It was a crisp, clear morning in Seattle when I joined nearly 5,000 other athletes Nov. 30 to run a distance I had never tried before, 13.1 miles — a half marathon.
The race started beside the Experience Music Project museum at 7:30 a.m. The more ambitious 3,000 or so marathon runners started a half-hour later.
I stood shoulder to shoulder at the starting line with the other runners shivering and stretching. Then the race began.
It was invigorating to be with so many other runners, and to be able to run down Fifth Avenue, with all the holiday lights in the trees, glancing down at the Sound at the cross streets as the sun began to rise.
The route took us up the I-90 expressway ramp, which was really cool, then through a tunnel until we came to Lake Washington. Marathon runners continued across the bridge while we turned to go down to Lake Washington Blvd.
The route was scenic and breezy, and every couple of miles there were tables of water and Poweraid, and even some energy “goo” that tasted like chocolate icing.
Turning up the hill to head up Galer Street then Madison Street was a challenge, as was the run up Interlaken Blvd. I kept my running pace and started puffing out loud: “I think I can, I think I can,” just like “The Little Engine That Could.”
I’m proud to say I didn’t stop to walk a single step of that race. I ran the whole 13.1 miles, as those around me cheered me on, including my husband Jim, and the entire (two-man) Enterprise sports department.
For the past three months I have been training for this moment. Actually, for the past year.
I joined a gym and started running on the treadmill. Three miles at first, then four. Then intervals, running for 30 seconds at a faster speed, then a minute at a slower speed, then speeding back up, burning calories and conditioning my heart and lungs.
When the summer weather dried things up, I started running outside. Three miles at first, then four, then five. Once I could run five miles without stopping or walking, my friend helped me put together a three-month training schedule for the Seattle Half Marathon.
Each week, I would run three short runs of three to four miles and once a week, one long run. For the long runs, we mapped out six-, seven- and eight-mile runs, all the way up to a 12-mile run. It really helped having a running partner to keep me going, and keep me on schedule.
The week of the race I came down with a terrible cold. I was afraid all my hard work would be in vain, because instead of running, I would be hacking up a lung.
I went to the marathon expo and talked to a nurse at one of the booths. She said depending on how I feel, I could take some decongestant and try the run. If I needed help, there would be first aid stands along the route. Luckily, the morning of the race, I took my decongestant and hit the street without looking back, or coughing once.
Crossing that finish line felt like a life-time achievement.
Pamela Brice is the editor of the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Enterprise.
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