2011 Old Port Half Marathon Race Report

Well, today didn't quite go as planned. The race wasn't a total catastrophe by any means, but I had grand ideas of running 1:40, and at least hoped to beat my half marathon time from 1998. Neither of those happened. I ended up with 1:44:46, just barely squeaking by at under 8:00 pace. Ah well, it was a good experiment, and really, Erik put on a great event, which was very well organized, scenic, and with lots of fun goodies and treats after the race, and I was happy to be part of its inaugural run! Somehow I'm sure this race will only grow in the years to come!

It was in the 70s this morning, but still heavy. And sunny. Definitely better than earlier this week though! I headed down to Old Port by myself around 6:30am, leaving Ryan with a still sleeping Sam. I got myself all organized, and ran the final mile from the State Pier up to the start on the Eastern Prom. Surprisingly, I have never run on the Eastern Prom - there were some really nice views along the way, which I was glad I got to enjoy on my warm-up as I didn't even notice in the last mile of the race :-) I ran into Erin getting ready to run, as well as Blaine, Jeff and Jamie, all three of whom were acting the role of cheering crew today. I missed Mary, Christine and Sara, but I knew they were out there in the crowds somewhere! The first mile was downhill, and well, I went out too fast. 7:15. Oops. I toned it down a notch for mile 2, but I was still going too fast, although I felt pretty comfortable. The course went out toward Mackworth Island and around mile 4, went into Gildsland Farm, doing a 1/2 mile loop on their grounds before popping back out onto  the pavement. Ryan, Sam, Jim and Blaine were cheering along this stretch, which was a great boost! Sam gave me big smiles, but I think she was pretty overwhelmed by all the people! There certainly a lot of us out there.

While out in the fields, I took a gel, and my stomach was not happy with its sticky sweet taste. Things started to go downhill soon after, and my pace slowly but surely slowed as we crossed back over the bridge, and were routed onto the Back Cove loop. I am sure it was a combination of many things, including going out too fast, the heat, the gel and just not having done any long runs at race pace. I had a few pretty sucky miles in this stretch, although I tried to put on a good face when I saw Blaine along the trail's edge:

Running along Back Cove (thanks for the photo, Blaine!)

I managed to pick up the pace in the final two miles, but the damage was done. Lots of people passed me in the final three to four miles, although I did manage to get a few back during miles 12 and 13. Ah well. I can't be too disappointed, as honestly, I haven't really done any 1/2 marathon specific training nor have I ever really known how to pace myself very well for these sort of things :-) Ha. Anyway, I was very happy to see the finish line!! 

After I composed myself a bit, we sat on the edge of the pier, and Sam enjoyed my free ice cream, along with a few of her own snacks :-) 

Post race snacks :-)

After taking in the scene for a while, Jamie headed home, and Jeff joined Ryan, Sam and I, along with my sister Kristen, for a post-race breakfast at Stonyfield Cafe. Their egg and cheese sandwich on flatbread hit the spot! Sam didn't eat any of her pancakes (again!) but did enjoy the watermelon and cantelope on my plate. Sounds like we missed out on some fun in the beer garden at the Pier, but I was more than ready to come home and relax!! Oh wait, I have an almost-2 year old. Forget the relaxing part :-) 

Many thanks again to Erik for a great race, as well as to all the volunteers. And to Ryan for crewing, and Jeff, Jamie and Blaine for cheering!  RESULTS

After Sam's nap, we had a bit of pool time, visited with our neighbors, and had a yummy dinner of turkey burgers, potatoes, salad and corn. Delish! 

Yum! Corn!

And just in case you're wondering, Sam can now say "corn," "Mama, eat it!" and "Gary," our neighbor's cat's name (random, I know!).