I Was Running

I'm still catching up on all of the things I've been doing over the summer since there was a nice pit of no news from me due to editing Japan pictures. One of the things I have been keeping up with pretty regularly is running. As you may recall, I completed my first half marathon back in March at Lake Sammamish. Since then, I have run another half marathon, a 5K, two 10K trail runs, and a 7-mile free roam race.

I completed the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon on August 3rd with my friend Brian. Brian had been running a lot while working for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. We decided to run this one right after he got back. It was pretty fun to run across the Narrows bridge, but I felt like the majority of the course was at an incline. My time was slower on this race compared to the Lake Samm one, but I never stopped or walked, so I'm satisfied.

The 5K I did was easily the most fun race out of the bunch. It was at the Puyallup Fairgrounds and was called the Electric Run. It takes place at night when it's completely dark outside and is filled with tons of neon lights, black lights, and loud music. Honestly, it felt like attending a rave, except everyone is running. If this race comes to your neck of the woods, be sure to sign up. It's not timed and people are released in waves, so you can take your time if you need to.

There is a very inspiring woman at my work who is a big runner. Earlier this year, Taryn completed the White River 50 Mile Endurance Run. All of the training leading up to her races and the other professional runs she's done make my half-marathons look like a walk in the park. She trains on hiking trails every week and suggested that I sign up for some 10K trail runs. So, I did.

Here I am during the Dash Point 10K Trail Run. The first part of this run is killer because it's a solid two miles uphill. After that, it's pretty much rolling hills with a total 650 feet elevation gain. I loved this run. After the first bit, I felt really good and paced myself well. Afterwards, there was free Qdoba burrito bowls, which I enjoyed right on the beach of the park.

Taryn invited me to another 10K trail run that she planned on doing. The XTERRA Harvest 10K is the latest run I've done. It took place at St. Edward State Park on Lake Washington. This one was much more difficult that the Dash Point race and I think it's because this one had 1,060 feet of elevation gain. There were two parts of that race where it felt like I was walking up a cliff and it wiped me out. Still, I finished it. Not sure if I would do this one again.

Another run I did was introduced to me by my friend David. As a business owner in Kent, WA, he found out about the Adventure Run, which takes place at Kent Station. The idea is to collect raffle tickets by running or walking to different participating businesses around Kent Station and beyond. The further the business, the more raffle tickets you get. The map of the businesses taking part isn't revealed to you until the race begins. Then, you run to wherever you want in an hour and then run back to deposit your raffle tickets. It's highly unlikely that one can get to every store before time runs out. Seeing as how we had been running a lot, David and I ran all the way up to the K business on the map you see above. When you get back, they hold a big drawing where you can win anything from t-shirts to new running shoes. And wouldn't you know it, I was one of the few to win a pair of free new running shoes. It's a free running event that they do every month, except during the winter, so I highly suggest that anyone gets out there for this.

I'm currently in a running slump and will need to start up again soon. I signed up for the next Lake Sammamish Half Marathon, so I have that to look forward to. I'll be trying to keep up with my running.