For Memorial Day/my Birthday weekend, I traveled out to Portland, OR to visit one of my sisters and brother-in-law. Months prior my sister mentioned a race would be held in her neighborhood and asked me if I was interested in running it. The race, Rum Run, offered a 5K and a 10K option. I considered running the 10K but then I thought about how the terrain would be different as well as the air, which is thin and dry, so I opted for the 5K.
The morning of the race, the temperature was in the mid 50s. For this Florida gal, without any humidity and drier air, it was a little chilly for me. Thankfully I was able to warm up both my body temp and my legs on our walk over to the start line. The course took us through Cook Park, the City of Tualatin and around the lake at Tualatin Commons. Due to the stretch around the lake, the course distance actually came out to be 3.35.
I started the race out strong, with the first mile coming in at 10:06. By about a mile and a half in the course took us off pavement and onto a trail which had a minor incline to it. At this point I began to struggle a bit with my breathing, as I mentioned earlier the air up on the northwest is much dryer and thinner. Determined to make it through the race without walking, I slowed my pace to try and get my breathing under control. As much as I was hoping to PR on my 5k time, I had to remind myself that running there in Oregon was much different than running in Florida and as long as I finished under 40 mins, I would be satisfied. I crossed the finish line, coming in at 36:51.
As we walked around post-race, we noted organizer of the event, Energy Events, paired up with some great sponsors for this race. Sponsors included Jamba Juice, Kind, Roxy’s Island Grill, as well as vendors Pure Protein and Vita Coco. They had a bounce house and Radio Disney for the kids. Not to mention the beautiful views of the the lake.
Upon crossing the finish line we were given a lei. My sister and I used this lei and paired it with our 10 Cane Rum bottle opener to create our own medal 🙂
I had a great first out-of-state race and I can’t wait to see where my running adventures take me next!