What we remember - Rock n Roll Seattle Half Marathon 2015

When you have a busy race schedule where you travel two, three or even four times a month, things tend to blur together. It’s hard to remember where you had that great meal, or saw that really cool sign on the course. Unless I’m tracking my performance for a key race, I don’t even remember the finish times for races.

Rock n Roll Seattle has been a weird race for our little Rock n Roll Gypsy group. It's usually a rest race after a fast RNR San Diego course and maybe that's a good thing since we seem to have recover from various ailments. Last year, Jim had a calf strain and 6 of us walked together the entire race. Jim now has a commemorative portapotty at the left turn at the end of I-90 at mile 10.2. Two years ago, Ron had sharp pains just after the Blue Mile (now dubbed “Hernia Hill”). When we landed in Seattle, Kamika was reporting foot pain that he ended up muscling through. It was looking like we’d actually come away unscathed.

Let's ignore the fact that we rebooked our flight to come in a day earlier and didn't remember to add a hotel room. Oh well. At least we didn't wait for the last minute only to realize we never registered for the race until after it was sold out (*cough2011cough*). Brain farts are an ailment too.

We were planning to head to Alaska right after the race so we brought some company. Marvin the Moose wanted to go back to his birthplace, so he came along for the ride.

Our chauffeur meets us at the gate. Luckily Marvin packed light.

Since we were staying close to the airport Thursday night, we hit Duke's Chowder House for the chowder sampler and dinner. Reviews were good and we were 1 for 1 on halibut days.

Our waitress was pretty amusing since we were more there for snacking rather than a full dinner. We made our way through a couple appetizers and she told us to stack our menus when we were ready to order dinner.  She clearly had no idea who she was serving.

Tent top courtesy of Al

Friday June 12th. 
If you're traveling to the race and staying downtown, be sure to take advantage of the Link light rail. For just $2.25 each way you can get to the expo at Chinatown station or continue a few more stops to Westlake station close to Pikes Market or the Monorail to the Space Needle. From the Needle, we had a two block walk to our hotel.

The monorail has a rather famous Bunny that was left behind a few years back. Last year an Otter joined the Bunny to travel the northwest. Marvin definitely stuck close so he wouldn't be left behind.

After a quick bag drop at the hotel, we took advantage of the Pronto bike share system. One-day passes are $8 and a 3-day pass is only $16. You can (and really should) rent a helmet for a couple bucks and keep it for the duration of your pass. Seattle has a great system of bike lanes so travel down to the expo at Century Link field was a breeze.

Ron, Susan, Gary, Ainsley, Joe, Amy and Al. A sub-group of the 2015 Hall of Fame Banner

Marvin finds out how crazy his parents are and meets some of our CGI friends. We wish Shayne (lower left) the best of luck as the new Digital Marketing Manager at the DZAP Group.

Saturday, June 13th.
Ever notice that the people who are usually closest to the starting line are the last ones to get there? That was us this time. We walked up to corral 10 just as the Gypsies were getting a group picture. We had to pull Susan away from her stretching routine to get in front of the MarathonFoto photographer.

Remember when I said that someday the group selfie to not be big enough to include us all? Well, we may be getting there!

Photobomb by Jesus

Competitor arranged a special start for the race. The Space Needle was was set up with fireworks to turn it into the world largest starter pistol.

Thanks to Al for the great timing.

We saw Kamika on the side of the corrals before the starting line. I think the expression on his face may have been a symptom of all the traveling he's been doing this year after the Triple 7 Quest and his plan to finish his 50th state for half marathons. More on that in a future blog.

We were trying to figure out a good way to take Marvin on the race, but we couldn't get him out of bed.

There was no plan this race. Susan has been working through plantar faciitis for a few months and I wanted to keep my heart rate low until the last 5K. You see some memorable things when you expand your focus.

This young lady was getting back in shape so she could qualify for boot camp. That's an 80 pound pack.

The Blue Mile was once again one of the best sights on the course.

I remember last year when we were running with Jim. Beth stopped to take a picture at this spot with the Ferris Wheel. She was going to be coming in later as she was running the full.

Shortly after that picture, Al and I stopped for a fellow Half Fanatic who had take a bad spill on one of the gaps on the surface of the Viaduct. We stood for about 15 minutes directing runners around him as the Race Guards gave him aid. Reports are that he had a cracked eye socket and a few bad cuts on his legs. He was on track for a PR, but he'll recover. 

