ORRC Y2K

ORRC Y2K

January 2, 2016

Cost - $35.00

The third race in my year of races was the Oregon Road Runners Club Y2k run. The event offered a half marathon, a 10k (6.2 miles) run, and a 10k walk. I decided to do the 10k run on this one. https://runsignup.com/Race/OR/ForestGrove/ORRCY2K

The race took place pretty close to where I live. I had worked the night before so I waited at my station until it got close to sign in time. I’d had a scratchy throat for a couple of days but I was happy to wake up and not have a full blown cold going on. When I left the station I immediately noticed how cold it was.

With it being 28 degrees outside I decided I didn’t want to push it too hard. I have asthma and the cold can sometimes be challenging.  I thought if I could finish in 75 minutes or a pace of 12 minute miles I’d be happy.

When I arrived at the event I noticed that there wasn’t as much diversity in runners as there had been at other races. There were still a few people in I’m guessing their 50’s and 60’s and a couple of children but noting close to the numbers I’d seen at the previous two races. The sign in was held inside Tom McCall school in Forest Grove which offered some shelter from the weather outside. The school seemed pretty packed and as usual a huge line up for bathrooms before the race started. One thing that stood out was the cafeteria was open serving hot food before and after the race. A real perk compared to other races. It was really nice to stay warm until the starting time.

The race started promptly at 9:00 am. I was bundled in layers but I have to say I was freezing. I wore leggings and running pants on the bottom and a top layer consisting of compression tank, compression long sleeve, t-shirt, and a hoodie. I had a Buff neck warmer along with a beanie and running gloves. Once the race got started I noticed that my feet and legs were fine but my upper body and hands were very cold. It took the first two miles of the race before my hands started to thaw out and that was due to the sun starting to come out.

With this being my third race and having a little experience in the past I felt more comfortable starting near the front third of the pack. I figured most people would use a slower pace. I soon found out that wasn’t the case. I was passed by what seemed to be everyone! I realized that the lack of diversity in runners I noticed earlier should have clued me into the fact this event was for more serious racers. I fell into a pace and didn’t struggle as much with breathing the cold air as what I thought I might.  

The path of the race had us run through the neighborhoods around Tom McCall and led us out to running beside Highway 47. We turned off the highway and started to run through the rural area with a few rolling hills. Nothing that really stood out as a tough obstacle to overcome and the hills were actually a nice change from the flat ground that was the majority of the race. Luckily we hadn’t had any recent rain and the roads and paths were not slick or slippery even with the below freezing temperature.

As we wound back around behind the school I was caught by a woman who asked me if we’d passed mile 4 yet. I laughed because we were less than half a mile from the end. It’s funny because some people (including myself) try to ignore how far we’ve come so the rest doesn’t seem so daunting but I can almost never do it. In this person’s case she was able to remove herself from how long she’d run for at least a couple miles. I’d like to know her secret.

I crossed the finish line at 1:09. I was pretty happy with the results. I was well under the 1:15 timeframe I had set as my goal. I checked my run keeper and saw I was able to keep my pace under 11 minutes until the last mile of the race. Even with these results I’m not going to lie, this race was more difficult than I expected. It was the combination of added miles and the cold that showed me that I’m made for warmer weather running. 

I would consider this one again next year. Even though the weather can be unpredictable I know a little more of how to prepare. The race was well organized and using the school for shelter and cafeteria was a huge bonus as compared to other races.

Up next: Heart Breaker Half