After a night of restless sleep with a squirmy snoring baby right next to me, marathon morning came very early.  We all tiptoed around in the dark until the last possible moment, and woke Cullen up just before we headed out to the race.

We wished Casey good luck and dropped him at the starting line, and then headed out to our first cheer spot along the course.  Having spectated many races in the past, it is always my goal to make it to as many spots as possible to give support. 

Sarah, Cullen, and I drove to mile 4 for some early cheering.  We saw the runners come through and Casey looked happy and strong.  Our original plan was to stay in the same spot and watch them run past again (it was an out an back) at mile 11, but I was afraid my car was going to get trapped by the wall of runners. 

We headed back toward the center of the course in a cute little neighborhood.  This was a smaller race than I’m used to (about 800 full marathon runners), and I was amazed at how empty the streets were at 7am. 

Like, seriously empty.  Not a car or person in sight!

We did manage to find an open coffee shop for some much needed refreshments.  Coffee and chocolate chunk cookies.  Yum.

While we waited I looked over the map and came up with our spectating strategy.  Cullen was a total champ being carted around in the car seat and stroller all morning when he would usually be napping!

We finally saw Casey again right before mile 15.  It had warmed up quite a bit, but he still looked like he was going strong and seemed like he was on pace. 

As he came around the corner he ran straight toward us and gave Cullen a big kiss.  I melted. 

And we watched him head back off!

We headed to our next spot just a few blocks over – and about 2 miles later on the race course.  I tried to make sure to keep Cullen in the stroller while we waited (and out of the hot sun), and pull him out just before Casey passed so he could help us wave and cheer for him. 

Mile 16 and looking good!

Waving as he passed…

Our next cheer spot was a bit trickier.  We drove down to the bottom turn-a-round on the course at mile 21.5.  I knew Casey would need extra cheering and motivation during those tough last miles.  We got to the spot early and sat in the car while Cullen napped. 

Since we’d been to a few other spots, we recognized a few runners just in front of Casey, so we knew when to expect him to be coming through.  I had just crawled into the backseat to feed Cullen when we saw the familiar faces signaling that Casey would be coming soon. 

My options were to miss Casey going by, squirt milk everywhere, or jump out of the car with a baby attached to my boob.  I’ve pretty much lost all modesty these past seven months, so I went with option number three.  A quick toss of a blanket over my shoulder, and I was in the middle of the road yelling, cheering, and breastfeeding.  Why not?

Casey nodded his head that he wasn’t feeling it anymore, which just made me cheer louder.  I hadn’t seen a pace group at all yet, so I had no idea what sort of pace he was running.  As he came toward us, I finally saw the 3:20 pace group just behind him.  I yelled out to him that they were there and told him to stay in front of them!

Cullen finished up his lunch, and we jumped back in the car to meet him a few miles later.  At mile 23, I gave him some shot blocks and reminded him that you are supposed to feel like complete crap at the end of a marathon.  Just keep running!  I felt bad for him.  It was probably only 70 degrees outside, but the course was in full, hot sun and all the runners were drenched and sunburned. 

I can’t say enough good things about the Vancouver USA Marathon.  Casey and I both agreed – as both a runner and a spectator – it was a fabulous race.  We headed over to the finish and got there just in time to see him heading down the final stretch!

A 3:28 finish and 49th place overall.  A Happy Father’s Day indeed. 

We were so proud of him!

We’ve been running and racing for years now, but working out how to train and race as new parents sometimes feels like figuring out a totally new sport.  Whether it is pushing a stroller up a huge hill, running on a treadmill at 5am, or breastfeeding on the sidelines of a race course – day by day we’re figuring out how to combine our love of running with our roles as parents.  Casey ran every single one of his weekday training runs on a treadmill during his lunch break.  I’m so proud of him for sticking with it and running a great race. 

Never say never, but we’re both thinking about focusing on shorter, faster distances for a while, and leaving the distance running until we get a little more established with this whole parenting thing.  (That’s after the half marathon I’m running on Saturday. Gulp.)  I’d love to see how it feels to actually train for speed!

When I was pregnant we often talked about how we wanted our kids to grow up cheering for us at races on weekend mornings.  It has been so fun to watch that dream come to life.  I hope we can be healthy, active role models for Cullen!