Nearly 10 years after our first race, we run into one of the reasons we finished our first one. Coach Al from the East Bay Run Team for Team in Training has inspired thousands of our friends to finish their first and fastest races. It was great to catch up with him, even for a few minutes.

By this time, Susan caught up to us. Find iPhone is a handy feature to have for those who race at different speeds.

This was a new sign that popped up just before the 13 mile mark. Its true! Racing adds years to your life.

Our friend Ryan at the Heavy Medal booth handed us the new Headliner medal for our 9th race. We've made it a habit to let folks know when we finish because this is always our first stop. Susan and I both got stopped at airport security on the way out of town for a medal check. I was happy to explain it to them.

We're estimating about 30 people have this medal at the halfway point of 2015. There's probably another 30 who have the 8-track and are on their way to the huge 15 Hall of Fame Heavy Medal.

This photo op is becoming a post-race tradition as we run into people who are racking up the race count. Congrats to Leny and her daughter. Leny (third from the left) is a multiple-time cancer survivor and is a true example of living life to the fullest.

Gary usually races on the west coast and Kamika has been busy this year doing 7 half marathons on continents in 7 days. While they're "only" getting their Roadie 5-race medal, it made for some good Heavy Medal math. 5 + 5 = 10. Sherry earned her 10-race Gold Record at Seattle.

Beth was one of the only ones of our group who ran the full. This was the first full after her surgery just a few months back. She's still not back to full speed, but she said she drew on a lot of help from the memories we've shared as a group to get her through (even smiling as she passed Jim's porta-potty). Jim caught this wonderful picture of her coming up the last 100 meters on Mercer Street. He was a little worried about leaving her when the half and full split early in the race, but he said, "she knows her body. And she's a monster."

Now THAT'S a winning smile!

What do I remember from this weekend? I don't remember my finish time because it wasn't important. I don't remember much of the course since I was chatting with Al and Susan most of the way. I remember the medal, but only because I'm in the process of clearing my office to hang the last 10 years of race swag on the wall.

What I certainly remember was laughing with some of the most amazing people I've ever met for five hours at lunch-turned-into-dinner after the race...

...and another breakfast the next day. 

Sorry about the shadows. I need to work on that.

I remember finding out that we had 10 of the top 11 Rock n Roll race totals in this blog but none of them seem to care about personal accomplishments when we're together. Knowing that we're scattered all over the country when we're not at a race, it's inevitable that we might see each other less often as life goes on and priorities change.

That's why I want to remember this while I can.

~//~

Rock n Roll Seattle was held for the 7th time since the inaugural 2009 race. This year CGI added a new 8K distance on race day to complement the half and full. There were 14,339 total finishers (11071 for the half, median finish time 2:21; 2,045 in the full - 4:33; 1,223 in the 8K - 0:58). Attendance was up by about 2,000 from 2014. 

Weather in 2015 was started in the mid-50's under clear skies. It's a little humid for us Californians, but it's a good early-summer race before things get toasty.

If you're headed to Seattle, watch for Southwest fares if you're lucky enough to be close to one of their origin airports. Flights go on sale every Tuesday and can do a bit to offset the hotel costs. With Link, bike share and Uber available, renting a car really isn't necessary.

With our sights set on maintaining at least the Gold Record medal, Seattle is on the schedule for 2016. 

A Record Weekend - Rock n Roll San Diego 5K and Half Marathon 2015

We've been lucky to see some amazing things. Sometimes, it's just that we happen to be in the right place at the right time. I like to think that some of it is because we continue to have passion for racing, keeping ourselves healthy and being fortunate enough to have the means to travel to the events. Working hard breeds its own luck.

We always look forward to the Suja Rock n Roll San Diego weekend. It's a quick flight to a beautiful city during our peak training period of the year. This year, they added a 5K on Saturday to the half and full marathons on Sunday. The Remix bonus medal is a nice perk and I'm sure the city appreciated the tourists coming in a day early. San Diego is also the headquarters for Competitor Group Inc., and in its 18th year, it's the oldest race on the Rock n Roll circuit. It's also where either Susan or I set a personal best in each of the last three years.

Susan and two of the legacy runners for Rock n Roll San Diego. An amazing run of 18 years!

We made a point of getting there for the pre-race press conference. Team in Training participant Harriet Thompson would be running for a world record as the oldest woman to complete a marathon at 92. She started running when she was 76. Never believe people when they say it's too late to start! I would have liked to have seen her at the Inspiration Dinner where John Bingham hosted his final function with Team in Training.

