Peterson Ridge Rumble Race Report

Finally have some time to complete my PRRRR...  The Peterson Ridge Rumble is an annual low key event held in Sisters, OR brought to us by RD Sean Meissner aka Richard Simmons for those of you who saw him run Hagg Lake.  PRR has two event distances that roughly equate to a 30K and 60K.  In reality the 30K distance was 19.6 miles and I'm not sure what the distance of the 60K was this year.  One unique feature of the 30K race is that it is dog friendly.   There were actually about 40 dogs signed up to run the race (sadly most of whom would kick my ass all over the course).  Tobey is still a puppy so she can't run that kind of distance yet but I did plan to run with her from the last aid station to the finish.  Trust me - if you've been around her she HAS the energy to run 20 miles, it's not good on her developing joints.  Next year...

Nickie and I left Portland at about 5AM on Sunday morning to make the drive down to Sisters (which took about 3 hours).  After reading some other recent race reports I figure my 4:30AM wakeup time was really not bad.  But ask Nickie and you may get a different response :)  There was a bit of a chill in the 30 degree air at 8AM but surprisingly it didn't feel that bad.  Maybe because it was the dry desert air?  The sun was already out and it was shaping up to be a gorgeous day - my first truly sunny long run since last fall.  I lined up at the starting line just before 9AM with about 170 other runners and 40 dogs.

Some runners were more bundled up but I opted for a running skirt, tanktop, arm warmers and gloves.  I didn't wear or hat or anything to cover my usually cold ears but they ddin't need it.  My clothing choices suited me well and within a few miles the arm warmers and gloves came off.  The first aid station came fast.  The course details listed aid station #1 at 4.8 miles but when I arrived in 44 minutes I knew something was wrong.  Last I checked my shoes didn't actually HAVE wings on them, but just have wings in the name.  Another runner said it was 4.8 but the aid station crew said 3.8.  That made much more sense and also was the reason Nickie was not quite ready for me.  I found her in the car nearby and tossed my gloves and arm warmers while saying a quick "Hi and bye" since I already lost a couple minutes trying to figure out where she had parked :)

The next section was much more scenic and after a bit of a scramble over some rocks we were treated to the first view of the surrounding mountains which was pretty amazing.  I was still feeling good, left my mark somewhere around mile 6 or 7 and made aid station #2 in pretty good time.  I had no real goal but was hoping for 4:15ish (13 minute miles).  The course did not have any large ascents or descents but there was a fair amount of up and down and plenty of flat. The altitude varied around 3500-5000' which I never train at any more so that could have been a very small factor.

After aid station #2 I started to struggle a little bit and was mostly out on my own.  Where did all the other runners go? Between #2 and the 30K turn around we were definitely treated to the most magnificent views on the course.  This section also reminded me of many California trails with the sun shining, snow capped mountains in the background and all those low desert shrub like bushes and sage trees (I love the smell of sage).   After the turn I picked up some steam again and made my way back to aid station #2/#3 in short order.  Was I there already?  Next stop was aid station #4 and my chance to run with Tobey to the end.  I was definitely on track for 4:15 by my estimate but I crashed pretty bad during this section.  It felt like the longest gap between stations and I was dealing more with stomach issues I had most of the race.  I did quite a bit of walking and aid station #4 never seemed to come.  Finally it did...

Nickie had fallen asleep in the car and Tobey was asleep as well.  I didn't want to stick around long so I said a quick hi and bye, grabbed Tobey and was off.  I dropped my water bottle pack and took up a single hand held to lighten my load those last 4 miles.  It was pretty hilarious at first since Tobey was still half asleep.  She loves to be outside and run but was stumbling in a bit of a daze the first few minutes as if asking "where am I?".  She figured it out and sure had a good time but I was struggling and alternated between running and walking most of those last 4 miles.  A jog here... a walk there...  But I was almost done.  20 miles is by FAR the longest run of any type I had done since Lake Tahoe last July.  The main goal of this run was to push my training and get in one of two long runs before the OC Marathon.  I was simply enjoying the trail and a run with my dog.  She was off leash until the end (allowed by the RD) and able to roam freely while we ran - including taking a few dips in some water we passed.

It was quite the relief when I finally saw the road near the school which meant a very short distance to the finish line.  I leashed up Tobey for the street crossing and we made our way through the parking lot and on to the track.  There were quite a few people mulling about when I hit the rubber for my final 300 meters.  I didn't even notice Nickie as she snapped some pictures.  I was just focused on getting done and not throwing up.  I figured I could push myself those last 300 meters but about 50 meters in I had to slow down quite a bit.  I was NOT going to walk on that track no matter what.  For some reason as we rounded the corner to hit those last 100 meters, Tobey decided we needed to pick up the pace.  So I complied (did I really have much of a choice?) and she pushed me into the finish line around 4:37.  About 1 minute per mile slower than I had hoped but still a satisfying and injury free run.

Toblerone "pacing" me the last 100 meters

We stuck around for a short while before heading off to see Bend and eat some lunch. 

All in all a very satisfying day.  The weather was 60's and sunny and I had a great 20 mile supported training run with 170 training partners.  What more could you ask for?

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Comments

[Anne]

Sounds like Tobey's a good partner to pace off, despite the sleepy start. My parents live very close to Sisters (Terrabonne) and now I have yet another place to run when I visit them.

[Tom]

What a beautiful course! Nice report and great pictures - makes me want to run there, except for the 30 degrees of course!

[Russ]

No way!

We were parked NEXT TO EACH OTHER at the start! My girlfriend and I were to the right of your truck and your dog came runnin' up to greet me pre-race as I got my crap in order. Unreal and what a small world.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the run! I had a blast. I really could have used more oxygen up there though. I've posted a RR on my blog as well.

See ya on the trails!

[socaltrailrunning]

Small world Russ! I see my car behind yours now that you mention it in that pic you have. I remember you guys being next to us but didn't realize who you were.

[Stuart]

Nice looking trails you've got up there, hope you're feeling better!