Tracee R. Flowers at the finish line of the Portland Marathon.

My First Marathon

When I was asked to write about my marathon experiences as a first-timer, my response was as quick and as simple as my initial reaction to having completed the race: sure, no problem.

But as I began considering how I would begin to convey my experiences, I realized that much of what occurred has already blurred. In fact, I'm not sure it was meant to ever crystallize in a singular moment of significance. There are just the images of moments like photographs.

The start was a mass of 9,000 hopefuls, veterans, novices, runners, and walkers crowded together on 4th Avenue.

At the start was the sound of the horn. It took minutes for the mass of people to move forward and then it was my turn to move. It was this time I took for myself. The race had the whole of my attention.

The middle of the race was a swirl of pompoms, cups littering the road, sunlight in my face, and roadside M*A*S*H unit blister-repair. I think I gave permission for a film crew from Chicago to film my foot repair somewhere along the long turnaround point. I won't make a pun about footage. I just hope it's not on the Internet somewhere.

The bright sunlight and the blisters no doubt began to conspire against my personal best pace. In the end, speed was of no consequence. I am one of the slower walkers; I was already committed to the reality of a seven-hour plus event. It didn't matter to me when I finished — but that I finished, and how.

Although I never hit "The Wall," for a brief moment I did catch the course chuckling a little. Who knew that Interstate was the interminable highway? It never felt that long on the bus. There were signs reading. "You're almost there! Mile 24 Ahead!" for what had to be four miles.

But there was no stopping — in fact, I have learned stopping hurts far more than simply walking. I wanted to see the Steel Bridge. I didn't care how many miles were packed into Mile 24. I had one personal goal for the marathon. I wanted to come to the finish strong, and I finished like I wanted to finish. To the tune of "Gotta Fly Now" from Rocky, I was up and over the Steel Bridge. I moved through Saturday Market to the Olympic theme, and I closed the race with the theme to Chariots of Fire and to the sight of my friends waiting for me. It just doesn't get any better than that.

So, what am I taking from this experience? I trained with Portland Fit to prove to myself that with work and commitment I could do whatever I set out to do, a 10-mile walk, a half-marathon, a complete marathon. Prior to my training, I had never walked more than four miles in a single outing. I was a treadmill walker. But I've now convinced my body that it was natural to walk 26.2 miles in a single afternoon, and not only was it natural but it was desirable to do so.

Hey, Mile 24 — who's laughing now?

Mayor Royce Pollard left, Darrel Eastman middle, Val Ogden right at the Restoration Celeration.

Pints to Pasta
This is the second year for this fun event. I was training to walk my first marathon and I was supposed to walk 21 miles that weekend. I decided to walk 15 miles on Saturday and do the remainder on Sunday. Well Sunday morning came and I wondered what in the heck I was thinking, two days of getting up before the crack of dawn to walk a lot of miles. My friend who had done the event the previous year talked me into it saying it would be a good thing to do because it is basically the last six miles of the marathon. I cursed her for talking me into this. Upon arriving at the starting point on the transporting bus I began to get excited. The walk was all downhill. I was able to visualize the last miles of the Portland Marathon and got more excited. I finished strong and yes I had fun. The minestrone soup, beer, and great music were a bonus. This well organized 10k is a must for next year!

Soleful Strutters

Portland to Coast
Have you ever pondered the big questions in life such as “Do things really go bump in the dark?” or “Do cows howl at the moon?” or “Can I walk seven miles and not make a pit stop?” These and other questions were answered as I walked legs 14 and 20 of the Portland to Coast (the walker's version of the Hood to Coast run).

I had no idea how exhilarating it would be to train for and walk in the race with the other members of the Soleful Strutters and Soleful Strutters, Too. I was amazed how quickly I got in shape. I remember my first four-mile training session when I questioned the accuracy of several team members pedometers. I'm sure that was 20 miles! It had to be; my tongue was dragging on the ground! But just a week later I was able to complete that same walk and it seemed much closer to only six miles. I eventually was able to walk more than eight miles without a major pant. A major bonus was the camraderie I experienced with the other 23 women. I now belong to a elite sisterhood of those who made it to the water (Seaside).

In answer to life's big questions: nothing bumped; a cow did call back an expletive deleted (my guess) when a driver honked around midnight; and yes, I didn't have to lose precious racing time to my pit crew. Oh, my mistake; I must think I'm Mario Andretti (now you know how old I am).

But don't take my word for it. Try it.You'll like it.

Super Jock ‘n Jill Half Marathon
It was a beautiful, dewy Labor Day morning just the right temperature for a 13.1 mile walk. With the right number of porta potties and water stops, the walkers were treated to a great event. With good food, music, and a goodly number of vendors the post-race atmosphere was fun and festive. This event was well attended and extremely walker friendly. A wonderful event for the first timer.

National Orienteering Day
Rain, snow, sleet or hail, the mail…oops orienteering club must go on. And rain it did! But needless to say it didn’t discourage the folks (big and little) from donning their rain gear and joining in the fun offered by the Columbia River Orienteering Club celebrating National Orienteering Day. There were challenges for people new and advanced in navigational skills. A great, (and wet) time was had by all!

1st Annual Sister’s Stride into Autumn
What a beautiful day in Central Oregon. My sister (no pun intended) went to Sisters to do this 12k trail walk and we were totally delighted to meet another set of sisters doing it as well. It was a Wonders of Walking (WOW) presentation and as usual Judy Heller did an excellent job of putting on a walking event for walkers.

There were prizes for the competitive 5k and 10k and medals for every participant.