Harriet and Meb share the stage with the Mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer.

We cut our usual visit to the expo short so we could stay off our feet. We didn't want a repeat of the dead legs in Portland a few weeks ago. We had enough time to catch our favorite CGI staff.  Grace (Far left) will be representing the USA in Senior Dragon Boat racing in August against Team Canada.

In retrospect, I should have waited until Darlene put the sports bra back

We congratulated Amy on her graduation from business school. Ryan has been on the road for the last four weekends, something we can relate to. Al had to head back to work so Susan and I found a light dinner near the hotel.

Race day #1. 5K at Balboa Park
The inaugural RNR San Diego 5K drew about 3000 participants. We had a chance to catch up with Ann Wessling who had been reliving her father's book about working on the railroads in the mountain states. She, her dad and husband were driving the route while she read the book aloud. With her voice, I think that would make an amazing documentary. Kevin showed up to cheer us on.

We also found Sherry, Don and Andrew at the start. Gypsy beacon activated!

The course was a great shake out and prepped us for some of the rolling hills we'd see on the half on Sunday. I actually went to bed the night before thinking that this might be the year where neither of us set a new PR given the so-so performances at Crown Point and Portland. But something about the Remix combo really gets me revved up to push the shorter distance. With Al and Andrew dragging me up the last 400 yards, I ended up trimming 30 seconds off my previous 5K best. Probably the best part about the race for me was that Al didn't get to the start line at the gun because he was holding a Deco bike parking space for Caryn. He had to throw down a few 8 minute miles to catch up to me.

Finish line appearance by Dave Mari. He lost his voice cheering while running with Deena and Meb.

Susan and I had to get back to the hotel to be presentable for brunch. We had been to San Diego 6 times but never got the chance to visit my cousins and goddaughter. Thank you guys, for making the trip south!

Our extended family has only a few blondes. Darcy and Susan really stand out in most family pictures. 

I took a quick trip to the expo to exchange Susan's 5K shirt (ran a little small) and Susan took a short nap. I was able to catch up to my friend Kassi. We met on a flight to Rock n Roll Seattle a few years back and this was her first race in a year or so. Her parents came down to cheer her on.

We met up with Caryn at Tratorria Fantastica at the bottom of the Little Italy sign. Given the visitors for race day, we'll likely head elsewhere next year. Parking and traffic are a bear. Al was about an hour late dealing with tech support issues. Fortunately we had enough time to chat. 

Al pointed out something I hadn't processed before. I was using way too much of my calf muscles when my form breaks down which explained a lot about late race calf cramps. I gave that some thought since that's the 'hike' style of race walking that I fall back on when I get tired. I know he's been pushing me to strengthen my glutes this year and it all started falling into place. Back to the hotel for an early bed time and a 3:30 AM wake up call to catch the shuttle to the start. 

We figured it was better to walk a little less than a mile to the shuttle on level ground to Petco Park than two miles up a hill to the start. Uber was unavailable and bikes just didn't seem like a good idea in the dark. The line moved pretty quickly though. I sat behind a group of firemen who were doing the full marathon in full turnouts. They were raising money for one of the company's sons who was diagnosed with leukemia.

Just like last year, we spent about an hour just resting in Caryn's car staying cozy warm. We got out enough to stretch, warm up and check gear bags. We didn't get out in time to catch Joe, Kevin, David and Tricia in the VIP area. Al did a quick run to the far side of the starting line where we usually find Kamika. He'd flown in late the night before from Boise where he crossed off the 42nd state for his half marathon quest.

This is where race brain just took over. I'd done this race three times already so I knew the turns pretty well. Except for 2014 when my back was tweaked after Mustang, I'd logged a PR every year. About 2 miles in, I started rotating muscle groups, 'going light' using more hamstring and glutes to save my calf muscles.

Damn. It worked. I started knocking mile times at PR pace without spiking my heart rate at all. I stuck to the plan to hold that pace and relax on the few sharp uphills in miles 7 - 9. Kassi passed me near the end of mile 10 on her way to a solid race and we gave each other some much needed encouragement to finish. Once I hit the last 2 miles, I'd take advantage of the downhills and see what I had left. 

