2017 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon race report

2017 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon course map

Oops, we ran this again.

Here's a quick spoiler: every year at the expo for the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, I sign up for the following year. You get a great price and, sometimes, even a free t-shirt. I have done this every year since the first year. But I didn't sign up for 2018. I didn't even buy the pint glass or the souvenir pin. I just got my bib and scampered out of the expo. I decided that 2017 will be the last Seattle Rock 'n' Roll I run. There. I've said it.

It's not because of the new course -- a course ingenious because it's easy to take public transport to both the start and the finish, and super easy to take it between the start and finish. The course also managed to remove many of Seattle's hills, making it unusually flat. And there's a nice looooong stretch along the water -- very pretty. It's odd, of course, that it doesn't run through downtown Seattle at all -- though the full marathon does, a bit. And, unless you think of the stadiums as a "landmark" (and, no, I don't), you don't really get a feel for the city. But that's okay.

It's not because I feel like there is less and less entertainment on the course -- and of course very little support out there. It's no different than most races I have run. It's the races with support that stand out as anomalies.

It's not even because I no longer work for a running shoe company. Given that I actually ran less while working there than I did before, one might assume that I'd run more again. But I haven't.

I guess it's because we do other things at the weekend now -- hiking, camping, etc. So now seemed as good a time as any to break up with the event. If I hadn't signed up a year ahead of time, I wouldn't have run in 2017. So there you go.

But the race itself was fine, really. Wil and I took the bus to the start -- the only downside of the shift to Sunday was that there were so few buses running that would get us there for the 6:30 start. But it all worked out.

The start was, as usual, a bit manic, with the corrals feeling more like "advice" than corrals, and little management or oversight as people shifted around. We didn't notice any security,  but we also didn't bother to enter the "start village".

view from the bridge of the starting chute

We found our "corral" -- or at least a number associated with our corral --  and wriggled in.

The starting line is waaaaaaay down there, past the pedestrian bridge.

There may have been slight delay for the start, but it was nothing major. And it gave us time to take the requisite pre-race selfie.

It was only as we got close to the start that a "corral rope" appeared in front of us -- while corral 13, or at least those who surged forward, moved to the start.

But then, finally, our turn. We set off across the Montlake Bridge, which is always nerve-wracking to run across, with the spiky metal grating. Luckily I didn't see anyone fall -- unlike during both Beat the Bridge and the 520 Floating Bridge Run.

Then a sharp left turn to enter the Arboretum via Lake Washington Boulevard -- always a gorgeous place to run. After passing the Japanese Tea Garden, Wil and I made a beeline detour to the bathrooms... finding them nearly empty but quite possibly the dirtiest toilets I have ever seen in the U.S. And, yes, that's saying something. I also managed to lose my sunglasses somewhere in this stretch.

Then up and over the hill on Madison, a turn on McGilvra, and then back onto Lake Washington Boulevard along the lake. Somewhere along here we passed the Seafair-staffed water stop, where the pirates called out to the runners and offered rum. THEY WERE LYING. Never trust a pirate.

As we were starting the long stretch along the lake, we passed a set of signs designed like old Burma-Shave signs -- to be read in little snippets as part of a longer message. But individually, they were just funny.

Eventually, we reached the "Blue Mile" -- which is always moving. This year the memorial signs and photos came first -- I worried I hadn't noticed the first ones, as I was looking out for the flags. But there they were, so many of them. And then came the flag-bearers. This stretch always makes me choke up. I was on the far side of the road, but loved watching a runner go the whole way offering handshakes and high-fives to every flag bearer.

I should note that we had long since stopped running. I think we managed to run-walk until mile 5, but then were both feeling done. Largely because the 6.5 miles we ran at Tinker Bell were, essentially, all the running we had done in 2017. But walking? Yeah, we've done that. So we just chugged along. Amusing aside: the following weekend we went up to the Greenwood Car Show, and Wil wore his Sonics jersey again. A guy came running over to high-five Wil, saying, "I just wanted to let you know that I ran the last 10 miles by you -- I used you as my pacer!" Poor guy, he must have had a slow race, too!

