I've run this most years since 2003,  this is about the best weather I have seen for this race.always lots of maniacs at this race,  the Ghost of Seattle is a low key race the day before,  lots of the maniacs do both and this year there was an option of 3 marathons in 3 days.

One marathon a week has always been enough for me, but I knew Francesca and SR Lopez were doing the double.  Right before the start Dove spotted me.  Today was the first of marathons in 3 states in 8 days.  She wanted to take it kind of easy today and it turned out our paces were pretty much exactly even so we ran the entire race side by side.  Often, we would be talking while the miles streamed by and be surprised at how fast our pace was and realize we needed to back it off a little so we didn't suffer in the later miles,  then a few miles later our pace would be right back up there.

The course features a couple out and backs where you can see the runners ahead and behind you.  we saw SR Lopez running strong, several miles ahead of us.  Barefoot Jon a few miles behind us, and Franc and her friend really close to us, but her friend was having foot problems.

We also spotted Bob Dolphin and Larry Macon (105 marathons in 2008)  on the course,  More on that later.  (They were meantioned in the recent Wall street journal article)

Beautiful overcast day, 50º gentle breeze was enough to keep us cool.  I was fine with a throw away at the start,  shorts and long sleeve shirt,  short sleeve would have worked just as well. 

We cought up to Larry Macon at around mile 21 (He started an hour early)  Chatted for a few minutes and we discovered that he is going to be in Death Valley and Las Vegas next weekend.  The same races Dove is running.  Larry Proposed to Dove.  He said he was going to marry 6 women in Las Vegas!!!  Dove excepted.  We felt that both Larry's wife, and Dove's Finance wil be surprised!!  We spent the next mile discussing the appropriate running/wedding wear for her upcoming wedding.

The miles continued to fly by,  We didn't negative split,  I had to dig a little from about miles 23-25 but I was still feeling OK.  Finished under 4:30,  Dove felt she still has plenty in the tank for her two marathons next weekend.  Fun day,  Waited for Jon to finish and hung with him wile we waited for Bob Dolphin to notch one more finish.

Dave

Dave ,

Thank you for summing up so well another very fine running day in Seattle!

Great to see you before , during and after the race! I know I could have run faster but I was determined to stick with my friend who was struggling with his foot pain.

Hope to see you soon again, the Jingle Bells maybe?

well done on a sub 4:30!!!

Francesca

Thanks dave.

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After your 12 marathons in 12 months in 2007 and then your foot making you miss ‘em all last year and only a half-dozen so far this year (and not much training for this one either, what will Mr. Pfitz say?), you were looking strong tryin’ to keep up to dove all the way.

..
I love the SM out’n’backs that permit seeing so many friends from back to my first SM in 1990 (when the weather wasn't like today and such a famed Thanksgiving weekend storm that the bridge sank; fortunately the marathon was over on the Burke-Gilman Trail in those days).

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However, watch out for dove’s “taking-it-easy” pace.   You guys were like the Blue Angels on a low pass in the Seafair. You could see her smile for a mile and I bet you'll get some great event photos. .

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Though maybe not quite as fast as usual,  the always well-dressed Srlopez was looking strong and powerful too as if he’d spent yesterday in the hot tub instead of running 26.2 miles too.

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However, Francesca was doing a walk-in-the-park for her friend and, just to make sure I’m not jealous of you and francesca’s friend getting to run all the way with their SM goddesses, I got lucky too and finally caught up with Mega-Bob at mile 11 to make-up a little for missing his 80th moving birthday party at the Portland Marathon last month.

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Although it was my second fastest marathon of the year (6:44), it was kind of quiet at the finish line so what a happy surprise and delight to see you still there wonderin’ how I was.  A Seattle Marathon without divechief is like sushi without fish.  You made my day.  I’m hoping our finish line photos'll show up too as they didn’t end up on may camera, not that forgetting my knapsack at two consecutive different places at the finish would be any indication of why, 

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ps mikemp - if your December travel is working out, maybe do a dove with me next weekend as I’m going over on Tuesday?

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7:30am start of  half marathon  (mile 0.2)

 . .

barefoot Chief Seattle (mile 0.2)

 . .

w/Bob and one of the barefoot groupies

starting to populate marathons nowadays
(mile 15)

francesca pretending like she didn't run a marathon yesterday too (mile 7.5)

(my mile 5)

wow!!!! now I am sorry I missed this fun event. Francesca looks too fresh for someone who just ran a marathon yesterday!!!

Now that I know that my pal dove got a wedding proposal from good old Larry I better start baking the wedding cake right now.

Great race there divechief...isn't dove just the best racer ever?

Congrats on another fine race, Dave!  My favorite line: "One marathon a week has always been enough for me."  Boy, that still makes you a maniac in my book!  Although not quite as maniacal as doubles or triples.

And my favorite line from tet: "A Seattle Marathon without divechief is like sushi without fish."