*RECAP* Inaugural Santa Hustle New England Half

SANTA ... I know him!!!

Yes I gave the Santa Hustle Race Series a second try.

When did I first run into it (slow cap) you may ask? In December 2011 in Chicago, I did the Santa Hustle 5k.

It was not my favorite race at the time.

BUT, when I heard about the inaugural Santa Hustle New England race my hopes for a different sort of race were lifted higher.

Why?

Because they would be offering a 5k AND half marathon option. Woo! I figured the half marathon would be more spacious than the 5k and possibly offer more candy! :P

So when offered a complimentary race entry by the organizers, I jumped at the chance and signed me and the BFF up right away.

(Note: while I did receive complimentary entry - all thought and opinions are my own ... ain't nobody got time for lyin'!)

The race was taking place in South Portland, which I hadn't explored as much in the past so I was exited to run through it with my BFF.

We knocked out packet pick-up on Saturday and grabbed our santa hat, santa beard and dri-fit hoodie. The race organizers wanted the participants to wear all of it for the race, but I knew I wouldn't be comfortable in that garb for 13.1 miles. I opted to break out my Santa Hustle shirt from 2011 so I could sort of blend in. ;)

If I had done the 5k I would've been fine dressing up, but 30 minutes in it vs. 2 hours is huge. Am I right? My friend opted to wear the hoodie.

I requested a men's medium sweatshirt when registering for the race, but when I opened my bag I had a women's medium. Ummm... nope! Definitely not fitting. It was like a fat guy in a little coat type incident. Not fun. So I tucked it away and planned on attempting to exchange on race morning.

When the alarm BLARED off at 5am, the chill in the air was fierce. Oh right it was late November in Maine. Yeah it was freakin' cold. Yay! Womp.

We bundled up in the car at 6am and headed out to the Start Area. I will give the race credit for using The Maine Mall parking lot as their Start/Finish area as it gave PLENTY of parking spaces for the participants and spectators. We were one parking row away from the festivities. Woo!

I was able to exchange my sweatshirt for a Women's Large and we headed back to the car to try and keep warm til the 7am start time.

Just after 6:30, we begrudgingly got out of the car and into the cold to start our race prep. :P The race had a ton of port-o-potties so the line wasn't too bad.

Plus we had this cute reindeer to chat with...

With 10 minutes to go, we shivered our way over to the Start Corral.

I thought the race directors had done the pace markers just for me...

... oh I am not meant to be up here at the front? My bad. Let me shuffle on back to my proper corral.

As the half marathoners were shivering in the Start Corral, the announcer kept pushing the start back. It was it's original 7am then 7:04 then 2 more minutes. C'mon dude. We were cold.

We then learned that they wanted to catch the start on live tv for the local ABC affiliate so the start would be 7:15am. C'mon? The 5kers were supposed to start 15 min after us so they could've been the live shot.

But we waited and I am sure the 6 people awake at 7:15am on a Sunday watching the news loved the shot. <<note sarcasm>>

I crossed the Start line, started the Garmin and promptly couldn't feel my feet while running. Awesome. The BFF and I were debating how long it would take to start feeling our appendages. I KNEW we would start out too fast for what we were aiming for because we were just trying to warm up... and I was right.

Our goal was to have fun, eat candy, enjoy one of our last races together and finish in sub-2.

Mile 1: 8:14

During Mile 2 on Running Hill Road, we passed a Weight Watchers center. Yes I had to snap a pic.

Taking the pic also helped distract me from my desperate need to hit the port-o-pottie.

Mile 2: 8:14

Mile 2 marker offered a water stop AND a port-o-pottie. YAY! Now he run could continue. Phew.

Just after exiting the port-o-pottie we headed up our first hill. But at the top we were rewarded with our first candy stop!

I started jogging and trying to eat the mini m&ms, but knew that would be disastrous. So we opted to walk and snack.

We were in an office park (Sable Oaks Drive) I would say, which featured two separate out and back loops. At some point there must've been a lack of guidance because people were running towards us on both sides of the road. There weren't any cones in the middle to indicate as you came up the hill you should stay to the left so instead people were coming up the hill and moving to their right. Does that make sense?

Mile 3: 9:39

I figured out the error when my Garmin buzzed for the Mile 3 marker and we were across the road from it. Thankfully the folks behind us had started to see the error of the earlier participants and they corrected the course themselves. So we really took m&ms from the Mile 3 station rather than the Mile 2 station. They were across the road from each other so easy to see the mix-up.

As we headed out of the tiny office lot, we did one more quick hilly out and back before retracing our steps to get back to Running Hill Road.

Mile 4: 8:27

Once back on Running Hill Road, we spotted Buddy The Elf

and asked for a quick selfie.

After shouting "I hope you find your dad," the BFF and I continued on the journey.

Mile 5: 8:21

We ran back over the Maine Turnpike, the local cops helped usher us across Maine Mall Road so we could continue the race in the shoulder of the road on the right hand side. Luckily the shoulder of the road is an emergency lane so it was pretty wide and we weren't in the middle of traffic.

Mile 6: 8:13

We got so excited to see a banner thinking it was a candy stop... nope just water! Womp womp!

I made a point of stopping at every water stop to keep myself hydrated. You know how easy it is to forget to do that when it is cold out!!

Just after the 10k mark, we crossed over to run alongside the Portland Airport. In case you are wondering, not scenic. You can see I am lacking in the scenery pics from this race because it wasn't very pretty, but rather industrial.

As we made our way down the nice and flat Airport Plaza Road, the lead runner came running towards us. I wasn't sure which side of the emergency lane to run on since there weren't any cones. It seemed again the participants were making their own game time decisions on which side to use. Luckily the street wasn't too busy at the time we were running so I wasn't so worried about being hit.

Mile 7: 8:34

With another water stop that we thought was candy, we took a right on to Westbrook St and were finally in a little neighborhood. There weren't any spectators out unfortunately and no music along the course so it was pretty quiet.

A volunteer tried to stop a woman from driving through the course, but she blatantly ignored him and zipped right in front of us. Thanks for listening jerk! Harumph.

I read the race would be having Christmas music along the course, but I didn't hear any... until we started approaching the Mile 8 marker.

Mile 8: 8:44

YES! The prize for tackling yet another hill (Brickhill Ave) would be COOKIES!!

We took this as a chance to walk and eat - again no need to choke on a cookie during a race. ;) I haven't typed that ever in a race recap.

We finished the trip around the Cul de Sac and headed back down Brickwell Ave.

Mile 9: 8:56

Since this was the third out and back of the race, we once again retraced our steps to head back along the airport.

We emerged back at the main intersection and headed left on Western Ave.

Mile 10: 8:34

The temps were rising and the sun was blaring. At this point in the race, I really wanted to steal someone's sunglasses and toss off my Under Armour. But I battled through. I know I know I am a warrior. ;)

There was a barely noticeable incline all along Western Ave. If in a car I wouldn't notice it, but of course running I did. This may be where I got a little whiny.

I was ready to be done and I was disappointed in the lack of Christmas music and candy on the course. I thought there would be more of both.

As we made our way down Western, we were once again in the emergency lane of the street. Not very scenic, but thankfully there were orange cones to our left so drivers knew what was going on.

Most of the racers did the 5k so the half course was pretty spread out in terms of participants.

We took a quick right on to Gorham Road before hitting the Mile 11 marker and heading back into the shopping area.

Mile 11: 8:15

You know how many malls have surrounding businesses? That was the road we were on. Oh hey it's Home Depot. How exciting! Not. I didn't get a "I'm running in Maine" vibe at all from the course. I did learn about all the factories and box stores South Portland has to offer.

It was like we saw the light as we rounded a bend and saw the Candy sign.

Did you spot my shadow?

But I thought it would be candy canes... nope! More mini m&ms. Boo!

Now don't get me wrong I love a good m&m, but was hoping for some variety in the candy selection.

It was just after this point that we spotted our first photog of the morning and of course we entertained him with some leaps and jumps. ;)

As we approached the Mile 12 marker, we re-enetered the Maine Mall parking lot.

Mile 12: 8:50

We were so close yet so far away. My stomach was starting to reject the candy and cookie along the course and began acting up. I thought I was going to have to just sit in the fetal position and not finish the race. My BFF said we could walk and I said hell no. We needed to run faster so it could be over. I was in pain, but I wasn't about to stop.

We made our way around the outside of the mall and were finally approaching the Finish.

I do want to thank the 5k participants who waited around to cheer on the half marathoners.

Mile 13: 8:22

We opted for the jump across the Finish line as our photo opt... and it was perfect!

Official Time: 1:52:28

Woo! We hit our goals of eating candy, having fun, and sub-2. Mission accomplished.

Fun medal - check!

I decided to trade in the sweatshirt one final time to go from a Women's Medium to Women's Large to Women's X-Large. Finally it felt comfortable.

