Race Review: Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon

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It has taken me a while to figure out how to write this post. It was a strange race for me. I haven't been feeling well for over a month and it has really made running very difficult and almost non-existent. Anyways, I went into this race thinking that I would just go and have fun with no expectations.

We headed down to Seattle on Friday morning and went straight to the expo!

Outside CenturyLink field.

I was excited to see that Run Happy Island was there and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride the mechanical shoe even in a skirt LOL...

We did some shopping and took some photos with our bibs and then headed to our hotel to check in.

We had the usual pre-race dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Nikki, Sarah, and Jacki. It was nice to continue the girls night tradition! After that it was time to head back and get ready for the race. I knew I wasn't feeling 100% and my nerves about the lack of running I'd done leading up to this race were starting to creep up.

The morning went pretty smoothly. After getting ready we headed to the monorail station and met up with the girls.

It was a pretty beautiful morning but it was clear that by the end of the race it was going to get pretty warm. As we got started I was already hoping for my walk break. I knew that it wasn't going to go perfectly but I thought I'd be feeling good for at least the first half. Unfortunately that was not the case. For such a beautiful course, one of my favorites in fact, it was so disheartening. We pushed on regardless. My plan was to strictly do my 10/1s for at least the first 10km and then reassess. Not surprisingly once we passed the 10km mark, things began to fell apart. We hit the really steep hill leading up to a long tunnel which also has an incline and that I remembered from last year and I had to walk most of that. I told Cindy to push on without me but she was determined that we stick this one out together.

I knew my favorite part of the race was coming up, the overpass that looks onto the water and I had the phone out ready to snap some photos. Practically the only photos I took during the race.

This course is truly one of the most beautiful races and a great tour of Seattle. After the overpasses, we headed back into the city and I knew that there was another hill coming up along the water. By this point we were mostly walking. I felt winded, sore, and completely done. I did my best to push through the last bit in hopes of a sub 3-hr finish. In the end, we came it at 2:49:33. Definitely not a PR but not my worst time either.

I had a nice time in Seattle but was reminded how important training is and that a half marathon even after 26 of them, is no joke, 13.1 miles is far no matter how slice it. I'm in a much different place physically than I was last year at this time and I think I'm beginning to accept it and work on what else I can do to get stronger.

Race Review Summary 

Package Pickup/Expo:
Rock 'n' Roll always does this seamlessly. We had our bibs and packages within minutes and then had a great time wandering through the expo and looking at things. I picked up some official Brooks merchandise as well (pictured below). We received the Run Happy Island shirt for free after riding the mechanical shoe.

Price/Value: $80-110 (depending on when you register)
I think I got it even cheaper because I used the discount from when the Seahawks won the Superbowl.
 
Aid Stations: 
Rock 'n' Roll always provides plenty of aid stations and course support. This is easily a race you could run without carrying your own water.

Course Difficulty: 
Moderate. There is one rather steep hill and quite a few rolling hills but the course is just so beautiful!

Medals:
Awesome as always! I was surprised that the sasquatch on the Pacific Peaks medal was actually fuzzy, strange but also awesome!

Running, what's that?

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Wow. It's almost the end of June? What is going on? Time is disappearing before my eyes. Here's what's happening.

1. I had a Stella & Dot party last weekend and baked all sorts of delicious yummy treats like Strawberry Cupcakes, and Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookie bars and took pictures of none of it (blogger fail) so I'm working on posting those recipes for you. Maybe I'll just make it all again so I can have some nice pictures and something to eat LOL.

2. I still haven't started my practicum. I'm so tired. Ugh.

3. I'm running the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon on Saturday and I haven't laced up my running shoes in weeks. Yup weeks, approximately 3 weeks to be exact. This will be a first for me. It's all just excuses, but life got in the way and now I will face the consequences, but hopefully still have a great time! I need to run too, this is always how it happens; when I need it the most is when I don't have or make the time for it.

Stay tuned to see if I live through Saturday (just kidding) and add this medal to my collection! I'm excited to just get out of the house for a couple days and do something different.

4. I read a book. Imagine that? I'll have a review next week or maybe even tomorrow, if I'm feeling ambitious, for "the Vacationers" by Emma Straub (Hint: I liked it)!

