Guys, I loved the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon so much! What a great race. I would definitely run this one again!
Ok, let me give you a little rundown…
The race offered 3 different distance options this year– 8k, half marathon, and marathon– so even more runners of varying abilities could participate. Love this. The race started and finished at Seattle Center, which was especially cool for an out-of-towner like me. Good morning, Space Needle!
The race started at 7:00 AM, so our group met about an hour beforehand to walk over together. We had access to the VIP tent, which was amazing because bag check was a breeze and the lines for the porta-potties were short. And there was coffee! Yay!
Before I knew it, we were lining up in our corrals and it was race time!
The first few miles of the race were kind of rough for me. You’d think with all of the excitement of race day, I would have been pumped up, but I felt horrible and cursed my not-so-great Spring training. My training consisted of three 10-milers, a few mid-distance runs (5-8 miles), and some short runs with Quinn in the jogging stroller, but it was so inconsistent. Some weeks, I’d run 2 or 3 times and, other weeks, I’d maybe run once. Life was crazy, so my training definitely took a backseat. I was worried the race would be a total disaster, but then I started to feel quite a bit better. I also came up with a gameplan, which made 13.1 miles seem a lot more manageable. I guess my head was finally in the game. I dunno what ultimately made me feel better, but here’s how I ran this race:
Miles 1-6: These were my “all day” miles. Basically, I picked a comfortable pace and trucked along. I didn’t listen to music and soaked it all in. I took a packet of GU at mile 5.
Miles 6-8: I planned to start my music at the halfway point of the race. It felt really good to jam-out with my tunes, and I picked up the pace a little. In addition to the usual Rock ‘N’ Roll bands and cheerleaders, there was a ton of a crowd support. I especially loved the long stretch of military personnel and other volunteers holding American flags. It was so inspirational to see.
How cool is this floating “RUN HAPPY” sign from Brooks?! Of course, I needed to stop and snap a pic!
Miles 8-11: These next few miles were my “do work” miles. I knew there were hills coming up, so I focused and pushed myself to get through them. I actually felt really good at this point in the race. I even blew by a ton of people and rocked some negative splits. I took another packet of GU at mile 9. Prior to this, I stopped at every water station for some sort of hydration (water or Gatorade).
Miles 11-13.1: Here’s where my feel-good attitude and negative splits came to a screeching halt. I started to lose a little steam around mile 11, but I was ready for a strong finish. I didn’t have a lot left in my tank, but enough to get me through the final mile. Well, I made it to mile 12.5, but there was a decent size hill between me and the finish line. My legs burned as I ran up it, so my paced slowed quite a bit, but I told myself as soon as I got to the top, I would sprint to the end. Um, yea, that never happened. My legs were done. So done. The final 1/2 mile of this race was easily the slowest for me. I don’t think I’ve ever had a finish like that. The photo below says it all. Haha! So much pain.
Anyway, I finished in 01:54:43 (8:45), which is technically a 13-second PR, so I’m happy with my overall performance. I celebrated with a post-race mimosa!
All in all, I really enjoyed this course. It was a great challenge with a variety of elements, and I loved how they kept my brain engaged for the entire 13.1 miles. I didn’t know what was coming next, so it made things exciting. There were all sorts of hills of various distances and inclines (and declines!), scenic views of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, and running through interstate tunnels, which is something I had never done before. It was a really cool experience!
Post-race with the Brooks Running Blog Ambassadors! I’m so proud of us!
This looks like a fun and challenging race! Gorgeous day to be runnning. You lucked out with weather!
Looks like you guys got a great, sunny day!! I am moving to Seattle next month and cannot wait for some of these views!
Have a great day!!!
I would love love to run Seattle (next year, hopefully)! It looked like an awesome race. Great job on your PR!
Congrats! Running new courses is always great because you never know what’s coming up and theres so much scenery to distract you. Congrats on the PR!
Congrats on the PR!! This race is on my bucket list for sure. I ran Rock n Roll SD two weeks ago and then in December I’ll be running the San Antonio one.
I am registered for my first Rock n Roll in NOLA next year — 10k! Hopefully I can swing the 8k in Seattle too.
Way to go and woohoo PR! I had a really rough race this past weekend, but glad to hear yours went great. I’d love to do RNR Seattle someday!
Well done!! Awesome recap loving all the pics!
Awesome recap! I’ve always wanted to do a rock and roll run and think Seattle may be the location I go with based off your post. Thanks and congrats!!
This race looks like so much fun! I love that you came up with a “game plan”. I always do things like that to help me get through to the end.
Looks like a great race! I’ve always wanted to run a RnR race and had my eye on Phoenix but now Seatle may be on my list!
Congratulations on the PR!!! Love your glasses, who made them? I always run in big glasses, I even ran in my Tory Burch glasses in my race Satureday!!!
They’re from Oakley (Overtime sunglasses).
Looks like a nice course! I love the floating run happy. Congrats on your pr!
Looks like a great race. I really enjoy the RnR races. Why do you think you clunked out during the last half? Was it fuel, sleep or pushing too hard too early? I’m always curious because sometimes I think there’s no real answer. It’s just how everything comes together.
Beautiful course. Thank you for sharing.
I think I may just need to come out and run Seattle next year – looks absolutely gorgeous!
Awesome job! Congrats on your PR! Loving those shorts.
Wowie! I wish i could say i did 13.1 miles like you do, ive only ran that distance once in my life.
Nice job!!
What a great photo snapped of you! Nice job!
Congrats on a PR! I live in Seattle and was hoping to do the race this year, but the timing didn’t work out. It was really fun to see this year’s race through your eyes though! I hope you enjoyed your trip!
You’re such a tease, making us think you didn’t do well! My last half was sort of like that – usually I rock the last mile because I’m so ready to be done, but I think it was my slowest ever in a race – because of heat & humidity tho.
I’m trying to run a half in every state. I have family near Seattle, but chances are I’ll do a smaller half there somewhere. I want one of those Brooks run happy shirts!
Wow, great finish time!! This looks like a lot of fun, I need to look at this series!
Love your Run Happy shirts 🙂
Gotta love those unexpected PR’s!! Way to rock your race. That hill at the end was torture, like just the worst! I couldn’t make my legs sprint to the finish either, they had nothing left.
Ugh, I will never forget that hill!
post race mimosas sound amazing! congratulations!
Congrats on the PR! Love the shorts you ran in – what brand are they?
They’r from Beooks!
Congrats again on your PR! The last three miles of this race are so tough. Mile 12 has about a half-mile hill and it is a struggle. But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right? I’m proud that we both have our half marathon PR on this course because it is a challenging one. Yay for your great race. xo
Sounds like a great experience and great job on the finish!! I did the Cleveland Rock N Roll 1/2. It was my second half, and absolute favorite. I loved the music at each mile and everything was well planned and thought-out. I signed up to do it again the following year and unfortunately it was canceled. I would love to do another Rock N Roll race in the future. Maybe I’ll put Seattle on my radar. Congrats again!!!!
It was my first half marathon! So amazing! I’m looking forward to my next one! Great time!! http://www.obsessedbyportia.com/rock-n-roll-half-marathon-finisher/
Congrats!!