Seattle Half Marathon race report... FINALLY

This is what it looks like when you are banged up and super relieved that you "only" have to run a half marathon today.

This was my third Seattle Half Marathon... and I just realized that I have never run it fresh. My first time, in 2010, I had run the Seattle Ghost Half the day before. The second time, in 2012, Wil and I had completed the Widdle Waddle, the Half Bone, and the Seattle Ghost Half in the previous days as part of the Quadzuki.  And, of course, this time, Wil and I had run three FULL marathons in the days before.

Saying we were footsore, aching, and dead tired just doesn't say enough. But we were still ABSURDLY HAPPY that we just had to get through 13.1 miles. Let's do this. 

As usual, got great street parking on the northwest edge of the Seattle Center -- easy to get out after the race. Kept warm in the Armory while we killed a little time before the start, and then headed out. I did my usual "trick" of crossing the median to line up on the far side of the road, and somehow ended up reasonably close to the start. Besides the traditional pre-race pic above, I snapped one pick of the crowd. One major highlight? There's a guy wearing "my" 2014 Brooks Ugly Sweater Tee. Sweet.

run happy, my friend, run happy

No changes on the course; the gravitational vortex I witnessed in 2010 remained closed, the tunnel was, again, much nicer to run in this stage of the race, and -- WAIT! Did they actually spruce up that horrid little trail? I think yes??? 

Nice left turn to head to Leschi, though the lack of candy at the aid station remained disappointing. 

As we turned to go up the first big hill, we saw a gang from the November Project cheering and "running" people up the hill. We saw our pal Jess, who can running over, and she gave us big hugs and walked us up. (Yeah, we were most definitely walking at that point!) I was again slightly amused by walking past people who were running up the steep, steep hill. 

Then back down into Madison Valley, then right into the pretty, autumnal Arboretum, and then back and forth across, under, and over the freeway into downtown. 

With all the construction in South Lake Union, I think we might have run down a different road (maybe not?), but there was a really wide section where the Hashers had set up a little beer table. I almost missed it -- it was right before the Mercer underpass, and we were on the left side of the street while they were on the right -- but it was worth a detour, a high five, and a sip of beer.

I will say that it's super fun to run into a stadium for the finish -- even a high school stadium. So it's always a tiny thrill to run down the ramp and across the turf to the finish line in a slow but steady 2:56:34.

We picked up mylar sheets, our handsome medal (I love the little touch that the Space Needle extends past the bottom edge of the medal), and braved the finisher area. Maybe because we were slower than average, but still came in ahead of the first marathoners, it wasn't too rammed in there. But we still didn't linger -- we had a bottle of chocolate milk (seriously, I need to drink chocolate milk after EVERY race!) and then made our way up to the street. 

One BIG bonus of parking on the NW edge of the Seattle Center is that, well, we had to walk past T.S. McHugh's anyway... and since it was a Sunday during football season, they were open. So we went in, saw two seats (one of them Garth's seat) at the bar, so it was clearly meant to be. But the crowd was very football-focused, we were a bit cold and stinky, and we knew no one... so after one pint, we decided to just head home and eat there. 

2015 Seattle Half Marathon medal

When I run this race I always say that I enjoy it, but that I probably won't run it again. And now I've run it three times. It's a good one, seriously. I just wish it wasn't over Thanksgiving weekend!

The Ghost of Seattle Marathon race report.... Finally

I can't believe it's been OVER A MONTH since this race... and since the craziness of the Quadzilla.  But a race is a race ... and especially when it's a freakin' marathon... well, it deserves at least a brief writeup. And -- SPOILER ALERT!! -- this is a great little race that I can highly recommend. 

Dragged our poor little, aching bodies out of bed early ... again ... to make the early start at 6am. SIX.A.M. That said, I do love when a race offers an early start. 

We wore our "bear hats" from the Wattle Waddle again, smiled and nodded at our fellow maniacs, and shuffled around in the dark and the cold. Nice pluses: the organizers had heaters and a tent set up ... but we didn't actually have all that much time to kill. 

We had a little course talk, but this was my third time running the event, so I wasn't worried. Then, in the dark dark dark, our little band set out. 