Are you racing this weekend? Do you feel ready?

How to tackle a Rock 'n' Roll Race Weekend

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As we approach the Oasis Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver Half Marathon and 44th Annual Cunningham Seawall 10k in October, I, along with my fellow Rock 'n' Blog bloggers will be sharing some tips and information to help you have the best experience possible. Since I've traveled to 2 Rock 'n' Roll races in the past (Rock 'n' Roll Seattle & Rock 'n' Roll Portland), and I'm headed to 2 more this Spring, I've decided to share some tips on managing/planning your weekend here in Vancouver, but in general, these tips would apply to any Rock 'n' Roll race weekend.

If you are traveling, make sure you pack all of the appropriate gear for the race as well as the days leading up to/after the race. There's nothing worse than wearing improper footwear leading up to race and having blisters before you even reach the start line! A raincoat, your preferred method of hydration, and compression wear are also things you may want to consider having readily available. I'm sure you've heard this before, but don't plan to try anything new on race weekend, wear comfortable previously broken-in shoes!

Bring your camera!
A race weekend like this is sure to have some amazing photo ops, so be ready, you won't be disappointed!

A photo op with my bib at the Portland Rock 'n' Roll Expo

Nikki took this of me during Rock 'n' Roll Seattle!

Plan out your eats!
It's a great idea to do some research beforehand and have what you need all ready to go by the time the weekend rolls around. If you are attending a race in your own city like I will be, you might want to consider planning your meals the week prior and being sure to have all your grocery shopping and meal preparation done in advance of the weekend. This includes preparing healthy snacks so it won't be tempting to make bad choices. Power cookies (click for recipe) are my favorite, but there are lots of ready-made options out there! I will also be looking at restaurants closer to and hopefully making some reservations because even though I live here, it's always fun to meet up beforehand with your fellow racers for a carb-loading dinner! With Gastown so close to the expo, there are tons of great pre-race options! Also, consider what you might want after the race? It's always great to have something in mind for a little extra motivation to get to the finish line. I myself, will likely be headed to Cartem's Donuterie post-race... yum!

Budget accordingly.
With great restaurants, an amazing expo, and the opportunity to buy some stellar race photos, it is important to know how much you want to spend in advance. I don't always purchase my photos, but for a Rock 'n' Roll race, I always have. They're just too good not to. Marathonfoto will be in charge of race photography at Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver, just like their other races.

Research and leave lots of time to visit the EXPO!
When I first started running, I'll admit I didn't understand what an expo was and why it was so exciting... but now, I've come to look forward to it, especially for a Rock 'n' Roll race, they truly never disappoint. With over 60 exhibitors and the brooks official merchandise store, there will be lots to look at and some great souvenirs for purchase. There's usually a chance to preview the race medal as well as all of the other Rock 'n' Roll medals. I would set aside at least a few hours for the expo so you get to see everything. Hopefully, you'll have a bit more time to see some speakers/entertainment etc. and maybe even visit the waterfront area in Vancouver! Having said that, Rock 'n' Roll is always very organized about Package Pickup so if you need to be in and out, that shouldn't be a problem.

A free photo op from Brooks!

A look at the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon expo from above!

We will have more details to come for the expo, but for now I can tell you it will be taking place at Canada Place on:
Friday, October 24, 12pm – 6pm & Saturday, October 25, 9am – 5pm
 
Don't overdo it.
Vancouver has so many amazing sights to see and things to do, but I wouldn't overdo it the day before the race with too much walking. Typically, I plan to walk the expo and then do something relaxing for the rest of the day, if possible. Why not come to Vancouver for a whole week so that you'll have lots of opportunities to see our beautiful city without compromising your race legs!

Making time to put my feet up in some Pro Compression socks and Barefooters!

Be prepared. 
Organize all of your race things the night before just to be sure you're not missing out on anything crucial like your bib, timing tag, watch, or ipod.

Plan to get to sleep early.
It's so easy the night before a big race to let the excitement get to you and before you know it, it is way later than you intended to stay awake. Make sure you are home/back to your hotel early enough and try to do the same you would do any other night to get ready for bed. And in case you're staying with friends in a hotel the night before... It's okay to have a little bit of Rock 'n' Roll fun, but just don't go too crazy!

