2010 Great Bay Half Marathon

I spent most of the week prior to this race limping around and sitting at my desk either with a heat pack, an ice pack or a foot wheel under my foot. I didn’t train at all for fear of aggravating the evil plantar fasciitis. So when I was able to walk a little on Saturday I started feeling hopeful. I wouldn’t have to walk Great Bay! And I didn’t walk it. Here’s my silly little race report

Race: Great Bay Half Marathon (part of the Will Run for Beer Series)
Date: April 11, 2010
Distance: 13.1 miles
My time: 2:12:44

Full results here

I had never been to Newmarket, NH before. It’s an adorable little town. I showed up extra early because I had no idea where I was going or where I was going to park. So I got to wander around a little (wish I had dragged the camera along).

And other than a very cranky looking resident giving me an evil glare while I wandered around the town (I’m sorry the runners are invading your home space) everyone seemed so friendly and helpful. I stopped into Crackskulls coffee and books and pre-ordered myself a Frappe so I wouldn’t have to carry cash with me during the race. If a frappe isn’t motivation I don’t know what is.

The race started at a different place than the finish line so I walked up to the start. I ran into a lady who runs a lot of the Concord area races and one of my husband’s ultra running buddies, Steve. We were chatting when the crowd started to move. I guess it was time to start. Our pack was huge and some people were using the sidewalk to get better positioning. A lady (the second cranky person I saw in this lovely town) yelled out “get of out the sidewalk jerks”. Which made all the runners laugh. Sorry for inconveniencing your day for 5 minutes lady, but next time a half marathon and 5k are running in your town, maybe you should join in. Or plan your day so that your walk doesn’t include passing a crowd of 1500+ runners.

I tried to maintain a conservative pace. I had to find a balance between wanting to break my half marathon PR and being able to run again shortly after the race. So I trotted along at a ten minute mile pace. Eventually another ultramarathoner, Reeder, passed me wearing a tutu and a kids unicorn costume…. I kid you not. I’m sure plenty of people got GREAT shots of him running. I told him that he should wear the costume again at the Vermont 100, which is of course a horse and running race.

The first half of the race had a couple small hills.  The second half, lets just say that my husband wouldn’t consider it hilly, but I need more hill work to find that part bearable. During the race one guy told me the hills were much like the ones at Cape Cod marathon. After the race a lady told me that she found the Cape Cod marathon easier than this half. I found the difference in opinion interesting.

I did discover that my ankles do not like downhills. So I was having no problem powering up the hill, but controlling on the way down was slower. And I hated the last hill into Newmarket. With the finish so close it seemed so steep.

Right around the finish people were lining both sides of the course. There was a guy with a mystic runners shirt on that probably got a really goofy picture of me. And there were some beautiful poodles on the other side of the chute fence. It was probably a good thing that there was a fence between us. I’ve truly grown to love the breed.

I finished the race 10 minutes slower than my PR and I was happy with it. Four day before I couldn’t walk, and I had just finished a half marathon, a hilly half marathon… Go me.

Oh and that Frappe? 100% worth it.

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