Seattle Rock and Roll 2013 Recap

Wear Blue Runners at the Start. Source.

I am extremely late on getting this one out there. I hope I can remember all the gory details! My first race in a year - and even though I didn't run the whole thing, it was still a really great experience. I was really on the fence about doing the race at all. I literally registered a week before because I just couldn't decide. Ultimately, I just couldn't NOT do it...running with Wear Blue is always such a great experience that I knew I would regret it if I didn't join in the fun again this year. 

Keeping the injury in mind and the fact that I was decidedly not in half shape, my plan was to walk to the split at the lake - where the full marathoners go right to Seward Park and the halfers go left to run along the lake to I-90. Because of a slight change in the course this year (they removed the killer hill around mile 5 that leads to the lake and rerouted on a much more flat street), I ended up running more than my planned 5-ish miles. My official stats were that I ran to the 10k mark and walked the rest, except for the last half mile, which I ran again. Overall, only 49 minutes slower than my slowest half, which wasn't too bad considering I walked 7 miles of it. 

Official Results...not too shabby.

We started in Corral 17 again this year and it was packed! I think we had nearly 300 runners out - which was more than last year. Volunteers also turned out in higher numbers for the Wear Blue Mile so it was very cool to have such a visible presence. Just before gun time, we had circle and it was pretty big and the energy was really amazing. Hard to describe the feeling - a heady mix of joy and sorrow. It is a somber thing to honor the life of someone who lost it in service to our country - but to do it in such a life affirming way makes it a truly remarkable experience. The excitement, love and purpose was palpable. And so very humbling.

Source. 

We crossed the start line right about 7:25am or so. Ran with the crew until the split at mile 6 and then slowed my roll to a walk. It wasn't that bad walking the rest actually. I was kind of psyching myself out a bit since walking PDX was so painful, but it was not that bad at all....

Tony, Deidra, Me, Lee, Jess and Kryste

The Wear Blue Mile, like last year, did not disappoint. It was moving, uplifting, and inspiring. I still get chills when I think about it. I ran to remember Nathan and Frank - seeing their posters on the mile was throat-lump inducing for sure, especially when I noticed the note from Kryste on Frank's. That definitely brought a few tears to my eyes. 

Rachel's Husband. 

Kryste's Husband

It was pretty hot for this one - by the time I was done it was definitely in the low 70's. Which makes this Seattle girl start to melt....But blue skies and brilliant scenery made up for it. 

Ran into my friend Bob on the course....

Me, Deidra and our awesome friend Holly - who rocked her very first marathon like a boss.

My girls #meanjess and #lunchbox around Mile 19. Both ran the full carrying those 5 ft. Flags.

No recap would be complete without a stolen race photo - thanks MarathonFoto!

Just like last year, this race went off without a hitch. There was definitely an increased security presence at the finish line, but thankfully, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary going on. Everything was well organized and easy to figure out. I think I will definitely be doing this one again. And who knows, maybe by next year, I'll be ready to tackle a full marathon? We'll see!

Addendum: I just remembered something I forgot to tell you! I walked across the finish line and was immediately accosted by a producer from KIRO 7 News asking about my Wear Blue shirt. He grabbed the on-air guy and explained what the group is all about and then before I knew it, I had a microphone in my face and a camera about 2 feet away. I was hot, sweaty, red faced and out of breath. I did my best to explain what Wear Blue was all about and why we run to honor the fallen, the families and the fighting. I am pretty sure I rambled and was not very articulate....which was later evident when approximately 8 seconds of the 2 minutes I talked to him was aired. Heh. I set the DVR for all 4 half hour news segments from the 5pm news on and of the three packages on the marathon they aired, the one I was in was only aired once. So I don't think the segment turned out quite the way they'd hoped. It was about running with purpose. Also in the segment was some active duty military folks who walked/ran with their heavy rucksacks which was cool - but the bummer for me was that they didn't show my shirt well or have the name of the group on the screen. Oh well. I guess I'll have to take that 8 seconds of fame as is. 