Since I couldn't get the live reindeer to do a selfie with me ... I went for the next best thing.

When there is an after party, we will be there. So the BFF and I dropped our stuff in the car and headed to Jimmy The Greeks. We went inside and were told there was no free post-race beer. Sad face. I thought when someone invited you to an after-party there would be at least one free beer... but no!

So there were some angry santas, but of course we were suckers and bought one any way.

The BFF's family and my wife joined us so we could do some post-race photo ops and raid the snacks!

***

Overall, the we gave the race a B-. I know I don't normally rate them with a grade, but the BFF and I had some time to discuss it post-race before our crew got there.

I thought for $60/65 registration for the half it was a great deal. I rarely get a sweatshirt for race swag... and I have been living in it since the race. The volunteers were amazing. Plus there were actual reindeers at the party.

I wish the race had more on-course entertainment, additional candy stops (even though my stomach my disagree) and prettier scenery. South Portland I learned had little to offer in terms of beauty.

Now this was an inaugural race so I know it is a learning experience so I give then the benefit of the doubt that they would improve it if they opt to return next year.

***

Have you done a Santle Hustle race before?

*RECAP* Inaugural South Shore Half

The South Shore Half was originally set to take place on November 2 ... but that never happened.

Sweet Swag!

Due to weather advisories, the police and fire department decided to postpone the race.

Thankfully it was a postponement rather than a full on cancellation. They pushed the race back to November 16. Yay I was free that day. Boo it would be the day after my first Spartan Sprint at Fenway Park. Ummm... ouch?

I wasn't sure how sore I would be after the Spartan Sprint, but I had committed to do the South Shore Half so no matter what I would be there.

The morning of the race the alarm blared at 5am and I bolted crawled out of bed. My upper body and legs were sore, but manageable. The wife and I loaded into the car by 5:30 and were off to get her some much needed Dunkin' Donuts.

According to Google Maps, the ride should've taken us about 50 minutes ... well on that early Sunday morning we were there in just over 30. Ummm yay extra time in the car? Well it was a real feel of about 22 degrees so I stayed in the car with her until 6:30. At 6:30 I dragged myself out of the warm car and onto the shuttle busses. Participants and spectators would be parking at the Hanover Mall and racers would take the 5 minute bus ride to the Start Area at Norwell High. Spectators would take a later bus to the Finish in Norwell Center.

Congrats to the race crew for having plenty of busses for the runners and my wife said there were enough for spectators as well.

(Note: I did receive complimentary entry into this race, but all opinions are my own - ain't nobody got time for lyin'!)

When I arrived at Norwell High, I headed straight to the gym to meet up with my friend Steph, who would be tackling her first half marathon! Woo! We are teammates on the Slumbrew Happy Soles so it was great to see a familiar face in the crowd.

We chatted in the warmth of the gym while other runners poured in. I wondered of the original registrants how many would be showing up on the new date. Personally I knew three friends that had originally signed up wouldn't make it due to other plans. But the gym seemed pretty packed in my opinion.

We made the decision to finally leave the warmth of the gym around 7:10 to hit up the port-o-potties and bag check then off to the Start Line we went. There was just a hoard of people heading that way and as we approached the Start Arch an announcement was made.

We were told to line up on the opposite side of the Start Arch from where we were all standing. Umm... ok. Can I tell you that was tough with the amount of people. Note the sea of people trying to make their way through the people already standing on the other side. Does that all make sense? Can you picture the cluster that ensued?

It was frustrating since people didn't want to move to let others into the corral. I would recommend another tactic to the race director next year, but I knew it was the first of this race so kinks would need to get worked out in the future.

But once we were on the right side, I caught a woman's unique running outfit.

Okay I'm kidding. ;) This was a spectator who was walking in the Start Area with her husband. Still not sure why she was there, but I had to snap a pic of the furry boots.

Due to the cluster, the race went off about 7-8 minutes late, which was okay with me as I was still trying to stretch and get my music in order. Yes I opted to run with music for this race since I wasn't sure how many spectators would be out on the course. I knew Disney music would keep me going. :)

Before I knew it I heard the MC doing a countdown and we were off. Here we go Half Marathon #24 overall and #10 of the year.

It was definitely chilly out. I couldn't feel my toes during the first few miles of the race.

Mile 1: 8:43

During Mile 2 I made the smart decision to stop and retie my sneakers. Unfortunately it took me awhile to do it since I couldn't feel my fingers when trying to retie the shoes. Ha. I wasn't sure how long I would be there attempting to get this done. I was wicked happy to put my gloves back on once I was finally done tying.

We also passed the Mile 12 mile marker and I thought "Man that seems really far away right now." But I tuned out the negative voice and focused on living in each mile.

Mile 2: 9:21

I had glanced at the course map, but hadn't seen any elevation chart so I had no idea what to expect when it came to the hills on the course. The website did say it was NOT a flat course. :P There was an interactive map on the website, but I didn't explore it.

Mile 3: 8:33

And they were right.

5k Mark: 27:46

Big thanks to Racewire for texting me the 5k and 10k updates during the race. I was then able to tweet them to my followers. :)

Just after the 5k mark, we hit the first hill.

Ouch! My legs were definitely feeling the stairs from the day before when I started working my way up the hill. I just kept telling myself one foot in front of the other! My mantra for the day.

Mile 4: 8:48

There were more spectators out on the course than I expected, but we were running through local neighborhoods and many folks were standing at the end of their driveways with signs and music. It was cool to see so many kids out cheering for their moms or dads. I pretended that they were cheering for me as well. ;)

Mile 5: 8:42

I loved the amount of water stops on the course. I made sure to take water at each stop and walk for at least 10-20 seconds to let the legs recharge. The Mile 5 water stop would double as a Mile 9 water stop so we were able to get Gatorade twice on the course.

We took an overpass over Route 3 and headed towards the out-and-back portion of the race. As we made our way to another neighborhood, we saw the lead police escort coming towards us! :) I had to snap a pic of the lead runner.

He was making it look effortless.

It's always so exciting to see the lead pack during a race. It is motivating, inspiring and fun to cheer them on.

The rolling hills rolled on with a beautiful quaint New England background. During the uphills, I reminded myself that what goes up must come down. But on the downhills, it was what goes down must go up! (Okay folks let's stay PG ;)) I tried to soak up the downhills as much as possible, but knew I'd be facing another uphill at some point.

Mile 6: 8:40

Racewire had photographers along the course, but I never seemed to notice them until I had already passed. Once I hit the 10k mark, I realized the front of my Sparkle Athletic skirt was stuck in my jacket ... and yes Racewire caught it on camera. Oops! :P

10k Mark: 55:09

I had never been to Norwell before so it was a great chance to see the gorgeous houses and cute neighborhoods. The loop we did through Brigantine Circle was adorable. I loved the feeling of this small town race.

Mile 7: 8:29

As we completed the circle, we headed back towards Route 3. I cheered on the folks heading towards the circle and tried to high five some folks. Not everyone was as excited as I was. :P

I stopped at the water stop during Mile 8 and took the opportunity to take a KIND Snacks break. I like using the KIND Bars as half marathon fuel.

I did a little extra walking that mile in order to eat my snack and stretch out the legs. They were really starting to get sore, but I was ready to push through.

Mile 8: 9:12

Bravo to the race for also handing out PowerBar Energy GUs. While I don't use them, my fellow runners were thrilled for the extra fuel.

Mile 9: 8:39

I checked in with the body and could tell the legs were sore and tired just like the upper body. Apparently the middle part of me was fine and excited to run. It was just everything else that was ready to be done.

I tried to turn up the tunes and just soak up the chilly morning air and be proud that I was out there getting it done.

That is what I love about running - it gives me time to work through issues or celebrate triumphs. Today was celebrating doing an obstacle race on the Saturday and the half on Sunday.

Mile 10: 8:52

Okay a 5k to go. I can do that. It was like my iPod knew what I needed to hear at that moment.

It turned out "Let It Go," "Go The Distance," and "Zero To Hero" in a row. I mean what more could I ask for. I was now changing from running to freakin' jamming! :P

During Mile 11, we turned off Wildcat Street and on to Pleasant Street, which meant we were back on familiar terrain. We would be overlapping some of the early miles as we headed to the Finish.

Mile 11: 8:11

I was needing some support and turned to social media! I called to my peeps for positive vibes and they came out in full force. :)

We were coming into the home stretch. I could see folks around me walking and I had a debate in my mind about walking. I thought if they could do it I could. While yes I could walk, it isn't what I wanted to do. I knew if I just kept running I would get to the Finish faster. The image of the free beer at the end put a little pep in my step.

Plus I soaked in the quaint New England feel for the final two miles.

Mile 12: 8:17

Guess I had something in the tank that I didn't know about. I was tapping in to some speed in the final 5k.

I need to send a big thank you to the volunteers and cops along the course. They were friendly and encouraging the entire time. I know it was cold for them to be standing in one place for so long.

