Hood to Coast 2017: Portland Running Company Girlz

by Jodi

This weekend I ran Hood to Coast for the third time.  Thank you Dave and Paula for the opportunity to represent you and your store that has changed the culture of Portland's running community. It was such an honor to be a part of the Portland Running Company Girlz team.  

Our Team, minus one

These women are...

• Strong 
• Fast
• Determined
• Kind
• Funny
• Zesty
• Fierce.

These women...

• Chase down their dreams 
• Love their families well 
• Friend hard.

These women are...

• Small business owners
• Race directors
• Executives
• Personal trainers
• Physical therapists
• Administrators
• Photographers
• Nurses
• Teachers
• Coaches
• Wives
• Moms.

I glean from their wisdom. Laugh at their wit. Dig deeper than I thought I could dig because I watch them do the same.

We run our guts out on every leg...

BECAUSE WE CAN.

We know that running is a gift and we don't take it for granted.

These women brought it to the race this weekend. We encountered some challenging speed bumps along the way, but we didn't wallow.  We adapted to new exchange zones that took mileage from prepared runners and added mileage to others who already had a big mileage load. It was cold at night.  Hotter than expected during the day.  I tripped in a pothole in the pitch black and almost face planted on the concrete. We ran neck and neck with our biggest competition, until our van got stuck in a holding pattern while  Race Officials addressed an emergency.  Our poor runner was stranded at the next exchange for almost 20 minutes in the freezing cold, but she didn't complain. In spite of - or maybe because of - these challenges, we pulled together and chased down a goal.  And we did it as a team.

My teammate said last year, "I didn't come here to be mediocre.  I came here to kick ass." (Don't judge me for the curse word).  That stuck with me and it tumbles around in my head every time I'm racing and easing off would be so much more comfortable than finding another gear.

There is NOTHING mediocre about my Portland Running Company Girlz.  These women...

• Push hard
• Adapt to challenges
• Laugh at adversity
• Compete (man do they compete!)
• Encourage
• Drive like maniacs
• Live life fully.

199 miles from Hood to Coast.

23 hours. 41 minutes. 38 seconds.

7:08 average pace

2nd place in our division

30th place overall

Well done Girlz.  I'll run my guts out any day with you.  Until next year...

My race by the stats: Not my fastest or favorite leg of Hood to Coast, but I kept a positive attitude and gave it my all on every leg in spite of a few challenges.

	Mileage	Pace Per Mile	Difficulty Rating	Notes
Leg 11	4.60	6:59	Easy	Had to stop for traffic lights three times and lost at least 60 seconds standing around waiting for the lights to change.  So hard to get started again after interrupting my cadence.  Only saw five runners (passed them all).  It was kind of eerie to be on the Springwater Corridor in the dark with so few people.
Leg 23	4.18	7:02	Easy	Tripped in a pothole and almost face planted.  Shoe came untied with less than a mile to go.  Had to stop, take off my gloves, and try to tie my shoe with shaking legs and hands.  GRR!  50ish road kills.
Leg 35	7.14	7:48	Hard	Unusually hot for so close to the coast. Fully exposed. Gravel (big chunks of rock) road with no van support.  105 road kills cause most people were walking or running slower than usual.  And Yes… I counted each person I passed to keep my mind off the misery of how hot it was.