By the time we turned away from the lake and back toward downtown, we were already past mile 8. We crossed to Rainier Avenue South via Genessee, rejoining the marathoners who had split off to run a little loop around Seward Park.

Then down Rainier Avenue to Dearborn, then across to the stadiums. We again had to run up that funny "corkscrew" street, where Wil spotted the Hash House Harriers and we crossed over for a tiny glass of champagne.

Then down the ramp at Royal Brougham and a right turn onto Occidental, where we passed the 13-mile marker, shouted "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!", and held hands as we ran down to the finish line.

Our time? A new non-injured PW of 3:01:59. Did I mention that we were scheduled to go on a 4-hour hike that day? We simply hadn't gone slowly enough!!!

We got our medals, a bottle of chocolate milk, and then decided, on a whim, to try the free Michelob Ultra offered at the end. We both took a few sips, looked at each other, and then dumped them out and threw the empties into the recycle bin. Yeah, that was so Seattle!

We then decided to walk from the stadium up to T.S. McHugh's -- a bonus 2.5 miles. Don't worry, we did stop in the restrooms at the Seattle Center to get a teensy bit cleaned up. Why (besides the obvious reason), did we walk up to McHugh's? I had noticed in the "runner perks" section of the Rock 'n' Roll website -- a section I rarely bother to look at -- that McHugh's was offering to buy every runner's first pint. It seemed rude to decline.

My performance was clearly sub-par, but the race was fine. We had perfect weather and I got to spend a few hours running and walking next to Wil -- always one of my favorite things. And in the end, I earned a shiny new medal:

FINALLY - 2016 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon race report

A couple of weeks ago we ran the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon. Another year, another new course... but I actually really liked it. But I am getting ahead of myself again...

On Friday I worked the Brooks booth at the expo. Sadly, I think this will be my only Brooks expo this year. 

welcome to Run Happy Island!

My job was simply to keep the line for our Run Signature gait analysis under control... that and to praise the amazing Run Happy Island cooler bag. No, really, this bag will change your summer!

Met Wil at the expo (he needed to pick up his bib, too), and then we took advantage of being in Sodo in the early afternoon to make a quick stop at The Bar Shoppe for Seattle's finest Pisco Sour.

cocktails at The Bar Shoppe

This year the race started at the Seattle Center and ended next to Qwest Field.  Most years we drive downtown, but we figured we would end up busing from the finish to the start, so we might as well just bus to the start, too. A lot of people had this same idea, which meant we got to enjoy RUNNERBUS! (Seriously, I love a city bus full of runners.)

2016 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon course map

The rain was coming down pretty heavily first thing in the morning, and it looked like we might be in for a wet one. So we wore our Gore-Tex jackets since we knew today would be a long, slow day.  Happily the rain pretty much held off, so we ended up just tying them around our waists during the run. 

Got to the Seattle Center and realized we had NO IDEA just where exactly the start was. Of course, it wasn't too hard to spot!!

As we moved toward the start corrals, we heard an announcement that the start was being delayed by fifteen minutes. Apparently the parking and shuttles were a bit of a nightmare...

But we got into our corral, took a couple of pics, and eventually got to the start. 

Raceface = duckface. 

The start was in a different spot this year, so we were lined up on "the hill" where traditionally the Torchlight Run starts and finishes. Looking back up the hill: 

Finally! The start!

This year's course still included the Viaduct, but this year it was at the start of the race. We ran a little loop to get into th tunnel, and then out onto the top deck, possibly for the last time ever. So sad. As a result, I needed to take this panorama:

And is this possibly the last #viaductselfie we ever get to take?

