Return to Seattle

View from our hotel.

5 years ago, I ran the Rock 'n Roll Seattle half marathon with a friend. This weekend, I returned for a rematch with the same friend. She ran a 45 minute PR! I paced her and was shocked to see the last few intervals all well below 10 min/mile, including one at 9:00/mile. She is fit! And I had a great day running in perfect weather in a gorgeous city celebrating her impressive improved fitness.  We agreed to return in another 5 years!

The week's total distance workouts were 28.1 miles.  I tapered a bit and focused on quality, doing 19% sub 10 min/mile, plus an unexpectedly insane 75 minute hot yoga workout on Thursday, followed by a Friday off to fly, the race on Saturday, and a Sunday full of easy walking to brunch.

I feel great.  Such a fun way to spend a weekend. 

Also, I love how Seattle always seduces me with its perfect weather (except for the winter months when I lived there with E in 2011).


This weekend, the weather was beyond perfect.  Highs of 70 on race day and 75 the other days.  Clear skies.  The mountain was out:

Mt. Ranier, From The Plane

For today's brunch, CC took me to West Seattle.  Did you know there was a beach in Seattle with volleyball and partying like a Californian coastal extravaganza?

 Yeah.  Me neither.

But there is.  And when the weather is nice you can view the space needle from afar, by the beach.

The Seattle Rock 'n Roll is a great race.  A bit crowded (my garmin claimed we finished in 13.5 and I believe it due to the dodging and turns), but the weather is great, the course is picturesque and the people are wonderful.  If I had to do it one more time, my only modification would be to show up to the start later.  They allocate 1-2 minutes per corral and we were in corral 20 or so.  There was no need for us to be there 30 minutes before the start.  Showing up at the start would have been more than fine.