Seattle Rock N Roll...So Close...

At 4:00 a.m. this morning I was woke up by the Alarm Tone of my phone..."The Office Theme" Rolled over and could not believe it was time...So I popped out of bed and headed to the restroom to get ready for the race. I had set out all of my stuff the night before so that I could get ready in the restroom of our Sheraton Room and not wake Vanessa or the kids...

After 2 quick trips to the Throne(this is important) I was headed out to catch the shuttle to the starting line. The good thing about the Sheraton was that it is only 2 blocks from the Shuttle...So me and my fellow runners caught school buses for the 15 minute jaunt to the Starting Line...Wanting to get to the shuttle early because I was nervous that I may miss it, or would get to the race late ended up back firing but also being a blessing in disguise. The shuttle was earily quiet...Everyone, I am assuming, focusing on the race ahead...We would have plenty of time to focus later.

The shuttle, 1 among many, arrived at the starting line at 5:00 a.m. Yep, 2 hours of waiting for the race...Do you know all the things you can do for two hours...Well let me tell you a few..

-Eat half a bagel(Was a really good thing..Yep, I forgot to pack a breakfast...DUMB)

-Eat a Banana(See above)

-Check out all of the Ugly Ladies..Of course UGLY meaning..Not so much(Don't be pissed..I already told Vanessa....70% of this race were women.)

-Watched a guy with the ugliest stride I have ever seen...

-Stretched every muscle in my bosy at least 20 times....2 Hours to kill folks..

-Visited the Porta Potties...Wait for it....6 times...Yep...6...Holy @#$% ...literally...

At 6:45 as I was finally getting into the Throne for the last time it was time to proceed to my gate...Gate #7...This was the section for us that were going to try our asses off to finish the half in under 2 hours...There she was, the pacer...With the 2 hour mark held high in the air...All I had to do was stay in front of her...Thats all...

As I turned around and looked backwards, for the first time I saw the "Swarm"...25,000 Runners...It was amazing...and I must tell you...These guys know how to do this marathon thing..If you ever get the chance to run a Rock n Roll Marathon...Do it...They are professional and very organized...

7 o'clock hit and the gates started to creep towards the starting line...1,2,3,4,5,6 and then it was 7's turn...GO!!!!

I went out like a Catholic after the 99 cent Fish Sandwich from McDonalds during Lent...Feeling great...really great...and best of all, I was in front of the Pacer...

After 2 miles I was sitting pretty...or running pretty...Passed a few bands(there is one at each mile) and was really excited about the next 2 hours ahead...

At mile 5 I was still feeling good...Then I hit, 6....6.3...and then 6.55(the half of the half) and then it happened...I heard someone in the crowd say, "There is the 2 hour pacer for the Half" WHAT!!!!! WHERE???? It cannot be....Oh, no it can..There she was, with her sign over her head...At that time we hit a downhill and like that speedy Catholic I headed down the hill as fast as I could...I needed to build a cusion, if I could do that, she would not catch me...Right? Wrong...

My legs started to ache, the feet started to hurt and I started to feel a little naucious, or dehydrated...You choose the word...I pulled off for a second and stretched really quick, and took another trip to the throne...I may have been dehydrated...but I was still peeing like a race horse...and then it happened, she passed me by....for the next mile or so, I kept her in my sites...then I started to drift backwards...DAMMIT...For the next two miles I fought the internal mindgames that happen to all athletes..Is it worth it..Why even continue...but in the back of my mind, I kept hearing my little brother cheering me on...

You see he fought these same demons a few weeks ago(at a Half Ironman no less), and beat them...Could I beat them too...Damn skippy...

So I pushed on...At mile 11 I was at somewhere near 1:45 or so...Could I pull some crazy miracle and finish the last 2.1 in less than 15 minutes...Faster than I have ever run before..I was going to try..It was a steady downhill that teased you like an Underclassman in College(not that that ever happened to me)....It showed you Qwest Field, where the finish line was...Took you right up to it ALMOST, then WHAMMO...it took you another direction completely away from it and Up a Damn Hill....

I hit the 12 mile mark at approx 1:56 or so...So now it was just a matter of trying to break a time I would set in my head and change over the last 1.1 miles...Break 2:04, no 2:05, NO 2:07....and it was that number that I finally did break...Coming down the last 500 yards or so, I finally heard, thats right heard Vanessa yelling "GO CHRIS" There was Emma cheering loudly as well...I rounded the turn to bring it home....

At this time I would like to say that the people lined up for the last 300 yards were brutal..Unless they knew you, they just stood there twiddling their thumbs and looking at us with a look that said...Uhhhhhhhhh...I was so pissed...This is the time where runnners look for that last burst of help...at least I do...but it did not come... As I crossed the finish line and brought myself to a stop, I ached...I ached in the worse way...but I was Happy...not because I did not meat my goal...but rather because I had done it at all..I could have quit when the pacer passed me by...but I didn't...1 Reason was because of my little brother..The other...I have never quit anything in my life...and I am not about to start now. Oh and the Race Medal Kicked Ass...

Hopefully you enjoyed the recap...I enjoyed running it...even in the painful parts...

I will end on this...Back in 2003 before Vanessa and I headed to Japan, I ran the 5K in Cedar Rapids...My time 45 minutes....Yep 45 minutes...15 minute miles...HOLY CRAP....Today I hit the 5K mark in 27.38 or an average of 8:54...Next weekend I am running the same race I did back in 2003...Only now I am running the 8k...For that race 45 minutes will be acceptable...but I am shooting for lower...

"We take these risks not to escape life, but to keep life from escaping us"