On Saturday, June 18, I ran the Rock 'n Roll Seattle Half Marathon. I had never run a Rock 'n Roll series race before, and I was very impressed! They know how to put on a well-organized, fun race. And check out the sweet medal!
On Friday, I rode up to Seattle with my running buddies Gina, Christine, and Danika. We hit up the race expo and bought a few things, as well as scored a bunch of free goodies. But the absolute highlight, for me, was meeting Jared Ward!!! He is a fellow BYU graduate and Mormon, and he'll be competing in the Olympics this summer in the marathon. He was very friendly and gracious, and I totally geeked out over getting to shake his hand and take pictures with him. He also ran the half marathon on Saturday, and won easily.
I was told to look tough: "Huh?"
Even though I look rather dumb, this is my favorite one. Jared Ward thinks I'm tough! :)
Christine, Danika, Jared, me, and Gina
I asked for a picture with this colorfully-dressed man because I got a kick out of his outfit...
...and then he surprised me with a kiss! It's a horrific picture of me, but it makes me laugh. Enjoy!
A glimpse of part of the expo.
After we graced the expo with our presence, we checked into our hotel, the downtown La Quinta. I loved hanging out there with three of my favorite people, watching cable (we cancelled ours recently, and I'm having withdrawals!), and not having to worry about taking care of anyone else besides myself. When dinnertime rolled around, we walked to Buca di Beppo and had a seriously delicious meal! Pasta and cheesy garlic bread. It was heavenly!
I didn't sleep very well Friday night, thanks to nerves. 5:20 a.m. came waaaayyy too early, but excitement and anxiety combined to wake me up. I began training for this race in April, my goal being to break the two-hour mark. My previous half marathon PR was 2:04, which I ran at the Geoduck Half Marathon in February. I thought that I had a good chance of achieving my goal, but I was filled with doubt, too. What if I hadn't trained hard enough? It was a cool feeling, though, to know that I was just about to find out what I could achieve.
Danika and I think we both look like cancer patients... :)
On the way to the start line, we stopped for a pic at this iconic landmark...
The race began right next to the Space Needle!
After a long wait in line to use the bathroom, we made our way to the corrals, and slowly moved our way up to the starting line. And then we were off! I had made a playlist for my iPod specifically for this race, and "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down was the first song. I was feeling so happy, excited, pumped, and a little scared at that point. The first few miles, I had a hard time keeping myself from going too fast. But eventually, I settled into a good rhythm, and the miles started to fly by.
Running on the Viaduct, the ocean to my right.
The weather was perfect, too. It was in the high 50s, so I wasn't too hot, and the rain held off until right after I finished the race.
Because it's a Rock 'n Roll race, there were several musical groups performing along the race route. There were a few rock groups, a Taiko drumming group, and even a mariachi band. Quite cool.
At each mile marker, I'd compare my pace to where I needed to be in order to reach my goal, and I was always ahead of where I needed to be by around two minutes. That was the best feeling! Especially as I went farther and farther. But it was also sobering knowing how far I had to go, and that there were some hills coming, and that I was already tired trying to maintain that pace. Miles 10 and 11 were the worst. I felt so tired, and I wondered if I'd be able to sustain my pace. I had to give myself lots of pep talks! Once I hit mile 12, though, I started to get so emotional. I knew that I'd be able to destroy my goal (as long as I didn't collapse, or something), and it felt SO AMAZING knowing that I had done it. All my hard work of the last several weeks (and months, really) had completely paid off. I had really been worried that all my struggles with overeating would prevent me from reaching my goal. I knew that I'd been abusing my poor body, and I was scared that the toll would prevent me from being able to go as fast as I wanted to. So, the relief and happiness I felt was HUGE. I teared up a bit and ran one of the happiest 1.1 miles of my life. I was wrecked once I crossed the finish line, but I couldn't stop smiling.
This was my view right after I hit mile 12.
SO HAPPY!!!
Danika and I at the finish line!
I was so grateful for the aluminum (?) blanket/wrap. As soon as I finished, the rain and wind picked up, and I was freezing!
The race ended at CenturyLink field, where the Seahawks play.
After the race, we walked a couple of miles back to our hotel. On the way, we found this little garden, complete with a beautiful waterfall! As you can see, Christina and Gina have excellent taste in skirts.
We walked through Pike Place Market a bit, too, on our way back to the hotel.
I am still riding my post-race high, and trying to figure out what my next goal will be? A marathon? A 1:50 half marathon? Both? I'll keep you posted. :)
Thanks for reading!
