Leavenworth Half Marathon

The Leavenworth Half Marathon was set to take place on October 4, and I was quite nervous.  My leg STILL wasn’t healing the way it should, and I hadn’t been training appropriately.  Although  I’d been doing my physical therapy exercises religiously, going to the gym [almost] daily, and taking yoga classes 2-3 times per week, I hadn’t run at all in the several weeks prior to the race (per doctor advice).   I’d spent a lot of time trying to simulate the cardio demands of running on the low-impact elliptical machine (up to 1 hour, 45 minutes at a time), but this certainly wasn’t the same as pounding the pavement.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Katie, Issac, and I took off on Friday evening and stopped in Leavenworth before heading to our camping accommodations at the Lake Wenatchee Campground (just 30 minutes outside of town). Leavenworth was bustling with revelers filling the streets for the Oktoberfest Festival.  Many had costumes, and lots were clearly intoxicated.  It was definitely a festive atmosphere.

The race started at 9:00AM on Saturday morning.  The weather was perfect-- not too hot or cold and DRY (!!).  The course began at the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery and went into the village (briefly) and along the Wenatchee River.  We were surrounded by mountains and beautiful scenery, but I have to admit, as much as I tried to admire it, I found myself looking at the ground for most of the time.

My left leg was bothersome, yet it wasn’t super-painful.  This was better than anticipated.  I had moments of doubt as I was running (“Am I really going to be able to do this?!”), but I made it through! I tried not to think about time and just let myself run at a pace that wouldn’t leave me broken or aggravate my injury.  This was hard.  My GPS died at about mile 8, which left me guessing how fast I was running.  I knew that I’d slowed down.  Issac and I ran a few miles together, but I lost him as he sprinted up a hill.  I started counting my steps as I watched the mile markers pass by, and I was happy to see the finish line. 

As always, here are my stats: time= 1:56:35 (12 minutes slower than my PR); pace= 8:54 per mile; place in my age category= 36 out of 226 female runners; place overall= 356 out of 1,629 runners.  Having not run for a while, both legs were surprisingly sore the next day. 

After the race, we were able to enjoy some of the Oktoberfest shenanigans.  We also went for a hike on Sunday.  It was a fun getaway.


Leavenworth, a Bavarian village nestled in the Cascade Mountains,
served as the perfect backdrop for this destination race.

Finish line photo with me, Issac, and Katie

Post-finish photo with me, Issac, and Andrew (who
completed the full marathon)

We met lots of interesting people as we partook
in Oktoberfest, many clad in dirndls and lederhosen.

Our Sunday hike up Nason Ridge was perfect.  Hooray for
fall hiking in the sunshine!

No one likes a whiner, and I certainly don’t want to be one.  I hate how so many of my recent running posts have been about my frustrations with my left leg.  I don’t want to be dramatic about the situation, but I am discouraged that it isn’t back to normal yet.  It has undoubtedly improved, but it’s just not the same as it used to be.  It constantly gives me this nagging, aching feeling.  What am I doing wrong?!  I’ve seen a Sports Medicine Doctor and a Physical Therapist, and I’m still trying to get to the bottom of this question.  I hope to isolate the variable that is prolonging the recovery process (maybe something as simple as hyper-extending during yoga classes?) and move on with an active life.  I don’t want my running journey to end here!