2013 - Goals for the Year

What do I want to see in 2013? Well the biggest and most important goal is to get 'off the injured list'. But big goals are nothing without breaking it down into bite sized chunks. And in a nod to my 'too much too soon' injury, this year is all about keeping it simple and not trying to accomplish stuff my body is not ready for.

Big Goals:

• Progress in my rehab so that I am able to 'run' again. I cannot wait until I am able to run a full 3 miles without having to do walking intervals. Likewise, I can't wait to do a long run again. It's been 5 looonnnggg month since I've gone on a long run. 

• Build strength and flexibility. My PT exercises and work focus on strengthening my core, pelvic floor, hips and glutes. I do a series of exercises every day and do my run/walk 3-4 times a week. Once I 'graduate' from regular PT visits, I'll be focusing on a regimen that will include yoga, more strength training and hopefully a lot of cross training amidst all the running I hope to be doing again this year.

• Focus on building a solid base. I really neglected that last year and have a pretty awful injury to prove it. I will not make that mistake again. That means I will be extremely cautious in increasing my mileage when I am back to running full time. It also means I will be a total zealout when it comes to stretching, recovery methods and fueling my body. I will be a smart runner who doesn't take chances. I love it too much to allow this sort of injury to occur again.

• Keep the racing to a minimum - no matter how much I am tempted to do other fun races. That means that my first 6 months of the year will be focused on training for Rock and Roll in June and Ragnar in July. Past that, if all goes well, I'd like to do the full Seattle Marathon in November. If a full is too much for this year, I have no problem doing the half instead. But I am not planning on any more and think that keeping the focus on these will be better for my body.

• Not suck at blogging. This was a mirco goal last year....Not sure how well I am doing in this regard but since I now have a full year of blogging under my belt, I'd like to get better, more consistent and savvier. 

And that is it. No crazy big goals this year.....and no specific tiny goals either. Just going to be realistic, listen to my body and go with the flow. We'll see how that approach works in the coming months!

June: In Which I Run the Rock and Roll with Wear Blue

Incredible month. Almost kept up with the mileage from last month...almost. 100.9 miles.

June was busy, very busy. I started the month out by making some changes around here. Still planning to do some tweaking, but things got really busy in a hurry after my initial tinkering. I made some tweaks to my training schedule, both before and after the Rock and Roll to accommodate the Ragnar Relay. I also did my schedule for my first full marathon....getting ahead of even the all important registration part!

You know what happens around this time of year? Besides school ending and summer starting, etc, etc. Mid year check ins on the goals and progress for the year. I am doing pretty well against my 2012 goals....pretty proud of my progress actually.

I did a new route along the waterfront and took some pictures...It ended up being a lot of fun, despite feeling all touristy.

The end of the month brought a graduation and my first Rock and Roll (half) Marathon. My girl officially graduated from middle school...*sniff sniff. I am old, right? Now that my kid is going to high school? Gahhhh....

Game On!

We ran with Wear Blue and it was a most extraordinary experience. I ran in honor of Capt. John Hallett, and the soldiers from 1-17 Infantry Battalion of the 5^th Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Ft. Lewis. The Battalion and Brigade lost 41 soldiers during the yearlong deployment, and saw over 200 soldiers severely injured; twenty-three of those casualties came from 1-17.

 Wear Blue Run to Remember

It was my favorite race by far. Loved every minute of it. You can read all about the best part here and the full recap here. Can't wait to do it again next year....But I will rock the full this time.

Finally, I closed out the month on a runner's high and registered for my first FULL marathon-- Portland on October 7, 2012. Game on!

Week in Review - 3 Weeks till Ragnar

 It's been a while since I did a weekly review. I stopped doing them because my training was virtually the same every week so I felt like they were probably getting a bit boring to read. So I figured I'd pick them up again when the training shifted to something different.