#viaductselfie

It was over all too soon, and we made our way through the International District and out along Rainier Avenue South. Really cute: a mariachi band playing on the pedestrian overpass:

On and on we trotted, eventually turning toward the lake. Quick shot of my two favorite running dudes:

my two favorite dudes

Nice to see the Dude looking great on the course, as usual. Overheard a couple of runners say "Oh, cool!" when they saw him. Seriously the best on-course arch in the racing world. 

the Dude abides!

By the time we got to the lake I was flagging pretty hard. We seemed to again be in that weird lull between bands on stages -- either that of there was way less music than usual. 

Also, the water stops were really badly organized. I think the low point was just before the Dude where there was a table with a bunch of Gleukos chews strewn across it. Now, I'm really not a germophobe, but that grossed me out. Probably not the activation the brand was hoping for...

Ran through the tunnel and the interminable ramps... I'm not sure, but is it possible there were no bands and no water stops this entire stretch? Or maybe I was just really struggling. 

As we came off the ramp -- so glad not to have to run back to Seattle Center! -- I glimpsed the Elvis impersonator and wondered why he was weirdly off to one side. Shame. 

A little squiggling around the stadiums, including a funny corkscrew to get up and over the train tracks. It seemed a little cruel, but of course the Hash House Harriers were there to perk is up with little paper cups of beer. God bless the Hash House Harriers!

Sip of beer imbibed, we ran down the last hill and around the final turn to the finish chutes. No shout outs, but at least we were done. 

why, yes, that *is* a gore-tex jacket wrapped around my waist

so happy to be done!

I had a really hard time this year -- I was seriously undertrained and still recovering from being sick. But I got to the start  AND the finish, and that's what counts, right?

Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon race report

Still feeling happy … and a little sore … from running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on Saturday. It was a perfect Seattle summer day: skies were Perry Como blue, nice and cool in the morning, and I never got too hot… not like earlier in the week!

personalized bibs -- I noticed that Ryan's said "Run Happy!", which I thought was because he hadn't personalized it, but he said, "I wasn't creative enough to put my name on it…"

Worked the expo for a few hours on Thursday -- pretty quiet after the initial lunchtime flurry, but the short shift (4 hours), fun job (prize booth!), and good teammates (Emiko and Summer) made the time pass quickly. I'm still so impressed by the graphics for this race -- super cute. How cute? So cute that -- after running THIRTEEN RnR races, I bought my FIRST piece of official race merch. To be fair, much of that is because the last thing I need is more running gear, and I rarely buy apparel at other races. I haven't even bought any clothes at a runDisney race since 2010. I'm more of a pint glass / souvenir pin sort of gal.

I bought the tank on the bottom right -- AND wore it during the race!

Saturday morning was lovely and cool -- I wore a "disposable" t-shirt over my clothes -- and we rode the D-Line to the Seattle Center with a bunch of runners. How bewildering for the "ruggles" to see so many ponytailed runners piling on to the bus at 5:49 a.m.

(If people who do magic are different than muggles who don't, then people who run are different than ruggles who don't…)

The Seattle Center grounds looked great -- lots of nice, big activations from the sponsors. We followed the crowd and headed into the Armory, where we roamed around a little before finding a quiet corner to perch in. Eventually we made our way to the Brooks VIP Porta Potty line, where we ran into our Brooks pals Ryan, David, Jenn, and Tara.

Wil -- being foreign -- is always a little bemused? befuddled? annoyed? by the line sorting at the potty. Being asked "number 1 or number 2" when getting in the men's line always stops him briefly.

Brooks flew the "run happy" banner over the race … this time no one got escorted out in handcuffs...

We headed out to the corrals -- SO MANY CORRALS -- and found our spot. We were with the Wear Blue, Run to Remember group -- reading the names and seeing the pictures of the fallen soldiers always makes me weepy. When our corral made it to the start line, there was a brief pause while the names of the men and women being honored were read.

reading the names of the fallen

Amusing -- we had been sent an email the day before the race telling us about a "Race Day Surprise!" and to "Get Excited, And Don't Be Startled At The Start Tomorrow!" Why?

