Yesterday I Ran to The Ocean...From the Ocean.

I did it.

I finished the Beach to Beacon.

Hence no post since Thursday.

I was preoccupied with nerving myself up and then calming down from a 10K.

Let's just talk about it.

Saturday was the big race that I have been getting nervous for all summer: The Beach To Beacon 10K. This race takes place in my hometown. The course starts out near the entrance of a State Park with a beach, and ends at Portland Headlight aka the most photographed lighthouse in the U.S. so you've probably seen it before.

The course is known for it's obvious beauty, the number of people who run it, the crowds cheering you on, and of course the curves and hills.

There's one thing I'd like to start out with: I didn't run the whole thing.

I Runalked the race.

Runalk: verb
1. The act of going back and forth from a run to a walk throughout the course of your workout in order to reach your destination.
2. Something that I am usually too above doing while going for a "run" in fear of being judged, but came to recognize I would have to do during this race.


This race is 6.2 miles, something that I have never in any way ever attempted running at all. All this summer I was going for runs but would top out at about 3 miles. I could do 6 miles on the elliptical, but running is a whole different thing. It's just not where my body and I are at right now. I was going to try my best to run as much as I could, knowing that I would have to walk real fast for certain points of the race.

So as you could imagine, with all of this in mind I was pretty nerved up for the race on Saturday morning. Why would I do something that was clearly stressing me out so much you may ask?

Let's just say, that every year I have had the opportunity to watch this race. And one year, I watched every single one of my family members run by except for me. All of my sisters, my mother, and even my father are runners. My sisters each have a natural "runners body". This race is something that this natural "rugby playing body" has always secretly wanted to do, but been afraid to do so in fear of being judged.  This spring  I decided that instead of feeling bad for myself on the sidelines as I watch my sisters run on by, I would try to do the race myself.

So, myself, Dave, Sister N, Sister S, Sister E, Boyfriend S, Dave's Dad, and Dave's Brother T all ran the race.

I know it's just killing you: How did I do?

Most importantly, I finished.

You see, I try to be realistic. So knowing that I'd topped out at 3 miles this summer, setting any sort of time goal might have been unrealistic. I also had no clue at all what that time would be. So my goal was to finish, and not be the last one to do so.

Clearly a goal like this requires a t-shirt. Good thing I made one.

Here was the front:

Yes the colors are bleeding in this picture. I forgot to take one of the front until after. In case you didn't guess, I sweat throughout the entire race. A LOT. Enjoy that thought.

And here was the back:

Promise there's a D at the end of Finished. My armpit just swallowed it.

Now, as I mentioned previously, I am one lucky gal. My husband is a natural "runner",  and despite the fact that he's been so busy saving the world from noisy campers one night shift at a time at a state park and just working all the time in general, he told me he was going to run this race with me, for me.

That's right, he could've kicked my butt and probably finished under an hour, but he didn't. He wanted to make sure I had support and encouragement the whole way, so he ran with me. (Sorry ladies, he's taken. For a while. When I say a while I mean forever. Maybe next lifetime. Oh wait. Still get him.  :-))

This action clearly warrants a shirt as well. Good thing I could at least do that for him.

Yes he wore this. Yes he's perfect.

Oh, you want a picture of me during the race?

Dave just moseying right along as I gasp for air and make a scene. We're about halfway through here.

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew I wanted to be alerted when I was finished.

Other people will wake up this Sunday morning, check the newspaper for times and places. You'll find me in place 5 thousand something out of 6 thousand something, with a time of an Hour and Twenty Two minutes.

What it won't tell you is that this was my first time running a 10K, something I've been beating myself up over for whoever knows how long.

It won't tell you I ended up running about 70% of the race, something that I am okay with.

And,  it also won't tell you that I crossed the finish line holding my husband's hand.

It also won't tell you I ate the most delicious barbecued chicken after and then took the nap of all naps. What nap isn't with shark week playing in the background and your family member's giggles chirping over it.

Your final question for me now might be will I do it next year?

And my answer is, stop asking so many questions. Right now, my biggest goal is making it through work today with out major muscle contractions.

Now, get over here and give me a foot massage.