Better late than never, I'm finally getting around to writing about the Maine Coast Half Marathon! I really enjoyed this event, despite the chaotic start to the day. A friend and I had signed up to run this race several months ago. It fit well into my training schedule and the race course is beautiful. We had exchanged several text messages about the event and she was going to pick me up at 6:45am to head to the race. Since it was Mother's Day weekend, we had even planned on going out for a mimosa after we finished. I was looking forward to the day and planned on doing the 13.1 miles as a true training run and not a race. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about leaving at 6:45 am, as that gave us very little time to get our bibs and be at the start line at 8am. I am seriously Type A when it comes to races, I like to get there early, have everything organized and ready to go long before the gun goes off. In fact, I always pick up my bib and packet the day before, so I don't have to stress about it on race day. However, I had worked a 10 hour shift on Friday and did not get out in time to make it to the Expo. Anyway, I was trying to let go of all my anal tendencies and just go to the event and have fun!
Saturday morning, I woke up at 5:15am, had some coffee and a banana, then got ready to go. It was a cool overcast day, which is my favorite kind of running weather. At 6:30am, I was getting the last of my things together and went to put my Garmin watch on and realized the battery was at 17%! What? I had fully charged it 2 days ago! I hooked it up to the charger and was hopeful that it would charge up in the 15 minutes before I had to head out. 6:45am, it was up to 40%, I put it on and waited for my friend. If the watch didn't last for the race, it would be fine, I did not have a set time goal other than to finish feeling decent. At 6:50, no sign of my friend, I decided to text her because we were seriously cutting it close... I did not hear back right away. At 6:55am, I got in my car as I knew if I did not leave I would not make it to the race. It is a 45 minute drive and I still needed my bib, not to mention dealing with race day traffic. I called her as I was pulling out of my driveway...no answer. Just as I was getting on the Turnpike, I got a text message from her with many expletives! She thought the race was on Sunday, as many events are here in Maine. She was sleeping and heard her phone going off, but didn't know who would be calling so early on a Saturday! There was no way she could make it at this point, so she told me to just go. I know she felt terrible about the mix-up!
I made it to Biddeford, despite encountering a bit of traffic, but managed to have my car parked at 7:50am.I ran to the expo building to get my bib, but no one was there! Next, I ran over to the start line and the bibs were at a tent there. I got my bib on just as the first wave of runners went off. I was in the second wave, but ended up squeezing in somewhere in the 4th wave of people. I didn't care, I needed to retie my laces and text my husband to let him know I made it.
I headed out with that wave and it was pretty crowded for the first 1/2 mile, but then it started to thin out. Of course, I was already warmed up from running around before the start, so that was a positive! The miles were going by slowly and I was just trying to keep my pace under 10 minutes per mile. I was worried about finishing the distance, as I had not run much in the two weeks prior to the race as I had been out of town, then sick. I was feeling better, but had put in a ton of miles on the bike in the past few days, so I was running on very tired legs. I do not wear an iPod when I
run races, so I was trying to distract myself with other people's conversations and watching different running styles. It was mile 4, when a girl came up beside me and commented on the pleasant running weather. I agreed with her, then realized she looked familiar. Then, it hit me, and I asked, "Did you run the full marathon last year?" She replied yes and we started talking about that race from last year! (you can read about that day here: http://www.marathonsandmotivation.com/2014/05/maine-coast-marathon-race-report.html) I had run beside her and we chatted at some point during that race last year. I have had this happen numerous times in running races and triathlons! It always makes me smile, because it reminds me of how many wonderful, friendly people there are in the running and triathlon communities. Anyway, we chatted away from miles 4 to 8, which made the time just fly by! At that point, she wanted to scale back her pace a bit, as she was doing the Maine Coast Challenge, which was the half on Saturday and the full marathon the next day (Yes, that is 39.3 miles in two days...Wow!). So I headed on, glad to have run into her and now only having 5 miles to go.
I was happy and all my miles were under 10, but I was trying not to pay much attention to anything else, except keeping my heart rate in check. At this point, I started to really focus on the beautiful scenery. A good portion of the course was along the ocean and their were some stunning views. I was so happy to be running at this point and just enjoying the moment! I hit mile 11 before I knew it and decided to push it a bit, but it was a bit hilly and my legs did not want to cooperate! So at mile 12, I tried hard to get my legs to cooperate with my brain and go faster and they did! I crossed the Finish Line and was thrilled to have done the race! My Finish time was 2:07 and change, which was the slowest half marathon I have done, but I was pleased with the time under the circumstances! It was a fun, well-organized event and I definitely look forward to participating in it again! (http://mainecoast262.com)
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