Turns out, it was quite a bit. My last 5K of the half was even faster than my 5K PR the day before. Even my Garmin data gave me an indication that I had even more left. I usually peg the Training Effect at 5.0 but finished with a medium-high exertion reading of 3.8. I passed Ann at the finish line, gave her a high five, pointed at the clock and yelled out "PR by two minutes!"  Turns out it was a little less than that, but I'm not one to complain. I've got more work to do.

As I crossed through the finish area, I saw Laurie from CGI, who was one of the leads for this event. She said several of her friends came by with PR performances.  Meb won his first Master's title at 1:02:29, just two seconds behind the overall winner. Harriet Thompson became the oldest woman  to finish a marathon at 92 years and 93 days old. She finished in 7 hours and 24 minutes.

And us? We come away with our 8th Rock n Roll and a seriously heavy 8-Track Heavy Medal. We're over half way to the Hall of Fame for 2015 and loving every mile.

Note to self: We need to get a picture WITH Amy and Ryan next time.

We've been lucky to see some amazing things. We plan to keep working hard to keep that luck flowing.

~//~

In its 18th year, Rock n Roll San Diego had about 21000 finishers. There were 13,702 in the half marathon, 4,307 in the marathon, 390 in the marathon relay and 2,987 finishers in the 5K. 88 Legacy Runners even have their own results page. This year we were blessed with temps in the low 60's and a cloud cover that lasted for the first 6 hours of the race. If you're looking for a fast course, this is the place to be for a half marathon. 

Joe Harris extended his lifetime Rock n Roll race total to 106. Kevin Gonzalez crushed his PR by walking a 2:16:59 in his 85th RNR, wearing Jake Zeman's bib for Team Trust. I think we have identified the top 9 lifetime RNR totals including Al, Sherry, Kamika, Ron, Susan, Juan and David DeNeire. This is the first race where in some time where all of us participated. If anyone else has over 60 RNR half and fulls, let me know. It'd be cool to take a picture with the top 10!

We'll be in Chicago this weekend for a race walk clinic with Tim Seaman. I'll be really excited to see anything I can learn to get more efficient and faster. After all, Kevin is starting to nip at my heels on age grade results and I need to stay a step ahead!

Time to change that bucket list - Rock n Roll Portland 2015

There's something to be said about setting goals. We started racing in 2005 because of a bucket list item. That was supposed to be a one-and-done. We had so much fun we set the next goal to 50 races by age 50 and we passed that years ahead of schedule. Now, ten years later, we're crossing the finish line at our 100th race at the half/full/ultra distance.

We've been to Rock n Roll Portland every one of the four years of the race and it's the oldest race where we have legacy status. It's a great location for us and logistics are well set up for a quick trip in and out from Oakland. The mid-May date puts it near the peak of our training season so it's also a pretty fast one for us.

That's in an ideal world. 

Stop number 7 on the tour. It's still cool to see the Hall of Fame banner!

We flew in early enough on Friday to hit the expo before most people showed up. The best part about doing that is not only to hit the vendors for any forgotten essentials, but also to catch up with friends and the CGI staff. First stop in merch, of course. I'm still bummed that we're now missing two luggage tags for 2015. Note to Brooks: I'd pay whatever you asked and wouldn't even look at the price tag!

With Kevin, Darlene, Joe and Jen

One of the bright spots of the weekend was hearing that Beth Deloria was ready to race again after surgery. She was still on the fence on if she would do the 10K or the half, but just seeing her face light up with anticipation was awesome. 

Toyota had a selfie-car set up. This is a rare picture where Jim has hair and Kevin is smiling.

We were on hand for a really nice moment with TeamUp captain Darren presented at running leg to Erica, a recent amputee who was running on Sunday. Local CBS affiliates were on hand to broadcast.

CGI listened to the past participants regarding the forced stops to let local traffic through. This year, the instituted the 'bus box' diversion method in several places.

We were staying with Wendy about 30 minutes from downtown Portland, so we weren't able to spend a lot of time with folks in the city this weekend. We did some shopping and by the time we were done shuttling Al and Sherry from the airport to their hotels, we had just enough time to grab dinner in Gersham before heading to bed. 

Beth decided to go for the half marathon. She said her recovery was sped along by all the good wishes and getting back to see all of us RNR Gypsies was a motivation. Hugs flowed freely.

Ron, Kevin, Blowfish Jim, Gary, Al, Beth, Joe and Susan. Ready to Rock another race.

Something about our little group seems to send out signals so we know where to find each other. We saw Kamika for the first time in months after two world business trips. He dragged his friend Trevor into racing with us.

