Seattle Half Marathon

What possesses people to get up in the crack of dawn, get dressed and spend the next 2-4 hrs running in the rain while the rest of the population lies dormant, enjoying the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend? The Seattle Marathon, of course.

And what in the world possesses me to get up in the crack of dawn and run for the next 2 hrs? A free t-shirt, of course.

Having run the Seattle half 3 times, I have (humbly) appointed myself a Seattle half veteran and do hereby leave behind some advice to those that follow me:

1) WEAR DEODORANT. You are running for a long time and perspiration is only natural. What is NOT natural, however, is a complete disregard for your fellow runners when you decide not to wear any deodorant. You do not want to be preceded or followed by a whiff of foul smell. You might think that with all the runners around you, nobody will know what the source of the stink is, but do not be mistaken: you will be the subject of mean anecdotes and violent derision following the event.

2) HONEYBUCKETS ARE FOR WUSSES. Novices risk making their PR by waiting in long lines for the honeybucket. Novices, watch closely: "Wh...what was that silhouette that just popped out of the bushes? Or..."What was the flash figure that just sprinted out of...(could it be?) somebody's front yard?" That, my friend, were Seattle half veterans. They understand that bushes are convenient, flexible and cleaner than honeybuckets. And besides, it's an enjoyable experience (see my previous blog about the Nike Women's Marathon)

3) People are running, but THEY CAN STILL SMELL (see #1 above), SEE, AND HEAR YOU. I witnessed something in today's marathon that was quite disturbing. A sexagenarian, in a moment of excitement, announced to his friend that he wanted to "have sex right here, right now." PEOPLE, if you're running on the I-90 bridge you are NOT confined to the safe quarters of your own home (and I suspect even in your own home you should not say such things if you're over 60); other runners can very well hear what you're saying, even if they're passing you fast.

I hope you can learn from my experiences. Another advice worth following is ACTUALLY TRAINING for the half. I did this one after not having trained for over a month. Sure I'm proud that I finished it, but am I happy with my time? NO! So now it's back to training for the next one...Vancouver, perhaps?