With 1/2 a mile to go, it was time to start playing those games with myself. Just a few more sprints to the Finish. It's like a run around the block. Keep an eye out for the wife as distraction. Etc.

Mile 13: 8:02

I was behind a group of folks and I was ready to buzz past them during the final .1. :) I saw the wife just before the Finish and she even got a pic of me.

Can you tell my phone had slipped down behind my left knee? Yeah I was just trying to keep it from falling out. I had put it in the back of my pants for the final stretch and somehow it started slipping.

But I was ready to fflllyyy across the Finish... and I did.

Final Time: 1:54:00

WOO! My 24th-career half marathon and 10th in 2014 was done. :)

While my Garmin gave me 13.21 miles, I do know that Garmins can usually be off from the advertised 13.1. (Read more on that here)

I had a tough time catching my breath post-race, but thankfully the wife was there to help me slow down my breathing as we walked. I had to keep moving. If I stopped, I wouldn't start back up.

I beelined it for the beer line. Priorities, right? Well they didn't have chocolate milk a the Finish so I had to go for the next best thing. The Finish line featured water, crackers with peanut butter, gummies and a granola bar. I was surprised there weren't bagels or bananas. I was ready to hit Dunkins after so I wasn't totally disappointed.

The post-race party was held just past the Finish Line area outside McGreal's Tavern.

The Sierra Nevada IPA sure hit the spot. The race also offered free hot dogs and hamburgers to Finishers. I passed, but I loved the gesture.

Mmm beer and bling! A great reason to run 13.1 miles on a Sunday morning. :)

Big thanks to my wife for getting up early with me, driving me and being my #1 cheerleader.

Photo via Racewire

I do want to give a big shutout to Steph for owning her first half and finishing a tough course in 2:06:31. Yay Steph!

Photo via Steph

The wife and I had to head home so we hopped on the shuttle busses after grabbing an extra pint glass and were back to the car pretty quickly.

***

Overall the race was very well-organized. I was happy to see a comment on the race's Facebook page from the final runner of the day sharing how pleased she was with the volunteers and amount of support still on the course when she finished. THAT makes me happy and eager to run a race again when they spend the same energy on runner 1 as runner 1750. Bravo South Shore Half Bravo.

The swag was great. The post-race beer was delicious. The course was challenging.

What more could you ask for?

***

Do you shy away from inaugural races or do you like to give them a try?

*RECAP* I Survived My First Spartan Experience: Fenway Sprint

For years Fenway Park was my second home. Growing up my dad took me to a ton of games, including over 13-consecutive Opening Days. During my senior year in college, I started working for the Red Sox. I was honored to be part of the Red Sox Front Office 2004-2006 and the 2007 postseason. I spent a lot of time at Fenway during baseball season and for a few concerts. When I heard about the Spartan Sprint at Fenway I wanted to take part ... despite being completely scared of the Spartan races!

So when Spartan offered me a complimentary race entry, I took it as a sign.

(Note: While I was given free entry to the race, all opinions are my own - ain't nobody got time for lyin'!)

I was set to run with my friend Beth, but unfortunately the week before the race she suffered a concussion and was unable to race. The fee to transfer a bib is $25 and I couldn't scrounge anyone up to take it off her hands so I opted to head to the race solo.

Spartan recommends you get to the race 1.5 hours before you start time (mine was 10am), but I figured that wasn't really necessary ;) so I had the wife drop me off at Fenway at 8:50am. I am a rebel like that. Plus I knew I wasn't doing bag check (it was a $5 charge for bag check).

I kissed the wife goodbye, she gave me some final words of encouragement since I was FREAKIN' out and I headed to collect my bib.

The check-in was set up on Yawkey Way. Step 1: pick up the 3 waivers if you forgot them at home. Thankfully I remembered mine after we left and went back to get them. :P

Step 2: Look up your bib #. Mine was 4199.

Step 3: Pick up bib.

I made my way to Gate A to enter Fenway. I was able to skip the bag inspection line and headed to the turnstile to enter the park.

I set up shop just past the entrance to figure out what I needed to do to be set up. It was 9am and I still had an hour til go time.

You actually didn't wear the bib for the Fenway Sprint so I stuck it in the back of my pants for safe keeping. :P You used the Spartan headband as your bib. I kinda liked that. The little blue thing was the timing chip. You secured it to your wrist by a yellow band (not pictured).

With an hour to go, I decided to take a lap around the park to see what the field/obstacles looked like. I was sort of jealous of the folks with earlier wave times as they were already done and showing off their bling. ;)

Ahhh I started freaking out more! There was a rope climb in front of the Green Monster and video of the race being broadcast on the Jumbo Screen. I was hoping that wasn't the case when I was racing. I didn't need to have everyone watch me struggle.

With new nerves building on top of the old, I opted to head down to the concourse and just pace. Haha. When alone, I didn't have people to chat with as a distraction so the minutes ticked by slowly.

Around 9:50, my 10am heat was called to the Start Area.

I befriended a couple in front of me at the Start Area. They had done a ton of Spartans so they helped calm my nerves. Also the boyfriend was kind enough to help me over the first obstacle. Yes there was a wall you had to climb over just to get to the Start. Thanks buddy!

10am wave was called and we lined up at the Start Line.

The butterflies were climbing from my stomach to my throat. I was wicked nervous, but told myself to take it slow and to HAVE FUN! I was there to prove something to myself and no one else.

The announcer counted us down: 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... GO!

And we were off. Climbing the stairs of the Gate B concourse to the Grandstand level. I was chatting with an older gentleman from our group as we made our way along the back of the Grandstand to the concourse where we hit our first official obstacle.

Big thanks to the volunteers who were there to help folks - especially solo folks like me - with the obstacles. Okay one obstacle down and a bunch more to go. :P

Once over the wall, we headed down the concourse stairs to Gate B, where we promptly took a right and headed back up the ramps to the press level. But we didn't just run up the ramps, we had to crawl up the ramps under the "barb-wire" aka bungee cords. Thank goodness I had my gloves with me as the little pricks on the concourse ground (paint job) were digging into my hands and knees. I do have some cuts on my knees where it went through my pants. Ouch! I am happy it was bungee and not real barbed wire!

On the fifth level, we ran out towards right feel and started doing stairs up and down the sections of the left field roof seats.

Can't beat that view! Yes that view made the stairs just a tad easier... well at least at the beginning.

Once through the left field roof seats, we had to carry a weight (wish I had a pic) from one side of the concourse to the other - do 5 burpees - then bring the weight back to where we picked it up. Think large terracotta rolo (yes the candy) looking item. There were two different sizes - one for guys (heavier) and one for girls (lighter). I am sure you could choose whichever you wanted but I happily went with the lighter one.

Yes another obstacle down!

We ran from the left field roof over to the right field roof seats. We again ran up and down the right field seats.

This is where I started crying.

There was Team Believe. They were working with a guy in a wheelchair. He was going to attempt to do the whole Sprint as a wheelbarrow. So his teammates would hold his legs/lower body while he crawled on his hands. WOW! I am gathering the gentleman ended up in a wheelchair after an accident as the team had a shirt with check boxes on it. They included "wiggling fingers again" and it was checked. The final box said "Walk Again" and it was unchecked... for now. Wow! Talk about an inspiration.

Along the right field roof I caught some pretty sweet pics of Boston.

Once at the Right Field Roof Deck, we had to do 20 overhead slams - again two different weight options available.

It was time to head back down towards the homeplate grandstands, where we carried a jug of water down a set of stairs, across the ramp above the concourse then back up the stairs to where we originally picked the jug up. The jug wasn't that heavy it was just the awkwardness of the container that made it sort of annoying to carry.

We then headed across the grandstand and down to the Vistor's Clubhouse. Boy it had been a few years since I had been in there. :P This time instead of chatting with my Cubs players, I was doing 25 pushups. Between each pushup you had to make sure to release your hands from the ground when your chest hit the ground. I went with the "girlie" pushups and knocked out all 25.

It was weird to run down the hallway to the Visitor's Dugout - again I remembered walking down there with Alfonso Soriano the last time I was there. Boy things change. :P

After making our way back up the seats, it was time to take on the Green Monster.

We ran up and down each section of the Monster.

Spectacular views again.

It was a single lane running path along the seats, but folks were happy to move out of the way if others needed to get by.

Once on the other end of the Monster, we took to the stairs to head down to the bleacher concourse. We were met with a weighted rope and a resistance band to put around our ankles. We had to do 25 jump rope swings with the resistance band on.

I couldn't get into a rhythm to do more than one jump at a time, but I made sure to count out loud so I proved to myself and others that I did all 25. Note: no one was listening to me counting. ;)

With 25 jump ropes done, it was off to another wall obstacle. This time you had to climb along three walls, which were zig zag (does that make sense), without letting your hand touch the top of the wall or your feet hit the floor.

