Recap from the Big D

Pop Quiz:

Dallas was _________.
a. a nice change from Seattle's weather
b. sunny and warm
c. cold

The correct answer is C. Dallas was cold.

Who would've thought? I packed my bags Friday night based on the forecast that it will be warm and humid, with a chance of rain.

WRONG.

While I was glad to not be running in warm and humid weather, I wasn't *quite* prepared for 40 degree temps. In hindsight, I probably should've packed some old gloves and a long sleeve shirt to wear before the race. And some warm pants would've been nice too.

But despite the weather surprise, it turned out to be a great race and a fun weekend with my cousins Leann, Ryan and his wife, Lindsay.



The course was flat and fast, the scenery was good and the crowds were impressive considering the 'not-so-pleasant-to-be-standing-outside-for-hours' weather. Ryan made an excellent running partner and pushed me at a faster pace than I normally run, but it felt great (up until the last mile).

The most exhilarating part of the race was running through downtown Dallas at Mile 12, the band was playing, the fans were cheering and the announcer shouted "Go Katie! You rock! One more mile!" My legs moved faster, my eyes teared up, and I pumped my fist in glee. But....that last 1.1 mile was the LONGEST ever. I kept trudging on though because I didn't want to slow Ryan down. (we talked after the race and he felt the same way about not wanting to slow me down. talk about good silent motivation!)

And when it was all over, we both walked away with a PR of 1:47:19! (This even despite our back-of-the-pack start and a 10:00 first mile.)


To top it all off, Leann and Lindsay (who ran the full marathon) both qualified for Boston!

I'll have more pictures to post soon, but now I'm just wrapping things up and heading back to Kansas City for a good ol' family Christmas time! Let's just pray the ice doesn't interfere with our fun.

Heading to the big D

I get to enjoy a lovely evening by myself doing laundry and tucking myself into bed by 9 pm. It's a super early start for me tomorrow with a 7 am flight and since I'm confined by the bus schedules at such an early hour, my only chance to get there in time is to take the 4:15 bus. If I miss that bus.....well.....I'll be spending my weekend in chilly Seattle instead of deep in the heart of Texas.
I'm super excited for the weekend, although this will be the fastest cross country trip I've ever made. But it will be nice to spend time with my cousins and the weather looks like it won't be *too* bad:



It's my cousin Ryan's first half marathon and our plan is to run it together, so I'm really looking forward to having an entertaining run.

More details on the flip side!

rain, rain, go away

Up until this past weekend I was beginning to doubt those who say Seattle has a wet winter. November was a relatively dry month and more than once I made the comment- "I was expecting Seattle to be much more rainy".

I eat my words.

Saturday brought a few inches of snow, but Sunday's rain and warmer temps washed it all away. I guess it just decided to keep on raining. And raining. And raining...... Over 3 inches of rain have fallen since midnight creating mudslides and widespread flooding.

I guess on days like this, I'm especially thankful that I ride the bus*.



*I should probably note that I waited 30 minutes for my bus this morning, only to find out that it had flooded driving through a tunnel before my stop, I got splashed by a tidal wave from a car driving by, and my jeans still haven't thoroughly dried, and my umbrella is so wimpy I have to keep it opened up with one hand.

It's probably time I get myself a pair of rain boots.