First we ran toward Seward Park, making a loop of the outside edge. It was... DARK. I should be clear from the outset that we really didn't RUN this race ... it was a swift hobble, no more than that. We had a few fellow travelers with us, including our friend Clint from Mainly Marathons, but we were pretty much on our own. So it was quiet and atmospheric. As we made our way around the park, the sky started to brighten and turn pink. 

We made it back to the start (about 3 miles) as the regular marathon starters were getting ready to go. It made things a little rough through the start village, but wasn't a big deal. I grabbed some candy (because, candy) and then we continued on to the out-and-back. 

I do love this course, following the lake shore, then going up and over the rise to Leschi. I'm always a teensy bit sad when I remember just how far AFTER the BEST AID STATION IN SEATTLE the turnaround is, but clearly I manage to block that out after each race. 

It goes without saying, we were caught well before aid station by the fastest marathoners. We were good race citizens and stayed off to the side ... hopefully earning some karma for future races!

Let me just highlight the aid station that they set up in Leschi. Running this race (the half marathon version) back in 2010 was my first experience with "ultra kibble": pretzels, potato chips, gummi bears, jelly beans, soda pop. I mean, if you're running 50K or 50 miles, EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT. It's such a thrill to have a handful of Ruffles, a cup of Coke, and some Red Vines before I head back out. 

Then out to the turnaround which, as I said earlier, seemed SO FAR AWAY. 

turnaround bright eyes

Then back back back, past the Leschi aid station again (more chips! more candy! more soda!), and back to the start/finish. Of course, this was just the first lap! That does feel a little cruel, I'm not gonna lie.

So we set off, again, for the loop of Seward Park (thank heavens, no big hill!), back through the start/finish (more candy? sure!), and then out to Leschi. Then to the turnaround, where we really felt we were in the home stretch ... despite having around 4 miles left.

But the weather was really nice, and, well, we do like to hang out with each other!

Wil just after the turnaround, heading in

As we got closer and closer to the finish, our moods brightened along with the day. Pretty!!!

I'm not gonna lie, this was one of the hardest race days I've ever had. Maybe not as hard as the Run Like the Wind Half Marathon, but this day was very, very long. How long? Well, it was my longest run ever ... just under 7 hours.

Yeah, that's right. SEVEN HOURS. It took us seven hours. Painful.

We received our very handsome medal and went up to the food tent, where we feasted on, seriously, some of the best post-race food ever. Did I mention that Field Roast was a sponsor? We had Field Roast hot dogs slathered with vegetarian chili, and a pint of beer from Odin (another sponsor). We chatted, a little shyly, with some of the other runners. Being day three, we finally introduced ourselves to people who we had had nodding acquaintance with for three long days... and, in some cases, for years.

I don't think I'm really going to run the marathon distance of this race again, but as I've said before, this is a great choice for a fall race in Seattle. It's reasonably priced, is charmingly small, has a nice course, fantastic food both during and after the event, offers handsome medals, raises money for local charities, holds a blanket drive, and even offers a nice cozy sweatshirt as the event shirt.

Heading home from the race we were both a little giddy ... I mean, the worst was over ... only one half marathon left ... which is a little absurd to feel "relief", but there you go.

2015 Seattle Ghost Marathon medal

Grandpa's Wishbone Marathon race report

It was day two, for heaven's sake. From the get-go, Wil was determined that we should at least get our 2 marathons in ... so it wasn't too rough getting ourselves out there. Besides, the race didn't start until 7:30, so we didn't have to get up too early...

This race used to be held in a forest near Gig Harbor. When we ran it, back in 2012, it was very, very wet... ankle deep mud, knee deep puddles... and c-c-c-cold. Because of logging in the forest, this year the race shifted to Tukwila and ran along the Green River Trail. I'll admit it -- running a marathon on a smooth, paved, essentially flat trail sounded a LOT better to me than running 27 miles in 4 loops in a muddy forest...

Still, running our second marathon in as many days... well..

But it was nice to see our compatriots, chat with some new folks, and so on. Also, I love that this race costs a simple $20 donation to the food bank. We had a brief course talk -- though, since we were standing near a generator, we couldn't really hear much. We were told that the turnaround would be pretty obvious, and that we should stay on the Green River Trail. 

