See Jane Run Half Race Report

I took June off from racing (not on purpose - time is just going too fast!) and got back in the saddle with the See Jane Half in Seattle today.  This was my third time doing this race - in 2011 I ran it in 1:43:24, in 2012 I ran it in 1:32:49, and this year ... drum roll ... I ran it in 1:31:30 and landed my shiny new PR - woot!

This year I was lucky enough to be an Ambassador for See Jane Run which was awesome.  It's a great organization and I'm happy to get to be involved with them.  Here's a pic of some of the other Ambassadors:

So here's the nitty gritty about the race ... first off, it was HOT.  I lined up with a couple minutes to spare (after a long wait for the porta potties) and recognized a few faces at the starting line which was pretty cool.  I globbed onto a group of frontrunners at the start and went out ... first mile was 6:20 - too fast!  I kept the pace for a couple more miles along the perimeter of Lake Union but by mile 4 I was slipping.  Being super thirsty didn't help.  The first couple miles had great water stations, but they were all on one side of the course even during an out and back section meaning that on the "back" part I couldn't get any water.  My bad for not carrying my water bottle today.

Mile 5 I ran past my work which was pretty fun, then started over the Eastlake bridge. Miles 6 and 7 I was slipping again, but by mile 8 I felt like I was getting my legs back.  I fell into a rhythm somewhere between Eastlake and Wallingford zoning out looking at boats. From miles 9 - 12 there was another out and back - this one was a ton of fun as all the women were cheering each other on and hooting words of "good luck" and "almost done."

Rounding the turn at mile 13 I saw my boys (all three of them) and was so super happy to have my run crew there.  Wilson got pretty upset, though, as I ran past because he couldn't figure out why I wasn't stopping for high five, knuckles, hug, and kiss (our hello / goodbye routine of late). 

 

Post race, we explored Gas Works park climbing and running with the boys.  Then we found a cool mosaic to traipse around looking for different sea animals.

 Good times!

Race Report: Seattle half marathon

This morning was the Seattle half - my third year in a row running it.  The weather was perfect for the race at just under 40 degrees.  All in the race was pretty good - I wound up running 1:36:36 (last year I ran 1:39 something and the year before was low 1:36).  Although it's not my PR (1:33:40) I'm happy - also, I wound up getting 7th in my division out of 651. 

The first 3mi I was in front of the 1:30 pace group meaning I was going 6:30s - way too fast.  At just about mile 3 when we were running on the freeway I saw the 1:30 pace group go blazing by.  Then at mile 9 I saw the 1:35 pace group trotting by - I so wanted to latch on to the group, but by then I was throbbing a little.

The course was nice except for a brutal hill towards the end starting at roughly mile 10 and going to mile 12.  Youch. 

 My mind definitely played tricks on the hills and the everlasting flats in between (I'm more a fan of rolling trails so flat is just as tough as hill for me).  Quotes like:
"The mind tires before the body"
and "Pain is just weakness leaving the body"
got me through a lot of the pain, but towards the end of the hill when I kept repeating "the mind tires before ..." I started thinking to myself "Yeah, and my mind is TIRED!"

Lessons learned:
Smells - Gah!  Smells were amplified while running - think being pregnant squared.  A woman who opted to wear wool (mistake) wafted by with her BO lofting right after for about 10 feet.  I didn't want to pass her because I didn't want to risk getting passed again and getting stuck in the waft zone.  At mile 11 (I know because the sign and smell were burned in) a man who opted for cologne on race day ran by smelling like a night club in London.  Not cool.

Neon - in.  Enough said, the starting line was filled with neon and the race certainly lit up the city with glowing greens, pinks, and yellows.  I dawned neon, too - love.

Peanut butter / chocolate power bar - not a good race food.  I ate ~90 minutes before the race because the last couple races I've been not-enjoying-breakfast-at-mile-5.  This bar sat like a brick, though, and even after the race I found myself burping it up.  Bleh.

Mind power - key.  This is the one I've got to work out more.  I ran into a couple runners from Green Lake run club and am going to try to join them on Saturdays again.  I think mind power is part training, part just being prepped to run any distance, and part ... well, I don't know - that's why I'm going to flex that one.

Running clothes - help!  I'm queen of dawning my old t-shirts and whatever spandex are clean.  Today I wore my arm warmers, running jacket, CW-X tights along with my (hands down favorite) Newton trail / road shoes.  I remember after a race during the summer, a woman stopped me at the finish line and said "if you'd been wearing real running clothes you could have won!" Weird comment, and I disagree, but the clothes do help.

Race report: Oregon Wine Country Half

This weekend we got out of Seattle and made our way to Oregon for some family time and the Oregon Wine Country Half marathon.  We met up with my cousin Matt, his wife Stephanie, and their son Sean (the boys' new idol).  Saturday, after a long drive, we hung out at a hotel pool.  Sean has taken to calling the boys "my babies" and plays with them but also treats them like his little toys - which is adorable.  The boys now have a new obsession with super heroes including Spider Man and others I can't remember the names of.

Saturday evening a friend from work met us and we all made our way for pizza dinner to appease the kids and prep for the race.

Sunday morning we rose early (like 5:30am early) and made our way out to the race.  The race start was one of the most beautiful ever - we got to see the sun coming up over the wineries in Carlton, OR.  At the lineup the announcer said that nearly 70% of the runners were women (woot!)






I wound up running 1:33:57 and placed 6th in my age group.  Not my ideal place, but I was stoked with the time.

Sunday afternoon we (tried) to go wine tasting at Domaine Serene.  We joked that with our boys there it wasn't so serene anymore. 

All in, a great weekend and a great race!

Race report: See Jane Run half marathon - new PR!!

This past weekend I ran the See Jane half marathon starting at Gas Works Park in Seattle ... drumroll ... and got a new PR!  I wound up running the half in 1:33:49 - woot! 

I attest the time to a few things:
Sushi dinner the night before - I've been on a bad trend of having Mexican food and beer the night before races which is NOT helpful.  Sushi on the other hand, perfect pre-race dinner.
Luna Bar for breakfast - I had been eating Kind bars before my races (my go-to breakfast), but I think the sticky almonds just stuck too much.  Luna lemon = perfection.
Coconut water shot - I only had time for 3 sips of my coconut water before my boys took the water away.  I still think it helped.
Coffee blast - prior to my last race I had just finished a 1-week Clean Diet cleanse.  The lack of coffee before my race was something I think really hurt.
My new Newtons! The day before the race in a weak moment I bought a new pair of Newton trail/road shoes at the expo.  That afternoon I took them for a 4miler and was in love - still am.  Honeymoon with these shoes is definitely not over.


The course and weather didn't hurt either.  The course is my stomping grounds - I walk a good 2mi of it every day on my way to and from work.  The morning of the race the weather was a little windy and misting - perfection.


All in, a great race and great day!