My First Half Marathon

Finally it was time to complete my first half marathon.  The day before the race we went into Seattle to pick up our bibs and goody bags.  There was also an expo and we had fun looking around.  I was very excited to get my bib and at home I set about preparing for the next day.   Among the things that I arranged for the morning was my bib, clipped and ready to don.  I was number 20085.

I had so much energy that night - excited, nervous, anxious - that I didn't get to sleep until after midnight.  Jordan went to sleep sometime after me, but we were both up in time to be out of the house by 6:15.  We picked up Candice and her mom and headed into Seattle.  We figured we had plenty of time to get there, but we didn't know how backed up traffic would be at the exit.  Jordan missed his race start, but was remarkably calm about it.  The rest of us hit the start line about a minute before our race began.  I had just a little time to get a few pictures of us at the start line.  Yes, it was still dark.  It was also freezing - the snow was gone, but the temperatures had not yet risen.

And then we were off.  We were stuck in the pack at the beginning.  The three of us wanted to stay together, but we eventually jogged our way through the small openings in the crowd so that we could move at a good pace.  Before we knew it we'd covered the distance from the Seattle Center to Safeco field (about 2 miles) and were headed up the ramp to I-90.  Candice's mom took a quick picture of us, and then the camera was put away for a long time.

While we were passing the curve on the freeway ramp, we saw a pace car to the left of us immediately followed by the first marathoner.  The marathon started a half an hour after our race did.  That first marathoner was already in a groove and seemed to soar by.  Soon there was another, then a pack of three, and then a few more.  Seeing them was inspiring... we picked up the pace and got moving through the express lane tunnels.  It was there that we saw packs of marathoners that were running with pace groups.  

The course was so interesting.  It took me through parts of Seattle that I have never seen - and that I would like to visit again.  We were on the side of Lake Washington for quite some time, went through some residential areas, and spent a long time in the arboretum.  There were two hills mid course that were very difficult, but we just kept on going.  We stopped a couple of times to take care of some basic needs, but other than that it was serious business.  We had planned to stick together, but split from Candice's mom around the halfway point.  Then, after mile 10 we were again passed by the lead marathoner.  (The marathon course split off from the half-marathon and then rejoined ours for the last few miles.)  Once again, seeing him in his groove gave me the fuel I needed to finish strong.  Candice and I agreed to pick up the pace, but then got separated for the last two miles.

The last mile was tough for me.  I felt like I had to keep going and just get it done.  When I could see the Space Needle getting closer, I knew it was almost over.  I enjoyed having such a prevalent landmark to gauge my progress.  There was one more hill right before the end, and I thought it took all the energy I had left.  But then, I saw someone standing at the last turn with her completion medal.  She looked at me and said, "This is it!  You did it, great job!"  And then I was running into a stadium and crossing the finish line.  They put the medal around my neck and I felt like I could go do it all over again.  I kept my legs moving while I waited for Candice to cross a couple of minutes later, and then her mom ten minutes after that.  We each had our space blankets to warm up and a bottle of water to rehydrate... and then we headed into the recovery area to meet my brother... who'd been waiting for about an hour and a half.

We all grabbed bananas and some of the other food that was available there.  I ate two granola bars on the course - Candice had some shot bloks - but I was starving at the end!  I did get a picture with my brother as we were heading back to the car.

So how did I do?  I finished in 3:16:06.  I was #222 in the half marathon walk and #26 in my age division.  I am really happy with this result.  When we started training our goal was to walk the distance in under 4 hours.  Many times I told people, "I'm walking it!  I'm not a runner!"  But during training we started jogging and adjusted our goal to finish in 3:30.  So I ended up shaving another 14 minutes off of that - which is not too shabby!  I am so proud of all of us first-timers, we all finished strong.

I went home and admired my medal... I think its pretty cool.  The boys like it too.

My first half marathon was an amazing experience.  And it will not be my last.  But my next goal?  I want to be a runner.  I want to enter a 5k race and run the entire distance.  Training to start in January.  For now, I'm enjoying a holiday break!