My sister and I headed out to downtown Seattle around 4:40am in the morning from Mill Creek. We were worried about parking so we thought we should head out early. My sister did the Hot Chocolate 5K run earlier in the year and she was almost late for the run due to traffic and having to find parking. We didn't want to stress about it this time so we both agreed on leaving a lot earlier. It totally payed off. When we arrived downtown, we got there about an hour and 45 minutes early so we had prime parking choices. :) Coming from Highway 99 we found street parking fast and easy (back in parking on Aloha Street between 4th Ave N and Nob Hill Ave N), not too far from the Seattle Center. We didn't even have to pay as street parking is free on Sundays. We were real happy about that.

The Seattle Center house aka the Armory was open, so we headed there. On the way, we saw tents that provided bottled water, fruit cups, and bagels for runners. I grabbed a bottled water. Very nice that those were provided. We also passed the port o potties, but figured with the Center House open, we'd go in there to use the facilities. It was open and there were other runners hanging out. We took advantage of the short lines for the bathroom. We then decided to gear check our bags with our extra clothes for after the run. Gear check was easy to find and fast to check them in since we were there so early.

The weather was perfect for the run. I could tell that it was going to be a nice run from the start since I wasn't terribly cold with just my tank on. We ended up going back into the Armory to stay warm and kill time before the start.

The race started on time which was great! I felt really strong from the start. I was doing pretty good and had my sister in my sights for the first 4 miles or so and then she pulled away. I loved the route! It was great running on 5th Avenue and even passed by my old workplace. I loved the view we got of Mt. Rainier on the course and how we ran along Lake Washington. The most touching part of the run was the Wear Blue Run to Remember community holding the US flags on Lake Washington Boulevard. It was a great way to honor the service and sacrifice of those in the military. It was quite touching.

The hill heading up to I-90 was tough and running through the tunnel was fun. I forgot how long it was but it seemed to never end. ;) My Garmin GPS watch went out in there. The views we got on I-90 heading back into the City were awesome! I also loved running on the Alaskan Way Viaduct towards the end of the run. It reminded me of the St. Patrick Day Dash runs I ran back in the day. The last mile was pretty tough for me as I was starting to lose steam. The hills made it even harder, but I pushed through and I knew that I was closing in on two hours. I wasn't sure I was going to meet my goal, so I tried to kick up my pace at the end, even though it was extremely hard for me. That uphill to the finish was very hard! I tried as hard as I could when I saw the finish line and pulled through. :) I looked down at my Garmin after I crossed the finish and saw that I barely made it under two hours.

It's a great run and I definitely recommend it!