We finished the Seattle Half Marathon yesterday.
We had to wake up just before 5am, and the only people also out on the streets were hobos and other runners. We got in the block-round line of about 500 other runners to take the school buses to the start line in Tukwila, a town just south of Seattle. It was about a 20 minute bus ride, and at the exit for the start many runners were getting dropped off on the exit ramp due to all of the traffic!
The race officially started at 7am, and was perfect weather for running, about 60 degrees. We were in corral 8 of about 33 corrals, putting us around the 2:00 finishing time. Personally I always try to run at a 9min/mile pace, and have always been able to achie
ve that.We ran through some back streets of Tukwila, being greeted by cheering onlookers the whole time, which is great. Not until mile 4 did we see our first hill, providing an early challenge. We gradually approached Lake Washington, and ran along it for a few miles.
At one point in the race, all the racers were looking up in the tree and saw our national bird, a bald eagle. I had never seen one out in the wild, and it was really majestic to see one. Around this area, Emily put in her headphones and notified me that she would be "taking off," meaning she would be running at her pace and bolting ahead. Usually she can run at a much faster pace and did so at this point.
Around mile 7, they handed out energy gels. I grabbed a blueberry flavored gel, that apparently had caffeine in it and gulped it down. This is always a good idea mid-race, as it gives you some nutrients and a little boost in your run. However, it was the first burst of caffeine I had that morning, so it kicked me in the pants and I soon had a second wind. I planned to catch up to Emily as she was about 100 yards ahead. I pushed up a slight hill and focused on running quicker. It wasn't until about a couple miles later that I couldn't see Emily. I finally turned around and saw Emily, giving me a "what the hell is going on on" look. I finally realized I had burst of speed and had to slow it down if I was to not burn myself out for the rest of the run.
After the marathoners split away from us, we began to approach downtown Seattle, running in tunnels and on the highway at one point. Coming into downtown, there were several thousand peope cheering the runners on, which was really inspiring for
the last leg of the race.I came into the finish at 1:55, just under a 9min/mile. Emily finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. At the end of the race we were stopped by a camera crew for an interview- I'm not sure where the video ended up. We were not really in the mood for an interview, but wanted water and snacks to replenish ourselves. The finish line area had bananas, bagels, Cytomax (electrolyte), water, granola bars, and a free Miller 64 beer per racer. I found a box and piled on the freebies! Yes!
It was a really beautiful run and probably the most well-organized race yet. It is highly recommended.
-Brian