Pajama party anyone?

Enjoy it! 

You trained for it, enjoy everything the race has to offer and have a great time! Don't forget to celebrate your new bling and take in some of the post-race entertainment and perhaps even a treat or 2!

I'm BACK baby!

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So I finally went for a run and the verdict is... no pain! I'm baaacckk!

I'm trying not to celebrate too much yet, as it was only 5 kilometers and I have a lot of mileage in front of me still...
But here's my plan moving forward:

1. This injury has humbled me and reminded me how fragile our bodies actually are. I will certainly be paying a lot more attention to recovery and prevention than I ever did before.

2. I've decided to listen to the doctor and downgrade to the half at BMO so I don't damage myself for the Calgary full marathon. As he put it, I could probably run a half marathon in my sleep at this point... well I don't know about that, but yes it's lot simpler than a full marathon at this point. This will give me the time I need to work up to the full distance again safely.

3. Going forward, what training schedule am I following?
A modified schedule for Calgary Full Marathon on June 1st with 3 half marathons and a trail race in the mix! See below for the latest addition!

4. Blogging has opened up lots of great opportunities over the last year, but one really exciting one has been being part of the Rock 'n' Blog team for the Oasis Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver Half Marathon & Cunningham Seawall 10k. Today, they announced that runners who complete their Portland, Seattle, & Vancouver events will be eligible for a new limited edition medal called the Cascadia medal and guess what? I'm doing all 3... commence happy dance NOW! I had already planned to do Seattle and obviously Vancouver, but Portland is my latest addition!

I will receive a total of 7 medals for completing 3 races, can you say WOW! Here's a peek at a few of them below! Rock 'n' Roll Seattle & Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver have yet to reveal their medals...

Liebster Award

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Last week, Jessica @ Run Your Mutt Off nominated me for a Liebster Award! Thanks Jessica.

Here are the details: The Liebster is an award to help promote new bloggers. The rules are simple:

• Mention the person who nominated you with a link in their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers. (I was a little unclear how this is defined, so I’ve looked up each blog’s follower counts on bloglovin’. If I nominated you and you’re more popular than I realize, then I apologize)
• Create a new set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

Jessica's questions for me:

What is your favorite race you’ve run, and why? 
This one is a toughy... I'm going to say it's tie between Rock 'n' Roll Seattle last June and Run for Water last April. Rock 'n' Roll Seattle was really awesome race with my running BFF and I felt pretty good throughout. Run for Water is still my half marathon PR, I can't really explain why that happened because it defies all logic, but I loved that day and I felt so strong even in the pouring rain. My first half marathon and my first full marathon will also always hold a special place in my heart.

Who is your biggest supporter/fan?
My husband. He grumbles about going to races or how much I spend on race registrations, but there is absolutely no way I could do this without him.

What is your favorite piece of running gear?
Hmm, this is also a tough one. I have lots of great stuff now. Shoes are pretty much essential but maybe not my favorite. Again, I think it would be a tie between my injinji socks and my CWX Pro Compression 3/4 tights.

What is your tried-and-true pre-race meal?
Something plain. The night before, I'll have chicken and veggies usually maybe with potatoes or rice. I tried to avoid wheat as it can upset my tummy. The morning of, I don't normally eat very much, usually a CLIF bar.

Have you met any of your twitter/blogger friends in real life? If so, when & where?
Yes, I've met lots now. Mostly at races! It's kind of funny how you meet people these days. A few have become some pretty great friends :)

What is your favorite non-running workout or exercise?
I'm really enjoying p90x right now but if I could afford it and I wasn't a runner, I'd probably still be doing CrossFit. Before I became a runner, I did spinning and yoga for years and loved them both.

Tell me the most memorable thing about your wedding or someone’s wedding that you’ve attended.
The most memorable thing about my wedding was that my husband wrote "I DO" on his hand so he wouldn't forget... no joke.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things could you not live without?
Shoes. Water. Something to Read.

What is the last book you read?
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (Review in progress). Before that, Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. 