I like tracking my weekly mileage and haven't stopped doing that but reflecting on what I was accomplishing wasn't really necessary since I was mostly focused on staying in half shape for my spring series. That series officially ended last week with the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon, my 5th. Felt pretty good to complete that many in 8 months.

4 weeks between RnR and Ragnar. Training for this relay is specific in that I'm doing back to back runs, to simulate the shortened recovery time between each of my legs. My body needs to adjust to running on very tired legs. So even though I really should have taken it easy this week post half, I started doing my back to back runs. I did take it easy earlier in the week though and ended the week strong.

Monday
Rest day. Took an extra day off for two full -no activity at all- rest days. My body needed it for sure.

Tuesday
Nice easy recovery run of my 3 mile loop. Left hamstring and knee still sore so I took it very easy.
3.54; 35:04;  9:55
Wednesday
There was a 5 mile tempo run on the plan today, but I was just wasn't feeling it. So I took another easy loop around the neighborhood.
3.44; 38:08: 11:04

Thursday 
Rounding out the week with another easy 3 miler. I guess I did take it relatively easy this week.
3.22; 34:27; 10:43

Friday
Rest day. Needed it. Hamstring is still tight. Knee feels better though.

Saturday
3 mile run with Wear Blue in the morning. Nice and easy. Left leg still sore.
2.96; 30:39; 10:21
Another 3 miler in the evening. The mileage on this triple got all messed up, but I ended up hitting most of it.
3.12; 31:26; 10:04

Sunday
Finished out the week with a 6 miler on very very tired legs. But that is part of the training. Running on tired legs and after a long week. I really wanted to cut today's run short but forced myself to keep at it. I am proud of myself for finishing.
6.10; 1:04:50; 10:38

Next week, I am doing a 5k at midnight on Tuesday night-- it's a run 'into the 4th'....it starts at 11:55pm. Never done a night race before and we've got tons of fun costume-y stuff to wear so it should be very fun. Rest of the week will be pretty normal and then I do a double on Saturday...this one will be a bit longer- 8 miles in the am and 3 in the pm. We'll see how it goes.

Rock and Roll Seattle - Race Recap

Reading blogs like I do, I've read a lot about Rock and Roll races. Some great stories, some not so great (Vegas, last December anyone?)....so I really didn't know what to expect. This was the 4th annual RnR in Seattle, the first with a brand new course starting and ending at Seattle Center. The first three featured a Point to Point course from Tukwila to Seattle and I've heard some crazy stories about those races, namely that trying to get to the start was tough. Having nothing to compare it to, I thought it was very well done. Extremely organized, excellent volunteers, and a super efficient operation.

Source

Yesterday found us with cool cloudy weather and threatening rain. Over 22,000 runners toed the line for the race and the rain held off until about 4 hours into the marathon, when it started dumping. Hardcore, heavy Seattle rain. It may have felt good at first for those kickass 26.2 runners, but I am sure it quickly got cold and shivery.

 Early leader in the Half. Source

Starting at the beginning, I woke up about 4am to pouring down rain and the smidges of a migraine. Boo. I was determined to make it go away- mind over matter, right? Took some excedrin and drank a cup of coffee and slowly started to feel better. It was nice to have an hour to get myself ready...forced myself to eat a bit and only drank one cup of coffee. And only a few sips of water. I didn't want to miss any of the Circle of Remembrance with the Wear Blue folks, so I was determined to make it so I wasn't spending that time in line for the port-a-potties. I was relatively successful. I went a couple times with minimal line waiting....then by the time the line got super long, I decided to just wait until mid race and find one on the course with no line. Only in a race recap is one so willing to discuss Port-a-Potties and going wee wee....but ask any racer and they'll tell you- this is a very important logistical detail!

Getting to the race was something I was sort of worried about but it turned out to be no big deal. I decided to use my locals only knowledge and skip the train in favor of the bus. Was perfect. Got me downtown in plenty of time and I even hopped another for several blocks to get closer the start. Easy peasy. And since this was such a big operation, it got some big sponsorships. Which means better perks for the participants. UPS was an excellent example. They provided the gear check services and it was SO well organized. Granted I got back there late to get my stuff and there was no line at that point.....but they had separate trucks broken down by last name so there was plenty of space for everyone and not one central spot where everyone had to wait in one or two lines to drop off or pick up. Very well done.