Because the Space Needle -- "for the first time ever"! -- would be "transformed into the world's largest starter's pistol" and a round of "thunderous comets" would be fired from the 200' level. Maybe people get spooked by fireworks… I don't know. Or maybe I'm accustomed to fireworks to send off at least the initial corral. But, anyway, they warned us multiple times through the morning, which was pretty funny.

The wheelers set off at 6:55 -- I just keep thinking how AWFUL some of this course would be in a wheelchair! Then a rock guitar version, a la Hendrix, of the Star-Spangled Banner (nice!) -- and then, after ANOTHER WARNING NOT TO BE ALARMED, the "comets" went off and the first corral was set loose.

the bluest skies you've ever seen, etc., etc.

I really enjoyed the corral time -- it was a gorgeous day, with the Space Needle dazzling white against the blue blue sky… just kept smiling and wanting to shout "THIS IS MY CITY!!! WELCOME TO MY CITY!!!"

(r)un happy race faces

I did miss having my friend John Bingham on hand to kick things off; though the announcers, a man and a woman, were okay. The man even said, "Nice to see you, to see you nice", though it was lost on 99.9997% of the crowd. Brucie never really entered our consciousness over here.

3, 2, 1...

Then we were off -- lots of elbow room due to the small corrals, which I love. I couldn't quite remember how we would be getting to the stadiums, so was a little surprised to be zigzagging onto 5th, but it's nice to run under the monorail, even if I didn't see any trains whooshing overhead. Up up up to the crest of 5th, then down down down to the ID, left and over to MLK, and then eventually out to the lakes. Somewhere along this stretch we ran past the Seafair water stop, staffed by CLOWNS and PIRATES and PRINCESSES and Sarah from runclub, which gave me a boost of energy.

Also nice to see the Dude … well, both of my favorite running dudes!

two dudes

The stretch along Lake Washington -- right after the half/full split and re-merge -- is super beautiful… especially since it's the "Wear Blue, Run to Remember" mile. Lots of people proudly standing with American flags and photographs of fallen soldiers, most of whom were shouting words of encouragement.

RnR did a good job of coning off the road, leaving the right side clear for marathoners and the left side for half marathoners. This made it a little crowded through this stretch for us… but was the right thing to do to keep the path clear for the faster marathoners. It had the side effect of putting us across the street and a lane away from the flag bearers -- which meant that, while I got choked p, I didn't have to stop because I couldn't breathe from crying...

Then came the second worst part of the course: that silly steep hill up to I-90. I cannot imagine how difficult that would be for the wheelchair athletes to race up. It's bad enough on foot!

The I-90 tunnel is so hard for me. Something about the muggy, airless interior, the tilted roadways, always makes me feel woozy. Having a DJ with strobe lights didn't help! So I dropped to a walk - there was nothing else to be done.

Not long after entering the tunnel, a fire truck came through. Not long after that we saw the pace vehicle (cool!) and then the lead bike and the lead runner. SO FAST. We all whooped and cheered for him. We didn't see another runner the entire time we were in the tunnel… though we did see a woman with a hand crank racing wheelchair after a couple of minutes. (Still not sure whether there were other wheelers… she was the only one we saw.)

Toward the far end of the tunnel there was a person down, surrounded by medics and others, stretchers, and lots of gear. I try not to look more than a glance to make sure the person is being attended to, since it's someone's private hell and I don't want to intrude. It didn't look good, but I tried to send good vibes (as much as I had any…) as we ran by on the far side of the lane.

I had reminded my pal Kerstin of my "RNRSEA Pro-Tip" before the race: hydrate up before you leave the tunnel! I don't know what it is, but I always struggle on the ramps to downtown (miles 9ish - 11ish). The sun, the ramps, the "so near and yet so far" feeling… and the lack of water! I always think they should put a water stop right where you exit the ramps … Maybe I just psych myself out? But this year, I drank water and Gatorade, the breeze was quite refreshing, and I ended up feeling better than usual. So that was good. Or maybe it was the Elvis impersonator at the end of the ramp, singing along, karaoke style, with Elvis classics from his gold lamé-draped DJ booth.

