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!

Cupcake II: Electric Boogaloo race report

I still don't know if I can talk about this. It still seems so ridiculous when I think of it now. 

But one day, one race at a time, eh?

The Cupcake II: Electric Boogaloo Half Marathon ran along the Centennial Trail from Snohomish toward Arlington. Thankfully the organizers sent out an email reminding runners that the race didn't start at the same place as the Spring race. Phew!

Anyway, we drive out to Snohomish on a frosty morning and joined the 60 or so runners shivering in the cold sunshine. 

The course was simple: just run along the trail to the turnaround. Easy peasy. 

It was so cold that I felt super stiff, but we headed out at our steady pace. I had negotiated (ha!) a 3:1 interval set with Wil... nice, steady, doable. 

We decided that we would keep that patter until the turnaround, and then walk back -- we have a lot more miles to go this week. 

The day was beautiful, if very cold, and the trail was a gentle downhill on the way out, and a gentle uphill back. And, for the most part, we were on our own. 

When the sun was a little higher in the sky, we passed a lake that was steaming in the sun. Nice. 

Lots of long, straight, empty trail....

We finished in a slow 2:50, but feeling pretty good, considering. And at the end, there were shiny disco ball medals and a zillion cupcakes!

Tripping.

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment in the morning. I left the office in the bright, crisp sunshine to walk the 5 or so blocks to the bus stop. I passed a block swarming with construction workers, all standing across the street from a big new building, staring up at it. Then, in the middle of the long block between 20th and 22nd, I crossed the empty street at the mid-street crosswalk.

I must have been walking briskly... but I somehow stubbed my toe, HARD, on the opposite side of the street, and went down flat. No stumble, no attempt at recovery, just WHUMP.

I landed hard on my right hand, my wrist folding under me, and my right knee, which hit a metal plate. In a split second I was lying flat out on the sidewalk.

It was stunning -- literally -- and I lay there for several seconds doing a small mental inspection. I was right in front of Skillet, and had a moment when I thought, "Someone will see me and rush out to see if I'm okay." Nope; they don't open till lunch. Dammit.

I made myself stand up, wincing as I pushed myself up with my right arm, which made me feel woozy. I could sense myself freaking out a little -- I just kept saying "slow down, breathe normally" but my level of panic was rising. I saw a bench about 30 feet away, in front of the little ice cream shop, and forced myself to walk to it. I figured I would rather pass out on a bench than from a standing position.

A few minutes before I had exchanged texts with my friend Dre'. As I sat down, I pulled my phone out and called her, hands shaking. She answered and I burst into tears, telling her what had happened, that I was okay, but I just needed to sit and talk to someone for a minute.

She was perfect -- making sure I was really okay, talking to me, even making me laugh.

I did another inspection. Bloody palm, with a chunk scraped out to it. Jeans with a scuff but no hole, but a suspiciously wet-feeling knee. Throbbing toe. Pounding heart.

I was too far from home... and already blocks from the dentist... so I just decided I needed to get on the bus and go to work.

It was still early, yet, which meant the bus was busy, and I spent the ride shaking a little, and trying to hide my bloody hand in my jacket sleeve. Ewww. But I got off the bus, got to work, went straight to the first aid box, and got cleaned up in the bathroom. Heck, I could even laugh at the story and told my coworkers about it.

But here's the truth: it was scary. So very, very scary.

It's 36 hours later and my wrist is super tender, nd now my shoulders and back feel crazy sore. I must have strained a few muscles at impact. My knee is still very, very sore (though less purple and swollen) -- it's painful to bend it, and the skin on my knee is badly scraped. How is that possible, when my jeans didn't tear?!?!

I told Wil this morning that I was really sore and achy, and he very sweetly pointed out that a woman who is almost 50 fell on the sidewalk yesterday. Ouch, man. I'm still in my MID-FORTIES, okay?

As an added bonus, I am planning on attempting something absurdly stupid this weekend and next. So stupid I can't bring myself to talk about it. Or write about it. Or even think about it. Because, well, it's STUPID.

I should hasten to add that it's nothing dangerous... just something that I got into my head that suddenly seems remotely possible. Or, at least, it did before I banged myself up. But we'll see, eh?

Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon race report

Up before the sun to run Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia. The weather forecast was for 40 degrees and clear at the start. Well, they were close...

brrr...

I walked the mile or so from my hotel to the start village, stopping in at the VIP area (thanks Brooks!) to grab some Gatorade and a bagel. I also noted, happily, that mimosas are back!! So I had that to look forward to after I finished. 