I found Jess and Deidra right away, we snapped a few pics and headed to the Wear Blue Corral. It was so cool to meet many people in person and to just be in the presence of all the energy there.

Once we got started, the ladies I was with just ran and talked and ran some more. Somewhere around Mile 4 or so, my friend Leah, who I used to work with, found me and we had a nice little catch up for a few minutes...then she was off to run a new PR. Woot woot! Running through my neighborhood with people who've never been through was fun. We headed down to the Lake and I was getting excited because the Wear Blue Mile was coming up....

Source

It was pretty powerful and it was so wonderful to see just as many Wear Blue volunteers as there were runners. It took an amazing amount of effort to make this presence possible and it was so full of impact. I loved every minute of it. The Flag holders, the volunteers that put out the posters of the Fallen Soldiers that we were honoring, the water station crew...everyone that made this possible--Thank You. You all showed such support and dedication and it was great to be a tiny part of it.

Heading back through the I-90 tunnel was sort of weird...It was all echoy and humid. But once we emerged from it, there was a nice breeze. This part had some killer hills though...up and down ramps from I-90 around the stadiums then up the ramp onto the Alaskan Way Viaduct. I was pretty tired by this point. This was my 4th half in 3 months....and I was definitely feeling it. My left knee was paining me but the pain mostly went away after the hills. When we were on I-90 near the stadiums, we actually saw the Marathon men's winner Ethiopian Teshome Kokebe, (who finished in 2:31:47) who had a nice little police escort as the leader of the pack. It was fun to yell for him as he literally sailed past us....

And of course, in true Seattle fashion, the last half mile or so to the finish was uphill. I was super proud of Rachel - she didn't stop to walk at all. We trudged up that hill and even put in a big kick at the top through the finish line.Tough girl.

Headed up Mercer to the finish....

When the marathoners rejoined the half, there was a nice separation between the two, which I've heard the marathoners appreciate. By the time a lot of them are finishing, the half field dwindles down to more walkers at that time so it can be frustrating for them to have to expend that extra energy to weave around walkers or slower runners. Another well thought out piece that was executed well. This separation extended all the way to finish line.

 

Source 

At the finish line, is was all fenced off and 'secure'...meaning only the runners could eat the post race food. Yay! I realize a lot of smaller races can't really do that and it's probably not very inviting, but you have to do that when there are that many racers and spectators. And a huge pet peeve of mine is when they run out stuff too early. I can't speak to what was left when by the time the majority of the marathoners finished, but it seemed well set up and that there was plenty of good recovery food to go around. Plenty of electrolytes, chocolate milk and water...fruit, carbs, bars....they pretty much had it all. I grabbed some carbs, a banana and my favorite post race treat-chocolate milk, and literally stuffed my face...I was starving!

Source

Despite missing Jess and Deidra finishing their 26.2, it was cool to stand there cheering on some folks as they finished. I saw a lot of Wear Blue runners and that was fun to cheer really loud for them. And the cop directing traffic at that intersection was pretty pissy, thus entertaining as well. It did start pouring and got super cold so I hoofed it back to get my stuff. By that point, Seattle Center was pretty much cleared out. People were huddled with their red space capes under overhangs and in doorways trying to keep dry. It was a little sad and miserable looking.

I got my stuff in a quick minute and headed over to the Centerhouse to take the monorail home. It was packed with folks mowing down on food. All the people that didn't take off when it started pouring went in there to eat. I added my dry warm layers and jumped on the monorail to get back to Westlake and was home in about half hour. Spent the rest of the day recovering and I feel much better today. Definitely need another session with the foam roller tonight though.

