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!