Thank You and Congratulations!

To all of you runners and walkers: Thank you and Congratulations.

As the first ever trial of 'Run Around for Write Around,' I would say we (and mostly you)did a fantastic job. Next year only promises to be better and I hope that it is a tradition that continues.

It has been such a pleasure to be involved in this process and I thank you all for your patience and enthusiasm. I hope to see you all out there running and walking next year. Who knows, perhaps I will join you...

My Marathon Journey

Yesterday I completed a Marathon and it was the best day of my life. I cannot quite begin to explain my feelings right now. I am overjoyed with my performance! I am still in disbelief at how great things went yesterday. The stars were aligned for me and I feel so grateful to have had such a great first marathon!

Some highlights from my journey…

I woke up Sunday morning to find that my fundraising goal had been met. This was a huge boost for me. I had been having some doubts a few days prior to the race and the knowledge that so many people had faith in me and my cause and put money on the table for me… well I had to do it, there was no backing out and I was so proud to run for such an awesome cause!

The first five miles were cold and crowded and freaking scary. I was still unsure of myself at this point and scared of the road ahead. I knew I needed to stay positive. I had my notes of encouragement to pin to my shirt, but I was still very nervous. I guess I thought the excitement of running would get me through the first 5, but there were so many people, it was really intimidating.

I met the lady in the purple spandex around mile 5. I wish I knew her name… she was amazing; I guess its part of the experience. You come across people that you need and keep moving and try to inspire others along the way to keep the Marathon moving. The lady in the purple spandex was singing and running the whole marathon. We passed each other for about 10 miles and I have no doubt that she kept many people moving forward yesterday. When I first met her she was singing something like… “you are so beautiful…” and kept on singing oldies and hip hop and silly show tunes, no ipod, just the songs that kept her going. I came to find out that she was running her 107^th marathon. This would be the 30^th State she had run a marathon in, and Saturday was her 106^th marathon. Yes, that’s right, two marathons in two days. The lady in the purple spandex was sometimes right next to me to give me a high five and sometimes far away, but I could hear her in the distance and it totally took away my fear and anxiety and allowed me to run these mile peacefully and happily.

I met another girl, Raquel, around the same time. I would run most of the rest of the marathon with her. At mile 22 I realized that I had made a new friend along the route of a marathon and it was clear to me right then how easy it is to open yourself up and trust someone to carry you through the difficult moments in life. We cheered each other through 4.2 miles of running that I will never forget. I was hurting and excited and proud and shocked all at the same time. I had someone there to go through it with me and for that I am truly grateful.

I had heard all about the St. John’s Bridge. Some said it was a race breaker, some said it wasn’t that bad, but to take it slow. I had tried to plan a couple training runs to include it, but never was able to get there to know what I was in for. A thought occurred to me at one point in training that I didn’t want to know the course ahead of time, because what you don’t know can’t hurt you. So here I am running along St. Helen’s Road approaching the bridge. It was beautiful, and I was already starting to pump myself up. For me this was going to be the first toughest part of the marathon, both because it was a steep hill, and because I was never able to run past 18 miles in my training runs. As I started to climb it I knew I was going to run the whole thing. I wasn’t overconfident; I knew I had to take it slow. So I started chanting to myself, and a couple times out loud, “slow and steady wins the race.” All the sudden I was at the top of that hill and looking out at the bridge and it is a magnificent sight. Crossing over and seeing downtown and how far I had come, I got the biggest runners high ever!

I was asked if I had any moments of clarity. I think the whole marathon was a moment of clarity. I did this and I was right where I was supposed to be the entire time. I had a wonderful day and had so many awesome people cheering me on, both on the course and from as far away as London, UK!! I felt all of that as I was running along and feel very blessed to have accomplished such an amazing thing!! I will be carrying this around for a very long time and will not soon forget how cool it is to run a marathon.

Along the way I did a little check in with myself. Every few miles I would ask myself “would I do it again?” and every time the answer was yes! I can’t wait to start training for my next marathon!!!

Thank You (Part two)

Congratulations again to anyone sore enough to do the Burnside Shuffle!

We are overjoyed with the success of this event and hope that you will want to join us again next year. "Amazed" and "grateful" are two words to describe our reaction to the news that we'd raised more than $2300.

Don't forget to email me with your preferred times and days for a writing session if you haven't already as I will be finalizing those arrangements this week.

