I decided to sign up for this race last minute because I was not going to do it at first I had a half marathon the weekend before and the weekend after so I thought it would be too much, but then thought just do it! I kept checking the website to see if I could get a number the day before the race at number pick up and finally found out I was able to. I headed down to number pick up on Saturday which was at the Harwich High School just off the highway very convenient. I had read that if you signed up the day before then you were not guaranteed a t-shirt however when I got there I was able to get one. My number was 776 which I was surprised because I thought there would have been more runners.
The following day the race started at noon. I wasn't too excited about that because it kind of took up the whole day but hey, what else would I have been doing ha-ha! I headed over around 11:00 with my mom got there around 11:30 and was able to park right near the start and finish line. I headed over to the start around 11:45 as to stay out of the cold as long as possible. We ended up starting within minutes, no standing and waiting for an hour which I like! There are no assigned corrals, just pace markers so you go in the corral which you think is the best for you. I always try to move towards the front so I can start right when the gun goes off.
The course started off looping around a bit, we went up this road and then turned around and ran back down then looped around a bit more and were headed down another road that was pretty straight for a while. It was a bit hilly in the beginning, it seemed like we would go up a small hill and then flatten out and then go up some more, there wasn't much down hill. The course stayed like this for a while, there was nothing to crazy but it was a bit boring. There were not too many spectators, just a lot of people in cars angry because the race was holding people up on. Hopefully no one missed too much of the Patriots game!
I had started out too fast in the beginning like I had mentioned before which started to hurt me later on in the race. I realized after a few miles I was going to fast but a lot of people were passing me so I freaked out you know the "Oh god, I am going to be the last one to finish this can not happen!" was running through my mind. Once I got a grip I started to slow down a bit and take it easy. But then I hit mile 10, about three quarters of the way through I passed a man saying "Mile 11 at the top of the hill!" I was thinking we aren't even going up hill yet oh no! I had been warned of this hill however and thought it can't be that bad......man was I wrong! Going up the hill I kept thinking to myself I am going to DIE! Now had I started off at a normal pace this hill at this point would have been challenging but wouldn't have made me feel awful! Once I got to the top of the hill it was smooth sailing to the finish however I really needed to slow down. I kept thinking "Just walk for a minute it is fine you will feel better!" then I would tell myself "NO! YOU CAN NOT WALK! YOU ARE ALMOST DONE! NO WALKING!" I ended up not walking and just slowing down A LOT! which was probably slower then a walk ha-ha but I picked it up for the finish and finished strong!
I heard my mom yelling for me a the finish and then the announcer gave me a shout out which is always nice. Of course my mom's phone died as I was coming in and she was unable to get a photo. Once I crossed the finish line I was handed my medal then there was some small bottles of water and Gatorade as well as some coconut water to take. My mom found me easily there were not a ton of people, once I found her I wanted to leave. I had seen my time when I finished and was not super happy 2:18....I took some pictures with my mom and then headed home.
Once I left I realized my time wasn't horrible, yes it was my worst time however I finished and that is all that matters! Overall I was happy I did the race but small town races are much different then larger races. It ended up being a bit more challenging then I had hoped it would be but that is ok. The harder it is the stronger you get right, and now I have a new medal to ad to my medal holder!
Tomorrow is the B.A.A. Half Marathon which I am so looking forward to but am a little nervous! Wish me luck!
What races are you running this weekend?
Good job! Btw, do you know that 776 is a significant number? 776 BC, the first historically recorder Olympic Games, in ancient Olympia, Greece! (Just fell at your blog here googling and wanted to tell you this.) Go running!
ReplyDelete