, Our Event... runners could choose a charity of their choice to run for when they registered, and proceeds from the race would be given to multiple charities!  I was already a few months into helping plan the Ladybug Run (which will be one of the featured charities!) with my friend, Liz, so I said, "Sure!"  Amy already had experience in this whole "creating a race" department, as she created the Sandpoint Half Marathon while working for the Chamber of Commerce.   Cause and Event Portland was  born...

I need to back up a bit, because although this post is absolutely meant to bring light to Cause and Event, it's more about the amazing chick driving that boat.

Amy and her awesome family have lived on my street for three years now.  She used to live WAAAAY down on the other corner (a whole 5 houses away), but last summer they moved across the street from me!  We were thrilled, as this would make sitting in the driveway, watching the children play, and drinking wine SOOOO much easier!  Her kids are awesome, and mine love playing with them.  Win Win!

Awesome neighbors

I've been running for a while, trying to get a little faster, and working with my friend Jessica on losing some weight.  Amy started running and shedding pounds last December, 2011.  It was clear that she was a runner, and a natural athlete.  I started meeting her in the driveway to run the neighborhood loops.  For a while, I would run a few miles with Amy and then head out for more.  That didn't last long.  Amy started tacking on the miles, and soon we were enjoying weekday early-morning mid-mile runs, and weekend long runs together.  Her first race was Shamrock 8K, and I could tell she was HOOKED.  (Yesss!)  More than hooked, Amy had a new goal:  to run one race a month for the rest of the year.  So I talked her into signing up for the Girlfriend's Half.  Of course.  (insert evil laugh here.)  Honestly, it didn't take much convincing.

Mother's Day 2012,  Run Like A Mother 5K

There are a lot of qualities I love about Amy, but one way were are very much alike is that we're both up for pretty much anything, and can be easily talked into doing something.   VERY easily. 


 Case in point:

Me:  Hey Amy, wanna be on my EPIC Relay team in June?  12 Girlfriends, 2 days, lots of miles...
Amy: Sure!  Here's my check.  Maybe I should start running more than 5 miles, damn Arthritic Toe!  And Bursitis!

Amy, bringin' it home to the finish of the EPIC Relay!

Amy, leading the Fueled By Fine Wine team across the finish!

Post-EPIC Relay,  and for "Snort Coffee out your Nose Funny"... read her recap on her blog.  It's in three parts.  And each one is better than the last.  Just like the relay. ;-)

Me:  Hey Amy, wanna do a Triathlon with me in July?
Amy:  Sure!  (clickity click)  I just signed up!  Maybe I should start swimming and riding my bike again... Does spin class count?  Can Chris get my bike working enough to do the race?

Blue Lake Triathlon, 2012.  Don't let the lack of a race bib fool you... Amy earned that medal.

Me:  You've got plenty of miles on your legs, sign up for the Girlfriend's Half!  It's not till October. 
Amy:   Firemen, necklaces, and chocolate at the end?  Oh yesser!  I'm in!


Ahhhh... A girl after my own heart.


One of the other great things about Amy is her willingness to help a friend out.  Me, in this case.  I had been struggling with getting my training runs in since the kids have been home from school (I know, I know... my working mother runner friends everywhere are rolling their eyes at me and saying "suck it up and get up early!").  Amy would offer to watch the kids play outside while I took off and got in 5-6 miles around the neighborhood.  I will never ever forget one of those times.

We were supposed to go for a run together early that morning,  but Amy texted me the night before saying she had been nursing a fever and was taking some Tylenol and needed the sleep.  She had a Doctor appointment the next day, and I was going to watch her  kids.  We do that a lot, since it's so great that the kids enjoy playing together.  So she watched my kids play when I ran that morning.  I did a quick 5.5 mile run, and when I came back, I noticed that her husband was home.  Amy didn't beat around the bush.  I was still turning off my iPod when she told me that Mark would be going to the Doc with her, and that her appointment might be longer than she originally though because she had BREAST CANCER.   I let that sink in for about a millisecond before I clung to her in a sweaty hug.  She literally found out while I was out running.  She, of course, told me she would be FINE.  Because that's what Amy does.  Throughout her whole sucky ordeal, she was always trying to make others laugh and reassure US that SHE would be OK.   Amy blogs about her life on her incredibly awesome blog, Bliss and Chaos.  She used her talent with words to process through this "bump" in her road breast.

Pre-Surgery PINK Party, Cyndie Amy and Audrey

Less than two weeks after her diagnosis, she underwent surgery and began reconstruction.  She, and everyone who knows Amy, was grateful to have such a positive diagnosis (no need for chemo or radiation!), but she couldn't help being super pissed that her summer plans, vacations and racing, had been foiled.  As you can see from the triathlon picture above, Amy STILL came out to cheer me on, just two weeks after surgery.  She took her training very seriously, and would have kicked my butt from here to next year in this race.  I completed it for her; and when I felt like I was going to drown in the lake, I felt Amy cheering me on, ringing that cowbell (even though it hurt to raise her arms!).

Wednesday, July 11, at 6am, was the last time I ran with my bud.  The day before her surgery we ran the Cause and Event 10K loop.  And yesterday, Wednesday August 15th, we met on the driveway again early in the morning for a run.  Just 5 weeks after kicking cancer's ass, Amy was ready to start running.  I know she was frustrated with only running 3.5 miles.  But that mileage will grow quickly, and she will be stronger for having overcome what she did.

Post-Triathlon, Kicking Cancer's Ass celebration date night (with the hubby's too!) at Andina.

Her next goal:  Sub 2 hour half marathon at The Girlfriend's Half, October 14th.  Fittingly, it's an all-female race that benefits Komen.  And I'm proud to be a part of helping her get there.  And I'm pretty sure there won't be a dry eye in the place when she crosses that finish line. 


Fast-forward back to Cause and Event.  Planning is in full-swing now, and we are more excited than ever to make this race series a reality!  Like any event, there are passionate, dedicated people helping Amy along the way.  We have an amazing group who jumped on board this train, and we are so inspired to be a part of something that can help so many organizations.  If you would like more information about how to get an organization that you work with connected to this race, please see the website for more details.  And if you have any connections to potential sponsors, please contact myself or Amy (use the "contact us" button at the bottom of the page).  Please "Like" the event page on Facebook, so you can receive updates on the race and events surrounding it.  Registration should be open in the next few days...and we will be celebrating at our event planning meeting with Pink Wine!

Cheers to you Amy, my friend, neighbor, and BRF.  So glad to have you back.  xoxo

A handful of the Cause and Event Board Members:  Sandi Colner, Cyndie Pelto, Audrey Schaab, and fearless leader/visionary Amy Little