Seattle Marathon

The Results:
I broke 5:45! A PR with 5:41:44. That was official time, not chip time - apparently it didn't get my chip at the end. A big thanks to Jenny for helping me reach a PR. We kept moving the entire time - when one of us took a restroom break, the other kept walking. It was great - Jenny is cheerful and chatty through out and once again kept me entertained.

The Race:
I felt good through this race - right up till about mile 24. I didn't hurt as much as at UWR, I didn't get as tired as that one either. I probably had the most energy at Portland - but that was the first of three in two months, and also took me the longest to do.

The Course:
I really liked this course. Yes, there were a lot of hills in the last eight miles, but the course is beautiful and challenging. I really like the arboretum - absolutely gorgeous. It was also fun to run out on the I90 floating bridge and back. If I could pick the weather, I'd run it again. Which leads to...

The Weather:
I woke up to calm. Within five minutes though, slushy freezing rain was hitting the skylight, followed by snow. We met at the Y, where we picked up Jenny and Rob. We formed a caravan with Riley and Heather in one car (Riley had to leave after he saw Eric come in to get back home and go to work), George and Emily and Emily's parents, and Jane and Ray. We left the Y and drove in nasty freezing rain or snow all the way in. This slowed us down considerably, causing George, Riley and Ray to leap out of the cars and run to their start. The rest of us slowly made our way over to the Center House to use indoor plumbing and stay warm. We left that nice spot and went back into the pouring rain to the start. Once there, we discovered that the bag check was far away, and we only had minutes to the start. We loaded poor Heather down like a sherpa and sent her to the bag check and we all joined the crowd (Eric, Rob, Jane, Jenny and me). It rained the first two hours, then let up through Seward park (probably another hour), then started again. We were squishy wet when we came in. My new jacket and the tights I bought at the Expo worked very well and kept me warm right up till we hit that wind. Even then the jacket was good. The worst was after we left the last aid station and turned the corner into a giant wind tunnel. Oh, that was cold! Walking from the finish to the support area, and then from there back to Center house, we were in snow again.

The Support:
First we had the wonderful George (yes, the same George who helped us out in Portland) at mile eight to cheer us on and offer us snacks. Then we passed him again at 18, this time joined by the equally wonderful Wendy (also the same Portland supporter). We handed off our handheld water bottles there. Then, the last aid station on the course, also known as The Very Best Aid Station on the course was manned by the Coast Guard, led by the fearless Amy of the Y Run Club (also a Lt. Commander in the Coast Guard) and manned by other Y runners: Margaret, George (one and the same), Wendy (also the same), and Rick. I know Emily and her parents had the early shift there too. They were awesome and so much fun to see with only .6 of a mile to go.

The Heart:
Although I didn't want to admit it to Jenny, since we were on track for a PR, I started feeling the first signs of my heart issues at about mile 24. This is the first time I experienced this in a marathon. I could feel it getting a little hard to breath (just a little) and I could feel the pain starting in my back. I had trouble keeping my hr below 160 on this course - my average was 157, and my high was 169. When it did go over 160 I had very good luck bringing back down by using Pilates breathing. (It's a mad skill I've developed). I know the symptoms very well and was monitoring it closely - had they kept progressing, I would have walked. I don't know if I had trouble because I was cold and wet, because the hills at the beginning came too soon (which has proved a problem in the past) or because I am tired after three races. Regardless, I finished well, and am feeling fine now. I'll have to go very easy for the next couple of weeks though.

The Plan:
The Last Chance Marathon on December 31 is my next one. I'll run it easy and shoot for that 6 hour mark. See my new race schedule on the right for the rest of the plan (I've registered for Eugene so far).

Finally:
Eric pulled in at 3:28:07. Nice job honey!