Visit Central Oregon on Mother's Day Weekend: Races for the Whole Family! And Moms Run Free!

Smith Rock Ascent Trail 50k and 15mile.  Photo courtesy of Paul Nelson Photography

If you're like me, the new year means making a plan for the upcoming months and penciling in a few things on the calendar!  Marathon and ultra marathon training is underway and I've started to think more about other races I want to enjoy during this training cycle as either training runs or time trials. I'd also like to find some fun family friendly races this spring where my kids can run too! So far, I have no races penciled in before the Boston Marathon in April (hope to find some) but  I do have a few races after the marathon that I'm looking forward to! 

My current race calendar looks like this:

April 20th: Boston Marathon. I'm supposed to run this as a training run for my 50k...we'll see how that goes. 

May 9: Smith Rock Ascent 4 mile race with my daughters (Moms run FREE).  Free kid run for my son. These races will be a fun opportunity for all of us to get outside, share time together, and be active while working towards a goal.  

May 10: Smith Rock Half Marathon at easy pace for a training run.  

May 25: Trail Factor 50k--My first ever ultra marathon in Forest Park/Portland, OR. And I'm so excited to run it with my husband (his first ultra too).  

Come Visit Bend, Oregon!

I know some of you have commented on my posts or Instagram pictures saying how you'd love to come run or visit Bend, Oregon. Well, if you're serious and can get away, Mother's Day weekend just might be the perfect time!  Bring the whole family for a weekend of racing, celebrating the Mothers in our lives, and enjoying beautiful Central Oregon!  Here are some more details about the racing part:

On May 9th and 10th, Go Beyond Racing has several scenic races for you and your family to choose from.  They are all located at Smith Rock State Park, which is known as one of the most scenic places in Oregon and only a short drive from Bend, Oregon.  Whether you prefer a race on trails, shorter distances to run with your kids, or faster and flatter road races, there is something for everyone.  There's even a free mile kid run for your youngest of runners.  Here is a short blurb directly from the Smith Rock Ascent website:

Welcome to the Smith Rock Ascent! Spend the weekend at one of the most scenic places in Oregon – Smith Rock State Park. Whether you prefer to run on trails or on the road, we have a course that you’ll love. Saturday is all about trails. Choose from a 50K, 15 mile or 4 mile route, all run on trails throughout the park. There’s even a free kids race. Sunday is road day. With a half marathon and 10K, you’ll be able to stretch your legs on this flat and fast course, with views of the rock faces.

Smith Rock Ascent Trail 50k and 15mile.  Photo courtesy of Paul Nelson Photography
I've never seen such amazing race photos.  This guy Paul is quite the race photographer!  I've spent so much time looking through the different events he shoots at...INCREDIBLE!  

A few bulleted points

• Moms get to run with their kids FREE when they register them for the 4 mile race! This a shorter distance option (for all ages of course) that still offers the same incredible views and single-track that the 50k and 15m races!  
• The kids mile fun run course is along the top of the race start/finish area.  All kids will receive a finisher medal.  What a great way to get the entire family involved!  
• On the 10th is when the half-marathon and 10k road races are held.  A few words from the site on this:  "This road race is sure to become a favorite, featuring two great distances that provide amazing views of the Cascade mountains, sheer rock faces at Smith Rock State Park and unique beauty of the area.  Both courses should be quite fast with minimal elevation change. "
• The races held on Mother's Day will mean a rose and entry into a drawing for a spa package for all the moms that finish!  

Smith Rock Ascent Trail 50k and 15mile.  Photo courtesy of Paul Nelson Photography

So, whether you are a family of runners or a family that wants to get on board with some new running goals by training for some races, here's a weekend that works for everyone! It's definitely something worth penciling in on that calendar of yours for a weekend of running, travel, family, and celebration!  

Be sure to let me know if you are going to be visiting Bend or the surrounding area for these races!  It would be fun to meet you! 

Amanda

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You can also find me writing at Run with Me Kids

The Empty Silence After a Holiday Week and Recent News: Trail 50k Decision and #RunwithmeKids!

