First, the cold, hard facts: Bib #8921 (aka Jo Dorr) wasn't the greatest walker on the course at the Portland Marathon. My time was 7:01:34. Overall, I finished 7041 out of 7488 - but that means I beat 447 other people! Among women, I was 3532 out of 3901. Of women in my age bracket (55-59), I was 147 out of 195. It says online that my pace was 16:05, but all of my pace times along the course were 15:55 or under, so I don't really understand the 16:05 thing. I was pretty consistent in my pace - at 10k, I was 15:40; at 8.9 miles, 15:36; at the half, 15:41; at 17.5 miles, 15:44; at 20 miles, 15:52, and at 21.1 miles, 15:55. I had hoped to do 15 minute miles, but I fell short of that goal by a bit. Psychologically, I did fine. There was no point at which I considered giving up - the adrenaline rush was just too powerful! And it was fun to walk with so many people - people of all shapes and sizes, all ages, and all clearly intending to finish the course. Here are many pictures - no doubt more information than you want or need!
Sarah and me at the start. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and showered and got ready, we ate breakfast at 5:30, left Sarah's house at 5:50, drove to downtown Portland, and lined up at around 6:30 a.m. for a 7:00 start. But there were so many others in front of us that we didn't actually cross the starting line until about 17 minutes after the starting gun fired.
The Courageous Nine, walking and running for Baby Dorr: Lewis (Beka's brother), Ruby (Lewis' wife), Alison (Beka's twin sister), Jake (our son, and Baby Dorr's daddy), Beka (Jake's wife, our daughter-in-law, and Baby Dorr's mommy), Sarah (our daughter), Chris (our son-in-law and Sarah's husband), TK (Beka's brother), and me. Yes, it's before sunrise - and we're raring to go.
An overhead shot of the crowds of people in front of us at the start. We were in the group that predicted we'd finish in around seven hours, so those with more hopeful predictions were ahead of us, including (obviously) all the elite runners.
Mark was our cheerleader and fan. Unable to do the marathon himself because of his bad knee, he was nevertheless right on hand to support and encourage us. We saw him at the start, again at the five-mile mark, and then he and Hannah met us at the 25-mile mark and finished the course with us. Hooray for Mark and Hannah! Love you!
I'm ready to head out on the course! Got my game face on, and my Africa necklace, in honor of Baby Dorr. I also had BABYDORR printed on my bib, in our grandson's honor.
This is fairly early in the race, where you head down a long stretch and then turn around and double back along the same stretch. You can tell that I am heading out, and the people on the left (the oncoming people) have already been to the turn-around point and are heading back my direction. My strategy was to just walk at my own pace, keep hydrated with the help of sport drinks and water, and keep energized with Cliff Bars, Gummi Bears, and energy cubes. One t-shirt I saw said, "find your happy pace," and that is what I did. I did do a little running here and there in little spurts, mostly to change it up a little bit and use different muscles than I use walking, but mostly, I walked.
You can't see this sign very well, but it says "1/2 Marathon." Mentally, this was a big moment for me. I just knew that, having made it this far, I could definitely finish the course. And I just began counting down the miles from then on: 13 more, 12 more, 11, 10, 9,.... You probably remember from pre-marathon posts that my Achilles tendons were very painful. The day of the race, with the help of my 1/2-inch gel heel inserts, the pain wasn't so bad, although it was definitely there. But, in minimizing the heel problem, I think we created another problem: my toes. Having those inserts was probably just enough to force my toes into the front of my shoes just a tiny bit each step I took, especially on the downhill portions of the course. Coupled with the rainy conditions which made the roads just a little slicker than normal, forcing additional slippage here and there, and my toes became the most painful issue. I decided not to look at them or think about them too much, because I knew that if I took off my shoes and socks, I might not be able to get them back on again. Probably a good decision, as I haven't worn shoes at all since I took off my running shoes on Sunday afternoon.
The rainy view from the St. Johns Bridge, looking south. Like I said, the weather was less than ideal. We did stay cool, but we were also pretty wet. That really became an issue for poor, dear Alison, whose feet got so wet that huge blisters quickly formed on her feet. But, she was a real trooper, and finished strong despite obvious pain.
There was entertainment along the way - or, should I say "entertainment." Here are some belly dancers, ignoring the rain, dancing their hearts out. They were an older group - definitely interesting!
You'll have to double-click on this one to see what I mean, but here we are on Willamette Blvd., looking at downtown Portland in the VERY far distance. We all realize that we have to walk back downtown to finish this thing, and it looks SO far away. Strategy: just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and try to ignore that reddish-pink stain coming up through the netting on the toe of my left foot.
