Amica Seattle Half Marathon Recap!

Yesterday I ran in the Amica Seattle half marathon in downtown Seattle. At the start it was 26° and I had severe reservations about running because I never ran in such cold weather before but It didn't hold me back and I ran the race anyway. 

Before the race I met up with the Seattle Green Lake Running Group in the Seattle Center Armoury for a group photo. 

You can barely see me but I am there! Far  right peeking over a head lol 

At the packet pick up on Saturday I met the 2 hour and 30 minute pacer. I joked and said I would be following him at the race and he said "No, you'll be running with me!". I laughed and brush it off but come race time I met up with him on the race line, and you know what? We ran the whole race together! We started off as a large group but it didn't take long for people to thin out. And by the end it was the two Pacers and my new friend Arjun crossed that finish line together.

This race is one of the harder races I have run in the past and is still one of the hardest run I have yet run because it is incredibly hilly and because there are so many people is actually hard to navigate during the run. So with the weather and my ill preparation for the race I felt like I was going to do terrible and maybe not even finish. But I actually did really well! If I hadn't met up with the Pacers and stayed with the group I'm not sure I would've even finished but they were such encouraging people there's no way I could've let them down and stopped, it was wonderful.

I ended up running the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes which is awesome! My PR is 2:18 and that was a completely flat course, so with the weather and the hills I think 2:28 is really really good for me. I'm proud of that number for sure. 

This year there were a couple more obstacles then there usually are dear Grace for instance the cold weather but thankfully it was sunny and no wind and the fact that the water stations completely froze over. People always spill the water and the water gets everywhere so there was about a 10 foot circle around the water stations that was just ice and it was literally like an ice rink and people were slipping and falling all over the place. 

It was extremely difficult to see someone fall knowing that if it had been me to fall I probably would not be able to get back up but they did I saw probably 10 people fall and they all got back up.

At the finish line I was met by Anthony and he helped me get through the recovery center and get me out of there. It was just too crowded and I don't blame it it people, it's a great recovery center with tons of food and even massages.

Stretching after the race, so important!

Overall it was a great race and a great experience. I've never been able to run a half with the same people I started with and finished with it was great. Definitely have to find a running partner LOL! 

I can't wait to run this again next year with Anthony! Such a great race, breathe taking views of the mountains and lakes. With beautiful views of Bellevue and Seattle during the run. Wish I could've taken some photos but I was a bit busy. 

Thank you for reading!

Keep on Running!