We did remember to take a pre-race photo... and I think these smiles might be genuine?

why, yes, that *IS* my Wattle Waddle hat!

But in truth, we were already a little beaten up. Wil had some painful blisters on his feet, and I had that weird painful strain up the front of my right shin. And it was clear that we wouldn't be running today. Possibly at all. But we set off, determined.

The Green River Trail is surprisingly pretty, despite spending a lot of time meandering behind apartment buildings, office blocks, and industrial complexes. And the fact that it was a gorgeous autumn day, well, that didn't hurt either.

Somewhere along the way we bumped into Clint from Mainly Marathons and chatted with him off and on. Wil kept us going with a rapid walking pace -- 13:30/mile -- which was about as fast as a bunch of folks were run/walking. So we kept leapfrogging a few people. Nice to see Clint and chat about when we might run another one or two (or three...) of his races.

But for the most part, we were alone. The out and back course, which we would complete twice, meant we saw people a few times, which made it more fun. Even on this "day 2" we had a lot of "friends" on the course.

And, yes, the turnaround was well marked!

As we headed in to the start/finish area, we passed some friends who said, "Huckleberry pancakes!" So we made a beeline to the food table to pick one up... only to find a half marathoner essentially blocking the table while she asked questions about whether the boiled potato tongs had touched the sandwich bread because she doesn't eat gluten. Luckily for us, the volunteer turned to focus on us and handed us lovely hot pancakes AND a potato for the road. We then quickly headed out for lap two.

Lap two was extra lonely -- though we did see several half marathoners coming in. I did try to break the course into memorable segments, but boy, it felt longer the second time around.

Not long after we reached the turnaround for the second time we saw an older gentleman, highly recognizable in his wide-brimmed hat, coming toward us. Now, we hadn't seen him for a while, and assumed that he was waaaaaay ahead of us. So I said, "Sir, just how far are you running today?" (I believe there was also a 50K, so maybe he was doing that?)

He told us that he had gotten lost along the way somewhere where the trail split... and spent nearly two hours trying to get back ON the trail. I'm not gonna lie, I would probably have called it good. But this noble warrior wanted to make sure he completed the course. Awesome!

Again, even with few other folks out on the course, we did get the chance to say a lot of "see you tomorrow!"s, which always brings me joy.

As we approached the finish ... FINALLY ... we waved goodbyes to some previous finishers, and then limped our way in. We weren't the last folks out there... but there weren't all that many left. But the food table was still serving up hot pancakes, so we indulged in another before hitting the road. 

This is what relief and exhaustion looks like:

I do love the medals for this race -- also nice to get a "full" medal rather than the "half"!

This race is actually 27 miles long... which means, I suppose, that we have actually done an ultra! Okay, so not really, but.

After the race we stopped at the Seattle Marathon Expo to pick up our bibs and swag for Sunday's race. Even though we weren't sure we'd be able to run it. But better to get pickup done!

Mutant Quadzilla / Sweet Quadzukilla ... Say what???

We did something stupid. It was my fault. I still feel a bit weird thinking about it, a week later.

I am going to write up brief report of the individual races, but I suppose I should explain what drove us to attempt three marathons in three days, plus three half marathons in the days around them.

In short, this was part of it...

Having been Half Fanatics for a while now, we had come to envy our Maniac friends... and their Double Agent status. And, let's be honest, part of it is for THE GEAR. Oooh, I wanted a Double Agent jacket. Why? Because proper Fanatics team colors are blue and yellow. Proper Maniacs team colors are yellow, red, and black. (Why do I say "proper"? Because both clubs sell alternate color ways in their singlets and tops, but I'm a purist...) But the Double Agents main color is black. And, well, you know me...

When the Double Agents started out, I don't think there were levels... it was just a way for people who were both Fanatics and Maniacs signify that they were members of both clubs. If you were a Fanatic and a Maniac, you were a Double Agent. Simple. 

But, you know, these clubs are based on counting and levels and challenges. So of course there had to be levels of Double Agenthood!

When I heard that a local RD was going to add on to the traditional Quadzilla / Quadzuki held here in Seattle over Thanksgiving weekend ... by holding 4 additional half marathons on the weekend and days before.... well, gosh. 

