Chocolate Covered Running: Seafair Torchlight 8k

Beverly and I met up and made our way to catch the 3:00 ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. We had a few hours of rest after Whale of a Run 4 mile. I pulled into the wrong parking garage, losing a couple minutes, and once in the correct one, finding a spot was difficult, especially for my huge SUV. I had Beverly fold up the dollars to put in the parking meter and she ran to it while I parked. It was 2:58 p.m.! I ran to her and lo and behold, it was a new meter, not the kind you push your folded dollars into slots. Without her glasses, Bev had attempted to put the money into a coin slot. Even with this small error, we would have missed the ferry. A helpful attendant recovered the money and we spent an hour walking around the newly renovated Bremerton waterfront. It has changed so much since I was a kid! There was a wedding party at the park by the ferry and shipyard. We both agreed our husbands would NEVER want to get married next to their work.

We arrived at the Seattle waterfront at 5:20 p.m. and started the trek to the Seattle Center. This walk seemed a lot shorter in my mind. I saw a Club Northwest runner and asked if he knew where packet pickup was. He told us and said we better hurry or we'd miss it! Yikes! We already had been race walking but began jogging to the Center. I need to start looking at the race details before I leave home. I assumed we were starting the race where the Seattle Marathon started. Not at all. It was on the opposite side of the Center. Lots of spectators were lined up waiting for the parade. There were entire living rooms and kitchens set up on the sidewalks! Barbecues, tents, potlucks, etc. filled every space along the road.

We ran into the Seattle Center and finally found packet pick at 6:00. That was a nice warm up and we both were already hot. The drop bag area and porta potty was next. Bev waited in the drop bag line while I waited to use the bathroom. The Center was packed with people! There was excitement in the air as we made our way to the starting line.

A helicopter hovered overhead and the local tv station broadcasted the start. This is a big event in Seattle, followed by the Torchlight Parade. The first few miles were downhill and flat, and also along the parade route. This made the miles fly! I only felt cramped with runners for a quarter mile and then ran easily at my own pace throughout. I love running with spectators and was not disappointed in the huge crowd cheering.

And then...The Alaskan Way Viaduct. It was HOT and seemed to last forever. My pace slipped. I was fortunate to not know what was ahead.

We had some uphills in the 4th and 5th mile, nothing compared to a trail run, but these felt incredibly hard. We'd round a corner and I thought the finish line should have been there but it wasn't. I was thinking we'd be running about 4.8 miles. We finally reached the finish line with 5.11 on my Garmin. I was so happy I wore a sports bra because I was roasting! The finish line had lots of goodies including blueberries!

Bev finish a couple minutes behind me and she was pretty happy to have run her first double race day. After a short time sitting, we made our way towards the ferry. A stop at Anthony's Fish House sounded great! Bev couldn't decide what kind of fish taco she would like and the chef was so nice, he made her a free salmon taco. When does that ever happen?

Super fun day with a super duper friend! I love this race and especially when I get the early bird rate!