Miles 1-6

Mile 1 - Max & Denise Davis

Max & Denise- It's not hard to think of you both at any marathon start. There was so much excitement and energy in the air. It immediately made me think of your smiling faces which prevail even in the most challenging of circumstances. (I'll never forget the fun of that awful Trinity race a few years ago! lol). You are both such wonderful friends! Thank you both for your support and friendship!
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Mile 2 - Nelson & Kelly Prater

Thank you for your support, Nelson & Kelly- I was still getting warmed up at mile 2. Surrounded by crowds of enthusiastic runners, I enjoyed the pleasure of holding my pace and taking in all the excitement.
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Mile 3 - In memory of Evelyn Bierman

‘ The happy face stickers Grandma always put on her cards - decorating Christmas cookies at her house - playing "Spank the Berrybird" - most of all her wonderful hugs and unconditional love!’ – Gail Mortensen

It's never hard to imagine Grandma's smile and her arms stretched out for a big hug. I feel comforted by that image in any circumstances. This was especially nice at mile 3 because those early miles are not the most fun for me once the initial start line excitement wears off. It takes several more miles for me to get settled in my pace. But thinking of Grandma made all the difference!

Here I am crossing the very first timing mats at the 5k checkpoint. Every time I ran over one of these mats I said hello to everyone I knew was watching for text messages of my check ins. It definitely helped me to feel a little less lonely as the miles started adding up.
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Mile 4 - Debbie Van Winkle, Steve Lucas

“As you begin Mile 4, remember what a gift to have the ability to run, and the fortune to be running in Seattle! Enjoy. This picture is at the turn onto Seward from Cloverdale, and (I think) the very beginning of your Mile 4. This is where we would be if we could be there, so I wanted you to have that image in your head!" - Debbie & RalphDebbie & Ralph- You are so creative! I absolutely loved this picture! As I ran through these neighborhoods it was hard to identify this exact corner in all the crowds and excitement- but the fact I kept trying to look for it the whole mile kept me thinking of you! You guys are the best!! Thank you!

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Mile 5 - Jeremy & Melissa Goodman

Still rolling along at mile 5! Thanks so much for your continuing support, Jeremy & Melissa! At this point I still hadn't hit any big hills- and my race plan was going along right as scheduled.
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Mile 6 - Randy, Kelly, Erin, Mark, Calley & Matt Mortensen

My ever supportive Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins! I've told you before, but I will absolutely never forget all the support you gave me at my first marathon in Arizona! It meant so much to me you would all devote half of your Sunday to chasing me all over the course to cheer me on in all that chaos. Consequently I will remember it in every marathon I run, whether you are there or not! Thank you!! I love you all!!

4 Alarm Start Line Party

After three full marathon finishes for this fundraiser, my biggest anxiety about racing is still related to one blog post that's always a possibility..."Dear Sponsors, Thanks so much for your support! I don't know how to say this, but I overslept and missed the start. Oops!"

As part of my typical preventative measure, I set two alarm clocks in my hotel room, scheduled a wake up call with the front desk, and asked my parents to call and double check I hadn't missed all those. Fortunately, all alarms went off as scheduled. By 4am I had slept fairly well (considering), and got ready to head to the start line shuttles just a block or so from the hotel.

My thoughts on the bus ride to the start line? "Holy cow this is a long way!". The reality was setting in that I'd actually be running all the way back.

Start Line Village was typical chaos of bag check, bagels, bananas, port-a-potty lines, and LOTS of runners....just over 26,000 to be exact. The weather was perfect! Cloudy and low 50s. The racing gods had been good to us.

I've gotten to know Rock n Roll races well enough that I'm in no hurry to get to my assigned start corral. I was actually in the port-a-potty line when the starting gun went off. No worries- I was assigned to start so far back in the pack that it was a full 40 minutes later that my group actually started the race. Here's a pic from the start line. See how far back the runners go? That's not the end of the line, it rounds two more corners. So don't bother trying to zoom in to find me here. :-)I heard that at one point the half marathon course was packed full- while the winners were just finishing the half, slower runners were just crossing the start line. All that wait time must get boring, right? WRONG! It's a Rock and Roll race- the party starts before the race begins.... music, dj's, balloons, photographers, beach balls....

Here's the photo from the Seattle newspaper the following day:

By the time I really crossed the start line I was feeling great and ready to RUN!!!! 26.2 miles! Let's do this!!!

Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs

Helloooooo, Seattle!

Such a great city! We were immediately overwhelmed with all the options of what to see and do. One of the best things about that night was visiting my cousin Zach and his family, who have lived in Seattle for a few years now. They treated us to a superb pasta carb load dinner and an evening of entertainment from their extremely talented kiddos. My cousins and I were very close growing up, and it was so great to spend some time with them. Over dinner we also shared some great family memories, including some of Susan (Zach's sister), so it was a great way to remember and get focused on the the purpose for which this adventure began.
And just a few highlights of other touristy adventures:

Pike's Place Market
One of my favorite places! More fresh produce, flowers, food and quirky finds than could be explored in one day.

