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| Seattle at 4:45am on Marathon Day |
I awoke at 4:45am with a fairly good night’s sleep. The marathon started at 7:00am and I was supposed to meet Ali’s team at the starting line at 6:15. The first thing I did was eat a half of a whole wheat bagel topped with turkey and cheese. I also drank a Diet Coke and about 6 ounces of water. I took my pills. I then proceeded to do something I never thought I would ever do for a marathon. I applied waterproof eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. This was over my sunscreen of course. My new friend Linda, whom had run with Ali before, told me we should wear make-up because we were going to be on TV. We left the condo at 5:55am and Mark drove me down to 5th Avenue so I didn’t have to walk too far to the starting line.
I met Ali, Linda Siino from California, Laura Caley from Lake Forest Park, and Natalie Fraser from Oklahoma, and a lady from the Living Well Network, I’m sorry to say I forgot her name, at the starting line. There was supposed to be someone else there too but there was a mix-up and she get the info to her about where to meet in time for her to run with us. We chatted and didn’t wait too long for the race to start. I ate a shot blok energy square. Linda and I used the porta-potty right before the race. Right after the moment of silence for the Boston Marathon and the National Anthem we headed towards Corral 11.
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| Linda, Laura, Ali, Jeanne, Natalie |
Miles 1- 6 The starting line and course changed again from last year and once again it is an improvement. It starts in front of the EMP and follows 5th Avenue under the monorail. Last year Alyssa and I started out way too fast because of the descent at the beginning of the race. It really affected my race. The beginning of the course follows the Seattle Marathon course so it was very familiar to me. We crossed the starting line 17 minutes after the race began. Mark surprised me by being outside his office building at Mile 1 ½. I wasn’t expecting to see him. He gave me a quick kiss and I was on my way. Laura, who is a friend of Linda’s, ran/walked with us for the first mile. She was walking the half-marathon. The first miles went by quickly but I found out that no one stopped to take any drinks. Mark surprised me again at mile 5. It was so good to see him. He also had my shot blocks with him so I was able to have two of them. This was right before what I thought was going to be the big hill of the race. The course was changed and the incline was reduced significantly. I was very surprised. I had trained for elevation by jogging up 64th/Hwy 528 in Marysville and I was more than ready for the hills on the new course. Somewhere around mile 6 was the large blow-up Rock-n-Roll Guitar Man they have previously had at the start of the race. We stopped and took some pictures.
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| Jeanne, Ali, Natalie, Linda |
Miles 6 – 12 We were now jogging on Lake Washington Blvd. There was a breeze from Lake Washington and trees provided some shade. There was a memorial to fallen serviceman along the way and before we knew it we were climbing onto the I-90 tunnel. The deafening noise of the previous years was gone because they placed the music band at the far end of the tunnel. You could have a conversation this year with your fellow runners. It was quite an improvement. After exiting the tunnel we followed the express lanes towards the stadiums. When we exited the freeway after running 2 miles on it, we were downtown again. I made a very brief potty stop. We ran a few more streets in Seattle before making our way up onto the Viaduct where we had a spectacular view of Seattle’s Great Wheel. We stopped to take pictures. This was quite a contrast to last year when Alyssa and I ran/walked the marathon. It was pouring rain and we were miserable. We didn’t stop to look at the view; we stopped at the medical tent! Alyssa got her oversize garbage bag to keep warm. It did make for some great pictures, just not as scenic.
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| I held my salute for the flag memorial of the fallen servicemen. |
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| Natalie, Ali, Linda |
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| Jeanne, Ali, Linda |
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| Seattle’s Great Wheel |
Miles 12 – 13.1 I knew the end was soon and I had plenty of energy left. When we entered the Battery Street Tunnel I was all set to run, but Ali wanted to walk, so we walked. We finally started to run at the end of the tunnel. We jogged until the Mercer Street incline about a third of a mile from the finish line, where we walked again. When we got to the top of the hill, we jogged again. I spied Mark in the crowd holding roses for me close to the finish line.
My finish line time was 3:20:12. I was disappointed. I was hoping to finish around 3 hours and secretly hoping to finish at 2:45, since lately I was averaging 12 minute miles. Oh well, this was a once in a lifetime experience, jogging with a celebrity. Next time I will jog at my own pace and hopefully will see some improvement.
After we crossed the finish line, Ali was interviewed for her TV show and the local news. Linda was also interviewed so she will be featured on Ali’s Live Big program! Yeah for her!!! Linda has a great personality and will sparkle on TV. We waited for Laura and she finished just 25 minutes behind us. She was awesome! After making our way through the finisher’s chute, I saw Mark again. He was waiting there with a dozen red roses. A special thanks to my husband for being a wonderful support person.
This was a unique experience and I’m grateful for it. I ran with a celebrity and made some new friends! Ali, Linda, Laura, and Natalie are very lovely people who were a pleasure to run/walk the streets of Seattle with.
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