Sometimes it is just about finishing
On Saturday, I completed my 3rd half-marathon of 2009 (my 6th one overall). What was special about Saturday's race was that it was the inaugural "Rock 'n Roll" series for Seattle and given Seattle's place in music history, I had a feeling it would be rowdy and fun. And it was. I have never run a race where there were more people out and about cheering us on all over the course – even on the I-90 part where spectators had to walk quite a way to cheer us on. It was cool.
But it was also warm for us Pacific Northwesterners – probably mid-60s with no clouds in sight. Yes, it makes the scenery beautiful, but it also makes it hot which is not something we are used to. On the other hand, my "new" friends from Phoenix (thanks, Ed!) thought it was awesome and 2 of them made PRs (personal records). Good for them. Seriously. They are a lot of fun and I hope that this prompts them to come back for next year's race. I actually had the opportunity to participate in the post-race tequila shot 
ceremony and I'll admit that it has to be at least 10 years, if not more, since I have done one of those.
The day started out early – think before 5am. So early that we caught the sunrise during the week that has the longest days of the year. Marc, ever the supportive roadie, agreed to drive me and 3 friends down to the start, so we wouldn't have to deal with shuttles. And his meticulous planning got us about 500 meters from the race village at the start line. He is awesome, and I know the 4 runners (me included) in the car really appreciated his efforts. Note to Jeanne, Chris and Jen – Marc takes payment in chocolate treats (but no fruit).
Chris was doing the full marathon and going to clock in a serious time, which he did – 14th OVERALL! Wow – congrats, my friend! Marc saw Jen on the course towards the end and gave her a cheer, which couldn't hurt her already awesome effort. And Jeanne clocked in a strong time too! Must have been the ride in the Jetta that got my fellow runners in a great frame of mind. J
Once Jeanne and I braved the porta-potty lines (which took over 35 minutes), we split off and I met some of my fellow runners, Patricia and Tricia, who are from Coach Lesley. Coach was actually competing on her own in the ½ marathon and she kicked some serious butt - how about 218th out of 15,610 finishers (this does not include the approximately 2500 that did not finish the ½ marathon)!?! How 'bout that? I work with Lesley on and off depending on where I am at with my training, but let me tell you how 
awesome she is. Of course, she is also a 2-time Ironman Championships qualifier so 13 miles is just a quick run for her. Way to go, Coach!
Patricia and Tricia run a little faster than me, so my plan was to try and keep up with them. For the 1st half of the race, I was either with them or they weren't too far ahead. I was trying to go for a sub-2 hour race even though I knew it would be a stretch due to some health problems I had at the beginning of the month, which really impeded my training at a critical time. I couldn't do the hill training that I did for Vancouver and Mercer Island, the two races I did earlier this year). One of my friends, Eric, got me obsessed with an awful hill near where we both live.
At the start of mile 4, there was a long and gradual uphill. By the time I got to the top (I was maintaining a good pace) at the start of mile 5, Marc was waiting patiently with my GU and G2. Unfortunately the fuel ended up being too late and I was gassed by the halfway point, which didn't bode well for the 2nd half.
Our friend, Dave, caught me and was being supportive but I told him that I was battling. He also rocked with a great time (Marc saw him too on the course!) and we got to celebrate with him later at Crush. I did a lot of walk/run combo stuff in the 2nd half. I'll admit that I thought about calling Marc (I keep my phone handy particularly at the race finish when it is impossible to find anyone), but I said that I needed to finish this out – fast or slow. It was pretty surreal to get into the I-90 express lane tunnel and hear heavy metal music 
blaring. I saw Marc again at the end of mile 12, and he got me going again even though he could tell I was gutting out the finish. I finished strong and found out that Patricia and Tricia also ran great times when we all met up for a group photo with Coach Lesley.
I found Marc and we began the long walk back to the car (Marc is not being cruel – the walk is by design to help my legs). We watched some baseball on TV and then our new friends from Phoenix pinged us to meet them at Duke's at Lake Union for tequila shots, beer, burgers and chowdas – in that order, I think. It was a lot of fun and I got to talk some NFC East with them as they are Cowgirls fans. Hehe. No, they were cool. A couple of the gals had Spicy Virgo t-shirts made, and given that I am a Virgo, I am ordering myself one. Marc and I introduced the gang to Mac 'n Jacks, etc. Fun times.
Rested some more with the ice/steam combo (thanks, Michael – it sucks, but always works), and watched the Yanks polish off the Mets before heading to the aforementioned Crush with Marc and Dave. We brought a 2001 Gary Farrell Encounter while Dave brought a 2002 (?) DeLILLE D2. Once again, Crush didn't disappoint and proved why it is one of my 2 favorite restaurants in the area (Café Juanita is the other one). Also saw my friend Jana and her fiancé, who were celebrating their engagement with some folks (good score on that one, Jana!). At that point, we were all spent by 9pm. Yeah, it was a disappointing race for me, but it was a fun day with Marc, friends (new and old), great weather, awesome food and wine, Yankees win, lots of positive messages from folks all over the place, etc.
Really in the grand scheme of it all, I have come a long way in my running. 10 minutes per mile used to be fast (in 2008) and now it is an easy pace for me. But I'd be a liar if I said that even with the health issues which impacted my training, I wasn't a bit disappointed with my time – 2 hours and 10 minutes for 13.1 miles. This puts me in the top 27% for all women who ran the ½ marathon and finished, and the top 30% for men and women who ran the ½ marathon and finished. And sometimes it is just about finishing even when you know you don't have your "A" game. I could have quit, but didn't so I'll give myself a pat on the back for that if you don't mind.