Sunday, March 11, 2012

Race Report: Sammamish half marathon

Yesterday was the Sammamish half marathon and it was an awesome race.  I didn't feel at all prepared for the race (a running theme, pun intended, since the boys learned to walk - I have less time to train) and was going for a 1:45 time.  I arrived at the parking lot of the state park and boarded a bus that shuttled all of the runners to the start.  Flashbacks of Boston Marathon came streaming to my mind, but I was nowhere near as prepared.  Upon arriving at the start there were still 20min until gun time and it was freezing - almost literally, I think it was mid to high 30s.  Then it started raining so I huddled on the bus for a bit just to stay warm.

Upon shimmying up to the starting line, I was joined by a mix of what looked like trail die hards and road warriors - the two don't often come together, and it was great.  Music was booming and people were pumped.  3, 2, 1 gun time!  The race started with a zig zag in the parking lot totalling about a mile.  I of course went out much too fast holding a 6:30 pace.  Mile 2 I did a bit better with a 6:50 pace - better, but still not sustainable for me and my lack of training.  I evened out toggling between 7min miles and 7:30s. 

The run was beautiful going along the water most of the time.  I kept getting lost in the Sammamish waterfront homes and daydreaming about kayaking and picnicking on the water.

In the end I surprised myself and ran a 1:34:27 - my PR!  I came in 7th woman and 48th overall out of 1033.  Now I'm amped to rev up my training and do more!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Here's why runners are so great

I ran the Sammamish Half marathon today (race report to come) and at the finish line a man collapsed.  His pulse apparently stopped.  A man ran over and gave him CPR while two other women called 911.  Three other volunteers ran to the park entry to flag down the ambulance. 

The man was released from urgent care and is under observation this evening.  A group of people came together for someone they didn't know with incredible bias for action to make sure he was on the road to recovery. 

Runners are great.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Running hills in my new hood

One of the things I love most about my new hood is the terrain - it's HILLY!  Yesterday I went out for a nice 7 miler when the boys were napping that brought me back to San Francisco running days.  My run went a little something like this:
Down the back side of Queen Anne
Past the golf course
Into Magnolia
Up, up, up to the top of Magnolia
On a little roller coaster of hills into Discovery Park
Around the Park (on trails!)
Back

All in, my legs were happy, my lungs were happy, and I was tired.  Joy in running.
Today was another hilly one, but as I was pushing the boys in the Double Bob, I kept it short.