See Jane Run While Avoiding Thorn Bushes

This weekend was Half Marathon #8: See Jane Run in Seattle, WA. As usually, I had a great time in Seattle meeting up with friends and family. I even did a hike the day before the race. AK took me to Rattlesnake Ridge. It was just under 4 miles and when the clouds/fog cleared we got some great views. It was fun seeing all that lush greenery. And even on an overcast day this trail was crowded!



But the main attraction of the weekend was the Half. There were some great things to like about the run. The course takes you around Lake Union, you get to run across a couple of bridges, the weather and the other runners were really great and the post-race festivities were nice. Unfortunately, this race was also a bit disorganized from a runner's point of view. At packet pick-up I asked if there was a course map, and a volunteers said it was in my bag. It wasn't. There were under 10 port-a-potties for 2500 runners, most of whom were women. The line was so long. Gas Works Park, this cool park on the north side of Lake Union was the start and the finish of the race. There is limited parking and mass transit and the organizers did not arrange for a shuttle. When I asked people at the race how I could get back to downtown, it took four volunteers before I got an answer. Ultimately, another runner gave me a ride back to the hotel. She was really nice and friendly, and said getting a cab in that area would be hard and then offered me a lift back (she was going through town). The course itself was pretty but we were running on local trails which means people other than See Jane Run runners were using it. It also means (for the out and backs) it got very crowded. If that wasn't bad enough, in certain parts, the trail had these thorn bushes, some with really large stems jutting out into the path. I watched one runner narrowly avoid getting a faceful of thorns. There were also some unpleasant smells on this course -- exhaust, which you expect at any urban race, sewage or fish guts ( I don't know what it was, just that it was horrible), and coffee (which makes me want to throw-up). The chocolate and champagne weren't enough to make up for the minuses of this race. That said I ran the race in 2:17:32 according to my watch. (I forgot to pack my garmin), but my official chip time was 2:22:13 (which included one potty-break. If you're asking why, I refer you to the lack of port-a-potties at the start.)

Early Morning Run

It's supposed to get into the three-digits tempreture range today. So, it was a good thing that JW and I agreed to meet for an early morning run. It was fun. I hadn't run with JW in awhile and it's always good to catch up and exercise at the same time. But event at 6am it was rather warm outside.

My friend, ML, did his long run (16 miles) yesterday morning, starting at close to 9am. He said it was not a fun run, but I marvel that he ran at all. If I hadn't agreed to meet JW, I would have been fast asleep in my nice air-coniditoned studio all morning.

Just the Sound of My Keys

This morning, after my long, boring 12 hour work shift, I decided to go for a run. I hadn't run in awhile and, let's face it, it's cool-ish at 5:45 in the morning. But aside from donning my running gear and hat, I didn't take much else with me. No ipod, no Garmin, no plain old watch. Only my keys which jangled in my skort pocket and created an off-key beat for me. I noticed things I hadn't before. For example, my stride: how it's short and when I lengthen it I get much more power. I noticed that when the early morning light hits the Washington Monument it gets this beautiful pinky golden glow, whereas the Lincoln radiates a brown butter tone. It was fun not checking to see how fast I was going (or not going which is the case with me).

But the run also reminded me that I have to step up the training. The ING New York Marathon is less than four months away!

Running In Rock Creek

When I first started doing the Pacer's Fun Runs, the course they ran was this out-and-back in Rock Creek to Calvert Street. I decided to do that, but instead of the out-and-back, I turned it into a loop. A loop with a hill in the middle. I ended up walking most of that hill, but it was a fun loop. Rock Creek was shaded and there were plenty of people around. I got to run through Woodley Park and Adams Morgan and do mental good-byes to those areas. And it was a nice 4 mile loop. Granted, it should have been about 6 miles longer, but I wasn't carrying any water with me and while it was only in the high 70s, it was still humid and sunny.



Now in honor of the 4th, I'm baking a cake that I will decorate like a flag and take to work tonight. Yep, working tonight and at Brew at the Zoo!

Running Past 4th of July Preparations

Instead of the long run I should have done today, I did a short run down to the Washington Monument and back. Despite an early morning thunderstorm, it was humid outside, and that did not make for a pleasant run. Still as I got closer to the Mall, I could see all the gates and stages up in preperation for 4th of July day festivities. It was fun. What was not fun was dodging toursits. Oh Tourists, I shall not miss you!