The morning of July 3rd Jake, Sierra, Steve and I flew to Portland and met our oldest daughter, Liz. We then went to have a delicious breakfast (cornmeal pancakes with blueberries) and did some sight-seeing.
We checked into the hotel and met Aaron (Sierra’s boyfriend) and later met my uncle and cousin for dinner (still full from breakfast, I optioned for chicken salad). It was a great day! We called it an early night knowing we had to get up at 4am for a 6am marathon start. At 11pm the fire alarm started chirping. We called the lobby and they sent someone with a battery replacement. One hour later the chirping starts again. We ultimately moved rooms around 1 am and our long night included a short amount of sleep. By 5 am we were off to Sauvie Island for The Foot Traffic Flat Marathon. Jake, Sierra, and my Uncle Rolf ran the 5k. Aaron, my uncle John, and cousin Kelsey ran the half marathon, and I ran the full marathon. I was unsure how the marathon was going to go because I had just finished a full Ironman two weeks prior and unsure how (or even if) my body had completely healed. I also knew it was going to be a high of 97 degrees that day. Once the marathon started, I made it my goal to get as far as I could before the heat picked up. The views were beautiful: the river on one side and farmland on the other. I had a 1:49 half marathon. I was feeling strong, but my quads were getting tight. I was drinking a lot of water anticipating the coming heat. While hydrating would aid in protection from overheating, I needed to stop at rest stations frequently. At mile 20 my quads had completely cramped, so I started to do a 10-minute run and 1 min walk to give them rest. I finished Strong with a 3:58:10 finish and 2nd in my age group. What an amazing way to start my 50th year around the sun. Feeling strong, healthy and with a 3:58 marathon finish time. Let the Birthday celebration begin! We all met for lunch after the marathon at a floating dock restaurant with amazing views to kick off my celebration. We laughed and shared stories from the good ole days. The kids, Steve and I then went to Liz’s where she hosted an amazing 50th birthday bash with the grandkids. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate! Steve and I spent the rest of the week in Salem and on the Oregon coast with our children and grandchildren. The week was filled with a lot of fun, laughter, hiking, time at ocean shores and of course yummy food. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate half-a-century on this earth: a challenge, good food, and most importantly incredible company.
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AuthorPollyann Keller Archives
October 2024
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