Only ran the 8k this year, and although I was happy to turn off at the 8K mark, I was kind of sad that I wasn't running the Half at the same time!
Leading up to a mega-event is always a challenge. Navigating the expo and race logistics can take a toll. This year was no exception! I headed to the Expo on Thursday after work; the same day as some dumb international soccer game (apparently a big deal!) in Seattle. Parking anywhere near the stadium was impossible and traffic was a sheer nightmare. I found a 1-hour parking space about a mile south of the stadium. Thinking walking that far in my heels would be a bad idea, I grabbed the flip flops from my trunk. Turns out this was a worse idea! By the time I got to the Expo I had 2 blisters right on the bottom of my foot. Not great when you have to run in 2 days! Then, my friend Teresa convinces me to get our teeth whitened at the Expo. Again, not a good idea. I ended up with chemical burns inside my mouth, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. Teresa ended up getting sick on Friday, so she wasn't able to make the run on Saturday. Stewart was not thrilled about getting up at 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday to take me to the race. And it had rained the entire night before with rain scheduled Saturday morning.
But then....
You stand in those corrals surrounded by runners as far as you can see in front of you and as far as you can see behind you. You run through the Aurora tunnel and up onto the Viaduct with sweeping views of every iconic Seattle landmark in a sea of runners. You run along 2nd Avenue and the homeless men from Union Gospel Mission are all lining the street cheering you on. It is an AMAZING race! I've heard it is the last year the route will be along the Viaduct and I-90, again reasons I sort of wish I had committed to the Half. Race-day is always the best, its just those many long training runs that take their toll. If I were just super-human and could run 13.1 miles without training, that would be the BEST! :)
I saw my friend Blair at the start line and was lucky enough that the rain held off until I got back to the car. There are small blessings for running only 5 miles (OK, 4.971 to be exact). I'm so glad I ran this race! I got the excitement and enjoyment of the event, but didn't have to do all the months of training and post-race suffering from a half-marathon.