We headed up 2nd Avenue, happily grabbing water on the way, before turning left and going down the steep hill at Seneca to get on the top of the viaduct. This is my FAVORITE part of Rock 'n' Roll Seattle -- or any race that gives the opportunity to run on top of it. I love that it comes at the end of the race -- it makes me so happy to run up there in the sunshine with the gorgeous view of the water. Another huge energy boost in the final mile or so!

We did see someone who had stumbled, fallen, and hit his head. He was sitting in the middle of the road, surrounded by helpers and medics, looking a little dazed, blood trickling down his forehead.

Then into the 99 tunnel -- woozy again -- but we kept moving. As we emerged, someone said "three quick turns and you're on Mercer!" Down into the underpass, up the final hill (which always seems Very, Very Long because you can't really see the finish), and then we grabbed each other's hands and sprinted across the finish line in 2:27:29.

One very odd thing -- not being stopped by John for a post-race interview!

We worked our way through the finish gauntlet … medal, Gatorade, chocolate milk (HOW GOOD IS CHOCOLATE MILK?!?!), some snacks … and popped out by the fountain. It was just after 10, so we decided to go up to the Mecca to meet up with Kornfield and the Han… drifting back to the Center to watch Mudhoney at 11… and then over to McHugh's for a post-race pint around 11:30. While sitting there I glanced at my phone and discovered that Charley had been sending texts … oops! Sorry we missed the chance to celebrate with the fam!

Mudhoney rocking in the morning

cider at McHugh's

Overall, a fun race… and of course we already signed up for 2016. (You can currently register in the presale for Rock 'n' Roll Seattle 2016 for a mere $50+fees for the half, or $55+fees for the full -- a screaming deal! -- through midnight on Sunday, June 21.) Oddly enough, we didn't bump into any runners we knew on the course, at the finish, or after the race. We almost always randomly see old friends out there :).

Things I loved:
- the viaduct, of course!
- the Elvis impersonator we got to pass twice
- plenty of water and volunteers at the stops
- Clowns! Pirates! Princesses! at the Seafair stop
- the big fat medal

2015 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon medal

Room for improvement:
- I'd still like to see that water stop shifted closer to the ramps…
- I should probably TRAIN at some point for a race again…

But, seriously, Rock 'n' Roll Seattle is a great race -- one of my favorites. And I plan to keep running it every year, as long as I can.

Speaking of Presidents -- Rock 'n' Roll Seattle headliner announced today….

… and it's the Presidents of the United States of America!!!

13.1 or 26.2 miles…. and MILLIONS OF PEACHES!!!!!

Rock 'n' Roll Royalty - the Triple Crown heavy medal

Got a package in the mail the other day from the Conpetitor Group -- my "Triple Crown" heavy medal, for running three Rock 'n' Roll half marathons last year (Portland, Seattle, and St. Louis). Usually they come faster, only 4-6 weeks after the race, but they did send an email saying it would be delayed. Who cares?!?! It's big, shiny, bonus bling!!!

Extra nice? I earned the Triple Crown back in 2011 too (New Orleans, Seattle, Denver), but the medal is different now:

2011 on the left, 2013 on the right. I do love me some purple glitter...

So far I think I will probably only score two Rock 'n' Roll races this year, but, hey, I still love the Rock Encore medal!

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon race report

I LOVE THIS RACE. There, I've said it. I love it. I love everything about it. Sure, I'm now blasé about the start of races -- where I used to love the nervous excitement of the corrals, I'm now mainly bored and just want to get going. But, boy, I love Rock 'n' Roll Seattle!
It started with the excellent marketing to the 5-year legacy runners. Yeah, I'm one of 'em. Here's proof.

Yep, that's me.

really!

