Halloween Fun Run

This weekend's race was a reminder that looking fit and being fit are two different things. I may have PR'd at last weekends race but the taper had left me drained of all energy this past weekend. I was sluggish and my breathing was more labored than normal. I regretted my inconsistent training schedule and wished I had been more committed. This was a race I had signed up for in July and though I didn't feel as ready for it as I would have liked I was not about to pass up the chance at a race.

Magnuson Park is next to the waters of Lake Washington and makes for a beautiful run. The park contains fields for soccer, rugby, and baseball as well as a gigantic fenced dog park. As Seattle's second largest public park it constantly attracts races of all sizes.

This weekend was the Howl-O-Ween running series put on by Club Northwest. They hosted a 5k, 10k, 15k, 2 mile dog dash, and a 400m Kids Dash. And while I did not personally dress up for the event there were many who did. My favorites were the runners who had coordinating outfits with their pooches.

This pair, dressed as a bee and bee keeper was one of the top costume ideas everyone seemed to love.  Another group of women walked the two miles together with their puppies whom they had dressed up in matching dinosaur costumes.

All in all, it was the costumes that made the event so special. Runners were in everything from tutus and funky striped socks to footie pajamas and elaborate group costumes. Those of us who didn't dress up at least had something fun to look at as we raced thorough the park on what happened to be an incredibly chilly October morning.

Runners hardly seemed to mind the cold,  the adorable dogs and children all dressed up acted as the perfect distraction. Not to mention the photo booth which was available before the races began.


The start of the race was a casual one, with everyone from the 5k, 10k, and 15k all together and no specific corrals. The gun went off and everyone began putting distance between themselves and the Start/Finish line. The course wound all through the park, taking us past the off-leash dog area along with nearly all the playing fields. We watched people of all ages scoring goals, running bases and rucking as we followed the cones and signs through the park. We traveled up and down hills (much smaller than the ones last week, thank goodness!). The course stuck mainly to dirt and gravel paths, occasionally switching to the cement driveways between parking areas.
At the last stretch of the race there was a sign with two arrows, one pointing to the right side for the finish line, the other pointing to the left for another lap. Those who ran the 10k did two laps of the course and the few in the 15k ran a total of three. I was happy to be done after just one lap.
After the race I grabbed an apple from the post-race snacks table and got to my car before the cold set in.