I went out to my corral... So far back that I couldn't see the start. I was a little surprised to see the time -- and to hear the national anthem -- but of course I still had 30 minutes to wait!

not sure where the start is...

It was really cold in the corrals -- I was very glad to have brought my Mylar from RnRVan with me. But eventually we were on deck. That said, the main announced left to go to the finish line before we even started, since the elites would potentially finish before the last corral started!

ahhh, THERE it is!!!

When it was our turn, it was a real pleasure to run on Philadelphia's wide boulevards -- we ran up Benjamin Franklin Parkway and around Logan Circle, then a little loop around downtown (was there something I should have "seen" there?), and then a big swinging loop around City Hall. We turned back toward the art museum, passing "Love Park" and Philly's iconic artwork before heading up Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the opposite direction. Philadelphia has such lovely, wide boulevards to run on!

2015 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon course map

I was really surprised that, at the 3-mile mark, there were still people starting. But 35 corrals is a lot of corrals. And at 18,500 people registered, it's no surprise!

We passed the main stage, where the Gin Blossoms would perform later, and heard a great cover of "I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll All Night" ... which of course madee think "and part of every day..."

We had one more "spur" out and back before passing the art museum and heading out on the Shuykill River ... Or the road next to it, anyway. This was really beautiful -- mainly flat, lovely wide roads, and pretty views of the river and of the autumn leaves. Leaf peepin' while running a half marathon? Oh yes please. 

No crowding here!

This really was bliss to run on. 

Because Brooks had made a pretty drawing of the course, I knew that we would cross the river at Falls Bridge at mile 9. So getting on to the bridge was awesome - only 4.1 to go!!!

view downstream from the bridge

view back to downtown from the bridge

The road back to downtown was equally pretty, though the only thing I took a picture of was this guy. I can't tell ou how much I enjoy seeing The Dude at races! I didn't know he was going to be on the course, so it was a pleasant surprise. 

the Brooks Dude

I was feeling pretty tired by mile 12, but I had pretty much maintained my 100:25 intervals. Seeing this in the distance helped perk me up a bit!

the backside of the Art Museum -- where the finish line is

I had been planning on one last walk break so that I could finish strong, but the last half mile was suddenly very narrow and totally thronged with cheering spectators and I just couldn't. So I slotted in behind a hand-holding couple to pace myself, followed them up the last cruel little hill, and then slingshotted past them in the final stretch.

The crowd in the chute were too quiet, so I encouraged some whooping, high-fived the announcer (let's be clear, he's no John Bingham!), and crossed the line in 2:22:43. 

It was a bit rough getting through the finish gauntlet, but eventually got my medal, some chocolate milk, and made my way back to the VIP tent for a little breakfast and a couple of mimosas. Perfect. 

the finish line, as seen from the VIP area

the Art Museum and the Rocky Steps

Nope, I didn't go back and run the Rocky Steps!

Decided against watching much of the Gin Blossoms because I had gotten cold and was thinking about having a nice hot bath. So I made my way back to the hotel, stopping to visit the spitting tortoises. 

This race was fun, and the course was pretty. There wasn't a ton of support, but the people out there were super loud and enthusiastic. Best sign: "ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10, YOU'RE A 13.1"

thank you Philly!

Most importantly, of course... This is STATE #34!!!

Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver weekend report: day 3, half marathon

I was a little worried that I might be gimpy after the previous day's less-than-prudent 10K (not that it was fast, but...) .... but my legs actually felt pretty loose. We got to the start just before 7:30. At Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver the last corral starts first -- giving the slower runners more time to complete the course. I had asked Suz what time they would be starting, and she said she thought the race started at 8:15. But as we stood there, I thought I heard the announcer say "this is for the runners who will take more than 3:30" ... and then we both heard a countdown. We looked at each other and Suz said, "I think my corral is starting!" A quick hug for luck, and Suz hustled down the road to the start.

**I just checked; last year the early start was 15 minutes ... in 2015 it was 45!!!**

Suz told me afterward that they had already put the rope down, but a race acquaintance spotted her and held it up so she could scoot under it.

That left me with 45 minutes to cool my heels. I bumped into a former coworker, which was fun -- always nice ro run into an old friend!

One very awesome thing: the announcer said that there were two very special people running with us, and reminded those who were there that last year a man collapsed during the race and a doctor who was running near him saw it, stopped, and performed CPR. The man survived and the two of them were both running the race together. Awesome.

Eventually the corrals filled up, we heard another pretty rendition of O Canada, and the elites set off.