Now this would DEFINITELY be easier with a partner, which I didn't have. BUT I had volunteer Kathleen who basically helped keep me attached to the wall and suggested ways to make it from one side of the other (even getting around the corners) without falling off.

Thanks to Kathleen I made it to the other side, hit the bell and was on my way! But first... Wally selfie!

Now came the monkey bars. Most folks were putting one partner under the monkey bars and the other partner on their shoulders to "walk" across.

Again no partner, I opted to skip this obstacle and take my punishment - 30 burpees. Ouch - those were painful. I admit I didn't do as much any burpee practice ahead of time. My bad.

We headed through the Aramark service tunnel to the loading dock/visiting player entrance to the javelin throw.

If you didn't hit the target on your first try, you had to do 30 burpees.

Not ME!!! I did it. I actually threw my hands up in the air to celebrate when I hit the target. The kid behind me was a little upset I took extra time to stop and take a pic, but I needed the proof.

Just across the parking lot was the next obstacle.

You had to pull the bag (50 lbs for ladies) up to the top of of the structure and bring it back down nice and gently so no slamming the bag to the ground.

It was time to leave the parking lot, head back through the service tunnel and up the stairs to the right field grandstand area.

Yes the stairs featured more "barb wire" aka bungee cord.

It was time to carry a sandbag up and down the right field grandstand area. The ladies' sandbag was 30 lbs.

While I carried the bag, I thought about my weight loss journey and how I used to carry 80 extra lbs on this body. I didn't even like carrying the 30 - keeps weight loss and weight maintenance in perspective.

Now it was time to head down to the warning track.

I owe a special thank you to a random high school guy who happily helped me over the three walls on the warning track. ;)

I was envious of the folks who effortlessly hiked themselves up and over the walls, but I knew I didn't have the upper body strength to do that ... yet. Maybe someday but for now I will take any help I can.

Oh hey Fenway - you sexy beast you!

We needed to get up to the bleachers to get some more stairs in so only one way to do that ... cargo net!

One of the easiest obstacles of the day even for this girl with a fear of heights.

Thankfully years of sitting in the bleachers came in handy. I was able to get into a rhythm to run both up and down the odd sized steps. Once through the first round of bleachers, we were back down in the bleacher concourse to take the largest wall of the day. Ahhhh! I was freakin' out.

Again I relied on the kindness of strangers. There was a group of 3 guys at the wall and I convinced them to help the two ladies in front of me as well as myself get up and over the wall.

Well I made it to the top of the wall then promptly freaked out!!! I was up high and didn't feel comfortable falling down the maybe 12  feet to the concrete ground. I was going to have to live on the top of the wall, which wouldn't have pleased the people behind me.

I yelled to one of the 3 guys and asked if he could help me down. He obliged and with his help I made it safely to the ground. Thank you random guy! We headed back up the bleacher stairs and back down to the entrance to the field.

We were just three obstacles away from the Finish.

The rope climb in front of the Green Monster was the next obstacle and I zipped right past that one and took my 30 burpee punishment.

It was an out-of-body experience taking my picture in front of the scoreboard then doing my burpees. I actually was doing those burpees on the same spot where in June 2005 I received my 2004 World Series ring. Again, talk about a different experience in the same spot.

Once I pathetically finished the 30 burpees, I rounded the third base side of the warning track and headed to the box jumps. 20 box jumps on the smaller of the two boxes and I was off to the final obstacle.

Just a bunch of punching bags between me and the end.

DONE!! I freakin' did it! I only dodged two obstacle and tackled the rest.

WOOO!!!! Look at that bling!

The 3+ mile course took me 58:54 good for 2,860th overall out of 8,990, 795th among 4,154 females and 131st in my division out of 705. Woo! Not too shabby for this girl whose main objective was to survive and not get hurt! Both accomplished! :) I even had some fun too... ;)

After picking up my medal, I received my Finisher's shirt. I definitely liked getting this surprise at the end.

The Finish shoot brought you back down to the concourse level where I grabbed a water, a banana and a CLIF bar sample. I made my way through the folks who had already finished and people waiting for their heats to begin to the exit. I was going to walk myself to the Dunkin' Donuts in Kenmore so the wife could pick me up.

I opted out of getting my free post-race beer as it was at a surrounding bar and I figured it was probably something I wouldn't want anyway. I wanted to get a good beer with the wife.

I am definitely happy I went waayyy out of my comfort zone to attempt the Spartan Sprint even when my partner had to bow out. I loved competing the race Garmin free. I actually had no idea of time or pace or anything while out on the course. I focused on each obstacle when I came to it and truly took in the whole experience.

If I was going to do this again, I would make sure I had a big team of friends to do it with me. I was jealous of the teams of friends out on the course.

I definitely proved to myself that I am stronger than I think ... again!

I was beyond nervous before the race, but those nerves turned to fuel when the official horn went off.

So if you are thinking about trying an obstacle race, I do highly recommend the Sprint distance as a starting off point. Shorter mileage, no mud, plenty of water stops and a great test to see if you like obstacle races or not. Plus, the views of Fenway as the backdrop can't be beat.

***

Have you ever tried a Spartan Sprint at a ballpark or stadium?

The 5k That Was A Little Longer... Boston River Run 5k Recap

How could you NOT be pumped for a 5k when you show up and this is the course view? I mean really?

The 3rd Annual Boston River Run 5k took place along the Charles River on a chilly Sunday morning (11/9).

My alarm went off at 7am on November 9 so I could complete my race ensemble. Yes it was an entire ensemble. I was psyched to try out my new comic book themed Sparkle Athletic skirt and made my whole outfit around it.

Yup - that's a sparkle cape! Big thanks to my wife for sewing it for me the night before. :)

I knew the race was offering ample parking, but for some reason I still got there before 8am - an entire hour before the race started. I am NEVER this early. Maybe it was because I was flying (see what I did there) solo to the race letting my wife stay home and play video games instead. Aren't I nice?

While the temperatures pre-race weren't welcoming, the entire River Run crew (organizers and volunteers) were very warm and friendly.

I picked up my bib and long-sleeved tech t-shirt before scoping out the post-race snack table. Priorities!

I spotted some familiar Nestle Nesquik bottles and got a little excited. But then I saw...

Ahhh maybe the Bunny would be there?!?!?! Unfortunately not, but still happy to see low-fat chocolate milk at the Finish.

On my way back to my car, which was thankfully RIGHT near the Start Area (yay ample parking), I spotted Melissa my Weight Watchers member who would be tackling her first official race! I was psyched for her. We chatted before friends Jaime and Susan joined us. I was the meanie that made us stand outside the car to get acclimated to the chilly weather.

Finally I looked down at my iFit tracker and realized it was quarter of 9 and time to head over to the Start Area. I threw my shirt in the car and we headed over. On the way I found a dollar on the ground and thought it had to be my day. :P

The Boston River Run 5k opted for a two-wave start so those with a 9:30 min/mile pace or faster went in the first wave and the remaining participants went in the second wave. I LOVED the amount of families and pups I saw out for the race.

Susan and I lined up together and discussed our game plans - have fun and Finish. Game plans set. ;)

After photo bombing a couple's cute pre-race photo, it was time to get the party started.

Right off the bat I realized I lined up too far back to start off the race at my pace. Since I could feel in my bones that I wasn't going to PR, I took the opportunity to focus on negative splits.

The entire first mile it felt like my feet were frozen. I wasn't sure if it was a mixture of cold temperatures and my decision to wear racing flats (my ASICS Gel Hyper Speed 6) or what, but it was sort of uncomfortable. I didn't think my stride was very consistent for the first mile.

Mile 1: 7:44

The course was familiar as many of the 5ks I did this summer took place along the Charles River. But with it being November, the leaves were gorgeous colors and the water calm - it was breathtaking.

All proceeds from the race benefited the Andrew Graham Semper Fi Fund Helping Students Succeed, which gives a scholarship annually to a Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School student annually. So the race featured many veterans cheering or participating. It was a great sight to see.

I was trying to snap a selfie with more cape action but my arm is only so long. :P

Mile 2: 7:25

Okay negative splits were in my sights.

Just after passing the Mile 2 marker, I passed a couple and the guy turned to his girlfriend and said: "Did we just get passed by a girl in a cape?"

Why yes sir you did!! Don't hate on my outfit! :) I think he just wanted some of his own sparkle.

After passing that pair, we came to a fork where we could've gone left or right and I followed the folks in front of me who were going right. There weren't any volunteers at the split so I trusted my fellow runners.

Plus there were some green arrows on the ground so I just assumed they were from our race.

Well you know what happens when you assume. :P

We all went the wrong way, which added roughly .08 to our race.

