It’s been five years since I last ran a road race. I got tired of training runs and waking up before sunrise to participate in Portland events that were 40 minutes from the suburb where I lived. With the recent move to Salem, I found a new event last spring that looked to be fun — the Spirit of Oregon Half Marathon and 5k. The race was intriguing for a few reasons. It was an inaugural run, and it started and ended at the Oregon Capitol. Unique! It was in fall, rather than winter. It was also an opportunity to embrace the town I was unsure of moving to. My friend, Garrett, who had run in previous races with me, was interested. He also thought it would be cool to be part of something new. We both signed up in May.

The good news is that the commute to the race was quick. I still had to train, though. While I spent time running at our old neighborhood in Wilsonville, I did the bulk of my training in Salem. That’s when I started questioning my sanity. The new home is in south Salem, which is all hills, and our house sits at the top of a steep one. That’s how my runs ended each night, complemented by the requisite gasping and cursing on the final stretch. I was able to keep a decent 10-minute mile pace, which was on par with what I’d done in the past. I just felt 20 years older with the hills and slopes everywhere in my path.

Race day finally arrived October 7. The morning was chilly and the terrain mostly flat. We ran from the Capitol building, through Willamette University, and to Bush’s Pasture Park before turning around. It was the best I’ve ever felt running a race, and my personal stats are indicative of the hill training that I loathed being really helpful:

Overall Time – 26:26, Mile Pace – 8:31, Age Division Placing By Sex – 11 / 34, Placing By Overall Sex – 53 / 151, Overall Finish – 97 / 450.

Last 5k in 2013:

Overall Time – 29:55, Mile Pace – 9:38, Age Division Placing By Sex – 8 / 27, Placing By Overall Sex – 68 / 162, Overall Finish – 157 / 572.

First 5k in 2012:

Overall Time – 31:15, Mile Pace – 10:03, Age Division Placing By Sex – 14 / 21, Placing By Overall Sex – 73 / 139, Overall Finish – 140 / 493.

I don’t know how realistic it is to expect times to continue improving the older I get, but I’ll take it this year. Adrenaline surely helps. Also what I’ll take — no soreness today.

A couple pictures:

It sounds like the race is coming back in 2019. Garrett and I plan to be there! In the meantime, I’ll be on the hills in south Salem. It has kept me in great shape for soccer.