Not so much... (Birch Bay Ghost "report")

As in, 'no, Saturday was not the time.' That said, I went out with good intentions of seeing what I could do and there was some what of a payoff.

Saturday morning started off early as my wife & I woke up, got ready, and headed out the door. My wife dropped me off at a convenient meet up spot along I-5 north where moments later Eric arrived, I jumped in the car and off we went. We arrived fairly early at the start and briefly considered taking the early start time but opted not to.

(Morning on Birch Bay)

At 9am (sharp?) the race began, I spent the first 3 miles or so running with Eric while getting the Birch Bay narrative (ie: '...this is where I meet Michelle...,' '...this is where the old roller rink used to be...,' '...these mega-mansions all used to be little bungalows...,' etc.), it was fun and a good way to see an area I hadn't been before. Some where right around mile 3 we were joined by Dave, Dave had heard of the race the day prior and drove down from Canada along with his brother (who ran the 15.1 mile "half"), this was to be his 5th marathon. Eventually Dave and I broke off from Eric and ran the majority of the remainder of the race together despite his obvious ability to out run me at the drop of a hat (I beleive he said his PR was something like a 3:12). We cruised along at a pretty decent pace all while having a chance to take in a very clear morning. Due to some beautifully clear skies I was able to look across to Point Roberts, the Peace Arch, and White Rock, British Columbia, not to mention the surrounding mountains.

(the mountains begin to peak out)

Though I didn't feel that I was running out of my comfort zone (though perhaps I should have been... running isn't really about comfort zones, is it) I was going a bit harder than usual, and as I went I started to believe that even it I were to not pull off a 3:30, I still had a fair chance at a new PR. As it turned out, the final 6 miles or so I was meet by some fairly strong gust of wind, I can't say one way or another if that's what held me back from a new PR but it unquestionably made the finish tougher. In the end I finished with a 3:40:23, less than 3 minutes over my PR and my second fastest marathon to date so I'll take it for what it is.

At the finish line I was greeted by Lenore Dolphin who presented us with great 'medals,' goody bags,and finisher hugs. Moments later I bundled up, enjoyed a post race hotdog and beer, and proceeded to freeze my ass off enjoy the company of others as we watched more and more runner cross the finish line. About 15 minutes after Eric finished we were in the car on our way back toward Seattle... not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

(bundled up after #4 of the purposed 13 in 12)

(Thanks go out to my wife for waking up in the wee hours of the morn to get me to the drop off spot, Eric for the ride to and from, the conversation, and the tour of Birch Bay, Scott (RD) for hosting a wonderful race, Lenore Dolphin for the great post race schwag, and Bob for meeting up in West Seattle after for recovery grub.)