And I even love working the expo -- it's fun to talk to runners, from "yeah, I run a lot of races" to "it's my first time!", and to share stories about training and strategies for race day with complete strangers. I worked the Friday day shift in the Brooks Cavalcade of Curiosities -- the last ever stop on the Cavalcade tour -- in the "ticket booth" where I handed out our scan 'n win cards, explained the contests, cheered for the show, and was generally Very Perky, nonstop, between 10am and 3pm.

John stopped by at one point to give me a pair of VIP wristbands (sweet!), and I promised, in return, to give a good post-race interview. :)
Time passed pretty quickly -- and suddenly it was 2:30 and Suz had arrived. She went off to have her gait analyzed and to look around the expo while I "trained" my afternoon replacement. Sweet!
Then at 3, I was free! I picked up my sweet legacy bib... green, rather than the standard blue (half) or yellow (full). I also picked up my "5 year runner" shirt -- kinda funny, because it wasn't a "5 year finisher" shirt. But I guess they can't give that to you before the race even starts!
I then bought my obligatory pint glass and pin (yes, every race...), and then Suz and I headed out to the expo. I was a little scattered -- I knew I had things I needed to do, but hadn't really thought them through. I did want to register for next year (always a good deal at the expo, and, yes, of course I'm running in 2014!). I also wanted to pick up the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle 2013 charm (though finding the booth proved challenging!). And other than that... just wander around.
It feels like the Rock 'n' Roll Expo is actually getting bigger and better -- there is very little of the "random booth full of crap" sort of booth you see at a lot of races. I'm guessing that booth fees are really high at RnRs, but it still does keep the quality up! Suz said it was "kindof overwhelming" -- which is exactly why I wanted her to come down and see it. :) Well, that and to try a bunch of different nutrition and hydration options.
After the expo Suz and I both rode the bus uptown, where I met up with Wil for a pre-race Manhattan at the Whiskey Bar. Ahhhh. Alcohol is full of carbs, right?
On race morning we got up on the early side, as usual, knowing that we would have the VIP area to relax in. We drove to the west side of lower Queen Anne, parked in about 45 seconds (lucky!), and then wandered over to the center.

I LOVE that the race now starts and ends at the Seattle Center. It's the perfect place to stage the event -- plenty of bathrooms, green space, covered areas, and even a Starbucks. We were there really early -- it wasn't quite 6am for a 7am start -- so we got into the pen, had a coffee (Wil) and an orange juice (Sunny), and just sat down. The morning was beautiful -- a slight chill, but nothing much if you were in the sun. And you could tell the day was going to be perfect.

Wil gets his VIP race face on before the race

Still, we got a little restless, so we headed out for a little while to walk through the Armory. We made a pitstop there, where I ran into my colleague Ryan, who was about to run his first half marathon. I tried to be extra chipper -- I remember how scared I was when I ran my first! -- but he seemed like he was going to be okay.

VIP flowers -- yes, those are records

We then decided to head back to the VIP area to sit and relax a bit more. At 6:45, the elites were called assembled to head over to the start line. Coincidentally, WE had just got up to head over. So there was this weird little, "um, no, not us... sorry" moment. Well, okay, no one had that thought but us, but it WAS funny.
We made our way over to the Brooks VIP Porta Potty -- again, so fabulous! -- and chatted with the crew for a few minutes. Then it was time to make our way into the corrals. There was the usual crush, but we just settled in and entered when the corral moved forward. Somehow we ended up right in front of Jess and right behind Tineke. And then, especially oddly, the race just sorta started. I mean, yes, there was a little of the "corral shuffles forward"... but then, waaaaay before the start line, we started running. Wil said, "Um, are we starting?" And we broke into a run.

obligatory pre-race photo, with needle

The course had shifted a little -- we started right in front of EMP, and then ran under the Monorail all the way down 5th Avenue to the International District, around the corner on Dearborn and over to Rainier Avenue. I was mentally preparing for THE HILL... but it never came. We ran down Genessee... including an odd little half block out and back ... and then along 43rd to the lake. NO HILL!!! Somewhere just before the lake we! saw the Dude, straddling the course proudly. Lovely, as always, to see him

hello Seattle!