What is your all time favorite book?
Gosh, Jessica, these are really tough questions! I can't pick just one, it's not fair to the other books. So I'll name by top 3:
1. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christy
2. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Pick one – pizza, beer and a movie OR pasta, wine and a good book. Why?
Pasta, wine, and a good book. Though I'll admit, I would also be satisfied by a movie. I crave pasta more than I do pizza and I would drink white wine over a beer any day as long as I got to choose the wine.

I nominate the following 11 blogs (most of these are not NEW bloggers, but neither am I...):

Slow is the New Fast
Fabulosi-T
Running for Cupcakes
Fine Fettle Frets
Strive to Stride
Running with Rhyno
Running with Needles
Cowgirl Runs
Runner Leana
All You Need is Love
Captured and Exposed
All Downhill from Here
Terry Runs

Yea there's 13 instead of 11, it's my lucky number, so you will just have to deal with that.

My questions for these wonderful bloggers:

1. What is the best running costume you have worn or seen?

2. What is your favorite thing to do right after a run?

3. What is your favorite baked good?

4. Does all your running gear have to match?

5. What is your most anticipated race of 2014?

6. Do you have a bucket list?

7. What is your favorite recovery item? Socks, food, or other?

8. If you had to describe today in one word, what word would you use?

9. What is your favorite place to run? (Pick a location whether it be a country, city, inside or outside, trails, or roads)

10. Do you think you'd love running in the same way if it was your full time job?

11. What is the biggest thing that blogging has taught you?

And go!

Thanks again to Jessica, and I look forward to reading the rest of the responses!

If you were not nominated and you'd like to answer any of the above questions or comment on mine please feel free to share below!

Race Review: Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon (Part 2)

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Part 1

As we crossed the start line my nerves went away and I was excited to be doing another Rock n' Roll event in another beautiful city! We ran through the downtown part of the city for quite a while and there were spectators everywhere which is always awesome! Along with great spectators comes some awesome signs, this was one of my favorites:

I didn't have any trouble not having my water belt but we still chose to do our 10/1's. We were also still stopping at the water stations which of course wasn't necessarily lining up with our 10/1 intervals. I'm not sure why Nikki and I didn't plan this out better the night before seeing as how we knew where the water stations were going to be but we were too busy having fun to think about it I guess. At some point we decided we should probably be taking our walk breaks at the water stations, even though we didn't have any specific time goals because of another race the following day I really didn't want to take too much longer than my average.

I think it was around the 10k mark when we passed a huge water station that we made that decision...:

After this station we turned the corner and suddenly we were running along side the water, it was a beautiful view and even better there was a cool breeze that felt amazing, maybe that's why I finally felt like I found my happy pace:

This race has a reputation for having some hills but up until this point I hadn't noticed anything that horrible, I had a feeling "down" by the water that we'd have to go up at some point and I was right. There were some tiny rolling hills around the paved trail by the water, this was at the top of one of those hills during the "Blue Mile" to remember fallen soldiers:

There was quite a steep hill heading up into a tunnel as we turned away from the water, this was between miles 7 & 9. I'd say the tunnel was close to a mile long. I've never been very fond of running through a tunnel, it can get quite hot and muggy underground so it's just not ideal conditions for me. Thankfully there was a water station in the middle of it and I got a second to get myself together again before heading off towards the light at the end of the tunnel literally! As we exited the tunnel we were running on a highway which was a super exposed and it was starting to get pretty warm. Surprisingly, the heat didn't get to me in this race, I think I had been so concerned about it being pouring rain that I was just content to be dry. Nikki and I got talking in this section about my 1st Full Marathon coming up in September. It was strange to be reflecting on how far I've come and how far I've got to go in the middle of a race, but perhaps very fitting. It wasn't long before I recognized that we were back near Safeco Field, what a beautiful spot:

We had wide open views of the entire city and the water out in front. I love races where you get the opportunity to run where normally you'd only be allowed to drive. There's no sidewalk up there so it's not like you'd ever get the chance to take a photo like this. I knew at this point we only had about 6 or 7km left and I was still feeling good but I couldn't tell how we were doing for time because I had lost satellite reception back in the tunnel and it messed up my watch. We came down off this overpass and headed back into downtown where we saw the first marathoner go by! It's totally exciting but also kind of ridiculous that the first marathoner was going to finish faster than we were going to finish the half... but apparently we were still in good spirits (I think that's because we were at the top of a hill)!