Non running aside: I think I have often confessed that The Star-Spangled Banner" makes me tear up EVERY TIME. Ever since I learned about the history of the song -- Francis Scott Key was actually in enemy hands, watching the British bomb the fort -- I get really choked up when the "Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?" line comes. Every. Single. Time.

Well, oddly enough, there's something about O Canada that also makes me weepy. Not sure why. Must be the swelling music, somehow?

Anyways, soon is was our turn, and I found myself rather awkwardly at the front of my corral. How does this happen???

We set off down the road -- and I remember little else. And I took NO PHOTOS. Again. No idea why not; I guess I just wanted to keep pressing on. 

Half marathon course took us all around downtown, including through Gastown and the International District, through some more industrial areas, and then in what appears to be a loop that I didn't even notice. Ha. At some point we passed a rapper freestyling about running, marathons, and Rock 'n' Roll. Cool.

I caught up with Suz, running strong and steadily, somewhere just after mile 6... we chatted briefly, but then I lost her in the chaos of a water stop. I figured we'd both be better off if we just kept moving forward.

Eventually we approached Stanley Park, where I was a little sad not to be able to just run along the seawall again (so pretty!). I had been trying to discipline myself to run 100 breaths, walk 25... but when the rolling hills started up in the park, I dropped to 100:33 ... and on the longer inclines, I just walked.

As I neared the end, I passed Elvis again, though this time he was singing "I Believe" -- at least, um, I believe he was... Regardless, it was "Proud Mary", and no high-fives were exchanged. Suz reported that he was singing "Sweet Caroline" when she passed him. A travesty!!!

As I entered the last stretch, I was happy to see that this year they roped off the spectators, so there was plenty of room to run -- I even managed to pick it up a bit and finished in 2:23:12 ... much faster than I expected.

I picked up my "World Rocker" and "Rock Remix" medals, and started out of the park. I hadn't planned on going into the beer garden... but I knew I had a bit of time, sooo...

more bling, more beer...

Had a nice chat with a gentleman who was waiting for his ladyfriend to finish; turns out she's also a Half Fanatic and a Marathon Maniac who completes all the challenges like a crazy woman. Also turns out that they live in Ballard less than a mile from our house. :) AND that Suz met her last year at a race. Small world, innit?

Then back to the hotel to get cleaned up, and then out for some well-deserved brunch. With boozy drinks. Frozen slushy boozy drinks. With plastic animals.

you see the pink animals, too, right???

It was fun to go away for the weekend, and the races and courses were great -- and, of course, there was LOTS OF BLING!

why, yes, I do it for the bling...

Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver weekend report: day 2, the 10K

How civilized to start a 10K at 9:30a.m.! We could have walked half a mile to catch a shuttle to the start, but Google Maps assured us that it was only .9 miles to the start from our hotel anyway. (It was.)

We stopped in at Whole Foods, where I picked up a miserably dry, crumbly, joyless, and essentially cheeseless "cheese scone". I made a mental note to go to a Safeway later and pick up a decent bagel for the next morning. 

We got to the start nearly an hour early, probably because neither of us were 100% sure we were really so close to the start. Sorry, Google Maps, that we doubted you! But the morning was pleasant, the sun was out, and we had a great view. 

ready to run!

Did I mention that I was wearing purple?!?! I love these capris. 

Eventually we got into our "corrals" -- which were really just some numbers on sticks, and no one really looked at th anyway. But I did have the chance to chat with a few ladies and show off my NYC Adrenaline GTS 16s. 

Ooh, flashy!

I LOVED this woman, who had accidentally put on two different GTS... one 14, and one 15!

#adrenalinejunkie

The starting chute felt pretty crowded, but they sent us out in small waves, so it actually wasn't bad at all. 

When it was our turn, we all headed out with a little whoop. I didn't have a plan -- at all -- for this race, except perhaps to save my legs for Sunday. 

The course (marked in blue, above) was simple: just follow the seawall around the edge of Stanley Park. Not really knowing the route, I kept underestimating -- then overestimating -- how long was left. But boy oh boy do I like a 10K. By the time I really relaxed and got into a rhythm, the race was halfway over, and I never felt tired. And, yes, I know, that means I could have run faster. Whatevs. 

I didn't take ANY PICTURES, even though the day and the course were gorgeous. I just kept running. I loved running past the big rock formations, running under the soaring Lions Gate Bridge, and passing the lighthouse. It amused me to have a running path without guardrails, even if I had a little scare when I was moving to pass some on on the sea-side of the path, at quite a high point, and he swung out slightly. I inadvertently gasped and backed off, he said, "Oh! sorry!", and I said "No worries -- it just put me on edge."  We then both said "Literally!" at the same time. Someone behind me said "well, that'll get your adrenaline pumping!"  Indeed. 