"I was especially glad for my run today. And even more, for the time I had to sit here alone at a favorite spot along the river trail by my house --a moment to be still with my thoughts, listen to the sounds around me, and feel the cold air. Recharge. After a full week of family visiting, the house was eerily quiet last night when everyone was gone. It felt big and empty. Rooms, that just hours before were saturated in laughter, conversation, cooking, and the happy hum of family sharing their lives, were suddenly hollow. As much as my introverted side craved this silence and solitude, I was left feeling sad...like my house: a bit empty but yet a heart and head so full of thoughts and feelings...those that had collected and been put on hold during the busy buzz of a holiday week. I'm beyond thankful for the week of connecting with family and being surrounded by love and safe relationships. I'm also thankful for this quiet time to reconnect with myself."

What a busy week of family time!  Busy, special and fun!  We had family guests for most the week and every day was a buzz of conversation, playing, cooking, laughing, and catching up. On Thanksgiving day/night we had sixteen family members staying here. For the first time since we moved in, all the rooms in this house were being used! And I still felt like I could find my personal space if I wanted!  A good feeling.  My mom, brother and family, husband's family, nieces, nephews, cousins...

Family.  Love.  Gratitude.

Yesterday, after everyone left and it was just us, our house felt so empty and quiet.  Almost sad.  I was ready for some quiet time for sure --the introverted side of me was begging for solitude --but I wasn't prepared for how STILL and SILENT it would feel after hosting that many people.

At the end of my run today, I stopped at a favorite spot on the trail by my house (pictured above).  I sat for a moment with my thoughts--intentional about taking in the sounds around me and feeling the cool air on my face.  My craving for connection but yet overwhelming need to be alone.  As I was still in this spot and while running, I listened to the things that were most pressing on my heart and head and allowed myself to feel the emptiness and lull that can come after socially intense weeks like this.  Sadness mixed with the comfort of alone time. It's times like this that I am MOST grateful for the gift of running!!

In addition to family and holiday happenings, I've made some big running and racing decisions as well as taken the first steps with a friend to launch a new site for a project we are working on!  

• I've decided I will run my first 50k at the end of May!  This one:  Trail Factor 50k on May 25th in Forest Park.  As many of you know, Forest Park is in Portland, Oregon and boasts some of the most beautiful PNW trails!  I haven't made up my mind for how I will TRAIN for this race yet but I do have ideas and friends to help me work on it.  I'll still run the Boston Marathon in April but now I will have a good month to recover in case I run it faster than a training run!  

• As part of my training and a way to get the family involved in running, I have few races on the schedule for Mother's Day weekend in May!  Wanted to share with you in case you're looking for some spring events and an excuse to travel if you're not local!  I'm sure some of you have heard of Smith Rock here near Bend?  Well Go Beyond Racing is putting on races on Saturday, May 9th and May 10th!  On May 9th is the Smith Rock Ascent (trail) 50k, 15m, and 4m.  On May 10th is the Smith Rock half marathon and 10k (road, flat, fast, scenic).  Not only do these all sound like great races and an opportunity for the whole family to race on this weekend, but Moms run the 4 mile for FREE if they race with their kids.  Oh, and you get to make a weekend of it in Bend, Oregon and the surrounding Central Oregon area.  Might be some races you'd like to pencil in!  I plan to run the 4 mile with my girls (this will be fun to work towards) and then use the half marathon on Mother's Day as a training run.  I think I have some friends coming to run the 50k too!   

• More to come but Tia  (from Arkansas Runner Mom) and I have been working on some research and other ideas related to family fitness and running with kids.  We have made some exciting progress over the last few months and we will soon launch a new site/blog: Run With Me Kids.  It will be a site that offers community, guidance, information and inspiration about making running (and fitness) fun for kids while fostering family fitness and relationships and helping kids build healthy habits for living.  Our site will include stories from the community (YOU) about family running experiences as well as posts about running, fitness, parenting, healthy living, and more.  I will post more on this later but for now, you can follow and read more about us on RunwithmeKids Instagram, RunwithmeKids Facebook, and RunwithmeKids Twitter.  Website design is one of the next things on our list to learn!  Let me know if you have someone you'd highly recommend.  Otherwise, we will find our way through techie land on our own!

1.  Did you host family for Thanksgiving or travel? 

2.  Did you run a Thanksgiving Day Race??  If so, did you run with your family/kids?  If you'd like to share your race day/run with kids story, please send to runwithmekids [at] gmail [dot] com or tag them #runwithmekids

3.  Have you run in Forest Park in Portland, OR?  
4.  Moms, don't forget to check out the 4 mile trail race at Smith Rock during Mother's Day weekend (see blog sidebar at the top right).  Moms run free with their kids!  Really excited for this!

Amanda

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