Seattle for the Summer!

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We got exciting news this week. My husband was offered a summer position in Seattle so we will be spending July and August there! I will be leaving home to watch the Olympic Trials (track) in Eugene at the end of June then heading straight to Seattle. Jeff and Currie will meet me in Seattle after the Trials!

We lived in Seattle for 5-6 years before moving to Boston for 6 months, then settling in upstate NY. We definitely miss the west coast and are pumped to be back during the most perfect months of the year. Even though I love our home, friends and lives here, I’m excited to escape a summer of heat and humidity! I’m so ready to run all over Seattle and take advantage of the hills and natural beauty every day. I’m also excited to see all our friends there!

A few running bummers of this trip:

  • My favorite race EVER, Bergen Road Race, is in August in Bergen, NY and I’m going to miss it. In 2010, I ran 17:53 at this race when my daughter was 6 months old. This was a PR for me at the time and I made 2 goals that day. I was going to win the race in 2011 and go sub 17. My sub 17 goal was met, but I came in 2nd place to the speedy Maegan Krifchin, who just happened to place 2nd at today’s US Half Marathon Championships in a time of 1:10:56. (Kara Goucher was 1st)! SMOKING FAST LADIES! I have some unfinished business at Bergen and a new goal for that race which won’t happen this year. But don’t worry, Bergen, I’ll be back!
bergen road race

Cooling down after a PR at Bergen in 2011

  • I was just invited to run as an elite at the Chris Thater Memorial 5k in Binghamton which offers $20,000 in cash and prizes to top finishers and promises a fast course and great competition. It could be another PR race for the year with the women’s course record set at 15:25 in 2006.
  • Seattle doesn’t offer money very often for racing and Rochester offers good money, essentially every weekend in the summer. (For example, last summer I raced 4 times in one week and made $1,275. While this is not typical, it’s very normal to get $150 for the win on any given Saturday or Sunday in the summer here). I don’t race strictly for the money, but it sure is nice to get paid for doing what I love!
runner accepting check

Accepting a $600 check at the Karknocker 5k last summer, the 3rd of 4 races I ran that week.

Those racing bummers aside, we are so thankful for this wonderful Seattle opportunity and I’m looking forward to lots of runs with the local Oiselle ladies!

Would you pack up your life and move somewhere for the summer? Do you get a little bummed over missing a great race?

9 thoughts on “Seattle for the Summer!”

  1. yay! I think Amanda P. just mentioned onTwitter that we’re doing the Seattle See Jane Run 1/2 on July 15. There’s also a 5K that Kristen might do as well :) And, hopefully a leisurely run meetup will happen, too!

  2. Summers in Seattle are amazing!! They are the perfect temperature for training. I’m excited to read about your summer racing there. I miss it!

  3. How fun! I understand about heat and humidity.

    I was usually gone most summers in high school at tennis tournaments – I’d be home for a few days and leave, then repeat. As a kid, I also went to summer camp (Camp Illahee in Brevard, NC — a GREAT girl’s camp) for a month (and was a counselor for 7 weeks in college). And, this summer I’ll be in palo alto for a month!

    • Thanks Lisa! We are excited, and it will be even more exciting when I get our stuff packed. :)

  5. I LOVE traveling any opportunity I can so I am SO excited for your little get away this summer! It does suck you will be missing out on some key races in NY, but if you guys will be there for some years in the future, there is plenty of time to race those! It is pretty amazing you can rake in that kinda cash in Rochester…I was wondering bc Cle has basically no opportunity for cash prize… womp.

    Look forward to reading about your adventures!

    • Thanks Kristy! Yes, we are really lucky with the cash here. I really don’t know anywhere else that pays runners this well. Not complaining :)

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