Today was finally the big day: race day! We woke up at 4:30 to start our day, which came a little too early! Seattle had set up the monorail system to run 3.5 hours earlier than normal, and tickets were only available to those running the race. We didn’t realize this until we got to the expo yesterday, so the only time slot left for us to take was 5:20am. But, it was super convenient (the monorail is one block from our hotel) and it was a very efficient way to get to the starting line.
Ready to head out to the monorail!
On the monorail!
The race began at the Seattle Center which is a really neat part of town. We hopped off the monorail almost directly under the Space Needle and as we perused the starting area, we also passed the Pacific Science Center, the EMP museum, Key Arena and other places used for the celebration of the arts in Seattle.
One of my favorite pics!
We had a lot of time to spend before the race, which wasn’t that big of a deal once we realized The Armory was open. We dropped our stuff off at gear check, and headed inside where it was warm AND there were bathrooms! For anyone who is a runner, you understand what a HUGE deal it is to get to pee in a real bathroom before a race!
We were in coral 29, which pushed us back about 45 minutes from the 7am start time. It started to get cold as we waited to reach the start, and just as we were getting closed, it started to drizzle a little bit. By the time the horn sounded, it was exactly how a Seattle race should be: cold, hilly and wet.
Starting line!
The course for the race was insanely beautiful. We began by running through downtown on 2nd ave which goes just to the end of the city before it drops off to the harbor. From there, we ran through the stadium district and then into SoDo. After that we looped around to Beacon Hill, which was the hardest uphill portion of the course. I was really grateful I had done some incline training when we came around the corner to this beast of a hill. Next we ran down a long stretch along Lake Washington. This part of the race was dedicated to fallen soldiers, and each step brought with it a photograph of one of the soldiers whom has died in the recent wars in the Middle East. Following these pictures, there were about 100 American Flags being held by veterans. I cried this entire stretch of the course. We then came up onto two freeways: the 519 and the 99. This portion of the course was just amazing because of the views of the city. We finally rounded out at the base of the Space Needle.
I really enjoyed the course, but it was much harder than Phoenix (even though I finished almost 10 minutes faster). I broke my sunglasses at mile 7, and my iPod died at mile 10. Then, I started to develop a blister, which is making it hard for me to be motivated to get around the city now. With that being said, though, there is no feeling like the one of crossing that finish line. It is such a sense of accomplishment, and for me, it is a testament to how much my life has changed in the last 3 years. Even though there were parts during the race where I swore I was going to die, I pushed through the pain and made it. All my training, all those early 4:30 am mornings, all those hills I climbed, all those protein shakes I drank, that all came down to the split second when my first foot crossed the finish line.
After the race, I grabbed as much food and drink as I could and headed to gear check. With all my stuff in tow, I made myself a little campout on the grass in the Seattle Center below the “C” sign to wait for Jason. When I finally saw him, I could tell he was in pain, so we just parked ourselves there on the grass for a bit and took it all in. Unlike Phoenix, Seattle actually had a good band headlining the finish area, so we got the chance to listen to the Gym Class Heroes playing in the background.
We did it!! Finishers!
Medals!
I love this man so much!!
Who is that sexy half-marathon FINISHER!? Finished in 2:34:24!
#2 is in the books! Finished in 2:18:07!
Gym Class Heroes
When we got up to leave, we realized a major problem. Neither one of us had brought any kind of money with us, and the monorail passes we had purchased were only one way. We literally had no way of getting home besides walking. And trust me, walking 20 blocks after running 13.1 miles did not sound fun. We decided to just ask if anyone would be willing to buy us monorail tickets so we could get home, and we were surprised when almost everyone in line offered to help. Seattle has some pretty stellar people, and the two women who bought our tickets for us were so nice, I wish we had some way of repaying them.
We made it back to the hotel about 1pm and settled in for a long afternoon of recovery. Jason blogged while I slept for about an hour, and then we just sort of lounged around until it was time to go to dinner.
On our way to the water taxi we stopped at the At&t store so Jason could get a new phone (his got “SeaWorlded” at the very beginning of our trip). He got a Samsung Galaxy Note, which is basically a phone and a tablet in one. It’s a pretty sweet phone, and most of the pictures form this evening are from his phone, not our camera.
When got on the 5:30 water taxi across the bay to West Seattle for dinner at the famous Salty’s of Alki. We had heard so many amazing things about Salty’s, not only in AZ, but also from the locals in Seattle. It did not disappoint. Everything about it was amazing, and we got a window table looking out over the skyline of Seattle. It was the perfect ending to the perfect honeymoon.
On the water taxi
Oysters from the Puget Sound! So yummy!
Jason's new phone take panoramic pictures!
Tomorrow, we have a full day! We have to pack (which trust me, after 15 days on the road, we have a LOT of stuff) and we are meeting up with my dear friend Brianne and her fiancé for coffee. Then we are going to the Pacific Science Center, the EMP museum and the Space Needle. After that, we are heading out of Seattle to the Museum of Flight on our way to the airport!
By this time tomorrow night, we will be home and in our beds in Phoenix dreaming about the time we took a little drive up the PCH...
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