Lake Sammamish Half-Marathon Race Recap (Kinda Sorta)

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Saturday morning, March 5th, my day started at 4 a.m.  (When I lived in Arizona, I was a morning person… these days, not so much.)  I hadn’t really gotten much sleep as the adrenaline and pre-race freak-out microbiomes surging through my body didn’t allow for such silly nonsense of a deep sleep.  So now I’m sleep deprived AND waking up at 4 a.m.  It took me at least 45 minutes to figure out my morning cup of tea.

Out the door at 5:45, we arrived at Redmond Town Center around 6:30, which was perfect timing… not a huge line at packet pickup yet (the expo part of it was set up at the finish line). The weather app said it was going to rain, rain, rain, but we were pleasantly surprised as there was zero rain in sight, and surprisingly, it was kind of warmish (if you think 50 is warm).  I was thankful I had layered with a short-sleeved and long-sleeved tee as opposed to two long-sleeved tees.

I’m sure no one is too interested about my choice for race gear, so I’ll just get to the pictures. Kick-off was at 7:30… this was taken about 5 minutes before.  (I started off in the back and I couldn’t see the start line or hear the gun go off).

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James and I took our pre-race selfie, then he headed to the front of the line.

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I had set my watch to pace me, which worked brilliantly if I do say so myself.  It’s shocking, but I’d never thought to do that before in the past.  So my watch started alerting me if I was going too fast or too slow, and I kept it at an even keel for the first 5 to 6 miles.  I was so pleased things were going so well.  Then I felt a pain in the center of my knee.  Kind of like my bones were grinding together?  Only not really?  This is about when we hit dirt and gravel, which I’m not accustomed to running on, so I don’t know if that made a difference or not with the knee issue. Regardless, I developed a painful knee, that got worse, and worse, and worse.  Whatever. I plowed on.

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By mile 10, I realized that I could still get a PR if I could suck it up enough to run through the pain.  Alas… I could not.  The pain was getting pretty bad and I don’t do pain in any shape or form, so I limped my way in, only to crawl across the finish line (okay, I didn’t really crawl, but you get the picture).  I finished, and that is always my “A” goal, to finish… and any goal I hit after that is just bonus.

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The weather stayed gorgeous the entire time.  Perfect running conditions, so the weather app was totally off on this.  At one time, the sun came out, and it started to get a touch hot and humid which caused me a tiny bit of concern, but there were enough clouds in the sky that I knew it wouldn’t last long.  Sure made for some great picture taking, especially as I had quite a few walk breaks in there.

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Oh, and I gotta give kudos to my favorite aid station!  These ladies were dressed as unicorns at about mile 7, the halfway point (Unicorn Power).  I was so grateful for their kindness and enthusiasm.  It was a huge pick-me-up!  Don’t know if you can see it, but the trail is now mud… long gone is the paved part, not to be seen again until about mile 11.

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This was an all-around fabulous race.  I can’t find fault with any of it.  There was an aid station every 2 to 3 miles with gels, water and Nuun.  The scenery was amazing.  Not only did we run along the lake the entire time, but holy cow, some of the lakeside houses we saw… jaw dropping!  Even the shuttle buses and the post-race festivities were fabulous.  Okay, well, I would rather have had chocolate milk than chocolate coconut water (WTF?), but they did have a yummy juice smoothie bar set up that was simply delish.  This was just a really good day, injury or no injury. Following is my Strava map so you can see where we ran… basically from Redmond to Issaquah.  Badass.

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As for my knee… I’m sore everywhere, so I’ll give it a few days and then reassess the pain level. Say adios to my streaking… it was a lovely 65 days, but it’s time to rest now as my racing is my primary goal.  Gotta tell ya though, running at least a mile every single day for those 2 months sure got me good at running a mile and I’m happy I was able to do it for that long.  As well, I recognize the knee owie as a subtle sign, telling me it’s now time to strengthen those hip flexors!!

… so endeth the run streak…

And finally… what’s it all about???  The bling, of course!!  No cardboard tennies for this girl, I got the real thing!