Another thing -- the front half of the course was packed with bands. Every half mile or so. My favorite band was ... hmmm ... I can't figure out what band it was. But while we were in earshot, they played a Time cover (The Bird!) AND then went into a James Brown cover. Sweet!
Then we ran along the lake -- ahhh, pretty -- and past the long line of "wear blue to remember" folks.... each holding a flag and celebrating a fallen soldier. Which always makes me feel a bit weepy.
We headed up the horrid little hill to I-90, behind a grumpy man shouting WALKERS TO THE RIGHT (actually, fair.) Of course, in my mind, that hill happens at, oh, mile 9. But it's only mile 7.5. But the tunnel was cooler than some years -- at least, I didn't feel faint. And hooray for DJ Vodka Twist, spinning very cool music that perked me up for the looooooooooong ramp into downtown.

Not much to say about the ramp -- other than I am constantly surprised by how long it is. We hit the 10-mile marker right at the end of the ramp, and I said, "Only a 5K left!" and a couple of girls whooped.

the Space Needle is still REALLY FAR away

The stretch up to (and then down, and then back up) on to the Viaduct was pretty non-eventful. I was just looking forward to running on the Viaduct -- quite possibly my favorite part of any race. I mean, I love love love the Viaduct. And I love running in the built environment, in places where one can't normally walk or run. Combine that with the gorgeous view and the perfect day, well, it was heaven.

VIADUCT!!!!!!

Then into the dingy tunnel, which makes me want to do "clean graffiti" like others have done (where they wash bits of the wall to create words, rather than apply paint). Not sure how exactly one would do that without risking their life, though...
Out of the tunnel, around the little corner, and then into that last, annoying little down and up to the finish. I was running past a woman who was complaining about "all the hills". What hills? There were very, very few inclines in this new course. I'm guessing she was a flatlander. :)
We started sprinting as we entered the finishing chute, shouting "God save the queen!" at the mile 13 marker and getting very strange looks in return. We saw John about 15 yards from the finish, waved, heard him say to stop, and I shouted, "We have to finish!" We crossed the line in 2:27:37, had a smooch, and tried to stand out of the way a little while John made his way to us.

post-race interview...check!

In our "post-race interview", we chatted about the race, the fantastic course updates, the great bands, and of course the great weather. I was pretty endorphined out -- plus I do LOVE THIS RACE. John also pointed out the Brooks plane circling overhead with the giant Run Happy banner. Perfect.
After a few minutes we grabbed a quick photo, made our way through the finish gauntlet (medal, Gatorade, chocolate milk, smoothie), and then went to pick up our super sweet extra medal: the Pacific Peaks medal!!!
Ahhh, lovely to clank again. :)
Then up to the VIP area, where we saw lots of Brooks colleagues, had a breakfast burrito and a couple of mimosas, and just enjoyed the morning. The headliner, Hot Chelle Rae, started playing songs that sounded pleasantly familiar without my ever having heard them. Ah, pop music. The singer said, "This is pretty much the only concert where you have the perfect excuse for sitting down." Cute. After about half an hour we said our goodbyes, walked to the car, and went home.

Overall, another great race. Favorite random memories: Seafair princesses -- all wearing tiaras -- handing out water at a water stop; two Elvii chatting at a course split point; the elite bike support crew barking at wayward pedestrians; multiple "your mom" signs; multiple "zombie" signs; high-fiving cheerleaders; surprisingly few tutus; VIP "restrooms" (just porta potties, folks -- not even the fancy kind ;)).

Oh, and of course, some great new bling:

2013 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon medal

The bonus medal:

2013 Pacific Peaks medal

And -- I love this -- here's my Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon medal collection:

collect the entire set!

You know we're already signed up for 2014. Who's with us???