Some cheery accordion players sheltered from the rain. Along the way we also had a bagpipe group, a Christian praise band, a classical chamber group, several drumming groups, some high school cheerleaders with their pompoms (WAY too enthusiastic, but so cute), and many, many volunteers, encouraging and cheering for all the participants.
Coming back across the river to the west side, looking north.
Here I am at around mile 25. Mark and Hannah met up with us, and finished the course with me (at least until the fenced-off area at the actual finish, which was for participants only).
Thanks for coming to cheer for us, sweet Hannah. Oh - and HI, MITCHELL - that's who she's talking to.
At this point we're rounding the final corner to the finish line. You know the old saying, "It's not over 'til the fat lady sings?" Well, here she is, the fat lady. And, with the help of HUGE speakers, she's belting out some opera tunes as we walk those final few hundred meters.
Portland was all decked out for the occasion.
Crossing the line. You might notice that the time on the clock states a different time than my actual official finish time. It has been adjusted online to reflect the time that elapsed from when I actually stepped on the start line until I stepped on the finish line (using the timing chips we all wore on our shoes).
I got my medal and my foil blanket.
A few minutes later came the mommy- and daddy-to-be. Between all the people who pledged in support of Baby Dorr, they have raised nearly $4,000. We thank God and everyone who has given. Bless you all!
Also Lewis and Alison.
Getting closer to the finish!
Can they actually run across the finish line?
Finishing in fine style.
Sarah's former college roommate Brooke (right), and her roommate Sonja (left) made signs and met us at various points along the marathon route. They were such an encouragement to all of us, with their cheers and their clanging cow bells. Thanks SO MUCH, guys!
Sarah and Chris at the finish.
The Kiker Kids. It was so neat how all they could all band together to support Baby Dorr.
After the marathon, we headed to Burgerville for a late lunch/dinner. Following that, we went to Sarah and Chris' house and plopped our weary bodies in their hot tub. That felt SO wonderful, believe me! Jake was in the tub, too, but apparently got out before this picture was taken.
OK - not that you asked, but here are two pictures of my toes: above is my right foot.
And my left foot. The middle toenail is already loose at the base. I'll probably lose the third and fourth toenails on both feet.
Me in my FINISHER 2008 t-shirt, with my medal.
Finally, all finishers received a rose and a conifer seedling. We hope that our seedling will grow into a beautiful, healthy tree, just as strong and robust as our dear grandson, Baby Dorr. We love you, Baby Dorr. I'd walk a marathon for you ANY day.
Sarah and me at the start. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and showered and got ready, we ate breakfast at 5:30, left Sarah's house at 5:50, drove to downtown Portland, and lined up at around 6:30 a.m. for a 7:00 start. But there were so many others in front of us that we didn't actually cross the starting line until about 17 minutes after the starting gun fired.
The Courageous Nine, walking and running for Baby Dorr: Lewis (Beka's brother), Ruby (Lewis' wife), Alison (Beka's twin sister), Jake (our son, and Baby Dorr's daddy), Beka (Jake's wife, our daughter-in-law, and Baby Dorr's mommy), Sarah (our daughter), Chris (our son-in-law and Sarah's husband), TK (Beka's brother), and me. Yes, it's before sunrise - and we're raring to go.
An overhead shot of the crowds of people in front of us at the start. We were in the group that predicted we'd finish in around seven hours, so those with more hopeful predictions were ahead of us, including (obviously) all the elite runners.
Mark was our cheerleader and fan. Unable to do the marathon himself because of his bad knee, he was nevertheless right on hand to support and encourage us. We saw him at the start, again at the five-mile mark, and then he and Hannah met us at the 25-mile mark and finished the course with us. Hooray for Mark and Hannah! Love you!
I'm ready to head out on the course! Got my game face on, and my Africa necklace, in honor of Baby Dorr. I also had BABYDORR printed on my bib, in our grandson's honor.
This is fairly early in the race, where you head down a long stretch and then turn around and double back along the same stretch. You can tell that I am heading out, and the people on the left (the oncoming people) have already been to the turn-around point and are heading back my direction. My strategy was to just walk at my own pace, keep hydrated with the help of sport drinks and water, and keep energized with Cliff Bars, Gummi Bears, and energy cubes. One t-shirt I saw said, "find your happy pace," and that is what I did. I did do a little running here and there in little spurts, mostly to change it up a little bit and use different muscles than I use walking, but mostly, I walked.