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Did you rock your race or run this weekend?  For those who don’t or didn’t run, what was the highlight of your weekend?

A huge shout-out to fellow bloggers Renee, Judy, and Sharon for the tweets!!  You made me smile!  Thank you!!

 

70 thoughts on “Lake Sammamish Half-Marathon Race Recap (Kinda Sorta)”

  2. Deb

    I looooove your medal. I need to do one race with an epic medal too! So sorry about your knee. Hope it gets better and you are back on the road in no time. Congratulations on the run too. The most important part is always to finish.:-)

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  4. watermark17

    Congratulations Paula!!!! You did such an amazing job and you definitely deserve that Beautiful Bling!!! It was the perfect day for that weather app to be wrong. So happy that you had sunshine and blue skies all along. I love your pictures too and those unicorn cheerleaders are pretty fabulous. I’m sorry to hear about your knee pain. It sounds painful, but I admire you for pulling through. I hope you will feel better. Maybe try an epsom salt bath? A 65 Day running streak is ABSOLUTELY Phenomenal! I think you definitely deserve a break! Outstanding job Paula!!! Time to celebrate! <3. I think my highlight of the week is that I have re-committed to being more dedicated to my computer studies. I have been pretty discouraged and falling behind lately, but I am going to stick with it. Xoxoxo.

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      1. watermark17

        I was thinking of you all day yesterday especially when I saw the sunshine! I am impressed with how effective those epsom salt baths can be for tired, achy muscles. I also like to add essential oils. Lavender-for relaxation. Peppermint -for rejuvenation. Eucalyptus -when I need to wake up my sinuses. Enjoy ❤

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  5. 50in50marathonquest

    That is a fabulous race report…of course, I was there of course but love this report, pics, and commentary…and you did amazing by carrying on when hurting so bad when many others (including myself) may well have quit. But you finished by running across the line with your head up. Super proud of you! And, yeah the run streak endeth which is sad but it’s the right thing to do and it’s the lowest priority goal of the year, besides it frees up some cycling tiem for the summer…time to heal and get ready for SLC! hugsies 🙂

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    2. neveradullbling Post author

      What a super nice comment honey, thank you!! However, I know you too well! No way would you have quit either! And you probably would’ve actually run faster, knowing you, :D! Yep, time to turn it up for SLC… I’ve got a plan now! Kissies!

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  6. lynne hoareau

    Congrats on doing so well in the race. I am so sorry you had knee trouble and hope that the recovery is quick! You are a star! I knew you could do it. 🙂 Now go and have that well deserved chocolate milk 🙂 x

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  10. Chocolaterunsjudy

    Now I wish I’d sent you tweets even later . . . I did think about it.

    So sorry for the knee pain. It sounds like runner’s knee. Maybe the mud had something to do with it? Running in mud is the worst, IMHO. I hope it gets back to normal quickly. Don’t forget to ice it!

    Love the medal and the scenery looks stunning. One of these days I do have to pick a WA half . . .

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Judy! And thanks so much for your support! Yeah, ice and role. It’s kind of popping and cracking today. Is that weird or normal? Yes, you are going to have to do a half here! I highly recommend this one or RNR Seattle (which happens in June). Don’t do the Seattle Marathon in November… OMG, you never know what the temperature is going to be, lol! 😀

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      1. Chocolaterunsjudy

        I swear just about all my joints pop and crack (including my ankle).

        Kneecap pain is usually runner’s knee, while pain around the side of the knee is usually IT issues. Of course I don’t play a dr on tv. 🙂

        It’s a big state, though, I really liked the San Juan Islands when we were there a couple of years ago.

        Since I’ve now taken over Thanksgiving for my family, the Seattle Marathon in November is unfortunately out of the question.

        The Lake Sammamish sounds beautiful, but I really would hate all the mud, and I suspect it’s probably always muddy!

        WA’s a big state, tho!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. janerunswild

    Congrats!!! Great race, looks like a lot of fun and with great aid stations/support!! Good thing to rest your legs and not continue with the streak if you’re feeling injured. Hope your knees feel better soon!