I toyed with the idea of doing 4 and 4. But that would be insane for us, who hadn't run a marathon in more than 3 years. But -- being the luckiest people on earth -- symbolism saved us!

Three marathons + three half marathons within 9 days would put us at the Kilimanjaro level... a fine place to be. So we decided to aim for that. 

As an added bonus, by running the two half on the first weekend, I would move up a level in the Half Fanatics: moving to the Venus level for running 13 half marathons in 79 days. (Really? That's so weird...)

So our sights were set ... but would our bodies hold up?

Spoiler alert: YES. Barely.

To recap, the races:

Click on a race logo to read our race report!

Cupcake II: Electric Boogaloo Half Marathon, 11/21

Balanced Athlete Half Marathon, 11/22

Wattle Waddle Marathon, 11/26

Grandpa's Wishbone Run Marathon, 11/27

Ghost of Seattle Marathon, 11/28

Seattle Half Marathon, 11/29

After our second marathon in two days I didn't think we'd get through a third. But we did. And that made the half marathon feel easy on the last day. And, no, I wouldn't do this again. Ever.

Balanced Athlete Half Marathon race report

On Sunday we ran the Balanced Athlete Half Marathon -- day 2 of the "Sweet Quadzuki" series. This race was sponsored by Balanced Athlete (natch), and started from in front of their store in the Landing in Renton. It also meant we had a nice wam place to wait before the race! (Though it was much, much warmer than on Saturday...) Unsurprisingly, we saw a lot of the same faces!

We had a brief course talk -- but at the end of the day, it was basically "follow the bike route to the turnaround". 

One odd thing -- we were told we needed to stay together at the big intersection and wait for the light. "We don't need another dead body." Okay. But when we set off as a group, and approached the intersection, he led us across ... without waiting for the light. Mmmmkay. 

We had bundled up again -- heck, I was wearing an extra layer -- but it really did warm up relatively quickly, and within a few miles I had taken off my jacket and Wil was down to a singlet. 

It was a gorgeous morning... and the leaves were turning and falling. And the field was so small that we were on our own pretty quickly. 

The course was similar to part of the Seahawks 12K course: the rolling hills to the VMAC, then beyond to I-90 and a bit.

We ran and ran and ran, finally spotting the front runners at about mile 5.5, and then more runners just after mile 6. And then, oh happy day... we arrived at the turnaround. 

We had decided to take things easy again, and walk back from the midway point. So we had more time for some lovely photos. 

Did I mention that it was quiet and beautiful?

Eventually we made our way back to The Landing, crossing with the light, and holding hands at the finish. A small group cheered us in, we picked up our cute little "medals", and then we went in the store for PIE. 

Yes, that's right, pie. 

It was fun to run another small race, cheer for our fellow runners, and REACH A NEW MOON LEVEL IN HALF FANATICS. Boo-yah!

Seattle Half Marathon race report

Wow! The Quadzuki is over... and I feel both happy and relieved.

We found good street parking on the northwest corner of the Seattle Center -- perfect for an easy escape after the race. We walked in to the Armory for a potty break and to get warm. It was 37 degrees -- colder than I expected -- but I was wearing an warmer top layer today, so I figured I would be okay.

We stayed in the warmth and looked at the "Centerville" train set until 10 minutes before the start, when we headed out onto the street. I put us on the far side of the street again (though we walked around the median rather than through it...) -- made for a much less crowded start.

It still took us a couple of minutes to get across the starting line -- it's the first time the horn and the "woo!" happened without us at least walking a little... But once we crossed the line, it was pretty smooth running.

We ran all the way up and down Fifth Avenue, down to the International District and on to the I-90 express lanes. This time no one slipped and fell. Still not sure what happened two years ago to those people.

I still prefer running through the tunnel at the beginning of the run rather than the end... even if it gets weirdly warm running through there. Then, of course, the worst little ramp in the world. I guess any and all Seattle races require a trip down that little walking path... Steep, narrow, and slippery when damp. Neato.

