I finished the 'Rock n Roll Seattle' - Half-Marathon yesterday and I feel elated about finishing it just within my target time. My goal was to finish it under 2:30 and I did it in 2 hrs 29 mins and 14 secs - my speed being 5.27 miles/hr. This is such a big deal for me as this is my personal best. Even during my training long runs my average speed was 5 miles/hr.
The morning started off pretty well. The race start time was at 7:00 AM and I was out of the house by 6:00 AM. The commotion started when we reached the exit at 6:30 AM to see a long line of cars stuck at the ramp. There was a signal at the end of the ramp, a one lane road about a mile long with signals to get to the runner drop-off point and a good number of people like me who had planned to be there just around the same time. Some of the runners actually started to get off the car in the highway and were running towards the start line through some short-cut. Just then cops come swarming by and started yelling at people to get back in their cars or else they will have to give them a ticket. Time was ticking and we reached the exit signal at 7:15 AM. I was panicking by then. After all the preparation I would be damned if I actually started the race late and alone or if my worst nightmare comes true and I actually miss the run (most races do not let people start running after a time limit). After taking the exit, the traffic crawled all through that 1 mile distance ( which seemed like forever to me) and we reached the runner drop-off point at about 7:30 AM. The race start point was another .5 miles from the drop off point and I was already a half hour late! I got out of the car in a frenzy and scrambled to the start point while everyone else around me was calm and walking. It was as if they all knew something I didn't. It was 7:40 AM when I got to the starting point and I saw and heard some crowd. So there were people still at the start line. My corral number was 30 and when I reached there corral 27 or 28 was taking off. There are so many people running (About 17593 for Half-Marathon and 4080 for Full-Marathon in this race) that they actually divide runners into different bays based on their speed and wait for few minutes after each bay takes off so that it doesn't get insanely crowded to run. I was allocated corral 30. And it was still there! I started to breath properly then and joined the crowd. It was another 10 min's before my corral got the signal to go. After the little drama I actually started my run at 7:50 AM along with the runners in my assigned corral. The .5 mile panic run to the start line served as a good warm-up and I started off in a good pace. There was actually 39 corrals in this race. So there were people starting well after my corral left too.
While rest of the Seattle was probably cursing the cloudy, chilly Seattle weather on a weekend, I was very happy it was cloudy and chilly. It was just the perfect weather for running. There were water stations and bands playing music at every mile marker. There were unbelievable number of people on the way cheering the runners in innovative ways - banners with interesting slogans/quotes both funny and inspirational, music and interesting costumes. There were lots of cheer-leading groups from different schools too, especially before the uphills. All these kept my mind distracted and helped me take on the hills without much struggle. Also the running route had great views of Lake Washington through most of the way. We also ran through the I-90 tunnel for a little bit (it was dark and there was a band actually playing inside the tunnel and the music was blaring inside. The dim light and air inside the tunnel was suffocating that I had to increase my pace a bit to get out of there sooner) and on the I-90 bridge with Seattle downtown view. After 11 miles the course entered Seattle downtown and there I spotted my folks waiting for me and soon there was also the 12 mile marker. The last mile was the toughest and probably the slowest as my energy was draining off. But the thought that I am almost done and that I can actually do it within my target time if I don't slow down now, got me going and helped me to the finish line.
Compared to my previous half-marathon, this time I was better prepared both mentally and physically. All those groups runs I did during my training period proved to be very helpful. I still hate running alone outside. I need good company, even if not running along side of me, I need someone ahead or behind me. I can handle 3-5 miles on a treadmill, more than that I get bored. I cannot run with headphones. I tried it many times only to find that I remove them pretty soon. I hate to run when it is sunny. It exhausts me. Seattle's cloudy/chilly spring morning (without rain) is my best weather choice for running. I still cannot begin to comprehend how people undergo training for and actually finish full marathons. That is beyond my realm of endurance.
The morning started off pretty well. The race start time was at 7:00 AM and I was out of the house by 6:00 AM. The commotion started when we reached the exit at 6:30 AM to see a long line of cars stuck at the ramp. There was a signal at the end of the ramp, a one lane road about a mile long with signals to get to the runner drop-off point and a good number of people like me who had planned to be there just around the same time. Some of the runners actually started to get off the car in the highway and were running towards the start line through some short-cut. Just then cops come swarming by and started yelling at people to get back in their cars or else they will have to give them a ticket. Time was ticking and we reached the exit signal at 7:15 AM. I was panicking by then. After all the preparation I would be damned if I actually started the race late and alone or if my worst nightmare comes true and I actually miss the run (most races do not let people start running after a time limit). After taking the exit, the traffic crawled all through that 1 mile distance ( which seemed like forever to me) and we reached the runner drop-off point at about 7:30 AM. The race start point was another .5 miles from the drop off point and I was already a half hour late! I got out of the car in a frenzy and scrambled to the start point while everyone else around me was calm and walking. It was as if they all knew something I didn't. It was 7:40 AM when I got to the starting point and I saw and heard some crowd. So there were people still at the start line. My corral number was 30 and when I reached there corral 27 or 28 was taking off. There are so many people running (About 17593 for Half-Marathon and 4080 for Full-Marathon in this race) that they actually divide runners into different bays based on their speed and wait for few minutes after each bay takes off so that it doesn't get insanely crowded to run. I was allocated corral 30. And it was still there! I started to breath properly then and joined the crowd. It was another 10 min's before my corral got the signal to go. After the little drama I actually started my run at 7:50 AM along with the runners in my assigned corral. The .5 mile panic run to the start line served as a good warm-up and I started off in a good pace. There was actually 39 corrals in this race. So there were people starting well after my corral left too.
While rest of the Seattle was probably cursing the cloudy, chilly Seattle weather on a weekend, I was very happy it was cloudy and chilly. It was just the perfect weather for running. There were water stations and bands playing music at every mile marker. There were unbelievable number of people on the way cheering the runners in innovative ways - banners with interesting slogans/quotes both funny and inspirational, music and interesting costumes. There were lots of cheer-leading groups from different schools too, especially before the uphills. All these kept my mind distracted and helped me take on the hills without much struggle. Also the running route had great views of Lake Washington through most of the way. We also ran through the I-90 tunnel for a little bit (it was dark and there was a band actually playing inside the tunnel and the music was blaring inside. The dim light and air inside the tunnel was suffocating that I had to increase my pace a bit to get out of there sooner) and on the I-90 bridge with Seattle downtown view. After 11 miles the course entered Seattle downtown and there I spotted my folks waiting for me and soon there was also the 12 mile marker. The last mile was the toughest and probably the slowest as my energy was draining off. But the thought that I am almost done and that I can actually do it within my target time if I don't slow down now, got me going and helped me to the finish line.
Compared to my previous half-marathon, this time I was better prepared both mentally and physically. All those groups runs I did during my training period proved to be very helpful. I still hate running alone outside. I need good company, even if not running along side of me, I need someone ahead or behind me. I can handle 3-5 miles on a treadmill, more than that I get bored. I cannot run with headphones. I tried it many times only to find that I remove them pretty soon. I hate to run when it is sunny. It exhausts me. Seattle's cloudy/chilly spring morning (without rain) is my best weather choice for running. I still cannot begin to comprehend how people undergo training for and actually finish full marathons. That is beyond my realm of endurance.
