Wow, this post has been on my mind for such a long time.  I was on a roll blogging about our trip in February then kept finding excuses to put this one off which pretty much prevented any other blogging because, of course, I wanted to be chronological.

Don’t worry, we’ve still been running and definitely eating just not necessarily at the same time.  I finally lost my tolerance for cold which has reduced the appeal of the breakfast run for me.  I just can’t warm up again once we stop to eat.  Thank goodness warmer weather is just around the corner.

So, The 2016 Austin Marathon . . .

The Before Pic

One of my favorite parts was milling around in the middle of the city with thousands of other runners while it was still dark.

There was no traffic, of course, and even though there were a lot of people, there was plenty of room to spread out, so it just seemed peaceful.  The capitol building was beautifully lit up at the top of Congress Street.

See the Capitol Building in the Background?

There seemed to be a feeling of relaxed anticipation – the calm before the storm.  Maybe that was just my feeling, but after months of getting ready and thinking about the race, (agonizing over my training times, wishing I’d skipped a few more cookies, etc.) and getting more and more nervous by the day, I was relieved to be on the verge of just. doing. this. thing.

Once the National Anthem started, my nervousness came rushing back.  Then finally the starting gun went off and minutes later we crossed the start line, and we were RUNNING!  Even though I could swear it was still dark when we started, it felt like sunny midday by the time we crossed the bridge and started up South Congress street.

My first mile was great, but by mile 5 I was kind of falling apart.  I hadn’t been able to eat much before the race – too nervous – so I had my first Gu.  I knew Mike was somewhere behind me.  I thought about trying to wait for him in hopes that he would help motivate me to keep going.  By mile 7 or 8, the Gu kicked in, and I felt okay.  (Note to self – eat before the race – no matter what!)

My confidence really wavered during the whole race – feeling great one minute, feeling like I couldn’t finish the next.  I think it was around mile 12 when the half marathon split off.  It was so hard to make myself stay on the left for the full!

We had a friend there cheering us on at around mile 18 or 19.  Looking forward to seeing him really helped.  And it was a pretty great feeling once I reached the last 6 miles.  I took about 3 or 4 walk breaks which I’d never done before, but it sure did feel great to walk and drink my water and eat my Gu without being out of breath.

Finally, I was running through the UT campus and on the last stretch.  There was one more really ugly hill during the last mile then I was able to sprint down the hill to the finish.  What a relief!  My slowest marathon and probably my hardest.  I finished in about 3:58.  Nice to stay under 4 hours but almost 15 minutes slower than my previous slowest marathon.

We made it!

And you know what?  It really didn’t matter.  I was still just as ecstatic as I was when I completed my other, faster marathons.  I had exactly the same feelings of relief, accomplishment, and that indescribable post-race euphoria.  As I get ready to run Boston IN TWO DAYS, I keep trying to remind myself that.

The race itself was really well organized.  I actually can’t think of a single thing to improve in that area.  The spectators were awesome.  I was pretty jealous of quite a few groups that were partying in their yards while watching the race.  One group was drinking mimosas, and I almost stopped and just hung out with them for the rest of the day.  The signs were all very entertaining.  I can’t believe I’d never seen this quote before, but there were quite a few signs that said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right”.  That hit home for me, since I was having such a mental struggle during the race.

The course was really hilly!  It was described as having “rolling  hills”.  We both thought that Texas was super flat, so it couldn’t possibly be as hilly as The Maine Marathon.  We weren’t worried about the hills at all.  Apparently, Austin is in “Hill Country”.  Oops.  There weren’t any hills that I remember that were particularly steep (although I hear there’s a killer one on the half marathon course) – it was kind of like the accumulation of them just snuck up on you.  The first 2 miles or so were almost all uphill (which I had read), and I started too fast as usual which I think might have been part of my problem.

We had been more worried about the heat.  You can’t exactly train for that in Maine in January.  It turned out to be quite nice – in the 50’s with a bit of a breeze.

We will definitely do this race again!  Well, maybe.  Lots of other places to visit.

Whew, finally finished a blog post.  Thanks for reading.

Great name for a race, huh?  This one is becoming a tradition for us.  It’s a New Year’s Day race which seems like the perfect way to kick off the year.  We discovered it last year when we were looking for a 10K on that day.  It was going to be Mike’s first one.  There were a lot of 5K’s in the area but only a few 10K’s;  this Hangover Classic in Salisbury, MA and one in Lowell.  I’m not sure how we decided on the Hangover Classic whether it was the name, the free beer, or that it’s a bit shorter drive.  In any case, we had a great time in 2015 and decided to repeat this year.

