Sunday was a busy day. We were all up early for race day. It was raining slightly just before the start, but Sam was in good spirits in the Ergo on my back as she, Irene, Dana and I walked to the starting line. The cannon sounded and the crowd surged forward. They were off! We quickly went back to the hotel to grab a bite to eat, and then off to our first meeting spot - mile 11.25ish. I was a bit nervous about the whole race viewing/crewing thing, but we managed to get everywhere we were supposed to go, and ended up having a great morning cheering on Ryan, Jamie and Blaine. It was also nice to have Kate and her parents at 11.25 and 17 miles too! I wish we had been able to see Jim and Shauna out on the course too, but my main goal for the day was to make sure I was where I needed to be for Ryan, so his schedule was dictating ours! Ryan's parents helped keep Sam amused during the journey, and we all had a great time watching the race.
Getting ready to cheer on the runners at the end of Sargent Drive
Happy Sam!
Ryan looking focused
Jamie, relaxed and looking strong
Ryan and Jamie started out together, but by mile 17 were a minute or so apart. Still, they both looked awesome. We also saw Blaine at each stop, as he was about 5 minutes ahead of Ryan and Jamie. I was impressed that he was smiling every time we saw him. We managed to see Blaine, Ryan and Jamie five times, as well as right at the finish line. It was a bit stressful to be support crew, and also have Sam with me, but Irene and Dana were a big help, and I hope our cheering helped the guys as they ran along! They all had great races. I am so proud of Ryan for finishing in 3:10:11 in 21st place. Amazing! What a PR, and what a race!
Everyone was in good spirits, and looking good, at the finish. We sat and chatted for a while, going over the race and such, and Sam and I enjoyed Ryan's ice cream. I swear, she ate some too :-)
Yum! Ice cream :-)
The little runner-to-be
After Ryan got his beer, and the rest of us had lunch, - priorities! - we drove back to the hotel to get cleaned up. It was pretty late, and Sam ended up not napping, although she was clearly tired. It was such a beautiful afternoon, and we didn't want to be cooped up inside, so she and I took a walk along the Shore Path. She's in a bit of a mama phase right now, especially when tired, and I thought the walk would at least give her some down time, and give my arms a bit of a rest. :-) The path was fairly quiet, and we had a nice walk along the ocean, watching the waves and enjoying the late afternoon light hitting the islands. When we got to the end, I asked Sam if she wanted to go back along the water or go through town, and she chose town, so that is what we did.
Late afternoon light on Balance Rock
Tired girl
It was a nice end to a good day. We were all tired and in bed early for sure!
Monday - Acadia Exploration
I didn't want to leave the island without getting in another run, so I headed out around 7:30. I planned out a route that would allow me to run right from the hotel, get me on the carriage roads for a bit, and most importantly, land me back at Two Cats to meet up with everyone for breakfast :-) I ran up to Duck Brook Road, a winding quiet road just on the boundary of the park. The early morning light was shining through the trees, and the ground was littered with golden leaves. After a little more than two miles on the roads, I hopped onto the carriage roads at Witch Hole Pond and took them over to Rt. 233 at Eagle Lake.
I had the trails to myself. It was a gorgeous, sparkly morning, I had some great views, and really enjoyed this stretch. Even Rt. 233 back into town wasn't all that bad, and after some good, quick downhill running, I ended up at Two Cats just as Ryan, Sam, Irene and Dana were coming up the block. The loop ended up being 6.96, and I got it done in 58:37. If everyone hadn't been there, I would have gone a bit further to get 7.0 on the nose, but that's OK :-) It was a great run and a nice way to start off the day. After socializing with the kitties, we all thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast. Ummm, Two Cats biscuits. Yum!
Sam had been talking about the "blue water" all weekend, and I had promised her that we would go down to the ocean today. She was convinced she would be swimming in the blue water, but we figured we could get away with just sticking our toes in the ocean! It was October 17, after all. We headed to Sand Beach, the only true beach on the island, to check things out. Luckily for us, the sun was warm, the skies were blue, and the water lapping the shore didn't feel too bad. Unfortunately, after a short walk to the water's edge, Sam decided she didn't like the cold blue water after all, and ended up taking the rest of the walk as a passenger on my back. Ah well. At least we tried :-)
Walking barefoot on Sand Beach
Beautiful day at Sand Beach
Well, at least we look good :-) Too bad Sam isn't smiling.
Sand Beach and the Beehive
Taking a short walk upstream at the end of the beach
All in all, it was an awesome weekend, and a lot of fun! Congrats again to Ryan, Jamie, Blaine, Shauna and Jim for great races on a really tough course, and thanks to Irene and Dana for joining us and helping with Sam! Acadia is such a special place, and it is always a treat to spend time up there.
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