Rock N Roll Seattle 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Not sure where on the course this was taken... may have been coming in to the finish line?

Ian and I before the start of the race

More pictures to come (featuring yours truly) shortly!

Background - I trained a little more consistently for this one than for Eugene in May (read, I actually ran) but I still didn't have any runs longer than 7 miles. Gotta get on figuring out how to get those long runs worked in! I also started getting sick the night before the race - sore throat, sniffles, sinus headache, etc. Ick!!

The race - Got dropped off at the start line in Tukwila with only about 10 minutes to spare before the start of the race. Due to the corral start I wasn't too worried about being late, and it was nice to not have to spend hours and hours waiting around. I found a few of my friends before the start and was able to say hi, so that was fun too. The weather was PERFECT for this race - cool and overcast with a light breeze.

After watching the first 13 corrals make their way to the start, it was our turn, and we were off. I ran the first 2-3 miles with a friend from high school, which probably explains why they were a LOT faster than the rest of my miles (10 min average when I was going for 11-11:30... oops!). The 2:07 pace group passed me at mile 4 and I had an "uh oh"moment. I also started feeling like crap during this mile. My friend went on ahead and I spent the next four miles alternately running and darting to the side of the road to throw up whenever I saw a trash can (I HATE throwing up in public!). I definitely considered just throwing in the towel and calling my mom to come get me, more than once. Luckily, the 6th mile was a long, gradual downhill, and aside from the random throwing up, I was able to regain my focus a little bit and just keep moving forward step by step. I think I was all out by mile 8, so I took a GU and continued on.

The last 4-5 miles of the race were actually the best for me - I was running steady and very focused on just making it to the next mile marker, and the next one, and the next one. The only part of this race I don't like is miles 9-11ish on I-90, because the road is so cambered/slanted it is a pain to run on. I was happy to get off the bridge just before mile 12, and ran in strongly. I even managed a bit of a finishing kick, although I swear that last .1 was the longest tenth of a mile I've ever run, haha.

I crossed the finish line in 2:32, which is 20 minutes off my half PR but still 5 minutes faster than I ran in Eugene last month. Given all the throwing up and wanting to quit by mile 4, I will take the strong finish and the time!

Post-race - Hopped in the car with Mom, got some Tully's, and then went to the Tavern to watch the US game (sad sad!). Played soccer with the boys for an hour and then worked at the Tavern until 10. I think all the walking around hopefully kept me loosened up enough to speed up recovery a little bit.

Other notes- My friend T (who I ran the Seattle Marathon with in Nov.) ran the full at Rock N Roll and ran a 4:35 - a 50 minute PR! So cool for him! My friend C ran her first half and ran a 2:03, the guy I ran the first few miles with ran a 1:48 (18 minute PR), and I know plenty of other people that PR'd/BQ'd as well. I also saw a Team in Training lady with a picture of a little toddler on her shirt and underneath it it said "Mommy Misses You" - that almost made me cry. Also, there was a short, STEEP hill going up to I-90 just after the mile 9 marker, and I passed a guy in a wheelchair pushing his way up it. I don't know how he did it, but it was incredibly inspiring.

Reflections - I guess it just wasn't my day, but I'm pleased with how I was able to push through and refocus and still end up with a strong finish. Now to recover, and hopefully get some more good running in before the San Francisco half on July 25!!