Later on, not far from the finish, we were approaching an Elvis impersonator (tribute artist?) who was singing a high-powered version of "Proud Mary". I honestly cannot hear "Proud Mary" without busting out Tina Turner dance moves. Seriously. So imagine me, doing the "arm chugging" and "diving" and general shimmying. While running. Towards an Elvis impersonator. Who starts doing some of the dance back at me. As I passed him, he held up his hand for a respectful high-five. His orange, self-tanner stained hand. But did I high-five him? Oh yes, Gentle Reader. I did. With gusto. 

photo courtesy Competitor.com

I crossed the finish line in 1:05 and change; better than I expected, really. I picked up my handsome medal and a few snacks, then made my way to the beer tent.

big, honkin' 10K medal!

There was a HUGE LINE outside, but then I realized that there was someone waving anyone past who had a wristband already. RESULT! (Life lesson: spend the 3 minutes at the expo getting the wristband. Really.)

Being in Canada, this race featured LOCAL BEER, not the Ultra stuff they usually offer. Stanley Park Brewing was pouring three different beers, including their new Winter ale. I'm not a big beer drinker, and clearly no connoisseur, but it was really tasty. 

bling AND beer

I chatted with some of my fellow runners, including a student from Mexico who couldn't believe I was running the half the next day ("one day is enough for me!") and a couple who are RNR junkies. I half expect the see Oscar (??) **Suz is correct, it's Albert!** come through the expo in Philly, since he needs one more race to get his "7th Heaven" medal...

Suz arrived, more beer was consumed, and then it was time to head back to the hotel. We took it easy the rest of the day, doing a little shopping (candy, Lush, crisps, and a bagel for the next day), having lunch at Red Robin, dinner at Cactus Club, and getting weirdly sucked into the The Voice, a show neither of us had ever actually seen.

Then to bed... We had a half marathon to run in the morning!

P.S.: I really enjoyed this race -- it wasn't too big, and the wave start meant I never felt too crowded. The weather was perfect, the course was spectacular, and did I mention the tasty beer at the finish line? I really recommend this race to anyone, whether they are running the half or not. 

Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver weekend report: day 1

I worked the expo and ran the Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver Half Marathon last year, and figured that I didn't really need to run it again. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed the race in 2024, and I love Vancouver, but with so much else going on, and so many other races to run, I had decided to skip it in 2015.

But then a representative from Competitor visited our offices with a great discounted offer... AND the news that RNRVAN would qualify me for a "World Rocker" medal... and that I could run the 10K on the Saturday and earn a "Rockin' Remix" medal. Oh, and the half marathon medal? Well, it featured a sparkly orca. #SPARKLYORCA!!!!

I asked LSF Suz if she was up for a girls running weekend in the Great White North, and she readily agreed. 

We headed to Vancouver on the Amtrak Cascades -- always a lovely trip. 

Foggy!

Low tide!

After arriving in Vancouver we checked into our digs at the Hotel Listel, an artsy little place on Robson. There was a little confusion -- I had booked a room with two queen beds but had been assigned a room with one -- but the manager stepped in and quickly sorted everything out. 

We had a couple of hours to kill before the expo opened, and rumbling bellies, so we had lunch at the Winking Judge, which for some reason still sounds to me like something risqué. 

Then expo, which was a little nutty. I expected it to be pretty quiet, opening at 3, but a line stretched down the hall. Also, neither of us had remembered to print out our waivers... And we needed one for each race... So there was some frantic scribbling. 

the line to get in to the expo...

But we got in, had a little adventure getting our bibs (okay, we just lost each other for half an hour... with no phones...) but eventually caught up with each other in the Brooks official merchandise booth. 

Stuff was cute, but I resisted buying. I did almost buy a tank with an illustrated map of the course on it, but the print was yellow on midnight. Had it been white, I probably would have bought it. 

I did buy my usual pint glass and medal pin. I still have MASSIVE REGRET that I accidentally bought the magnet rather than the pin at RnR St. Louis!

Waiting in line to pay was funny -- lots of chatter about different races, apparel items, and running in general.A friend of someone else in line kept making runs for various people in line -- "Can you get me a medal pin?" "Can you pick up a pint glass?" etc.

We wandered the expo, getting our post-race beer garden wristbands (we were glad we did, later!), checking out new sunglasses, and such, but we didn't linger. 

After leaving the expo we wandered over to Gastown, ending up at the Blarney Stone at a really nice table next to the open  front windows, where we were really just going to have one drink... But the table was very nice, as was the cider... and they had a nice menu... did I mention that the baseball game was on, and all of Canada was rooting for the Blue Jays?

