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!