A note from the race organizers:

There was an issue with the race course arrows.  They were moved around by a race that took place yesterday without our knowledge.  We thought we caught them all until we heard from finishers. The actual course - USATF 3.13 miles is here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=522222 and does not go behind the VFW.  We estimate that this revised course behind the VFW and then over the bridge would have adde ~.08 miles to the course for anyone who went that.

I thanks the race organizers for recognizing the mishap and addressing it. I am not sure what percentage of the racers went the wrong way, but I feel like it was a majority since we were all following each other. Haha.

As we approached the Mile 3 marker (where my Garmin already had me past 3 miles - see wrong turn above), there was a group of very energetic volunteers! These high schoolers were taking their cheering duties seriously and I appreciated their efforts.

Photo courtesy race photogs (for free)

Mile 3: 7:23

Down the line there was a teenage girl near me and my goal was just to beat her. It is the little things that help you turn up the speed at the end of a race.

I opted for a leap across the Finish.

Photo courtesy race photogs (for free)

Official Finish Time: 24:12

Now the race is basing the pace on the 3.1 miles, but I knew it was closer to 3.21 so pace is actually faster. My Garmin officially clocked me at 3.24 for the race.

Second place in my age group - ahhhh!! I wish they had our ages on our calves like in triathlons so I had an idea that I was so close to winning my age group. Oh well... it is still amazing to be in Top 2!

Once my race was done, I grabbed a water and low-fat chocolate milk and headed back to the Finish shoot to cheer on my girls.

Jaime (left) and Melissa (right)

I was SOOOO proud of my Weight Watchers members (Jaime and Melissa) for rocking the race! It was an honor to be there cheering for them, snapping photos and high-fiving them as they finished. :)

I love being near a Finish Line, plus the kids are adorable when you cheer for them.

Once everyone finished, we headed over to the Raffle table. I was taking my lucky dollar all the way to a prize. Or so I thought.

You had to be present to win your raffle prize so I waited through all of them ... and didn't win! Boo!

The Boston River Run 5k raised over $30,000 that day between the race and the raffle. Absolutely amazing. That will be one amazing scholarship.

It was a pleasure being part of the 3rd annual Boston River Run 5k - even with the route mishap. The race organizers and volunteers were friendly. The waterstop just before Mile 2 was well-staffed. The course was flat. Free race photos. Long-sleeved tech shirt.

All in all a race that I would certainly run again.

Can you tell my excitement?

***

Will you join me for the Boston River Run 5k in 2015?

South Shore Half ... The Race That Wasn't!

On Sunday, November 2 I was set to ring in my 5th anniversary of joining Weight Watchers with my 24th career Half Marathon (9th of 2014).

But Mother Nature had a different idea...

On Saturday, the wife and I packed into the car and made the trek to Marathon Sports in Norwell to pick up my race packet. Sweet sweet race swag being offered up for the inaugural South South Half!

We enjoyed lunch at a local pub and headed back home to carboload for the race. ;) As we were doing some housework, a text came in from my friend Lauren at 6:53pm: "You see south shore half got postponed??"

Ummm what? I had ZERO idea. I had no email so I went to social media. It was true. The race had been postponed. Thankfully Lauren also shared the email with me.

BUMMER! Thankfully they were able to reschedule the race for 11/16 so I will still get to run my 24th half marathon, but for many of my friends they are not so lucky. Plans were already made and as we know no refunds! I will commend the race for letting folks transfer their registrations if they can't run.

I still am not sure why I never received an email. If Lauren hadn't contacted me I would've been completely in the dark. Since I was out of the loop, I made sure to spread the word from my own social media channels to save my friends early morning rides to a race that wasn't happening.

I'm not sure what happened on the lines of communication, but it seemed like many missed out on the email or Facebook message. It is funny how much I rely on Twitter now. This race doesn't have a twitter account so I forgot to turn to Facebook for answers.

But I will be there on November 16 and hope for better weather conditions...

#RWHalf Festival Part 5: The Half

With 13.1 miles left on the schedule, the Runner's World Half on Sunday October 19 would round out the Runner's World Half & Festival Hat Trick.

The first portions of the weekend can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

(Note: Runner’s World did sponsor my participation in the RW Half & Festival, but all comments are my own – ain’t nobody got time for lyin’!)

For a third-straight morning the alarms in our room were blaring at 6am. Thankfully I laid my race gear out the night before so getting ready in the morning would be a breeze.

Presley and I headed downstairs to grab another free breakfast from the Comfort Suites bar/breakfast area. I also brought my KIND bar with me to use for pre and during race fuel.

We met up with the third amigo Doug just after 7 to head to the Start area. The Start for the half was just past the Start for the 5k and 10k. We remembered Bart talking about hiding in the casino pre-race for warmth and bathrooms so we made our way there.

It was blustery that morning and my lack of a throwaway t-shirt was a quick regret. Brrr...

Thank you Sands Casino for letting us crash your party to stay warm.

We waited as long as possible in the warmth before making our way to the Start Area. It was definitely chilly, but we made the most of it working some sweet dance moves to keep warm.

We also saw that Matt left his mark on the course without even being there. Hi No Meat Athlete Fan!

During the first mile I spotted my friend Elizabeth, editor of Zelle, and I had to take that opportunity to snap a selfie!

We've been to so many races at the same time (she used to live in Boston), but this was our first action shot together. I snapped the pic and wished her a fun race. You can see Doug and Presley in the back of this photo wondering why I sprinted ahead to snap a selfie without them. :P

The wind was something fierce that morning and we braced ourselves for the upcoming hills.

Mile 1: 9:52 Mile 2: 9:36

We worked our way through the city streets and neighborhoods of Bethlehem. With the RW Half you truly were getting a glimpse of the majority of the city. ;)

The neighbors were out in full force once again and if they didn't provide enough entertainment for you there were the other participants to check out.

Like these two running in sumo wrestler costumes. I give those two sooo much credit for donning those outfits on a day like we had - wind wasn't their friend. haha. They were awesome to run near and totally took a pic with us while we took a port-o-potty stop. I wish I could find them to get a copy of it. :)

Mile 3: 12:07 Mile 4: 9:12

Can you tell which mile we stopped to take a break? It was great because I saw my friend Jacqueline and we used the port-o-potty break as a spot to catch up. Except we took an extra minute chatting before realizing we were in the middle of the race and should probably keep moving. Ha.

The hills DID allow for some pretty sweet views.

As we came down from this hill, we noticed a Happy Birthday sign - but the runner was nowhere in sight. Darn! We wanted to find him to make our "Singing Happy Birthday during a race" 3-for-3 for the weekend. Sadly we never caught up to him and no Happy Birthday was sung during the Half.

We started asking random strangers if it was their birthday, but no one fit the bill.

At the crest of the next hill, I saw the wonderful Sarah from SparklyRunner.com! Ahh what an amazing sight to see a familiar face. Mid-run selfie - check!

This little selfie put me far behind Presley and Doug so I had to play a little catch up.

Then the mile of fun truly started.

We had seen these bears all over the city so we had to stop and snap a pic.

Then have a dance break with the band.

Mile 5: 9:48

But Mile 5 fun led to Mile 6 heartbreak - the never-ending hill complete with angry drivers.

A quick shot of the line of cars that we passed.

There was one older lady that was super angry at the runners - not sure if she was late for church or what - but she was honking and calling out to runners. You can see Presley was not sure what her deal was.

Thankfully we spotted a cop coming to the rescue just after we passed by.

I'm not sure how the cars ended up on the course, but they definitely should not have been there. Especially ones with road rage. We didn't see anyone get hurt or touched by the cars, but always a scary sight to see cars on a course.

As we made our way up the never-ending hill, I spotted Sarah's boyfriend Matt and made sure we took a pic.

He was so in the zone with his music I had to call his name a few times before he heard me. Yeah I looked like a complete stalker. I have no shame.

Mile 6: 9:36

There were rumors flying around that the second-half of the course was flatter than the first so we held on to that thought to keep us moving forward. Note: that person lied. :P

We took a right and headed towards tiny neighborhoods and it was great to see families out on their lawns cheering on runners and offering up orange slices, etc.

We happily took a gentleman up on some Twizzlers. I enjoyed Twizzlers during my 20-Miler back in March and they really hit the spot!

Who says we don't fuel properly?

Mile 7: 9:25 Mile 8: 9:46

We were in Mile 7 and knew the Skirt Sports ladies would be hosting the water stop just after the Mile 8 marker as well as a #SkirtEncounter activity - volunteers would put you in a Skirt Sports skirt that you would be able to keep.

So of course Presley and I had to take part. Thanks for capturing it Doug.

When I wear skirts I like to double them up! :) It was something I never thought I would do during the race and I am glad we didn't pass up on the opportunity.

We waited for Presley to take another port-o-potty break before we got back to business.

Mile 9: 10:52

After leaving the neighborhood, we took a left on an incline heading towards a cemetery. As we made our way back up the incline, I noticed this gentleman rollerblading along the race. I had spotted him earlier, rollerblading and texting on his phone, but I couldn't get a pic then.

