labor day

So remember how I signed up last minute to run a 25K race this past weekend? Well, it happened yesterday. If you're in the Boston area, you know that it was reeeeeeeeeeeeally hot and humid yesterday.

Here's a quick race recap (with pics!) and what I spent the rest of the day doing:

The race started at 8am which meant I needed to get up before the crack of dawn (always fun on a day off) to eat breakfast by 6am. Shortly after, I headed up to Gloucester. The race has been going on for a number of years so they've got the details mostly right. Easy packet pick up, clearly marked race, friendly volunteers. Yesterday's race could have used a couple more water stops, but that's just because of how hot it was.

The course is described as having 16 crazy hills - which is the truth. But thankfully, most of them are within the first half. The last 5 or so miles are mostly flat or gentle rolling hills. Except for the very last hill - which is within a quarter mile of the finish line and is extremely steep. The one hill that got to me the most (that I have run a number of time, most recently during the Twin Lights Half) was the one coming out of downtown Rockport. It just goes on and on and on. I admit I walked up the majority of it.

Another great thing about this race is the amount of stuff at the finish. Lots of water, Gatorade, bananas, bagels, watermelon, oranges, and juice. I partook of all of it. I don't even really like Gatorade, but after such a hot race, I downed an entire 16oz bottle very quickly.

You might not think there'd be spectators at a race like this, but there actually are! A lot of the course is along residential streets so people will stand at the end of their driveways (with their delicious, hot coffee) or hang out of their porches or windows.

My goal was to finish, and that's just what I did. Not as well as in 2012, but not as poorly as 2009. A respectable 2:43:50, 10:30min/mile.

After the race (and after getting a very large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts), I met up with friends and headed to Crane's Beach. My first and (probably) last trip to the beach this summer. It was a perfect day at the beach, the best way to recover from a long run. We also stopped at Russell Orchards for apple cider donuts. It was hands down the best donut I've ever eaten. After that it was watermelon margaritas, yummy pizza, and lots of just hanging out and having fun together. Hope your Labor Day was just a perfect as mine was!