Casey’s 8th marathon is in the books.  If it hadn’t been such a last minute race, I would have made some sort of awesome onesie for Cullen to wear as we cheered.  Luckily I had another gift waiting back at home. 

There is no better joy than watching your husband become a dad, and I felt really proud to cheer for him on Sunday morning.  Congrats, Casey!

Another weekend, another race.  I’ve been signing up for races that fit well into my half-marathon training, and I am loving the feeling of being back into my running shoes and the racing environment.

This weekend we were back at one of my favorite Seattle spots – Gasworks Park – for the Seattle’s Best 15k!

This race started earlier than most here do.  We were up at 4:45 and out the door by 5:30am to make it to the park in time for packet pickup.  Since it was a smaller race, they did packet pickup the morning of the race.  Nice to not make two trips, but it made our morning extra early!  Getting out the door for races is more complicated now that we’ve got Cullen along for the ride.  Lucky us (not really) he likes to wake up at 5am every day, so this was nothing new for him.

I got my number and got ready to run!  After a bad half-marathon, followed by a great 5k, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Most of my weekday running and training recently has been shorter stroller runs.  Basically I do a lot of 3-4 mile runs at my max stroller pace, and then I hope and pray that those will give me enough fitness for longer solo runs on the weekends.  My longest distance running with no breaks prior to the race was 7 miles, so my goal for the 15k was simply to finish without walking. 

It was a small race – about 350 people – and I had two other friends running which made it extra fun.  I headed to the car to feed Cullen about 30 minutes before the race started, and then right at 7am – we were off!

Unlike the past few races I’ve done recently, I decided to run with my headphones this time.  I don’t have an iPod so I just listened to the Beyoncé Pandora station on my phone.  I turned it up and zoned out as the course ran through Fremont into Ballard and down one of my favorite trails.  I smiled and waved as I passed Casey and Cullen.

• Mile 1: 9:01
• Miles 2: 9:00
• Miles 3: 9:03
• Mile 4: 9:05

One of the reasons I signed up for this race was the awesome course!  It started in Gasworks Park at the top of Lake Union, and then looped all the way around the lake on trails and sidewalks that run next to the water.  I tried to just keep my pace steady around 9:00 minute miles.  I knew I was capable of running faster in those earlier miles, but I didn’t want to end up crashing toward the end.

As we looped the lake, I felt strong.  All my favorite songs were coming on at just the right time, and I was happy with how I felt at the halfway point.

• Mile 5: 9:15
• Mile 6: 9:14

As I came around the other side of Lake Union, I was surprised that the course headed into the University area a different way than I had expected.  Miles 7 and 8 suddenly turned into what felt like a roller coaster of HILLS.  While the uphills burned and slowed me down, it was honestly the downhills that I struggled with the most.  They were so steep that I found it hard to run down them, and did more of a skip to the bottom in order to keep running. 

• Mile 7: 9:25
• Mile 8 10:17

By the end of the hills I was totally wiped, and I had to really focus to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  My goal was to run the entire race, and I wasn’t going to start walking in the last mile!  I gave it what I had left, and ran back into Gasworks to see Casey and Cullen smiling and cheering for me!

• Mile 9: 9:22
• Final 0.3: 3:18

Official Results: 1:27:01 (9:20 pace)

Overall I was really happy with the race.  A small part of me wishes I’d been just a bit faster (closer to a 9:00 average), but for where I am in my training I’m really pleased to have just finished well without walking.  Looking forward to Rock N Roll Seattle, I think not walking is going to be my biggest challenge.  This race gave me a lot of confidence that with a few more weeks of good training, I’ll be ready.

I have a few more smaller races I’m thinking about signing up for in the next few weeks.  After taking such a long break from running, finding local races has been a huge boost of motivation for me to keep lacing up and pushing that beast of a stroller a few times each week. 

Doing local races has also helped Seattle really feel like home for us.  We have moved to so many new cities over the past few years, and because of that I think I feel like an eternal tourist.  But having friends both running with me and cheering for me, and racing through the neighborhoods I love, brings me a strong sense of happiness that I had been missing for a while.

It feels great to be back!