It is, however, nice to hit the bottom of the ramp and turn left -- rejoining the Ghost course from yesterday. It was also nice to run out in the street rather than along the sidewalk. That said, it was a little sad not to be able to pick up some Ruffles and jelly beans at an aid station in Leschi...

But we kept running along the lake, past the Ghost turnaround, and then up up up up up the hills. Ooof. But Wil kept us moving.... sometimes walking (faster than a lot of runners), and sometimes running (potentially slower than walkers!). I was sad not to have seen any Hashers out with beer on the hill. Not sure if they weren't there, or if I just didn't see them this year? Maybe next time.

Then back down Madison and into the Arboretum, which is my favorite part of this course. I think my brain sorta fuzzed out at this point, because I don't remember all that much, other than that, at some point on the closed-off road through the woods, someone called my name. Wil and I turned around to see someone waving at me. I smiled and waved back... but had NO IDEA who it was. I'm really sorry to whoever it was... but I sadly don't see super well, and often have a hard time recognizing people outside of their street clothes. But thank you for cheering at me. And I hope you had a great run! :)

I was't sure how far we'd run today... when we got to mile 8, I thought we might stop... nope. Mile 10 in the woods? Nope. After mile 10, it just seemed like we should just keep going, so we did.

We popped out near Roanoake Street, which always surprises me, crossed 520 and I-%, and then turned toward downtown. The trip back under the freeway, along the road past the tilting townhouse (again, does ANYONE else remember that?) and one last trip over the freeway.

We turned down the steep hill by Cafe Venus -- which we decided to walk, rather than bang up our knees even more. After that it was pretty much straight ahead, across one block to get on the Mercer underpass, and then up into the stadium. I had the strange realization that I felt better at that point today than I did running the Rock 'n' Roll Half... weird.

We turned down the road into the stadium, said "God Save the Queen" at mile 13, and then sped down the ramp and across the turf to the finish line. Huzzah!

After we collected our very handsome medals, we went into the Recovery Area -- nightmarish again, and already very picked over. (No Muscle Milk... sigh.) And freakishly hot. So we quickly escaped, walked the 3 blocks to the car, and came home.

Still a little surprised that we've finished the Quadzuki... but as I sit and type my knees do feel as if they're seizing up. So I guess that's proof as well.

Seattle Half Marathon 2012 medal

Seattle Half Marathon 2012 medal - back

Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon race report

Was thrilled to wake up this morning to the sound of silence.. by which I mean, no rain!

Got up, got dressed, and was out of the house quickly. Got to the start and jumped in the line for bibs. Nope, that was the porta-potty line. So bib pickup was super fast. We also found the Quadzilla guy and bought a glass. He said if we don't see him after the Seattle Marathon, that he'd mail us our medals. Cool.

We headed back up to the car to drop off our bags and glass, and ran into Ian, who had come down to say hi to Lauren and us. But basically we got back to the start and had to start running. At a minute and seven seconds in, we were probably the last people to start, but who cares. Our goal was just to finish.

The course starts out around Seward Park, and it was a beautiful morning. We ran around the park, chatting with other runners and admiring the view. Then back past the start, and out along Lake Washington Boulevard.

They allowed marathoners to start at either six or seven, so we saw some of them heading back toward us as we went out. It was a little disconcerting to see people so far "ahead", so it must have been weird for people to see us during the Widdle Waddle.

We were both pretty achy from yesterday's trail run -- so decided to let discretion be the better part of valor and only ran half way rather than the eight miles we had planned. All I can say is that those 6.55 miles were supremely easy compared to yesterday!

We passed the Leschi aid station, headed out to the turnaround, and then back. I told Wil that I loved this race because the aid station had Ruffles and gummi bears. Got there and -- yay! Ultra kibble! Had some jelly beans, some Coke, and some Ruffles and headed back out. Awesome.

The way back was pretty uneventful, except that I started to get cold so took Wil's jacket. We cheered for our fellow runners, smiled and waved at a lot of folks, and happily finished in something like 2:50. Pretty slow, but still okay.

After the race we indulged in the great post-race food -- veggie dogs, chili, and of course, some tasty beer. Oh! And the medals were very cool -- a combination trophy, medal, AND bottle opener. Sweet.

Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Medal

Happy to have gotten three races done... just one more to go!!!