Overall, this was a very well done race. There were lots of people but everything was organized so well that I didn't feel crowded on the course much at all, there was plenty of post race fuel, and I had a phenomenal experience running with Wear Blue. I will most definitely do this race again next year--but for sure the full.

Source

Seattle on Dwellable

Sea of Blue

There are so many great photos of yesterday's race that I had to do another post to share some of the wonderful things I saw and experienced. Full recap to follow.

 Getting ready to start in the shadow of the Needle. Source

 Carrying the Flag along the Viaduct. Source

 CW3 Frank Buoniconti

 

 SPC Aaron Aamot

 Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Wyrick

 Mike and I in our space capes

 At the start...Source

 Along the Wear Blue Mile. Source

 Another great shot on the Viaduct. Source

 

 Remembering the Fallen. Source

Marathoners along I-90. Source

 Me and my girls - Jess and D. Let's do this!

 Mike, Erin and I

 Most of the Wear Blue runners. Source

'

 Rachel and I at the finish. Source

 Some nice hardware...Source

On the Wear Blue Mile. Source.

Running in Blue - Seattle RnR

 Wear Blue Run to Remember - on the Wear Blue Mile

 I had such an phenomenal experience running this race today. It was by far, the best race experience I've had. Ever. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and so much more. Because I wasn't running for me.

The whole Wear Blue group is such a source of inspiration. The families.....the wives, mothers, fathers, husbands, brothers and sisters are running forward, one step at a time, one day at a time. I started with my girls, Jess and D, in the Wear Blue corral. We ended up running with two other lovely ladies who were running in honor of their husbands.
 

 Jess, Kryste, and Deidra

Kryste's husband, Chief Warrant Officer Three Frank Buonconti was killed in a helicopter crash in December 2011. They have 4 kids and Kryste ran her heart out for him. 

Me and Rachel, post race. Icing up those knees!

Rachel was running for her husband Army Staff Sgt Nathan Wyrick, who was killed in Afghanistan in October 2011. It was her first half marathon and I was very honored to run along side her for (almost) every step of the way....we got separated for a mile or two around the Wear Blue Mile but found each other. I am so glad that we did. I just met Rachel in the corral and found out she was running not only her first half marathon, but her first anything. And she rocked every step of it. It was an really cool experience to be able to run with someone the whole entire time and it was my privilege to cross the finish line with her after 13.1 miles. She finished so strong and ran her heart out. Nathan would be so proud of her and I know when she gets home, their boys will be proud of her as well. 

 Hanging out getting ready to start.....

It was a very humbling, inspiring, and emotional race. The five of us girls ran as a Wear Blue posse for the first 5 miles or so. When we got down to the lake, the full and half split up so Rachel and I went left for the half and Jess, D went right for the full. We somehow lost Kryste in the sea of people and I never saw her, Jess or D again. Sniff sniff. I planned to hang out and recover a bit and then walk back to mile 25 or 26 and run the girls in when they got there. I am not entirely sure what happened but I got out there by 11:30am and watched for them but somehow I missed them! I am so so bummed. I really wanted to watch them cross the finish line for this one. I waited for about an hour and a half, even though it was pouring down rain by then and all I was wearing was my red foil space cape thing. It definitely kept my top dry-ish, but I was cold and shivering to the bone by that time. So I decided to pack it in. I grabbed by bag from the gear check truck, threw on the warm dry layers I brought with me, and took the monorail back downtown. Got home and ate an huge breakfast and took the best hot shower ever. One three hour nap later and I almost feel normal!

 Me and my awesome friend Mike....he totally rocked it today.

I will do a full race recap/review tomorrow, but overall, for the size of the race, it was very well done. It didn't feel crowded, the volunteers all rocked and it was well organized. I will definitely do it again next year...but for sure the full next time!

Big Smiles-Let's do this!

Seattle RnR -- Running in Honor of....

Capt John Hallett and the soldiers from 1-17 Infantry Battalion of the 5^th Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Ft. Lewis. The Battalion and Brigade lost 41 soldiers during the yearlong deployment, and saw over 200 soldiers severely injured; twenty-three of those casualties came from 1-17.