Two years ago, Jim found a puppy friend. They were reunited with another friend as Darren took care of them pre-race.

In 2013, Jake Zeman passed away at the finish line at Rock n Roll Savannah. Joe was the most recent in a series of runners who wore Jake's race bib in his memory. The rest of us donned bibs to honor him and Team Trust, a charity set up to help his son pay for college.

Just like in Nashville, Michelle, Ted and Sherry found us at the starting line without a single text or call or email. Granted this was a smaller race and fewer ways to get to the start, but it's cool that we always seem to magnetize to each other.

Let's not discuss the fact that this is the start of the 10K, not the half (as a kind spectator pointed out to us about 3 minutes after we were supposed to start... quick quarter mile hoof north to the half start!).

The bus boxes working really well. As far as I heard, no one had to be stopped to let traffic through. Some of the elites were stopped because of a train crossing, but from what I hear about downtown Portland, that kind of this is a lot harder to control so people tend to just roll with it. Not the best of conditions if it's in the middle of a race, but I've learned to look at RNR Portland less as a half marathon, but as a 10K and a few 5K with breaks. At least I got a picture of one of my favorite signs this year.

Susan was able to catch a picture of the new Double Agent shirts for those who've qualified for both Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs. Technically, we're in that classification, but we may have let our MM dues expire. The shirts look pretty cool, so we may have to get around to renewing.

Beth ended up finishing her 'welcome back' race in the mid 2:10's. We were worried a few months ago that surgery might leave her unable to walk, much less run. She's the embodiment of her cause Get Back Up Today. Darren and the inflata-puppies greeted her with great enthusiasm.

This was our 7th Rock n Roll of the year, earning us the Stairway to Seven Heavy medal  Having done RNR Arizona, Kevin (with bacon) is still a race ahead of us on the RNR Heavy Medal count. The 8-track medal will be our next in San Diego. I'm already working out my neck muscles to carry that monster.

We saw a number of our friends picking up the 7 and 8 race medals. Four people picked up the 9 in Portland. With San Diego and Seattle left in the front half of the year, we should see quite a few of the Gold Record 10 race medals soon. Thanks to Ryan Davis (below) who sustained an injury while handling the hardware. Way to take one for the team!

Susan had gotten in an extra women's half marathon race, so our 100th race milestones weren't lined up until I did the Brazen Half over Valentine's Day this year. But every race we've done has been special. And 95 of them, we've been together.

Race #1: Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Anchorage June 2005

10: Maui Half Marathon: 2007 / Bar Harbor Full Marathon 2007

25:  Pacing the Nike Women's Full Marathon 2010 / Scottsdale Women's Half Marathon 2010

50: RNR Arizona Half 2013 / RNR St. Petersburg Half 2013

75: RNR Raleigh Half 2014 / RNR Dallas Half 2014

100: RNR Portland Half 2015. Thanks to Joe for the celebratory 100th race card!

When I crossed the line in Anchorage 10 years ago, I told myself I wasn't just finishing a race, I was finishing my FIRST race. Susan followed me on the marathoning path on a lark. Ten years, 100 races later, we're still at it and we have no plans to slow down.

Time to update that bucket list item. 200 anyone?

~//~

Rock n Roll Portland is in its 4th year. Participation is down by about 1000 overall from 2014 (7,878 total with 2,016 in the new 10K, 5,862 in the Half).  Median finish times were about average for RNR races (1:07 for the 10K and 2:17 for the half). Race day weather was in the mid 50's with a thick overcast. Rain held off for the most part, but we did get sprinkled on a bit.  Overall elevation gain for the race was 411 feet which makes it actually less hilly than 2014 (682 feet, if you believe my Garmin data). The start/finish area in Waterfront Park is really well organized and close to a lot of downtown parking and light rail. If you can't find a place to stay in downtown, public transportation is really good. Since we've been there 4 times, we didn't hit a lot of the local curiosities like VooDoo Donuts. We got our fill in Denver last year!

Next week in San Diego, most of the die hard Rock n Roll Gypsies should be in attendance. We've started looking at lifetime race totals for RNR weekends since we haven't figured out if we should be counting 5k and 10k Remix races as separate events and we're still on the fence about the Brooklyn 10K since that was the only distance offered that year. We're pretty sure we've identified 9 people with more than 60 Rock n Roll races under their belts.  All of them will be in San Diego. Maybe we can get an update when we run into each other at the starting line again.

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