This was 2015, we didn’t take any pictures this year.

The race starts around 11:30, so we had plenty of time to get to Salisbury from Portland and were even able to sleep in a bit after seeing in the New Year the night before.  We had a glass or two of champagne but didn’t party too hard, so for us the race was Hangover Classic in name only.

There is also a 5K option which had more runners.  There’s also the option to do a quick plunge in the ocean from the expansive (and wintertime-empty) Salisbury Beach (there were a few crazy surfers out).  Mike and I didn’t go for that option, but it was interesting to watch the people who did.

The course is super flat, so it’s great for a PR.  Mike and I both managed to hit one this year.  In spite of that, I still came in 5th for my age group which is that same as last year.  I wanted some “hardware” even if just age group hardware.  They do give out nice glasses to the top 40 male and female finishers.  I was able to snag a glass, so that was cool.

There’s a great after party at The Carousel Lounge with free beer and pizza and wall to wall people.  It seemed like everyone there knew everyone else which gave it a great vibe although we didn’t know a single soul.

My favorite part of the race was when I passed a guy about 0.1 miles from the finish, and he shouted out encouraging words to me.  I always wish I would think to do things like that in a race.

We enjoyed our post race, post PR high and after consuming our free beer and pizza made our way to Portsmouth, NH where we had booked a hotel for the night and had a great time restaurant hopping for both dinner and breakfast the next day.  More on that another day.

Hangover Classic Race Summary

Best Parts:

• New Year’s Day Race!
• Flat course
• Great party atmosphere; before, during, and after
• Cool glass for top 40 finishers (each male and female)
• Cool long-sleeved cotton T (although both years, we signed up too late to get one, we did get a free pair of gloves)

Complaints

• Slow start – it’s a big race.  Both races start at the same time at the same place.  Not that it ever really works, but runners were not encouraged to line up by time, so the start was clogged with walkers and runners who insisted on not only starting at the front but staying abreast of one another and really clogging up the first quarter of a mile or so.  I know I’m being a total running snob even bringing this up, and it probably added less then 15 seconds to my time, but it was annoying at the time.

Just a week ago today, we were running a fun race along the Eastern Promenade Trail.  I had harassed a bunch of my coworkers (and Mike) into joining me in running the 6th annual Portland Brewers’ Holiday Dash 5K.  We had a blast.  See?

All the runners (and walkers) were in such a great festive mood.  The costumes were great, especially this guy dressed up as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Photo Courtesy of Maine Running Photos

He was really fast, too.

It was the first time I dressed up for a race.

Photo Courtesy of Maine Running Photos

My striped tights were pretty tame compared to the ugly Christmas sweaters and Christmas tutus I saw other people wearing.  I’m going to have to step it up a notch next year.

Rira’s was the home base for the race.  The day ended up being unseasonably warm, but it was still nice to be able to go inside (and use their bathrooms) while waiting for the race to start.  It was especially nice to be able to enjoy our free beers inside Rira’s after the race.  (Not exactly free – included with the $35 race registration fee – but still delicious.)

The start line was about a quarter mile away from Rira’s right where the trail first crosses the Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks.  We ran about a mile and a half out to just past the graffiti wall near the sewage treatment plant and turned around and came back.  It’s a pretty course with views of the ocean the entire time.  I even think the graffiti wall is cool.  Here’s a picture from a year or so ago.

The artwork keeps changing.  And thank goodness there’s no snow yet.

Three of us set a PR which was really exciting.

Photo Courtesy of Maine Running Photos

Actually, at least five of us set a PR, since it was a first time race for a couple people.  By the time we all finished the race, Rira’s was packed, but we managed to push our way up to the bar and get our beer.  The line for the brunch (also included in the entry fee) was all the way up the stairs, so we enjoyed our beers while waiting for the line to get a little shorter.

In the meantime, we started to see people walking by with their plates full of brunch food.  It didn’t look terrible but didn’t look worth the wait either, so we decided to move on to a less crowded place.  We hit up The Porthole and ended up having their backroom (used to be The Comedy Connection) all to ourselves.  I opted to drink my breakfast and had a delicious Bloody Mary, and we all had a great time chatting and joking reveling in our race accomplishments.

