Portland to Coast 2010

Where do I begin?

The Portland to Coast walk relay is one of those events that marks the end of summer. My best friend and walking teammate sums it up best when she likens the race to Christmas - so much anticipation, preparation and fun that you can't help but feel a little sad when it is all said and done. We spend months in preparation - not training, mind you - but rather coming up with cute little outfits, crazy decorations and other fun gear that makes this relay so much more than just a race.

I am not typically a walker. I much prefer running to racewalking. Training is impossible unless you lack dignity - proper racewalk technique causes those driving by to burst into perilous fits of laughter. So I spend my summer running and hoping that somehow those miles will translate into good mile splits and a relatively comfortable experience. I've yet to have a comfortable year.

One might wonder why I continue to participate in this walk relay. The sister event, Hood to Coast, is the big show - and I'll admit that I've been tempted to run it. I last ran it in 1997 - it would be cool to see the big race again, to see the start on Timberline, to battle the traffic and experience the mass of people at the major exchanges.

Still, I find myself drawn back to this team - the Late for Lattes. We are a crew of former preschool moms and dance team members (I am not, I should point out, a former dance team member, which is immediately evident when I try to dance outside of the van). We have taken pride in the fact that we do not ask for mile splits when recruiting - all we look for is a good attitude and a fun spirit - and we still manage to place in the top 10% of teams. We take the time to not only decorate our vans with 3 foot light up coffee cups, but to also make small bags of chocolate covered espresso beans to hand out to volunteers. We wear sparkly skirts, have matching reflective vests, and cook a hot meal in the middle of a sleeping field. In short, we do the relay with style.

In the relay, the top 6 teams in each division "podium" - that is, they receive some sort of special award for their efforts. We have now placed 8th two years in a row - and because of this fact, we have perhaps become too focused on achieving that end. The fastest walkers have been given the most miles to reduce our total team time, regardless of how we feel about walking those legs. For the first time since I've been on the team, mile splits have been a topic of conversation. My competitive nature has been challenged by the close finishes, but as I reflect back on the weekend, I see that this is the perfect opportunity for me to grow.

I have been working towards enjoying the journey rather than the results in my own running. It is a challenge that I have been working to embrace, and I think that this relay offers me yet another opportunity to open against my competitive spirit. When I think about leaving leg assignments to chance - to perhaps having the slowest walker take on the longest leg - my throat closes up a bit. And because I find it so frightening, I know that it is the way I should approach the race. In giving up my need to win, to do well, I know that I will find the joy in the journey that has been there all along.

As we plan for 2011, I do not know how we will move forward. I know that I will fight hard to challenge ourselves to take an unexpected approach, to return to the team spirit that has drawn me back to these women year after year. And I have a hunch that this is where the magic will happen.