Once through the cemetery (interesting scenery), we actually caught up with comedian Liz Miele. I totally blew it in the catching an action shot with her, but it was great chatting with her. We explained more about what bloggers do/mean and she shared more about her running journey with us. It was such a cool experience.

It was during that time that we also passed another church and I HAD to take the opportunity to meet Jesus.

Oh hey Jesus!

High-five for days!

Mile 11: 10:07

We had just two miles left, which meant we were making our way back to streets we took in the prior day races. We could see runners who had already finished walking along the course with their medals.

We also used these final two miles to come up with our Finish Line pose. The important things right?

It was a great distraction as my legs were starting to feel the toll of the prior two days. My rainbow socks for the half were not compression and my legs could tell.

There was great crowd support coming into the final two miles and we soaked it all in.

Mile 12: 9:10 Mile 13: 9:05

We opted for a Charlie's Angel finish pose with Doug in the center and Presley and I on the outside. Doug went down the Finish chute getting high-fives from both sides of spectators.

And I send a big thank you to Sarah for getting these awesome shots of us.

Can you tell I was having fun?

And just like that it was done!

Finish Time: 2:10:35

It was pretty spectacular that we actually ran all three races around the same exact pace and we didn't even set out to do that.

After grabbing our heat sheet blankets, bagels, bananas and water, we headed back towards the Expo to meet up with the Altra Running guys one last time.

Doug knows how to rock a heat sheet!

But first I asked Presley to snap my pic in front of the Finish Line (first pic in this post) and then I yelled to Bart. He turned around and said "I loved your Charlie's Angels Finish pose." YAY! People knew what we were doing!!

And we got this magical pic.

The course was definitely hilly. I found this meme online and couldn't stop laughing!!

Hahahahhaa!! I have never done the RW Half before so I am not sure how the course changed, but it definitely didn't feel that flat or fast.

Overall the race was a blast and had a great mix of scenery and small town neighborhood feel. The hills were tough and I applaud those who chose to race or PR on this course. I am not sure how many others experienced the traffic on the course and if that was also in the past RW Half races.

I had a ball taking in the signs, spectators and give a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers along the course.

Once we said good-bye to the Altra Running crew, we headed back to the hotel. Presley and Doug had earlier flights than I did so we went back so they could shower before grabbing a quick lunch. Of course my lunch included a celebratory beer.

Oh this was DELICIOUS!! I need to find more STAT.

And with all of that the Hat Trick was complete. Bling for days... :)

***

Have you ever run the RW Half? How did you tackle those hills?

#RWHalf Festival Part 3: Five & Dime

Want to run a 5k? Sure! Want to run a 10k? Absolutely!

Want to run them on the same day? Umm... sure thing!

Hello Five & Dime. :)

Apparently Runner's World Half & Festival was more than just getting together with bloggers and checking out Bethlehem, PA - there was going to be running involved. :P

If you want to catch up on the first two days at the #RWHalf, check out these posts: Day 1 and Day 2.

(Note: Runner’s World did sponsor my participation in the RW Half & Festival, but all comments are my own – ain’t nobody got time for lyin’!)

Once again the alarms were blaring at 6am so that Presley (my roomie) and I could hit up the Comfort Suites free breakfast area/the Comfort Suites bar/where the karaoke magic happened before heading to the race. I opted for an english muffin with butter.

We met up with Matt and Doug at 7 so we could head down to the races. Thankfully the Start area was less than a mile for our hotel so we had an easy warm-up walk before running. We recanted the amazing karaoke fun and came up with our game plan for the actual races. We planned on running both together. No matter the pace we would stick together and have fun. This would be my first time having three people to run with and make sure to capture in my mind-run selfies.

The weather was chilly, but I was happy to show off my Runfellow t-shirt! Representin' Somerville baby!

We stretched and loosened up with a little pre-race dancing... Taylor Swift "Shake It Off" anyone?

The crowd was pumped up and ready to run. We were ready for a fun run!

I also opted to bring my pink sparkly microphone prop from the previous day's Amazing Shakeout Run to interview some fellow runners along the course.

We crossed the line and were off.

As we made our way through Mile One, I heard the other runners discussing the upcoming hills along the course. Oops should've looked at a course map pre-race. Eh we like surprises. :P

And my fellow participants weren't kidding about the inclines. I was really happy to not be fighting for a PR that day.

Mile 1: 10:34

There was a sweet DJ along the course mixing some tunes, as well as other local high school bands, polka music and more. They were setting us up to dance our way through the race.

Mile 2: 9:32

Without even knowing it we were picking our pace up and approached negative splits.

I started interviewing Presley and Doug to get their thoughts on the race.

We made our way back towards the Start line and I wasn't sure what the path back would be. It was become the final stretch for all three races.

We ran parallel to the Finish Line before taking a loop around the block, which brought us right past the Casino.

Mile 3: 9:00

We used the last 0.1 to come up with our Finish Line photo pose. We opted for using something Altra Running founder Golden Harper taught us to correct our posture during a run - think of reaching towards the Sun!

Unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of it, but I heard it was a hit with the Altra team.

Final Time: 30:29

With one race down and one to go it was time to refuel with water and a banana. The 5k began at 8am with the 10k to follow at 9:30. This left ample time to hit up the restrooms and catch up with friends between races.

Hey sexy bloggers!

Sarah from SparklyRunner

After catching up and refueling it was 9:17am and time to head back to the Start Line for Round 2. We rocked some more sweet dance moves to loosen up and it was GO time.

The 10k started the same way as the 5k, but thankfully avoided one of the bigger hills from the beginning of the 5k by sending us left to cover more ground. Since the race announcer did remind us the 10k would be double the 5k. Oh right.

As we made our way through the first couple of miles, we fell into a nice running groove. It was interesting to run with Doug and Matt who are two mainly ultra marathon trail runners, while Presley and I mainly stick to road racing. It was nice to hear about their racing experiences in ultras compared to those on the road. The more laid back style seems to be the biggest.

Mile 1: 9:59 Mile 2: 9:55 Mile 3: 9:40

We made it through half of the race before someone - Presley - needed a bathroom break. Once she hopped in the port-o-potty we all decided to stop. I don't think I have ever taken the time to have a bathroom break during the 10k, but the quick break was nice.

We were making sure to utilize all the water stops and powerade when available.

After tackling yet another short climb we headed into Bethlehem's historic residential district, where the streets are tree-lined, flat, and wide.

And that is where we saw Editor-In-Chief David Willey running with participants. I saw him running back and forth with runners that I wondered how many miles he was actually logging during the races.

Of course I asked him for a selfie...

His response: "Sure I've already done 10 so far this race." :)

Then the group HAD to be included.

Thanks to David for letting those "bloggers" be selfies #11 and #12.

Mile 4: 10:31 (port-o-potty stop mile)

The crowds were out in full force with handmade signs and tons of high-fives. I would like to say I was 5-for-5 with high fives. Yeah little kids like my style. Haha.

As we wrapped through the Bethlehem neighborhoods, the quaintness of the town really started to show through on that Saturday. The vibrant Fall colors were gorgeous to run through.

All parts of the town were out to cheer on the runners, local churches singing, Lululemon employees out with their witty signs, local high school teams manning the water stops. It was a great vibe.

I need to thank these three for making this race fun and for dealing with my "Guys get over there and take a picture" requests over and over again.

Mile 5: 9:12

During the final mile, we caught up with marathoner and comedian Liz Miele, who would be performing that night before the pasta dinner. It was great to chat with her before her set. We were also hoping it would get us into the act. *Fingers Crossed*

Runner's World gave her a STAFF shirt to wear, which led to many runners to believe she was a writer for Runner's World rather than a comedian. Haha.

Mile 6: 9:04

With yet another Finish Line on the horizon, we needed a game plan. This time we would go for a jumping Finish Line photo. Again I didn't get a good shot of it, but will tell you all it was EPIC.

Runner's World website did a great way describing the Finish Line:

The finish lies under a flaming arch in the shadow of the massive Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, the first of which went into operation in 1863. From these massive structures, the rail lines that traverse our nation, the Navy ships that fought in both World Wars and countless steel I-beams that serve as the skeletons of many of our nation's iconic skyscrapers were born.

Final Time: 1:1:11

And the Five & Dime was ours!!!

Overall they were beautiful courses with some climbs/hills. I loved the energy of the crowd and the eclectic music along the route. I do wish the time between races was a tad shorter. I know you need to leave ample time for everyone to finish the 5k, but it was tough to have almost an hour between races.

Thank you to Doug, Matt and Presley for keeping me laughing the entire time and reminding me how much fun running with friends can be.

After the races, we stopped by the Expo one more time to snap another Runner's World cover so you could actually see my phone at the top - the previous one was blocked by the title.