You can't see this sign very well, but it says "1/2 Marathon." Mentally, this was a big moment for me. I just knew that, having made it this far, I could definitely finish the course. And I just began counting down the miles from then on: 13 more, 12 more, 11, 10, 9,.... You probably remember from pre-marathon posts that my Achilles tendons were very painful. The day of the race, with the help of my 1/2-inch gel heel inserts, the pain wasn't so bad, although it was definitely there. But, in minimizing the heel problem, I think we created another problem: my toes. Having those inserts was probably just enough to force my toes into the front of my shoes just a tiny bit each step I took, especially on the downhill portions of the course. Coupled with the rainy conditions which made the roads just a little slicker than normal, forcing additional slippage here and there, and my toes became the most painful issue. I decided not to look at them or think about them too much, because I knew that if I took off my shoes and socks, I might not be able to get them back on again. Probably a good decision, as I haven't worn shoes at all since I took off my running shoes on Sunday afternoon.
The rainy view from the St. Johns Bridge, looking south. Like I said, the weather was less than ideal. We did stay cool, but we were also pretty wet. That really became an issue for poor, dear Alison, whose feet got so wet that huge blisters quickly formed on her feet. But, she was a real trooper, and finished strong despite obvious pain.
There was entertainment along the way - or, should I say "entertainment." Here are some belly dancers, ignoring the rain, dancing their hearts out. They were an older group - definitely interesting!
You'll have to double-click on this one to see what I mean, but here we are on Willamette Blvd., looking at downtown Portland in the VERY far distance. We all realize that we have to walk back downtown to finish this thing, and it looks SO far away. Strategy: just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and try to ignore that reddish-pink stain coming up through the netting on the toe of my left foot.
Some cheery accordion players sheltered from the rain. Along the way we also had a bagpipe group, a Christian praise band, a classical chamber group, several drumming groups, some high school cheerleaders with their pompoms (WAY too enthusiastic, but so cute), and many, many volunteers, encouraging and cheering for all the participants.
Coming back across the river to the west side, looking north.
Here I am at around mile 25. Mark and Hannah met up with us, and finished the course with me (at least until the fenced-off area at the actual finish, which was for participants only).
Thanks for coming to cheer for us, sweet Hannah. Oh - and HI, MITCHELL - that's who she's talking to.
At this point we're rounding the final corner to the finish line. You know the old saying, "It's not over 'til the fat lady sings?" Well, here she is, the fat lady. And, with the help of HUGE speakers, she's belting out some opera tunes as we walk those final few hundred meters.
Portland was all decked out for the occasion.
Crossing the line. You might notice that the time on the clock states a different time than my actual official finish time. It has been adjusted online to reflect the time that elapsed from when I actually stepped on the start line until I stepped on the finish line (using the timing chips we all wore on our shoes).
I got my medal and my foil blanket.
A few minutes later came the mommy- and daddy-to-be. Between all the people who pledged in support of Baby Dorr, they have raised nearly $4,000. We thank God and everyone who has given. Bless you all!
Also Lewis and Alison.
Getting closer to the finish!
Can they actually run across the finish line?
Finishing in fine style.
Sarah's former college roommate Brooke (right), and her roommate Sonja (left) made signs and met us at various points along the marathon route. They were such an encouragement to all of us, with their cheers and their clanging cow bells. Thanks SO MUCH, guys!
Sarah and Chris at the finish.
The Kiker Kids. It was so neat how all they could all band together to support Baby Dorr.
After the marathon, we headed to Burgerville for a late lunch/dinner. Following that, we went to Sarah and Chris' house and plopped our weary bodies in their hot tub. That felt SO wonderful, believe me! Jake was in the tub, too, but apparently got out before this picture was taken.
OK - not that you asked, but here are two pictures of my toes: above is my right foot.
And my left foot. The middle toenail is already loose at the base. I'll probably lose the third and fourth toenails on both feet.
Me in my FINISHER 2008 t-shirt, with my medal.
Finally, all finishers received a rose and a conifer seedling. We hope that our seedling will grow into a beautiful, healthy tree, just as strong and robust as our dear grandson, Baby Dorr. We love you, Baby Dorr. I'd walk a marathon for you ANY day.
3 comments:
You're a trooper!!!!!!!
Well done, Jo, Sarah, Jake, Beka, and the rest of your team!! What a great accomplishment and for a wonderful cause indeed! :-)
good work!! i'd like to do that someday...but i have learned a lot from you guys already..bring dry socks!!
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