Overall, here are my thoughts on the race:

Best Parts

• Great ocean view
• Good location, easy walk into town
• Festive mood
• Having a warm restaurant as home base.  It was really crowded both before and after the race, but it seemed to actually run pretty smoothly.  The race directors and Rira’s had obviously worked out the process for allocating the free beers, checking id’s, etc.
• Great photos by Maine Running Photos
• Being able to see my friends on the out and back course

Complaints

• The race web-site says that the race has “Automatic timing” which I took to mean chip timing.  It was timed by a timing company but was not chip timed.  It doesn’t matter a whole lot in a small-ish race (400 people in this one, so not that small), but I had told my friends who were doing their first 5K that it didn’t matter where they started because it would be chip-timed.
• The race t-shirt was light blue.  I was hoping for something more Christmas-y (like red), since this was a holiday-themed race.
• No age group prizes.

I’m sentimental for this race for a couple of reasons: 1) This is part of the annual Harvest Fair Fundraiser at Saint Brigid School where I teach and our daughter, Addie, attends, and 2) This was the first race (last year) in my current running journey.  I also had a small part in the race organization as the person in charge of ordering and delivering the race T-shirts.  Fortunately, I was able to get the shirts printed and delivered ahead of time thanks to the great folks, Tony and Jennifer Balzano, at Hanging By A Thread.

After a great couple of weeks to start my training for the 2016 Austin Marathon in February, I was convinced that I would achieve a PR in this race.  Additionally, this was the first 5k in a while that I would be able to have a rest day before the race (my last PR had an 8 mile run the day before and a morning run prior to the evening race).  Things turned out that Friday night lasted a little longer than expected.  Katie and I were invited to an 80s themed birthday party at Bubba’s Sulky Lounge (that place would make for an interesting Breakfast Night Out Run Review…It was great, but upon entering I first felt like I was in the scene of True Detective Season One at the Biker Bar).  Katie really got into the spirit of the party with some 80s style Big Hair:

Hoping Katie doesn’t mind this look on the blog!

One thing led to another and I did not exactly have the recommended pre-race evening intake of hydration and healthy food.  Rather, I was up past midnight and enjoyed too much a couple of adult libations.

Fortunately, I was miraculously up with the sun in time to hydrate, have a breakfast snack, and run a 1.5 mile warm-up to the start line (this is one of the most shocking changes for me since running this race a year ago.  Last year I was sure not to waste a single step running during warm-ups in fear that it would cause me not to finish the race).

It looked like there was a decent turnout for the race and we had fun watching the Kids  Childrens (kids are baby goats!  Does that sound snobby; I don’t know) Fun Run prior to the start (disappointingly the total race turnout was around 50 runners).  Earlier this week, I did scouting run on the course which would be 5K on Baxter Boulevard.  We’ve run the Boulevard many times, but I wanted to get another look at it in order to plan a PR strategy.  My goal was a sub 23 minute race, so my pace would have to be around 7:24 per mile.  I planned to run a 7:30 first mile with 7:20 the last 2.1 miles.  I did some further pre-race cheatin’ preparation with a Gu (I can hear the “real” runners’ groans) and a (gasp!) Red Bull.  I feel like the 5k race is about an energy burst, so I wanted as some excess in the tank for a fast (for me at least) pace.

A few minutes before race time it was time to shed the warm-up gear (no wool needed today since the temperature was near 60 degrees) and pin on my bib (even for this race my hands were shaking…still get nervous for races!)

Getting ready to run the Harvest Hustle!

As Katie previously posted, our daughter, Addie, was in this race also with Katie.  It was fun to have them there and would later be exciting to cheer Addie on at the finish!

So, as I’m heading to the start line, the Race Director informed us that the race would be the full Boulevard (3.6 miles).  Ugh!!!  What!  My thoughts were now that even if I hit a 5K PR it wouldn’t count!  WTF! (What the Frak!…any BSG fans out there?).  Most of the racers were students from Saint Brigid (I’m so impressed with many of the 9-12 year olds who ran this race with awesome times…a 12 year old won it with a sub 7:00 per mile pace!) who didn’t pay attention to were unfazed by the announcement, but the adults groaned knowing an extra half mile had been snuck in there!  At any other race this would have caused a riot an uproar, but everyone seemed to take it in stride.  After some encouraging words from our Principal, Bill Burke, we started the race!