We went back to the hotel to clean up and grab some lunch before Matt deserted us to avoid the half spend time with his wife for their anniversary.

***

Next Up: #RWHalf Festival Part 4: A Saturday Night In Bethlehem, PA!

*RECAP* Closing Out The Distance Medley With BAA Half

You may know the Boston Athletic Association from this tiny race they put on called The Boston Marathon. I know I know it is rarely talked about so not everyone is in the old loop about it. Well it takes place on Patriots Day in Boston every April. A couple of folks get together and enjoy 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. Still don't know about it? Eh it's okay. It's never televised or anything. ;) Well the BAA puts on more than that little marathon. In 2012, the BAA created the Distance Medley and you know I had to take part. I was a challenge consisting of a 5k (April), a 10k (June) and a Half Marathon (October). If you completed all three races, you would receive and additional medal.  YUP that's where they had me!

In 2014, I would complete the Distance Distance Medley. Yes I made that up but it meant I would be running the BAA 5k, 10k, Half AND Full. No extra medal was offered, but I will pretend I got one and offer that up to the BAA for future ideas.

So Sunday marked the final race in the Distance Medley - the BAA Half.

This is one well-run race. The BAA has the system down pact and as a participant I truly appreciate that.

The race began at 8:30 so the wife and I jumped in the car just after 7am so she could drop me off near the Franklin Park Zoo, where the race began/ended. I opted for an english muffin/pb before leaving the house and a KIND bar to use as fuel before and during the race.

I arrived at the Start Area just before 7:30 and was glad I chose to wear a throwaway shirt as it was chilly! Hello Fall. I beelined for the port-o-potties to get that out-of-the-way and started taking laps around the Start Area to stay warm. Okay I was also looking for anyone I knew since I knew a ton of people at the race, but hadn't made specific plans to meet up with anyone.

Thanks Pattie for finding me and catching up!!

At 8:05am I made my way over to the Start Area. I remembered in 2012 that the Start Corrals were a mess as folks ignored the Pace signs and just tried to get into the Start Corral. Things seemed to run much smoother this year.

While the acting race director (actual race director of BAA was in Kona competing in Iron Man World Championships) and the Mayor spoke, I stretched in the Start Corral and took the opportunity to snap a selfie.

For the first time since the Dopey Challenge in January, I opted to run with music. Since I was sick the last thing I wanted to do was spend 13 miles listening to my horrible breathing/coughing. :P I'd let the people around me suffer through that. ;)

Following the wheelchairs going off, it was our turn. Just after 8:30am, me and 8000 of my closest friends set out to enjoy 13.1 miles.

I didn't have a hard time goal for the race, but in the back of my mind I wanted to finish sub-2. But I knew I would have to listen to my breathing and my body during the race to really set the tone.

The announcer reminded everyone that the first half of the race is more downhill, while the second half was the uphill fun and to race accordingly.

Just like the Boston Marathon the Half starts out on an immediate downhill. I could see myself getting swept up with the runners around me so I recommitted mentally to focusing on MY race. It wouldn't be a PR day - not close to it - so no reason to race recklessly.

I didn't have anyone out specifically cheering for me, but since I knew so many folks racing I hoped to see many familiar faces on the course cheering and running.

Mile 1: 8:06 Mile 2: 8:40 Mile 3: 8:30

I LOVE the Mile 3/4 area of the race because it features an out and back. So not only do I get to see the elite athletes FLY past me, but after I go through the turnaround I can see my friends coming towards me. :)

Mile 4: 8:17 Mile 5: 8:32

5-Mile Check-In: 42:51 (8:34 min/mile pace)

I appreciate BAA offering runner tracking for free for the BAA Half. It allowed not only my wife to track me, but I could update Twitter on the fly. BAA sent out Start, 5-Mile, 10-Mile and Finish Time updates. I love me some free updates.

The weather was perfect and it helped keep my breathing in check. I made sure to take water or gatorade at every water stop and walk through those stops. That 10 second break for my legs and breathing was crucial to me feeling in control throughout the entire run.

Mile 6: 8:33

Just after the 10k mark, I took a quick walk break to have another portion of my KIND bar. Now I am not one to usually carry part of a bar in the back pocket of my shorts and I know why. Hello sweaty KIND bar. :P But it did the trick and thankfully didn't taste any extra salty. ;) I'm happy I carried extra fuel!

Not sure if BAA had a discussion with the trees, but we were entering a gorgeous typical New England Fall landscape and I was loving it.

Why yes the pretty landscape made the incline we were tackling a tad bit easier. Okay not sure everyone would agree with me on that, but it is how I felt in the moment.

I was doing a really good job of ignoring my Garmin during the run. Pace was the farthest thing from my mind. I wanted to soak up the beauty.

And cherish that I was healthy enough to be out on this great course doing something I love.

With my feet moving on auto pilot, my mind was allowed to wander to think about how my life has changed due to weight loss, Weight Watchers and running.

A quick text to friends and the wife letting them know I had hit Mile 7 and I was back to soaking in the race.

Mile 7: 9:07

The crowds were pocketed, but mighty. Spectating a race can be a chore I know - waiting around all that time to catch a glimpse of the person you love come by - but I want to thank all the spectators for cheering on the countless strangers. Many a time that extra high five from a little kid has picked me up enough to push through to the next mile.

Mile 8: 8:27

Through Mile 8 we were making our way back towards the Franklin Park Zoo and the final climb to the Finish. I hadn't run the race since 2012, but the course came back to me as the miles passed.

I was coughing more, but seeing friends I knew on the course kept me pushing forward, but I needed help from my social media crowd to push through the final 4 miles, which I knew were hillier than the previous 9.

A call to social media meant I needed another selfie.

Mile 9: 8:17

Just after I took the Mile 9 selfie I noticed the boyfriend and the fiancee of two of my Tedy's Team teammates.  They didn't know how much I needed those smiles and high-fives. Again, it motivated me forward.

It was time to start playing the mental games of "Oh you only have 4 miles left" and "You ran that with Sarah yesterday you can do it now."

The Mile 10-11 stretch is an out and back with a hefty incline attached to it. I remembered this portion in 2012 seeming never-ending, but this year it wasn't as tough as I recalled. I guess that means I feel stronger now or I built it up more in my mind. You decide. ;)

Mile 10: 8:39

10-Mile Check-In: 1:26:41 (8:40 min/mile pace)

Mile 11: 8:19

Just after the Mile 11 water stop comes the biggest hill of the race. THIS was what I had apparently blocked from my memory. Ha. As we took the right to start the ascent up, I noticed a bunch of spectators walking up the hill to the left. I asked a few if they wanted to tap in and finish the race for me, but they just laughed at me. Apparently they didn't think I was serious??? :P I also asked a group of spectators if I was running in the right direction for the beer. Again just laughter. Well at least I could entertain them, right?

Can we tell I have a little fun while out on the course?

After the incline we are treated with a mile through the Franklin Park Zoo. How can you be angry when you get to run through a zoo during a race?

I tried to snap a picture of the birds, but it didn't come out very well.

Also it was a little BS that I couldn't buy some mid-run Dippin Dots for fuel.

I do regret not going back and attempting to take a mid-run selfie with the Camel in the Zoo. I feel like I let myself down there, but I didn't spot the camel until I was well past it. Next time I'll be more aware! I promise. :)

Mile 12: 8:39

The crowds were thick as we came out of the Zoo and headed to the Finish chute. We finish along the track within White Stadium, which is pretty sweet since the stands are full of spectators.

Mile 13: 8:18

I decided I wanted to up my selfie game and snap one as I crossed the Finish Line.

Now I am just waiting to see how it looked from the MarathonFoto photographers' angle. :)

Official FINISH TIME: 1:52:58 (8:37 min/mile pace)

Besides my Garmin saying 13.34 miles the finish time was spot on. I beelined it to my friend Greg, who was handing out Finisher's Medals. I had promised him that we would take a selfie together after he hung my medal around my neck.

Greg is an unbelievably motivating person who kicks ass on the running and triathlon fronts. Plus he let's me bother him with my asinine training questions. :) Thank you internet for brining Greg into my world.

Following the Half medal pick-up, I had to grab my Distance Medley medal.

Oh hey hey pretty bling!

After you pick up your medals, you are directed right into the post-race food area: protein bars, bananas, bagels and additional snacks from B.Good. I went STRAIGHT to the bagels and was psyched to see Chocolate Chip bagels. I have never seen Chocolate Chips bagels at the end of any other race than a BAA one.

Mmmm worth every Weight Watchers Point.

The only downside is BAA races don't offer post-race beer. We know that is a must for the races I sign up for. So this is an exception.

Overall the race was a great experience as always with clear directions/signage, tons of volunteers and great spectator support. Plus the bling is pretty sweet.

My second distance medley was in the books and I think I will keep adding it into the mix every couple of years. It is hard to commit in January when sign ups occur to be home each of those weekends in April, June and October.

