Archive for December 3rd, 2008

Wow, I realized I haven’t written a race recap post since Dallas, almost a year ago.  I guess that somewhat obviously means I haven’t ran any races since last December….which makes me sad.  

Oh well, I quickly get over my sadness when I think about all the other exciting things I had going on in the past year that made me a little bit ‘distracted’ from entering any races. 

With our recent move, I also got a bit distracted from doing any quality runs and/or gym visits during the week prior to the race, so I was a tiny bit concerned about my performance in the half marathon.  I told myself not to really set any finishing goal, but would be happy as long as it was under 2:00.

The 1/2 marathon started at 7:30 on Sunday morning, so I rolled out of bed at 6:45, ate some oatmeal, put on my gear and headed out the door at 7:10, walked the mile to the starting line and found a spot in the pack as they were finishing up the National Anthem.  Stood around for 2 minutes and then we were off!  I don’t like showing up early only to wait around and get anxious (or perhaps I just wanted to sleep in as late as I could).

By the time I got to the start, I was already warm and wishing I had worn a t-shirt or tank top instead, as it was unseasonably muggy & humid for a late-November race.  But I won’t complain, because it was 53 degrees and great for running.  

Todd cheered me on at mile 1, and after a quick stop for a kiss, I enjoyed the next 12 miles just running by myself and enjoying the atmosphere.  

As I mentioned, I wasn’t aiming for a goal—and certainly not one that would require me to actually push myself. But I was feeling great, and since the first 7 miles were relatively flat, my pace was averaging around a 7:45 mile. So I figured, why not keep it up and push myself up the hills and maybe surprise myself with a nice finish time?

I’m proud of myself.  I ran smart.  I knew when the hills were coming and I tried to conserve my energy as people were flying by me.  

I smiled.  

I knew….I’d pass them on the incline.  And I didn’t start getting excited when I saw the Space Needle 2 miles before the finish, because the silly race organizers put a not-so-pleasant hill about 1/2 mile before the finish and that killed me last year.  Not this year.  

I kept my eye out for Todd, who was just around the last corner, did a little leap and headed to the finish line.

1:46:09  (i think maybe the leap cost me a good 9 seconds….)

That’s a personal best for me.  Who would’ve thought?  

Certainly not me, but I was very excited because there weren’t very many runners inside at the post-race food stations yet, so I was able to avoid the annoyance of a hungry, sweaty, tired crowd of people.  I met Todd back out on the stadium infield and then we walked home, stopping along the way to cheer on runners and see the marathon leaders head towards the finish.

It’s nice having the Seattle Marathon so close and convenient to our apartment, it’s not very often you can head out for a race with only your house key and the clothing on your back.  I’m already excited for next year. I’d like to do the full marathon, but when I enjoy the half so much, I figure ‘why let go of a good thing? ‘