1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
SGT Troy Tom  -- 8/18/09
PFC Jonathan Yanney -- 8/18/09
CPT John Hallett -- 8/25/09
CPT Cory Jenkins -- 8/25/09
SFC Ronald Sawyer -- 8/25/09
SPC Dennis Wiliams -- 8/25/09
PFC Jordan Brochu -- 8/31/09
SPC Tyler Walshe -- 8/31/09
SPC Jonathan Welch -- 8/31/09
SPC Kevin Graham -- 9/26/09
SPC Michael Dahl -- 10/17/09
SPC Kyle Coumas -- 10/21/09
SGT Fernando De La Rosa --10/27/09
SFC Luis Gonzales -- 10/27/09
SGT Dale Griffin -- 10/27/09
SGT Isaac Jackson -- 10/27/09
SPC Jared Stanker -- 10/27/09
PFC Christopher Walz -- 10/27/09
SGT Patrick Williamson -- 10/27/09
SPC Aaron Aamot -- 11/05/09
SPC Gary Gooch -- 11/5/09
SGT Anthony Paci -- 3/4/10
SSG Michael Blanchette

2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
SGT Andrew McConnell -- 9/14/09
1LT David Wright -- 9/14/09
SGT Robert Gordon -- 9/16/09
PFC Alan Newton -- 10/2/09
CPT Benjamin Sklaver -- 10/2/09
PFC Brian Bates -- 10/27/09
SSG David Gutierrez -- 12/25/09
SPC Kyle Wright -- 1/13/10
SGT Carlos Gill -- 1/26/10

8th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
SPC Joseph Lewis -- 11/17/09

4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
SGT Titus Reynolds -- 9/24/09
SSG Edward Smith -- 9/24/09
SPC Joseph White -- 9/24/09
SGT Adam Ray -- 2/9/10
SPC James Miller -- 3/29/10
SPC Jason Fingar -- 5/22/10
PFC Jacob Dennis -- 7/3/10

BSTB
SSG Silao Ilimaleota

Seattle Rock and Roll - Wear Blue Mile

I might have mentioned it but....this race is a first for me--my first RnR and my first race with Wear Blue. Since this is one of their two yearly 'big' events, there will be a very large presence, both runners and volunteers. As there was last year, there will be a Wear Blue Mile. WB volunteers will be manning the water station on this stretch, as well as creating a very significant and moving memorial along the roadside. It will include flags, posters with fallen soldiers lining the side of the road and a lot of very proud WB members in Blue cheering on those of us running.

2011 Wear Blue Mile

Honoring the fallen

This is not a race that I will be running for me or for a specific time goal. This is about so much more than me. I am running this race for our fallen brothers and sisters who've made the ultimate sacrifice. I've been trying to find a good story that truly captures what this organization is all about for a while now and came across this one today. Even though I know the story of how WB was created, it still moved me to tears. In the face of a huge unimaginable loss, one mom poured her grief into running and created a very supportive and healing community for herself. And I am honored that I get to be a part of it. 

"Donning their blue shirts, the group – made up of service members, family, and community members – forms a circle and calls out the names of the fallen – not out of sorrow but out of appreciation. “It’s a way of saying, ‘You can’t run, you can’t live, but we can and we’re going to make the most of this day, in honor of your sacrifice,’” says Lisa.

And for participating service members who are still healing from the losses they sustained during deployment, this circle of remembrance is also a chance to realize that the community members standing next to them appreciates the sacrifice the American military makes, that their families make."

For this race, I think it's only appropriate that I run in honor of all the soldiers from the 1-17 Infantry Battalion of the (then) 5^th Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Ft. Lewis. The Battalion and Brigade lost 41 soldiers during the yearlong deployment, and saw over 200 soldiers severely injured; twenty-three of those casualties came from 1-17. The names of these soldiers are listed on the back of my shirt and I will be proudly running for each and every one of them. Those names will follow in their own post. 

2 more days!