Race Recap: Eastern States 20 (aka My Love Affair with Running)

My 20-mile run this weekend reminded me of every wonderful, crazy thing that I love about this sport.  The Eastern States 20-Mile has been on my running wish list for several years now.  There is just something SO irresistibly cool to me about running across state borders in a race.  Like "yeah, no big deal, I ran through three states on Saturday morning, what did you do this weekend?!"  The brag factor is big with this one!  

Eastern States is a point-to-point race starting in Kittery, Maine and running primarily along Route 1A (which stretches from Maine, all the way to Florida) through New Hampshire and finishing just over the Massachusetts border in Salisbury, MA.  It is almost 100% along the ocean, and is extremely flat, with only about a 50 foot elevation change throughout.  

 

I was excited to be able to share this experience with two new friends from my running club, who I met at 6 AM in Newton to drive up to New Hampshire together.  That meant setting my alarm for 4:30 AM on Saturday morning... which would have been rough, had I not been SO excited all night long (yes, I am obnoxiously perky on race mornings!)  As we made our way to Hampton Beach for the shuttle, we caught a glimpse of the beach from a side-street and parked to get a closer look.  The sun was just beginning to rise over the ocean, casting streaks of yellow and orange through the sky.  The scene took my breath away, and I knew in that moment that it was going to be a magical day.

 

After a quick coffee (and chocolate glazed doughnut) stop, we boarded the shuttle that would take us from Hampton Beach up to Kittery, Maine for the race start.  A quick 15-minutes later and we were at Traip Academy for packet pickup and a mega-long porta-potty line!  We spent much of the next hour waiting in line while debating our race attire... It was 39 degrees and slightly cloudy, but forecasted to be 45 degrees and sunny by the finish, with a slight wind along the ocean.  The challenges that we runners face!  After much angst, I decided to put my windbreaker in the gear check bag, and couldn't have been happier with my decision when I warmed up within minutes.

Who doesn't love a good porta potty line pic!

It is hard to say enough about how beautiful this race was.  I am fairly positive I spent the first 18 miles of this race with a cheesy grin on my face, just completely in awe of my surroundings.  Totally obnoxious, like I said!  
 

Just can't help myself!

The first mile or so of the race ran through downtown Kittery to Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Maine-New Hampshire border.  There we passed Warren's Lobster House, my all-time favorite seafood restaurant from my time living up in Maine, which brought back some incredible memories of friends and food comas.  We then crossed through  downtown Portsmouth, making our way to Route 1A and the ocean.

The next 10 or so miles of the race followed the curve of the coastline past several state beaches, and more lobster shacks and ice cream shops than I could count.  Talk about great memories of Maine summers... I could practically taste a buttery lobster roll with a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.  I have to say, my sports gel was not quite the same!

We began passing a series of beaches that I recognized, first by name and then by sight, having spent some fun long weekends with friends along the New Hampshire coast.  First Wallis Sands Beach, and then Rye Beach, where there was a small crowd of spectators braving the cold winds to cheer us on, and then a view of the Isle of Shoals off in the distance.  Although the stretch between Rye and North Hampton marked 13 miles, I barely felt the distance, believing instead that I was on my own little tour of coastal New England.

It was somewhere around mile 16 and Hampton Beach when reality started to hit.  At this point, my legs felt heavy and with the sun out, the water stations started to feel further apart.  We passed the parking lot where we had met the shuttle over 5 hours before, and then the hotel where the post-race party being held, and the half marathoners were already celebrating, which mentally was a little rough.  Only four more miles!  Hampton Beach was undeniably beautiful though, and I tried to let the scenery take my mind off the distance.

The last two miles seemed to stretch forever for me, and I really started hurting just as we approached a small climb over the Hampton Bridge.  I started counting down half miles and then quarter miles, pushing to keep up my pace and get it done.  The race turned slightly inland, so I lost track of my blissfully distracting beach views as well.  I was so relieved when we approached a large crowd of spectators and then turned a corner and saw the finish line just100 yards away.  

Elated to have completed my last 20-mile training run for my April marathon, I walked (okay hobbled) to the gear check bus, where I was amazed that the incredibly organized race volunteers had already retrieved my bag and had it waiting to hand to me.  Just a few steps beyond that, a shuttle bus was waiting to take runners to the post-race celebration.  It couldn't have been better, because when we got back to Hampton Beach, I practically inhaled three cups of chicken noodle soup, two slices of pizza, an orange slice and a Diet Coke.  Recovery food of champions! 

I was psyched to check off one of my wish list races and to be still feeling halfway decent after 20 miles with a finish time I could be proud of.  I felt lucky to have had such an incredible race experience, running through one of the most beautiful parts of New England, with a tailwind behind us, on a perfectly clear and sunny March day.  Most of all, I couldn't have been happier to share this experience with some new friends from my running club family.  Everything about this day epitomized everything I love about this wonderful sport of running.  Here I come, Eastern States 2017!