The pace started fast.  Many of the students shot out at a full sprint not really comprehending how long 5K is.  I had my sights set on beating matching a couple of middle school students that I teach, but they set out at a sub 7:00 pace.  I was drawn in for a quarter mile, but I managed to pull it back before I totally flamed out.  at the 1/2 mile mark I found a runner to pace off of.  She was definitely experienced (turns out she has run many races and is a parent of a former student of mine) since she was maintaining a 7:10-7:15 pace, and at her heels, I managed a 7:09 first mile.  Shortly after, I passed my competition students (I feel bad because I think they were a bit upset that I passed them and they expended too much energy early on and finished well below their potential times; still, they had impressive times).

Just around mile 2 of the Boulevard there is a slight incline.  In prior races and training runs, I have been able to turn it on here and pass other racers (Katie sometimes jokingly I think calls me the “Hill Killer”).  I had been pacing off of my “rabbit” and was convinced I would pass her at this point.  I made two moves and each time she picked it up to stay in front.  Just couldn’t muster enough to pass her.  I think she was just toying with me, because it turns out she was staying just behind her son (12 years old) and husband for the race.  Try as I might, I was not able to catch them (they finished about 15 seconds ahead of me in the end).

The biggest disappointment from this race is that at the 5K mark, my TOMTOM Runner GPS Watch had me at a 7:20 per mile pace which would have been my PR, BUT (!) I still had to run another half fraking (BSG again) mile! I gutted it out, but still watched my average pace time climb.  I was happy that no other runners passed me during the home stretch (usually a horde seems to pass my burnt out, slow ass  me by at the finish).  I finished the 3.6 mile course in 26:26.  Turns out this was a PR time which is very exciting, but I won’t officially count it until I achieve it in an official 5K race.  Looks like I’ll have to wait for our race in December, the 6th Annual Portland Brewer’s Holiday Dash 5K hosted by Ri Ra Irish Pub.

It was a great day despite the last minute distance change.  I hit a PR, came in 8th overall (first top 10 finish ever), and most importantly, it was great to run the final stretch with Addie as she completed her first 5K ever!

I’m hopeful this race will continue with some improved organization.  It is for a great cause (and my employment!) and Portland is a great venue for a race.  Many people are hoping the race can move back to our neighborhood (that’s another story) where the turnout will have an increase.  Maybe we’ll have to take a shot at being Race Directors for 2016…

See you on the road!

It’s been a busy weekend so far, but the most exciting thing is that our youngest daughter finished her first 5K this morning.

Now all four kids have done at least one 5K.  Sadly none of them are as addicted to running as we are.  Yet.

The race was put on by Addie’s school, and there was some kind of reward for the class with the most participants, so she was motivated to help her class.  Our plan was to walk some and run some.  She made sure to tell me that she would decide when we would run and when we would walk.  (I think she’s heard Mike complain a time or two about me setting too fast a pace and always wanting to be one step ahead.)  I’m actually surprised she was even concerned.  She thinks she can run 35 miles an hour, since she and Mike happened to be running by one of those digital signs that tells cars how fast they’re going when a car going 35mph also went by.  We don’t have the heart to explain.

We ended up walking more than we ran, but I was impressed that she never gave up running completely – didn’t even really consider it.  As we were walking along, we’d pick out trees, signs, benches, etc. off in the distance where we’d plan to start running again and pick another landmark where we would stop.  We were excited to see Mike/Dad waiting near the end and made sure to be running when we went by him and got some high fives.  We took a quick walk break after that to make sure we’d have enough left to finish strong and managed to pick up our pace at the end for in impressive 54 minute or so time (the course was actually about half a mile too long – so we did about 3.6 miles).

Addie told me later that she thought it was cool that people she didn’t even know were cheering her on.  I like that in a race, too.  Mike also had a great race, but I’ll let him write about that.

Thanks for reading!

How psyched am I?  I ran my first marathon, accomplished my goal time, and love the swag….

