Wednesday, November 12, 2014

#48--Timberline Marathon

Mount Hood National Forrest, Oregon
May 31, 2014
5:32:16

This was the first marathon of my Pacific Northwest Double.  Just a few weeks after my trail marathon in Delaware, I was very nervous going into this because of my slow time in Delaware, my knee pain that has hampered my training, and the prospect of running another marathon the next day!

My wife accompanied my on this trip, the first time she's gone along for one of these double weekends.  It was great to have her along.  This is a pretty exclusive, very low key trail marathon.  We stayed at a mountain climbing lodge at the base of Mt. Hood.  It was a neat experience, with community meals and a dorm style living.  We were fortunate enough to have a private room with bunk beds!

There was no packet pick up until race day.  The start of the race was a little hard to find.  I did manage to make it right before the start of the race.  The first couple miles of the race were very hilly and quite technical, reminiscent of Delaware.  After that, the course "flattened" out into a beautiful two lap course around Timothy Lake in Mt. Hood National Forrest.    The course was stunning, and this was quite possibly the most beautiful marathon I've ever done.

There were only 3 or 4 aid stations along the course and these only stocked water and gatorade so runners could refill their own containers.  I expected this and brought along my Ultimate Direction water belt and bottle.  I consume a gel pack every 45-60 minutes to keep my blood sugar up.

I ran the first half of the race in 2:40, 10 minutes slower than my previous race in Delaware, but I felt much better at the half way point than I did a few weeks ago.  My pace the second half of the race slowed only a little, and I finished the race in just over 5 1/2 hours.  Given the course and my difficulties training up to this race, I was satisfied.

I collected my shirt and medal at the finish.  We drove back to the lodge and I was able to take a quick, cold shower.  I quickly refueled and we began the 6 hour drive north to Port Angeles, Washington for the marathon on Sunday.

http://roguemultisport.com/featureevents/timberlinemarathon.html

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