Seattle Half Marathon: Chasing Emily

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 achieve 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

Marathon information

I just realized that we dont have a link to the actual marathon that this blog is supposed to be about! Brian and I are running the Fresno 2-Cities Marathon in November 2009.
You can read all about it here: http://www.runfresno.com/

I thought it would be a fun first marathon because we can drive to it (only about 2.5 hours away), there are only 5000 runners, and they give away a lot of free schwag (including a few free beers after the run). It doesnt sound as exciting as The San Francisco Marathon, or the Disney World Marathon, but hey, its a start!

See Jane Run Women's 1/2 Marathon

Hello, this is Emily- my first blog on the site! Saturday, I ran in the See Jane Run Women's Half Marathon in Alameda. It was a 13.1 mile run through Alameda and along the water near the Oakland Airport. My friend Kate came to visit from North Carolina, and we met up with another fellow lady sailor from Dartmouth to complete the team. Adele, Kate and I all coincidentally wore red shirts, so the "red team" was easy to spot on the course. Brian also came to the race as the "super support team," and he carried all of the pre-race warm up clothes as well as a big red cowbell to cheer us on.

The race started at 8am in Alameda. The weather was a little overcast and cool, but not too cold. The bathroom line wasnt as tough to navigate as usual, but the first thing we did when we arrived was get in the long line! After some announcements and an "80's warm up" (dont ask), the race was almost underway. The ladies lined up and the gun went off shortly after 8am.

Kate and Adele have recently run in marathons, so they were ready for the big race. I've run in 3 half marathons before, but recently I've only run a maximum of 8 miles at a time, so I was a little anxious to add the additional 5.1. The first few miles went by quickly. The three of us havent seen each other in a few months (or years?) so we were chatting and catching up for most of the race. We got some funny looks from the other racers who werent quite sure how we were able to keep up the conversation while running a half marathon...but, I'm sure our conversation was entertaining for them!

The course went down through Alameda and along the water most of the way. Other than a small footbridge, the course was relatively flat with no major hills. There were 7 water stops along the way, each with GU energy gel, Powerade and plenty of water. I looked at my watch at mile 7, and we had been running for 1:01- not too bad. We stopped at almost every water station, and around mile 8.5 we decided to get some GU to keep us going. We continued to push on at about a 8:30 minute mile pace. Surprisingly, all of us were able to keep up with each other and run almost effortlessly until around mile 11. I had to put my headphones on and listen to my ipod for some motivation towards the end of the race, but the other two kept their ipods wrapped up and enjoyed running music-free.

There werent a lot of fans along the course because it was an out and back, and it was hard to get to some areas of the race, so Brian ended up reading a magazine and enjoying the nearby park while the girls were working hard in the race. The last half mile was through the park near the start. Kate pulled away from us right at the end. Brian was waving the cowbell and taking many embarassing pictures of the worn out "red team" coming into the finish line. Kate, Adele, and I finished 9th, 10th, and 11th (in order) in our age group, with a times of 1:53-1:54- averaging just over an 8:30 min/mile!

The end of the race was filled with goodies. There was plenty of Smart Water, Powerade, and bagels, fruit, granola, etc to give some energy to the ladies after their run. One of the main reasons all three of us ran the race was the enticing chocolate and champage that was promised to be served at the finish line. All competitors were given champagne glasses filled with chocolate, and we eagerly went to the champagne line for a much deserved celebratory glass of Barefoot Bubbly. After getting as much loot as possible from the celebration expo, we made our way back to the car to head home.

The race overall was a great experience. There were plenty of water stations, great goodies at the end, and the course was along the water and flat. The weather couldn't have been better- not too hot and not too cold. If I can, I'll run again next year (and Brian might even be one of the few men to register)!

Bay to Breakers 2009

Last Sunday was the 98th annual Bay to Breakers, a classic 12km (7.5m) run in San Francisco, from the Embarcadero through downtown and Golden Gate park, ending up at the beach.

Tradition dictates wearing something goofy and unorthodox. Emily has a bunch of old dance oufits that we rummage through to find something to wear. I wore a black skirt thing with green, pink and orange ruffles, a orange headband and high pink arguile socks. Emily wore blue sparkly stretch pants, a red top, a white bandana and aviator sunglasses. Sweet!

My dad always comes out and walks the course. He always gives us a report of the craziness he sees from the sidelines.

It was warm from the start, and we were in the last group, group E, with the walkers and "wheeled objects." This means we spent the 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after the start gun crammed in our corral with hundreds of drunken 20- and 30-somethings partying with their friends, and letting YOU know about it. After finally starting, we began our weaving our way out of the back and into the group of more serious runners.

A couple miles into the race, we were finally moving at a good pace, and hit the Hayes Street Hill. This hill provides a good challenge, and gets the blood pumping, but Em and I were passing people left and right. We came into Golden Gate park, me dragging a little as it was warm and I had a little too much wine the night before. Emily was bounding and I was trying to keep up. We were both enjoying the sights and sounds of the run.

The finish was right on the water, and the run into it was cool and refreshing. We crossed the line in 1hr 17 minutes, not quite a 10 minute mile, which is slow for us. However, we were dragged down quite a bit and didnt push to finish quick.

After the race, we met up with my dad, and went out for lunch, trying to reflect on the better parts of the race. Overall, we were disappointed by the race. It was too crowded, crazy and drunk to enjoy this year. We may or may not run next year.....

-Brian

Test Podcast (click here)

Hello!

Here is a test Podcast, the real thing soon to come, with Brian and Emily. Click on the blog title up top, or go here: http://www.box.net/shared/b6l51uhzr8


-Brian

First Blog!! Yay!! (pretty cliche, huh?)

Hello.

This is Brian. I created this blog in order to publish a podcast about running a marathon with my girlfriend, Emily. You may be a family member or even a casual web wanderer, but either way, prepare to be entertained...... or possibly transformed. Okay.... lets stop.

More later.

-Brian