Good morning from the other Washington—the state! I’m out west this weekend to run my 14th half marathon, the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, with the Brooks running crew and my fellow Brooks Run Happy Blogger Ambassadors. I’m thrilled to be here and grateful to the Brooks team for covering trip and race expenses so we could make this happen. I’m also excited to visit their brand-new headquarters. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates before I post again.
My brother lives in Tacoma now, which makes this trip extra fun. I arrived late last night and stayed with him for phase one of the weekend; I’ll meet the Brooks crew in Seattle this afternoon for phase two. After the blogger events and the race, I’ll spend Sunday with my brother and head home on Monday.
It’s been more than two years since I last raced a half marathon. I’ve run several halfs since then, but they’ve all been casual—either I was burned out, pacing friends, or focusing on full marathon training. This weekend I’m racing for time, and I’m excited to see what my spring of track workouts has done for my speed.
My current half marathon personal record is 1:43:44 (7:54 per mile) from the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in DC in April 2013. After two years focused more on distance than speed, it felt great this spring to return to structured track work and to push myself again. I reminded myself that running fast isn’t supposed to feel easy—speedwork is rewarding precisely because it’s hard.
This spring produced several near-PR efforts. At the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler I was on pace for a PR, but the course was short due to an incident. Two weeks later at the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler I gave everything I had and missed a PR by 22 seconds. Even without the official PRs, those races were encouraging—they proved I still have the speed, I just have to commit to it. Challenging yourself is a good thing.
Seattle’s course has some hills, so my coaches have me aiming for a pace range rather than a single target—between 7:30 and 8:00 per mile depending on terrain. While looking for a race pace calculator, I found a tool that generates mile splits from a goal time and adjusts for course altitude for big races. I printed the pace chart, “laminated” it with tape so it would survive sweaty hands, and tucked it into the front pocket of my hydration vest.
I entered 1:42:30 as a goal time but really any finish under my current PR will be a win. I gave myself a small cushion in case the late-race hills take a toll. On the back of the chart I wrote a short note my friend texted me this week—little reminders like that help steady the nerves.
As always, my number one goal for race day is to have fun, enjoy the scenery, and remember that I run because I love it and because I’m fortunate to be able to do it. If a PR happens along the way, that would be fantastic.
Weather looks perfect for the weekend—sunny, lows in the 50s and highs in the low 70s, and low humidity. Thank you all for the good luck wishes and for cheering me on through months of track workouts. Knowing you’re rooting for me makes training feel easier.
Here’s to a fun weekend and to running happy. Catch you next week!
Anyone else racing this weekend? I hope to see some of you out there!