Saturday morning, Ry and I headed out to Corvallis, Oregon for the McDonald Forest 50K. We decided to drive down the morning of the race, since it was only about an hour and half away. It turned out to be a great idea. We were able to arrive early and enjoy the sunrise on the way down. Ry made sure to make the coffee extra strong. (Thank God)
Since we had a little bit of time before the start of the race-we went to go sit in the car and get our water bottles ready. While listening to some music and getting pumped for the race-we realized today was really going to be a gorgeous day and in Oregon that means more than anything else. The moment sun is shining through the trees-hearts warm all over the state! It just doesn't get much better.
8am and off to the trails!! For the first 1.2 miles the trail led out on a logging road and quickly moved to singletrack. Perfect! I saw Ryan move ahead with the lead women and thought-if he could stick with them, he would be in good shape (with time). In the first two miles, I regretfully felt shinsplints and for a second thought-uh oh I might be in trouble today. Yet, once I reached the 7-8 mile mark, I really started to warm-up and all the pains started to disappear.
The McDonald Forest really takes you for a ride. Long ups, followed by long downs. At first, the downhill felt great! Fun! Exhilarating! And then the hips, quads and everything else started to kick in. However, it was still nice how the climbs were so much work and the downhill felt like a reward.
Another great reward-the views!! At aid station three, you arrive on top of Dimple Hill-which is also the spot of 18.6 miles. At the 18.6 mile mark-you are left with about 13 miles to go, but none of that mattered after seeing the view at the top of Dimple Hill. You could see for miles and the colors were beautiful. It was at that moment, we saw Oregon at it's finest!! 70 degrees, safe and healthy fun, kind people and breathtaking views... that's what it is all about.
The race ends with a steep downhill-which feels like it lasts for miles... yet the stand said only 1.64 miles left. Soon, I could hear the people cheering and came right into the finish line, running right into Ryan. Ryan was able to finish at 5 hours 3 minutes and I came in around 5 hours 45 minutes, which happened to earn me a mug! woohoo!The rest of the day was enjoyed in the sunshine with great food and great people. 
On an even finer note-I'd like to give a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mother's out there. I feel like I have become a strong, dedicated and hardworking woman because of having such a strong, dedicated and hardworking Mother. Sometimes all you need is one person in the world to tell you, you can do something and it makes you believe... that person is my Mother. If she believes, I believe. Find the person that believes in you and give them a "thank you." There's nothing in the world like someone who encourages you to be your best. Thank you mom! 
Mom at Shamrock Run 2009
On an even finer note-I'd like to give a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mother's out there. I feel like I have become a strong, dedicated and hardworking woman because of having such a strong, dedicated and hardworking Mother. Sometimes all you need is one person in the world to tell you, you can do something and it makes you believe... that person is my Mother. If she believes, I believe. Find the person that believes in you and give them a "thank you." There's nothing in the world like someone who encourages you to be your best. Thank you mom! Mom at Shamrock Run 2009From Oregon,
Ashley D.
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