Nikki had done this race the year prior so I was asking about what we had left and she was sure there were a couple more hills at this point I had to just buckle down and finish. I was nervous about our weird timing for the 1st 10k and I wanted to stay strong. I figured there was only one water station left and I really wanted to make that my last walk break. I was right about the last water station, after which I just wanted to be able to see the space needle because I knew that's where we were going. I swear I couldn't see it until the last kilometer at which point I had to look behind me, I was completely turned around. Sometime that's the great thing about an out-of-town race but sometimes, towards the end especially, I like to know where I am so I can decide how much to push myself. It didn't really matter because after another tunnel there was a horribly steep hill and I couldn't sprint up that. It wasn't that long of a hill but it was deadly, I hardly had anything left at the top but I saw the yellow Geico banners and knew that would be the beginning of the finish chute (the same as Portland).

And just like that, my 18th Half Marathon was done!

We finished at 2:18:24, that's a whole 10 minutes behind my current PR. Honestly I felt a little disappointed because I think we would have done a lot better if we hadn't have done intervals & water station stops for the first 10k. On the other hand I knew we had a race the following day and I decided maybe we were better for having gone a little bit slower. Our trip to Seattle was SO MUCH fun and I'd love to do this race again! As a side note if you are going to skip having a water belt, a Rock n' Roll race would be a good one to do it because there was a water station almost every kilometer.

I celebrated receiving my TWO medals (the 2nd one is the Pacific Peaks Medal for completing Seattle & Portland) by eating some leftover cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, yum!

Race Review: Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon (Part 1)

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Wow what a weekend! As I spoke about last week this past weekend was my first double race weekend!

To start off a HUGE weekend of running, on Friday I woke up at 4:00am and headed over to Surrey for the Marathon Kick-Off Event!

We had some delicious free coffee and spent some time chatting with some other local runners. Those who signed up on Friday got a $25 discount on Marathon registration! If you missed out but still want to join me on this great local run, you can register here.
The rest of the morning was spent packing and getting everything organized for the weekend and right on time (almost...) we were headed towards Seattle! I was pretty excited about the expo because the Portland Rock n' Roll Expo was pretty awesome. I certainly wasn't disappointed:

I picked up a couple of small things at the expo, one of which being a SpiBelt which I've heard a lot about recently:

You may be wondering why there is a pop can inside, well the lady at the booth made very clear that the pouch was so big it could fit an entire can of coke so I decided to try it out when I got home and it would in fact fit a pop can. I've never run a race without a water belt longer than 5k, at the expo I decided I would try something new this time around...







After a delicious stop at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner we headed back to the hotel to go to bed early... Well maybe not quite:

After laying out our run clothes and some shenanigans modeling our PJ's and all of our sparkly soul headbands we finally went to sleep ready for our early wake up call! I was the last to get out of bed... I wasn't feeling entirely ready to run but alas I was there so I eventually dragged myself out of bed and got dressed... We hopped on the monorail and made sure to get a nice shoe shot:

It wasn't more than 2 minutes until we had arrived under the Space Needle ready to go find the bag check and hit the restrooms. Here was our first professional picture of the day, looking a little sleepy still:

In this case our iPhone picture turned out a lot better!

After grabbing a bagel from this insanely huge bagel pile we headed to the restrooms:

The port-a-pottie line was quite a bit longer than expected. As Nikki and I were in corral 15 there was no real rush for us, but Sarah was in Corral 6 so at this point we separated and Sarah went off to hopefully find a shorter line. We heard the start from the lineup and at that point I started to get a little nervous but reminded myself that worst case scenario I'd start in a further corral which doesn't really matter because of course it's chip timed. Finally we got that out of the way and after a quick look around for Sarah we headed to the start not without another photo of course:

 We decided we'd hang out near the front and wait for our corral to get closer. Here we ran into Mom vs. Marathon, that was exciting because I've hardly ever met any of the bloggers I follow in real life! It's too bad we didn't get a photo! Nikki and I got one right before we jumped into a corral:

This post is getting a little long so I will post the second half of my race review tomorrow! Stay tuned!