Sunday 14th March was the 2004 Shamrock Run.

Despite this being my third year participating in the Shamrock Run, I was quite nervous about the run because I hadn't been running enough this year. What with my knee problems I have been building up the distances quite slowly, so although I've been running three times a week for some time I had not run further than about 3½ miles all year. Indeed, I was regretting signing up for the 8km distance...

So a couple of weeks before the Shamrock I started doing longer runs. I put in a couple of four mile runs from work, and managed a good sixish mile run on the intensely hilly Terwilliger Boulevard so that I was feeling pretty good about Shamrock at the end of last week.

The day itself dawned, however, and I was just so tired. I put this down to not being hydrated enough on the Saturday although I suspect overtraining was a factor too, but it left me feeling pretty grisly going down into Portland for the run. At least I had left enough time this year to prepare myelf when I got to the race site - none of the panic of last year when I got to the start pack with ten seconds to spare!

It was a gorgeous day - the sun broke out of the clouds minutes before the third wave of 8km starters set off, and I was feeling well stretched as I bounced at the start. When the horn blew there was the inevitable slow trudge to get over the start line, but the field opened out pretty quickly after that.

The Shamrock course is pretty gruelling. Portland is not as hilly as San Francisco or even Seattle, but it's got some noticeable hills all the same. The 8km course spends most of its first half going up hill. I didn't stop. Quite pleased about that.

The second half once you get to the top of Barbur Boulevard is a much more relaxing down hill. My legs were too wobbly at that point to really power down the hill so I didn't speed up noticeably, but it was really nice not to have to struggle to keep stumbling up a hill any more. I finished feeling good and managed a time 45 seconds faster than last year, albeit slightly outside the ten minute mile pace I had been aiming for.

I was beaten by a banana, though.

Two years ago on my first Shamrock Run when I did the 5km, I was overtaken on the home straight by a pint of Guinness. This year I was playing leap frog with a banana all the way up Broadway, the first hill. I got to the top ahead of the banana, but was overtaken on the second hill and never saw the banana again. I did finish ahead of the clown who started in front of me, however, which allows me to salvage some small amount of honour.

Next up - marathon training. Portland Fit starts again on 27th March. I will miss the first session since it will be our wedding anniversary weekend, but I'll be starting the marathon training again the following week. Feeling good about it this year - more knowledgeable at least.

Posted by Dunx at March 18, 2004 12:16 PM