Where did this journey begin?  Last September, I strapped on a FitBit with a 10,000 step per day goal.  By the end of that month I started the Couch To 5K (C2-5K) program on my I-phone.  After the St. Brigid School Harvest Hustle 5K on November 1, 2014, Katie introduced me to the magic of the Runkeeper App.  From then I followed the Runkeeper training programs leading to a December PR at the Festivus 5K (Salem, MA) and a New Year’s Day 10K (Hangover Classic in Salisbury, MA)

From there, I was hooked.  I purchased a winter running jacket (Post-Christmas $35 Asics was fantastic!) and had my first runs in “running tights”.  Icy streets and sub-zero temps did not hamper my motivation, and in early April I ran the “Race the Runways” half-marathon in Brunswick, ME (1:55:38; under my 2 hour goal).  By the finish of the Portland Sea Dogs Mothers Day 5K, I was convinced that I would run the Maine Marathon.

The next week I started the Runkeeper Sub 3:45 Marathon Training Plan.  It went so well that by mid July, I switched to the the Sub 3:30 plan (a mistake).  Through summer heat and a couple pairs of Adidas Ultra Boosts I stayed faithful to the mileage, but not the pace of the training plan (I did miss a couple workouts, but my mileage was over the prescribed amount due to some Back Bay Series 5Ks)…

Fast forward to Saturday, October 3rd…Marathon training was complete!  Katie and I did a “keep the legs fresh” two-miler in the morning and went to the Maine Marathon Expo at USM that evening.  For a First Timer, the Expo and Pasta Dinner were electric!  It was great seeing my name listed among the race participants on the wall of Sullivan Gym.  It was especially gratifying to be included among the exclusive group of full marathoners.  The Maine Marathon has 3,500 total participants with 850 being full marathoners.  Six months ago, a half marathon was a HUGE accomplishment, but the full 26.2 now felt like Everest!  I felt like a “real runner” putting on the Maine Marathon shirt knowing I would be running the complete course.  Our event budget was well over-spent earlier that day on some Nike Dri-Fit wool running shirts (review coming soon), but I could not resist the bright orange Maine Marathon embroidered jackets.  The pressure was on to complete the race!

I was the beneficiary of a complete 8 hour sleep on Friday night because I only slept two or three hours Saturday night.  I spent the restless hours listening to 80s classics that I planned to play in my head during the race (no headphones anymore for this Road Warrior!).  Finally, at 5:30am it was prep time for Katie and I.  I “super” hydrated the night before, but still insisted on some more Gatorade along with a morning snack of half a peanut butter covered banana along with some V8 juice (I read that the sodium would help to retain water during the race).

Katie and I headed out to the race at 6:45; an hour before start time.  Fortunately, we were able to find parking on the USM campus; not far from the start line.  We both decided that using the indoor bathroom facilities would be a good start to the day.  The indoor heat (it was 45 degrees that morning) and cleanliness compared to a porta-potty felt great.  No doubt a “CC” (“Confidence Crap” -credit to one of numerous run bloggers out there) was essential to my pre-race checklist.  It is surprising how low the level of conversation goes among runners before a race: “That morning coffee is sure kicking in now…”.

We then walked our way to the start.  I was bursting with excitement at the start.  I barley heard the National Anthem as I was psyching myself up for the starting signal.  At the start, Katie and I shared a Good Luck kiss and started our 26.2 adventure…

During the week leading up to the race, I had visions of matching Katie’s pace during the marathon.  I had run stride for stride with her during some [short] training runs and thought I might be able to keep up with her 3:30 pace.  One mile in, I knew this was a pipe dream.  I kept her in my sights, but by the first water station at 1.6 miles Katie and her CamelBak were gone.  I stuck with to stop and drink at EVERY water station along the way.  I figured that I paid $90 for this race and was going to get every cents worth.  Plus, I was paranoid about not having anything in the tank at the end.

Miles 1-3 were great, but as soon as I hit Route 1 in Falmouth, I felt the “trotts” coming on.  I slowed my pace and hoped for some Porta-Potties.   My prayers were answered at Mile 5 or so.  I sped up and sprinted into an open Porta-Potty and had some salvation.  I guess the early morning “CC” had not cleared Saturday night’s Pasta Dinner.  A minute or so was added to my time, but I came out of there like Superman from a phonebooth and sprinted ahead of a group of runners.

At 6.55 miles was the Half-Marathon turn-around in Falmouth.  The crowd there was amazing, including my favorite sign that had a picture of the immortal Christopher Walken with a “No Walken” statement on it!  There was no gong back at the point and I pushed on towards Yarmouth.

