race recap #7

It was a beautiful day for a race yesterday!  A little on the chilly side, but that's how it's going to be for the forseeable future.  But the sun was shining, I had 2 friends running and 2 more cheering us on, and very fresh legs (considering I hadn't run in the 2wks prior).  And I had a burger to look forward to at the end...

The All Women and One Lucky Guy Half Marathon was really enjoyable!  Even though there were a TON of women - all decked out in pink and purple, sequins and sparkles - it wasn't as bad as I'd expected it to be. Not nearly as "girl-power!" as the Tufts 10K for Women is...

Number/T-shirt pick up was super easy, the volunteers incredibly friendly, and plenty of portopotties. :)  The course was beautiful, lots of rolling hills but also some challenging ones.  We ran through very rural parts of Newburyport and West Newbury.  Lots of historic sites and ginormous new homes, as well.  We even ran past an alpaca farm.  In case you're keeping track, that 2 alpaca farms in the last 3 races.  Who woulda thought?!

I ran with my friend, Brenda, the whole way which was so fun.  I wasn't really excited about this race, but knowing that I'd have company (accountability not to shag it...) was incredibly motivating.  By mile 7, we were both a little worn out, her foot was hurting and my knees (ITBands - blast!) were feeling stiff.  We carried on, walked just a couple of times, did not walk during the last mile, and finished with a new PR for Brenda in 2:18.53.  Not bad for not having really trained for this one!

This is a race that I would totally recommend to any lady out there thinking about running a half.  It's not intimidating course-wise, it's very well run (no pun intended...), and the tour through these old towns is beautiful!

After the race, we picked up our freebies and our medals then headed into downtown Newburyport (The Port Tavern) for some delicious burgers and refreshment.  It was well earned!