I am linking up this post with the Tuesdays on the Run link-up with My No-Guilt Life, MCM Mama Runs and Marcia's Healthy Slice!

Hotter Than... Old Port Half Marathon Race Recap

The Old Port Marathon started off so beautifully.  I arrived at the Ocean Gateway Terminal, the main pier in downtown Portland where the race started, just as the sun was rising over the docks.  

Probably wins for best Packet Pickup view ever.

 I spent some time stretching and warming up along the tip of the pier, feeling the cool ocean breeze and enjoying the salty spray of the waves as they crashed upon the dock.  I was ready for a great race!

I loved the red tug boats... so quintessential Maine!

 As the start of the race took us straight down Commercial Street, a flat two miles along the water, straight through the heart of downtown Portland, I was feeling pretty good.  I knew the hilliest part of the race was ahead of me at mile 3 in the Western Promenade Park, but I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the beautiful views.

I kind of wanted to stop for some shopping and a coffee...

 And then the hilly part came.  And just as the narrator in the race preview video said, the hills were so steep that you could walk faster than you could run.  I actually saw some people have to STOP walking to take a rest midway up the hill.  It was unbelievably steep, and the hills seemed to never stop coming!  By the time I left the Western Promenade around mile 5, I couldn't even feel my quads and gluts.  

Definitely time for a coffee break after all those hills!

 As I ran back down Commercial Street toward the Eastern Promenade and a loop around the Back Cove, the sun was really starting to pound down.  The views of the ocean were absolutely stunning, but the lack of shade along the ocean-side paths made the heat stifling.  As I reached the Back Cove, I could feel myself getting more and more dehydrated as the miles passed by.

Too hot to appreciate the beautiful views

I knew the trail around the Back Cove would be 3.5 miles before the course turned back toward the finish line, and trail had mile markers every quarter-mile.  I counted down each one of those mile markers, which seemed to get increasingly further apart as I circled the bay.  Luckily, after the Back Cove loop, there were 3 water stops over the last few miles of the course.  I stopped at every table, drinking in as much water and Gatorade as my parched throat could swallow.  Finally, I reached the finish line - my legs feeling remarkably good, but the rest of me feeling unbelievably awful.

The awards were actually buoys - so cool!

After finishing, I managed to make it all the way to the line of Port-a-Potties before throwing up every last drop of water and Gatorade I had drank over the past three miles.  If there is anything more miserable than being hot, sore, tired, and violently ill in a 3x3 Port-a-Potty used by hundreds of other sweaty runners, I have yet to discover it.  

On the drive back up north, I had to pull over twice, throwing up things I didn't even remember eating on the side of I-95.  It was pretty fantastic.  Not.  By the time I got back, I was so dehydrated and dizzy that all I could do was pass out on my bed, still in my gross running clothes, that had acquired white streaks stained with salt from sweat dried by the hot sun.  After a long nap, I alternated between chair and bed for the entire afternoon, slowly drinking glass after glass of water, and trying to help my pounding head and churning stomach recover from their ordeal.  It wasn't until dinnertime that I started to feel somewhat human again.

A well-earned victory photo!

Finally, around 7 pm, I was able to get some solid food down, and muster a half-smiling attempt at a victory photo with my medal and race shirt.  At least the medal and the shirt were good-looking, because I certainly was not!!

All in all, not my best race.  Dehydrating then over-hydrating and getting violently ill really detracted from the beautiful ocean views and seamless organization of a race in one of my favorite cities.  But would I do it again next year, for my third consecutive Old Port race?  Without a doubt.  Hopefully next year, I will be smarter about my fluid intake... lesson learned!!

Have you ever over-hydrated during a race?  What are your hydration tips for marathons?  

The Way Life Should Be

I am having the most wonderful long weekend in Maine!  Marathon day is tomorrow in Portland (SO nervous!) so I spent the day taking it easy.  We went for a walk at Winslow Park in Freeport, a peninsula jutting into the Maine coastline between the Harraseeket and Casco Bay.  I enjoyed the beautiful views of the blue water that reflected the blue sky, with so much greenery from the forest.  

I would give anything to live right here!

After our walk, we wound down with some relaxation time at the beach, just listening to the waves wash on the shore as the sun started to set.  I could have sat there all day!

Is there anything more beautiful?

It is amazing how just one day away from work can make all the difference in the world.  I feel so refreshed!  

Pretty much loving life...

Now onto stressing about the big race tomorrow!  Watching the course video, the first four miles are SUPER hilly.  There is one point in the video where the narrator says, "You might want to walk this hill, because you'll find yourself walking quicker than you could run."  What have I gotten myself into?!  

More tomorrow, or so I hope...