I had an outstanding run from the Half-Marathon point up until Mile 12.  After my bathroom break, I pushed my per mile pace to 8:25.  An exhilarating feeling was passing a seasoned local runner along the way.  Unfortunately, I lost that lead, when the “trots” set in again and I had to hit the Mile 12 Port-A-Potties in Yarmouth.  What a relief though!  I had nightmares of a marathon breakdown with runs down my legs at the finish.  After another minute and a half, I burst out again at a Superman from the Phone booth pace.

By the 13.1 mark I was hitting a runner’s high.  My pace was sub 8:30 per mile and I was cheering on my fellow first time marathoners as well as the National Guard ruck-marchers looking miserable during their 26.2 march (BTW…thank you for your service!).  At this point I was beginning to pass several runners and feeling that I might easily achieve a full marathon at 8:30 pace!

By mile 15, Reality started to set in.  Somewhere at that point, we started our ascent up the hill to Tuttle Road.  There were great crowds on that road (route 88) including a “Free High-Fives” guy, but that hill kicked my ass.  From there on, my pace started to slow despite some motivation from the “26 Mimosas” crowd along the road.  I was still thanking the many spectators and volunteers along Route 88, but I was feeling the miles starting to weigh on my legs.

My plan at the start was to bring 8 Gu Energy supplements to carry me through the race.  I adjusted this to six the morning of the race because I did not have the means to carry such a load.  My first Gu was at mile 5 just before my first CC stop and later had one at Mile 10.  I still had four left by the half way point and had even stashed away a mini-Clif bar, in my pocket, from one of the water stations.  By mile 15 I felt the need to start taking in a Gu every three miles.  The Gu seemed to power me up those hills on Route 88, but I still felt that my tank was approaching empty by the Mile 20 mark.

Despite some struggles, I was still at an 8:30 pace by Mile 20.  I was ecstatic and thought I would just “power” it in for the final 6.2.  How naive I was…

My longest training runs were around 20 miles, so the final 6.2 were unchartered territory for me.  Just after crossing the 20 mile mark I was still at an 8:30 pace, but I started to experience Hamstring Cramps.  I was sure that I was about to pull a hamstring muscle, so I just stopped and stretched them out as best I could.  From that point on, I convinced myself that small strides would serve me best and that at each remaining water station I would drink Gatorade only (I’ve heard post-race that this is not the best strategy).  By Mile 22, the mental fatigue started to set in.  Several students and a parent from the school I teach at (Saint Brigid’s) were at that Water Station and I could not even recall their names. I was out of it!  I dumped some water on my salt-stained face and I continued to run, but still had to take another stop to stretch out my hamstrings due to the pulled muscle fear.  At Mile 24, a colleague of mine (Thank You Jackie Caiola!) was there, but I could barely register a greeting.  My pace had dropped to 8:50 and all I could think of was getting this torture over with.

I finally hit the final mile on Baxter Boulevard.  I had dreams of running this in at a break neck pace, but that was not gong to happen.  Between the pain and mental fatigue, all I could muster were tenth of mile jogs alternating with walks.  I was still at a 9:00 per mile pace which would put me under 4 hours, but even with just a half mile left, I cold have easily been convinced to just quit!

Finally, I saw the finish with a quarter mile left.  I had plans of a glorious fist-raised finishing pose, but I just ran by a photographer with a “I don’t give a f*** feeling” hoping to at least cross the finish line with the appearance of running.

I crossed the finish line in a mental fog.  I stood in front of a medal presenter for what seemed an eternity.  Finally she put a medal around my neck and directed me to a Space Blanket.  The most Blessed sight was seeing Katie (she rocked the race with a BQ of 3:29!!) who walked me to recovery.  After about a 10 minutes (an eternity) and a chocolate milk I started to feel the ecstasy of completing my FIRST MARATHON!

It has been a long journey, but there is not much to compares to the feeling of accomplishing this first marathon. Although I crossed in a gun-time of 4 hours, 6 seconds, my official time was 3:58:04.  Many at school and around town have congratulated me on beating the four hour mark.  It is a great feeling and I’m actually excited to start training for my next marathon (Austin in Feb 2016) and even my third (Burlington, VT in May)!

Keep Running!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a great race!  We really lucked out with the weather.  Hurricane Joaquin had been threatening earlier in the week, but it ended up being a beautiful, crisp New England fall day.  We both really struggled with the decision of short vs long sleeves but ended up with short and didn’t regret it.

