Race Day

Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon

This was big.
Bigger than anything I've done before.
13.1 miles, 27,000 runners.

It was a really fun way to see Seattle. They closed down portions of I-90 and we literally ran down the freeway. We started in Tukwilla, ran along Lake Washington, through a tunnel, by Safeco and Quest Fields, and ended in Seattle.

I have 2 great friends who make the perfect running buddies. I wouldn't have done this without them.

We went to pick up our running packets on Thursday and just for fun got our runner's fortune. That was a mistake.

Mine predicted that I should pack an extra pair of shorts in my fanny pack because as most serious runners know, accidents do happen. Yikes!

As if that wasn't bad enough, later that night I got a fortune cookie and it said, "Good things come slow - especially in distance running."

Race day started early. We got to the starting line with plenty of time to check our gear, stretch and mingle with other runners. The feeling is not something I can describe. It was neat to be a part of such a big event.

We all wore pink shirts so our families could spot us easily. Knowing our fans would be around mile 11, I began looking for them amongst the sea of faces. I wasn't sure I would see them and hoped our pink shirts caught their attention.



I wish I had a picture of the view I had. It wasn't hard to miss a stroller, 2 dads and 7 kids, all wildly waving and cheering while holding posters with our names on them. It was the perfect boost to get me through the next two miles which were the hardest of the entire race. I kept feeling like the end had to be around the next corner, and it wasn't. It seemed to go on and on. I felt exhausted and wanted to slow down but I knew after all the hard work I had put into this race, I would be so disappointed with myself if I didn't finish strong. Crossing that finish line and realizing that I had beat the time I set out to get felt good, really good!

1 hour 51 minutes 22 seconds
8:30 average mile
695 place out of all the women
1781 over all

I couldn't have done it without the support of my family!

And, I'm really glad that I didn't need that extra pair of shorts!