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!