I hope you had an amazing experience and thank you for letting Write Around Portland be a part of it!

Thank you

I'm still sore and doing a little walk I call the Burnside Shuffle, but I am absolutely overjoyed at the accomplishment of everyone here who made this inaugural Run Around for Write Around fundraiser such a success. We have raised $2,345 so far, with more trickling in, nearly enough to sponsor an entire workshop! Furthermore, that was just a small handful of us who started our silly quest mid-summer. Think of what we can do next year?

Overall, I had an incredible experience on the course yesterday. The weather was perfect, a far cry from the drizzle and downpours of 2008. I hit a great runner's high at the peak of the St. John's Bridge and powered through quite well for the first 20 miles. The last six were miserable beasts, but that is to be expected, feared, even honored. That mantra -- smile, trust, be -- that got me through a few of those tough spots, as did my co-worker Matt who was with me all the way. Well, almost all the way. After we crossed the Broadway Bridge and looped back toward Naito, we were slightly separated and Matt had the advantage. He got in front of a train about to take off and I got stuck in front of a motorcycle cop telling me with his not so subtle way to stop. This was at Mile 24.5 and that two-minute stop not only meant I would never catch up to Matt, but the lactic acid started building up and I was messed up mentally for the rest of the run. My body got the signal that I was finishing and it took everything in me to run the rest, half of which I walked (although my memory's a little hazy). My official finish time was 4:03:33. Take away the train and I finished about the same time as I did last year, 4:01:18, but take away that train and I would have been with Matt and we would have powered through together. He finished in 3:58. Alas, I may just be stupid enough to try one of these again.

quick note - my results

I set a new personal record today for walking the 10k. I shaved about 3/4 of a minute per mile off my record time, which I set mid-July at the Smith Rock Sunrise Classic. I also looked back at my time last year for this event - which was with a friend and the early stages of getting fit - and I bit off a huge chunk of time from that: I finished 24 minutes earlier today than I did just a year ago. Things are looking up.

And that's a great number of funds raised for Write Around Portland. I'm leaving my donation widget up on my website, The Writing Vein, for another month so people can still donate if they find some extra cash lying around and they want to give it to an awesome cause.

Thanks, everyone! For being you, for being Write Around Portland, for the financial support to the organization and the personal support to those of us who participated in our various ways in the event.

Race Day & Your Amazing Accomplishment

Happy Race Day! If you're racing today you won't see this before you start your journey but perhaps after?

Write Around Portland would like to extend the most heartfelt gratitude for the more than $2300 raised so far and the added awareness of the mission in the community.

Gotta go now! Must cheer for my favorite writers/runners and writers/walkers! See you at mile marker 18!

Stay tuned...I'd like to announce a time soon for a post-race writing session. Email me directly if you'd like to be included and your preferred days/time ranges.

Thanks again.

Andrea Speedie

Last Minute Advice

Don't panic, relax, and don't do or wear anything new on race day. Stick to what you know.

That said, here are some things that I've learned over my last few marathons.

(1) EAT & DRINK. Be aware that what you eat and drink during the race is really only providing sugar for your brain so your brain doesn't wisen up and tell you to stop. While that is great for avoiding the dreaded wall, what's most important to your body is what you put in your tank this Friday and Saturday. Carbs, proteins, nothing super-dehydrating, water, electrolytes, those are all going to fuel your body on race day, not the power bar at Mile 15. That's for your head.

(3) PREP. Make a check list and lay out all your gear the night before, including writing your emergency information on the back of your bib, pinning your bib to your shirt in such a way that it doesn't interfere with anything you might have around your waist, and attach your chip to your shoe. A helpful trick is to crumple up the bib a few times so that it doesn't feel so stiff and awkward when you run. They're really durable. They can take it. Also, don't plan on partying the two nights before the race. Sleep as long as you can Friday night in case nerves make you restless the night before. Set multiple alarms and arrive to the route as early as you possibly can. You don't want to be doing the pee-pee dance for the first few miles.

(4) PRACTICE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS. Put away your iPod and write your name on your shirt instead. You'll get a much bigger boost by strangers cheering you on than the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire. If music is all that gets you through, then listen to it. I won't stop you. But be open to the goose-bumpy high you get from folks cheering your name and the serenity that comes with quiet stretches along St. Helens Road and the incline up to the St. John's Bridge. After that, those last miles are mostly flat or downhill and the view is tremendous. You can do it!