Then back to our hotel to sleep... we had a 10K to run in the morning!

Newport Half Marathon race report

Good morning Newport, Rhode Island!!!

Woke up this morning with the same stiffness in my leg... boo. But it was a GLORIOUS morning for a run. 

I ate my roll and drank some water and then we walked the couple of hundred yards to Easton's Beach. The organization of this race was pretty good for a smallish event; packet pickup was offered two days ahead of time, and they had plenty of volunteers helping. We even got small goody bags, including, oddly, a can of fizzy water. (Which I Very Happily guzzled.)

One other nice piece of organization... Look at that giant row of porta-potties, gleaming in the morning sun. Seriously -- this race had TONS of porta-potties. (See? I couldn't even get them all into the picture.)

Because we were staying so close, we arrived about 15 minutes before the start.  (Thank you, Sea Whale Motel, for being so perfect!) We made our way to the start...

Found a little space for ourselves, listened to the national anthem. (A recording? No local singers to take it on?)...

Then a very quick obligatory pre-race photo...

And we ran. Up the biggest hill of the course. I already felt like I was dragging my right leg, but we somehow held on to a 10:05 per mile pace for the first two uphill miles. Crazy!

We ran up the hill on Memorial Drive, past the entrance to the Cliff Walk (the site of my self-induced, clumsy misery!), and into town, running past the awesome bar we had popped into yesterday, avoiding the cobbled, touristy part of town. 

Then out past a marina and, eventually, onto Ocean Drive, which was breathtaking. 

We were so lucky with the weather -- it was sunny but not hot, and there wasn't even any breeze. Perfect running weather!! 

I was feeling less lucky with my leg. In trying not to hurt my inner thigh (or whatever muscle that is!), I must have been doing something pretty stupid to my Achilles' tendon. (It's several hours after the race and it's still swollen and weirdly colored and very tender to the touch. Boo.)

So in the midst of all the pretty, something ugly had happened to my leg. And I simply couldn't run on it. 

Sadly, Wil was feeling great, and I felt (feel!) bad about slowing him down. And slow him down I did, as my quick limp dropped us from 10:20 (after the initial miles) down to 14:22s. 

Luckily, the course stayed pretty, as we turned into the main "mansion district", including two quick peeks at the Cliff Walk... or entrances to it, anyway. 

I love how this shot looks like we'll be running into the sea.

We also passed in front of The Breakers, where there was a water station set up... and some anxious-looking staff standing outside the gate. 

One amusement: we were passing through a quiet area on the course when a runner passed us. And trumpeted out a couple of very loud, enthusiastic farts. I looked at Wil, wondering if *he* had been the guilty party, but he just smiled, which sent me into silent giggles. 

Wil said, "See the pleasure that you got from that? And that you would have me deprive your fellow runners of?"

(And, well, farts *are* funny...)

Eventually we made the turn back onto Memorial Drive and headed down the hill. I tested a tiny little run.... nope. It was strange to be walking against the stream of people -- finishers and their friends -- walking up the hill. Very few people cheered or offered encouragement. I tried to paste a grin on my face -- may have had a whiff of the rictus to it -- and just kept moving. 

When we reached the bottom of the hill and turned into the beach walkway, pride overcame pain and I managed to hobble across the line with Wil's help in 2:46:48. 

It has been a long time since I have felt quite so back of the pack, but I will say that the support (water stops, road crossings) was still excellent. 

We picked up a bottle of water, our handsome finisher's medal, and some decent post-race food (hooray for vegetarian lentil soup!) before going back to the hotel to shower and head out. 

All in all a nice race:

Loved: 

- the sights on the course. Okay, we didn't love the big hill at the start (or finish), but I liked running through town, along Ocean Drive, and past the mansions

- the candy stop along the way! Always great to take candy from strangers

- handsome, quality race shirts

- a very handsome, big honkin' medal

the colored lighthouse and sails are "stained glass" - very pretty!

Tiny room for improvement:

- the bibs were personalized, but the print was small and there wasn't enough contrast in the ink colors to make it legible

The one thing I really didn't like:

- not to get all personal, but I didn't like the announcer. She seemed a little dismissive of slower runners (aka, the bulk of the participants). "If you're walk in', stay outta the way" can be much better stated (and more helpfully stated...) as "If you're walking, stay to the right."

(Also, she was giddy that someone came "all the way from JERSEY" to run... Not noticing that we were from Seattle. But that's neither here nor there...)

But -- and this is the most important part: I ran a half marathon in STATE #33 today!!!