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  12. Lynz Real Cooking

    What an awesome post and a great race! Sounds like a really nice race in every way! Sorry your knee is acting up. Now what is this watch that alerts you? I am interested for my Mude. He starts track this Saturday!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Lynn!! Okay, so it’s a Garmin vivoactive. You can set alerts on it, minimum pace and maximum pace… if you fall out if this range, it vibrates and shows you the pace you’re going on the watch face, which is helpful when you have a pace goal. It’s a fabulous watch!!

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  15. Tasha

    How do you manage to streak after that kind of knee pain? I hope it’s nothing serious, you may need to get it checked out. Once again, congrats on finishing the run!! You are a total inspiration girl! Love the new bling! 😀

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  16. creativecritters77

    Congrats on finishing, especially with a knee injury! Be careful with that- I hurt my knee many years ago and it still gives me trouble occasionally.

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      1. creativecritters77

        Strength training (and glucosamine chondroitin) is what finally alleviated my knee issues. I generally do as much strength training as I do cardio- it’s so important for women, especially as we get older.

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  17. artisticsharon

    Hey Paula! I’m so glad you were able to finish and get that BLING! I hope your knee is feeling better and there’s no lingering issues.

    Looks like you had great weather and a rather challenging course – anything off-road is uber challenging to me! and I love those unicorn cheering ladies – how fun!

    I’m putting my race recap together tonight…I thought of you many times during my run, trying to figure out the time difference and if you had started yet – it kept my mind focused on something other than my own running – yay!

    A 65 day running streak is phenomenal…I’m super impressed…and breaking it to prevent further injury is just plain smart!!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Awe, thank you so much Sharon!! I thought of you on Saturday too!! I didn’t get anything posted on Instagram, did you? That got to be too fiddly smack dab in the middle of a race, lol! I can’t wait to read your race recap especially as you did such an awesome job!! And you got some awesome bling too, didn’t you!! Can’t wait!! 😀

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  18. Britt

    Sorry you had the pain! The pics are beautiful though! Great job! My weekend was pretty uneventful. One short run to test my new Garmin and Sunday I started sewing lessons.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Oh wow!! I didn’t even realize they were celebrating the 520 with a 10k! How cool! It’ll be like walking on water!! Hehe! And thank you! If you can hike that mountain, you’re not going to have any issues with a half!! 🙂

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  20. The Happy Healthy Kiwi

    Yay! Sounds like a much better time was had at this one than at Maui. Gutted to hear about your injury, but like you say its your body trying to tell you something, hopefully a few days rest will sort it out 😁

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  23. wanderwolf

    I don’t know how I missed this, but I’m glad James sent me this way!
    I’m sorry to read about your knee. 😦 And the casualty in the lost streak. But the important thing is to assess the damage and heal before moving on. If you have a foam roller, I suggest you try it! There’s a lot of stretches with the roller that helped clear up my ITBS a few years ago.
    Heal soon! And congrats on beasting that race in pain. Respect.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Awesome! Thank you Dorothea!! I know, I know… James nags me all the time about rolling… I really hate admitting when he may be right, lol! AND he was nagging about strengthening too! That means right x2! Oh the horror!! 😀

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      1. wanderwolf

        Rolling and strengthening… Two major things I learned since ITBS. 🙂 and the horror!! I’m sure there’s a few things he doesn’t like to admit that you’ve be right about too 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  24. arunadayamy

    What an absolutely beautiful race but I’m so sorry about the injury! Goodness, it’s tough getting through them. But you’re so positive! I mean, the workout videos; freaking hilarious! You are definitely a running role model. Stay strong and take it easy all at the same time!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Amy!! I’ve rested now, so I’m going to go out tomorrow and give the running a shot!! Fingers crossed!! And if anyone’s a role model, YOU are!! 34 mile trail run one day and then a casual 3 miles the next! I’m still dropping my jaw over that!! 😀

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