Pike's Place is probably most famous for the fish. More specifically, the throwing of the fish. It was an uncharacteristically sunny weekend by Seattle standards, and apparently even the fish were forced to adapt."8 pound sockeye!"

The good food options at the market were overwhemling. So at the suggestion of mile sponsor, Meredith- I tried out Beecher's Famous mac and cheese. Definitely the best I've ever had!!! Thanks, Meredith!!Other touristy fun included the Seattle Center, riding the monorail, Seattle City Center, and a Duck Boat tour that showed off some of Seattle's best views from both land and water. Here are just two...

Getting There & Expo

I woke up Thursday morning just before 4am. Another long run? Nope- this was the day to fly to Seattle!! As it turned out, I didn't need to wake up quite so early. I won't mention any businesses specifically, but we'll just say that a particular airport shuttle company was not quite so 'Super' on this day. Eventually they did show up and I make it just in time to board my flight.

I met my parents in Seattle (they'd flown in from AZ), and we decided to attend to race business first and head straight to the Expo.

First order of business.... the race number! 25211

Next order of business: Shop for marathon gear!!

And lastly, more shopping and endless collecting of free samples. My favorite was the free all natural peanut butter. Unfortunately the actual samples weren't actually in jars quite this big. Once we had explored and shopped till we dropped at the expo- we set out to discover Seattle.

Final Pre-race Reflections

I'm about to take my sedating (hopefully) shot of Nyquil in preparation for my 8:30pm bedtime, and tomorrow's 4am wakeup call. Before I enter into that altered state of conciousness, I wanted to get in one final blog post.

Today was incredible! Seattle is such an amazing city. I could definitely see myself living here!! Spent the day with my parents being touristy, including Pike Market (awesome breakfast, browsing flowers and produce, witnessing fish throwing in action), an official Duck Boat tour that was lots of corny fun and showed off several other must see spots like the house from Sleepless in Seattle, and the filming points for Seattle Grace (but not Frasier, what's up with that?). A monorail ride back to Pike Market where I had the most amazing Mac n Cheese at Beechers (thanks for the tip, Meredith). Also several more food places I'd like to check out there tomorrow at some point. (So many carb options, so little time). Then to wrap up the evening I met up with one of my greatest friends and mile sponsors, Gerard for coffee and dinner. Fantastic day all in all!

The reality of running 26.2 miles up and down these Seattle hills is slowly starting to set in. This being my 4th marathon, I'm not nearly as nervous as I was for the first few- though I don't think even the most experienced marathoner ever gets completely comfortable with the distance. It's a generally accepted phenomenon in marathoning that math doesn't really work out as it usually does. 13 miles + 13 miles does not really come out to 26. It comes out to about 21 or so. Regardless of how much preparation you put in, you're just never quite sure how your body will handle those last 4-5 miles. This is where the marathon really begins. Generally it's about this point the tears will come and you get a lot of opportunity for reflection and time to really look deep inside yourself to find a way to get to the finish line. By that point your body has put in all it's capable of, so those last few miles tend to be run on just pure guts and determination. In short, those are the miles that make the finish line such a valuable experience! I'm excited to see what tomorrow will bring. Thanks to some incredible friends and supporters I have successfully prepared for this race. Now I'm very excited to see how the Seattle marathon story will go!

26.2 miles, and as always, it's not about the running. Something I have a feeling I'll need to keep reminding myself on those hills tomorrow. :-)

Thanks again to each one of you for your support and making all this possible!

LET'S DO THIS!!!

Hellooooo Seattle!!!

I arrived in Seattle this morning. Fantastic city!! Weather is beautiful. Partly cloudy skies and 50 degree temps. Every time I turn around I see another Starbucks. Hotel is right downtown in all the action. Spent some time touring the expo with my parents this morning. Race number 25211.

The biggest news of all is that thanks to an additional very generous donation from Steve Lucas- we are over the top of our fundraising goal. Thank you, thank you, thank you Steve, and to all of you for your support!! Of course there is always room for more donations right up through race day. I'll be glad to add as many names to Finish Line Sponsors as necessary. Now we just need to find 8 more fans of our FB page, and that goal will be met too. AMAZING!!!

I'll have many more details and photos to post later. Just time for a quick update now. Heading out to dinner with my cousins. Haven't seen them in a VERY long time. So great to be spending this weekend with family. What an adventure!!

Thanks so much to all of you who have been sending/posting your mile messages. I love reading them, and will re-read them several more times before race day morning.... in just ONE MORE DAY!!!!

Inspire Your Mile

Mile Sponsors---

With just 3 days to race day, the time has come to inspire your mile! Any words of wisdom, advice, encouragement to offer? Maybe just something you'd like to proclaim to the world? For one day you own a mile of Seattle real estate- so put whatever words on it you feel are appropriate. In the past we've had everything from motivational messages to sentimental, funny, or just plain odd ones that make no sense! lol. Regardless, these are the words I'll be dwelling on as I run your mile- so make them count!

Ideally, please write your comments on the Anna's Marathon50 Facebook page, although you can write them as a blog comment if you prefer. Also be sure to include your name and what mile(s) you have sponsored.

Thanks!!