It was my fourth marathon, but my first in my home state, and Mike’s first marathon ever.  We were both pretty nervous and excited.

We went to packet pick up the day before.  Parking was easy, volunteers were super-friendly, and there was a pretty nice expo considering the relatively small size of the marathon.  Although it didn’t even touch the Boston and Grandma’s expos, there were at least five different clothing booths which was a lot more than we expected from a one-running-store town.  I do enjoy my shopping and having a lot of options, but it was nice not to be jostled by millions of other runners while looking around.  The goody bags were full of interesting, and kind of random but useful things; vitamins, band-aids, cold medicine.  The race shirt is cool with little icons of Maine things hidden on the side panels.

We wanted to have the full marathon experience, so we went to the pasta dinner the night before.  We wanted to mix with some other runners, but sadly, it wasn’t very well attended.  With all the great restaurants in Portland, I probably wouldn’t normally choose mass-produced spaghetti either, but it tasted good enough, and we got the experience.

We only live about a mile from the start, so we really debated whether or not to drive.  We ended up deciding that having the car for a home base would be nice and even walking that mile home after the marathon would be a struggle.  The parking turned out to be easy and plentiful with the USM parking garage open and free for runners.  The university also opened their gym for runners which had bathrooms and showers, so it was nice to be able to hang out inside and warm for a bit before heading to the start line.

There were lots of port-a-potties available, too.  We used both a bunch of times.  There was never more the 4 or 5 people in line which was cool.  After that we were kind of late getting to the start line which was wall to wall people.  We didn’t bother to try to line up in any kind of pace group and just jumped into the fray from where we were standing toward the end of the group.

We only ended up waiting for about 5 minutes from when we lined up until we started which was great for me because that’s when I feel the most nervous.  Nervous-wise, I was totally fine once I started running.

Since the race was so close to our house, we end up running the same or similar routes a lot.  I wasn’t sure how that would be, since I kind of think not knowing is better.  I’m still undecided about which way is better, but it turned out fine knowing the route pretty well.  There were some nice surprises along the way like a stretch near the water around miles 4 and 5 that I didn’t know about and will definitely run again.  And some not nice surprises like there being more hills than I anticipated in the parts that I hadn’t run.  But, I did know when I’d hit the last hill and was almost home, so that was good.

I really started struggling at about mile 23 1/2 or so.  I had my last Gu just before that.  It was chocolate, and no matter how much I liked my lips, I just couldn’t get it all off.  I’m worried it’s probably still there in my finish line photo.  I’m surprised I didn’t get sent to the medical tent for foaming at the mouth with bizarre brown ooze.  Anyway, I knew our two youngest kids were cheering us on at about mile 25, so that kept me going a bit longer.  It was an effort to cross the street and high five them though.  I’ll have to tell them to be on the other side next time.

Then, finally, on to the finish where the rest was a blur for a while.  I walked (I mean stumbled) back to the car to get my warm clothes.  (They had a baggage tent, too which I would take advantage of next time, since it was much closer.)

There was plentiful food at the end; chocolate milk, bananas, oranges, pizza.  I was most impressed by the pre-peanut-buttered bagels, because who is capable of doing that after a long race?!

We had fun hanging out at the finish; snacking, recovering, waiting for awards in the sunshine and just basking in the glory of our accomplishment and the great running camaraderie.

Best Parts

• You really can’t beat the scenery in Maine.  The leaves are starting to change color and there were lots of glimpses of the beautiful coast/ocean along the route.
• I really liked being able to see some of the runners on their way back.  Because it was an out and back course and combined with the half-marathon, I was able to see a lot of the half-marathoners on their way back and quite a few of the marathoners as well.  It was like getting to be a spectator and runner at the same time.
• The bands were great.  It was hard not to want to stop and listen.
• The spectators were great – so encouraging and just gave the race such a celebratory feeling.
• Maine Running Photos!  I’ve never heard of other places having this, but we have this great organization where volunteers take pictures of races all of the state and publish them for free.  They’ve already posted quite a few from this race which only happened two days ago.  Such a great way to relive the experience.

What I would Change
I know it’s snobby, but I like my marathon shirts and medals to say (okay maybe scream) marathon.  This one does, but it also says half and relay with nothing to indicate which one I did.  I also kind of like it when you don’t get the shirt until the end, and it has the word “finisher” on it – preferably in big bold letters somewhere.