A half-marathon is a 13.1-mile race, which is a friendly distance. It doesn’t require as much time and commitment as a full marathon, and I think that most people in good health can finish one of these. With many perks such as race photos, treats, and a blingin’ finisher’s medal, a half-marathon can be quite enjoyable.

Orca Running knows what’s up

After taking a couple months off from running seriously, I ran My Better Half Marathon yesterday, hosted by Orca Running. This local running organization puts on super-fun races throughout the year, while using sustainable practices for these events. They often have treats that a participant wouldn’t normally encounter elsewhere, such as taco bars, homemade cookies, or an oatmeal bar (as in, you get a bowl of oatmeal and put on whatever toppings you like).

With this particular race, participants can run in 4 categories: Bromance (two male friends), Besties (two female friends), Lovers (romantically involved) and Lonely Hearts (awwww). I felt that the last category could have been worded better. “Lonely Hearts?!” I am my own best friend, thank you very much. 😉

Yesterday I woke up before the sun and went over to the starting line in Seward Park. It has rained in Seattle nearly every day for over a month, and we haven’t seen the sun for so long that we all forgot that it exists. That morning, the sky was a vibrant orange fading into a pastel blue.

The course

The half-marathon course was very scenic; it went a few loops around Seward Park along Lake Washington. This race had no mile posts, so no one knew how far along we were. I thought that was unusual. If someone wants to know their split time, they wouldn’t know unless they had a smart watch.

But who needs to know what mile they’re on, when they can indulge on candy washed down with electrolyte drinks in the Tunnel of Love? There were more Red Vines and hard candy than you could shake a stick at! At that point, I’m beginning to think that maybe having fun is the whole point instead of worrying about mile splits.

There were even designated selfie spots! It really is a beautiful place–how could you not want a photo in this setting? After snapping this photo, I kept running. My mind zoned out, similar to what happens when driving. It was quite a peaceful race. And sometimes that’s all you need.

The finish line

After crossing the finish line, everyone got a bowl of hot oatmeal. After running 13.1 miles, this was a very welcome treat. There was a full oatmeal bar, complete with fresh fruit, nuts, and other toppings for a delicious porridge. I love oatmeal.

Usually I breeze through half-marathons, but this one felt slower. I wasn’t training much, and it’s been weeks since I had run this far. I don’t mind that yesterday’s finishing time was 2:13:05, my slowest time yet. We all have slow races sometimes; there will be other faster races.

This is a race that I might like to try again. If you want a casual, fun race, this one is right for you. It was a beautiful course, and the race amenities and finisher’s medal could make anyone happy.