Many, many years ago a runner friend told me how much he loved the Portland Marathon. He planted a seed for me and I’ve always wanted to run it. In 2024 I opted for the Honolulu Marathon and despite one of my longest training cycles ever, ~16 weeks, I ran one of my worst races in a long time. I wanted redemption and decided Portland 2025 would be that race.

I tweaked a few things from Honolulu to Portland. I tried to build mileage earlier in the ‘season’ though I in fact run year round. Early summer I was close to 10 miles but wanted to get in vacation fun and some travel. I opted for a 10-week training plan (2nd time using the training app Runna) and 4 days a week of running (vs 3), and in the last few weeks added in a 1x/week, 1 hour strength session (an area I always scimp on). In 10 weeks I did the fewest amount of long runs I’ve ever done over the now 18 marathons I’ve run. The sequence of long runs was 14-16-18-22-16. I’ve never not run multiple 20+ and had no clue how this would play out.

Fast forward to race day and the end result: I shaved 5 mins off my Honolulu time so I guess the plan worked! My chip time was 3:51:25 though my watch time was 3:50:15 which of course I like better. Strangely, I made a rookie mistake and was late hitting start yet still managed to clock 26.44 and a faster time than the chip…should shrug? I’ve learned not to get upset about the difference between chip and watch — running the tangents is an art!

Net net I would run Portland again! Here’s a few reasons why:

• 7am start: so civilized! I stayed at the race hotel (something I’ve never done before) and was only 0.6M away from the start.
• Perfect size: ~9k marathoners and with the half marathoners and 10k runners, total of ~11k
• PERFECT weather: 100% not guaranteed but today might’ve been the best race weather I’ve ever experienced. A truly perfect fall day: sunny, slight breeze, low 50s, perfection.
• Incredible volunteers and they nailed it with the aid stations. They happened to use Gu gels which I train with and Skratch electrolytes which I love.
• Gorgeous course, plenty of spectator support, bands, most of the views were beautiful (a few overpass situations not so awesome).
• Fast course (despite my time): I trained for HILLs and was overly paranoid of the elevation gains in Portland. In real life the “hills” would be a nothing sandwich. In a marathon, even the slightest grade can still be brutal so I’m not saying I didn’t walk when I needed to but it really was a fast course and I probably should’ve trained more for the impact of the downhills.

The Thing About Marathons

I knew I would be able to finish this marathon. And yet. I worried straight up until the start line and plenty of times throughout. I’ve done EIGHTEEN of these races. The distance doesn’t scare me, I love the training, and yet. As I get older, I’m definitely slower. Mentally I still want to hit the paces and finish times I did in my younger 40s and 30s but alas, my new BQ still alludes me. I go into the marathon with ambition, optimism, and also a readiness to part ways…every.single.time. And yet, as much as I grumble, especially anywhere from mile 12-23 (as was the case in Portland), I am in fact, in love with the marathon. I threaten to quit it all the time; I tell myself, “let’s just get GREAT at the half marathon.” Miles 18-22 particularly tear me down and in Portland mile 23 was just a brutal mile of cramps on cramps on cramps – so many quick walks and stretches. But somehow, somehow I pulled through the cramps and found my kick. At my age, “kick” meant I hit 8:33 for mile 25-26 and pushed hard with a 7:38 pace for the last stretch (0.44 by my watch, 0.2 per the race). I finished strong. It’s what I always want and what the training trains me to do.

And the thing about the finish line, is that that’s what sucks me right into the next marathon. Which one will be next?