I highly recommend the Distance Medley to all of my friends. But if you aren't up for that the BAA Half is a great first half for any of my friends/readers ready to take that next step in their racing.

***

Have you ever done a race series challenge or the Distance Medley itself?

*RECAP* Run, Beer & Pretzels Equals Cambridge 5k Oktoberfest 5k Fun

For three-straight years it's rained during Oktoberfest 5k, why would we assume it would be any different on October 5, 2014. It was even raining on Saturday when I went to pick up my race bib and sweet t-shirt.

Thankfully the rain made other plans on Sunday and for once the Cambridge 5k Oktoberfest 5k would be held under the shining sun! Wahoo!

Since the race was a mere 15 minute ride from my house, I could sleep in until 8am and casually get ready for the race. Race would be kicking off at 9:30am.

Apparently I was a little too casual about the race as I almost left the house without my bib. Umm thanks honey for noticing that. Oops!

Maybe I should get back to laying my clothes out the night before ANY race not just the marathons. ;)

I enjoyed my water and toast with peanut butter on the drive over. I wanted to make sure I had some fuel in my body, but not too much that would weigh me down for the shorter distance race.

Oktoberfest 5k, which benefits Cambridge Family & Children's Service (CFCS), was moved to a different section of Technology Square in Cambridge and it was a great decision by race director, Eddie. The space is much larger than the previous space and allowed ample space for the post-race party and dance off.

I managed to run into a bunch of people I knew - blogger friends, Weight Watchers members, fellow Slumbrew Happy Soles and more - while wandering around before the race. I love being able to catch up with so many people at a race. It always puts a big smile on my face. :) Who knew I would be so happy meeting up with folks at races and making so many friends through running.

All of a sudden I checked my iFit and realized it was 9:20am. Yeah I should probably start moving over to the Start Area I thought to myself. I was going to be living on the edge opting not to wait in the never-ending port-o-pottie line and chance it.

I also need to promise that I did't purposely match my outfit to my race bib. :P It just happened to work out that way.

I opted to wear my lighter ASICS Gel Hyper Speed6 sneakers since they are more of a racing flat. I like how they are lightweight for the 5k distance, but anything longer than that I tend to stick with my trusty ASICS GT-2000s.

There are a ton of speedy folks that run in the Cambridge 5k series so I tried to get up to the front-ish to make sure I could get into my own groove with limited people passing me on the onset.

Oktoberfest is the biggest race of the Cambridge 5k series so there tend to be more congestion than at any of the other races so placing yourself correctly is crucial.

The gun went off and so did we. I did pass a couple right off the bat that seemed a little shocked at how many speedy people there were. Not sure what they were expecting at a 5k race. But the folks that run the Cambridge 5k series run the gamut from the 5:xx min/mile runners to first time walkers. That is what I love - everyone is welcome!

The course was different than in previous years and was touted as being flat flat flat. I liked the sound of it, but doubted it being pancake flat. FYI I was right. ;)

I tried to get into my own groove, but for some reason my body had other ideas. I felt sluggish right from the get go. I knew my lack of sleep and not pristine eating habits over the past week could catch up with me ... and they did.

I honestly thought I was running in place for part of Mile 1, but I trusted my body was in fact moving in a forward direction.

Mile 1: 7:23

Now normally I would be thrilled with that for Mile 1, but I was disappointed. I have been working on getting faster and it was paying off recently, but on this day the body had other ideas.

It is always something to remember - you never know which body will show up on race day.

So I decided just to go with the flow. Either way I would be thoroughly entertained by the costumes around me. Many folks took the German theme and ran with it. *Ba dum dum*

There are random droppings of spectators along the course so I relied on the volunteers for some pick-up energy and they didn't disappoint. Big thanks to those folks along the course directing runners, handing out water or offering up a high-five.

Oh and you can welcome some inclines to the party. As I traveled upwards I thought to myself how that was in fact not flat. :P I didn't really mind, but always find people have different definitions of flat.

Mile 2: 7:41

Lots of potholes on the roads of Cambridge so I made sure to triple check the ground before snapping my mid-run selfie.

Yup I felt myself slowing down, but just kept telling myself to move forward and either way the BEER would be at the Finish.

Just after Mile 2, I saw my Slumbrew teammate Pat sit down on the side of the road and grab his knee. I ran past him then made sure to back  track to see how he was doing. Without thinking about it I stopped my Garmin. Yeah that doesn't happen during a race. It did show me that Pat and I chatted for about 17 seconds. ;)

Pat said he was okay and didn't need medical help so I restarted the Garmin and got back on the course.

The final mile of any race is always a mental game with me. I started passing the time - since I didn't wear headphones - by counting my steps. It calms me down. I've also come to realize 150 steps is 0.1 miles so I play games with myself. I know cool kid. :P

Some of the course looked familiar as we crossed over some of the streets from the Cambridge 5k Yulefest 5k, which is held in Harvard Square in December.

The sun was high and the shade was at a minimum. The short sleeves, while they sucked before the race, came in really handy during the race itself.

Mile 3: 7:43

The final stretch included three separate turns, which made the final 0.1 seem like an eternity. But coming through to a bunch of cheers and familiar faces is always a joy!

Final Time: 24:16 (7:49 min/mile pace)

While I was disappointed with my time - no one to blame but me - I was extra mad to be 54 seconds slower than last year's Oktoberfest. Grr... Some races I seem to be going backwards in my speed instead of forwards. Again I know every day and every race is different, but it can still be frustrating.

Something I am going to focus on and work on in the future.

The good thing was the race was done, the water drank and it was time to move on to the beer and pretzels!!

Cambridge Brewing Company provided beer (Pale Ale and Pumpkin Ale, Swiss Bakers had the pretzels and Jason Wirth also provided food.

Eddie, race director, set up the square with 4 different beer tents pouring to try and shorten the beer lines, but unfortunately with 2100+ runners there were still lengthy lines at times.

We entertained ourselves in the line as best we could. :)

Just after 11am, we gathered as many of the 56 Slumbrew Happy Soles as we could for a team pic.

It is amazing being part of such an awesomely supportive and great group of people.

Big props to Slumbrew runner Craig who came in #1 overall with an amazing time of 17:05. How amazing is that? I wonder what it is like to break the tape.

With Craig and some other speedsters on the team, Slumbrew took the #1 team overall. Waaahhh!!

Our team never wins until Big Bad Wolf 5-Miler in September, when we were 2nd overall.

The prize? A growler of CBC Pale Ale ... which we all shared on the spot. :)

Victory tasted delicious!

After many hugs and high fives, it was time for me to head home and continue my Sunday. I missed the dance off, but heard a Slumbrew Happy Sole member actually walked away with the crown there too. Hollah!

So if you are thinking about checking out Cambridge 5k Oktoberfest 5k next year ... do it! You might see a familiar face ... or 10!

***

Want in on the final Cambridge 5k race of the year? Join the Slumbrew Happy Soles and I at Yulefest 5k on December 14. Register here.

*RECAP* ZOOMA...ing along the Cape!

Would you like to run a Half or 10k that ends on the beach with wine, massages, snacks and foam rollers? Okay okay I know that not everyone has a love relationship with the foam roller, but still foam rolling while looking out to the ocean makes it less painful. Sort of. ;)

Well ZOOMA Women's Half on Cape Cod offered all of the above plus some pretty gorgeous views along the course.

2014 marked my second-straight year as an ambassador for the ZOOMA Cape Cod race. I ran it in 2013 before completing the Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half the following day to qualify for the Half Fanatics! :)

What brought me back besides the things mentioned above? The great atmosphere at the race. With a 3.5 hour cutoff for the 10k and Half, it is a great race for all fitness levels and paces. Seeing groups of women out on the course walking, walk-running and running is so inspiring to me.

And of course ... The other amazing ambassadors. It is a group of amazing female bloggers, who I am lucky to call my friends.

At the Honest Tea mocktail party at the Sea Crest Hotel on Friday night, I was finally able to meet some of my online friends in real life.

Plus I got to take fun Expo pictures with my friends Amy from RunningEscapades and Nancy from LilFancyNancy.

Amy & I - photo courtesy of Amy

Me, Amy, Nancy - photo courtesy of Nancy

The Expo is pretty tiny so we were able to breeze through it easily on Friday. After the Expo and the mocktail, we had a quick little dinner (mmm pizza and wine) before calling it a night.

I owe a big thank you to Ms. Nancy who lets me crash on her guest bed so I don't have to pay for a hotel. Woo! This year she even hung up photos in the guest room. Fancy.

The alarm was set for 5am on race day, but I didn't manage much sleep. I was in bed by 10 and immediately had a dream about sleeping through the race. This resulted in me waking up at 2am, 3am, 4am and just before my 5am alarm was set to go off. Ummm yay!!

After a night of on and off sleep I was pretty happy with my decision not to race the half. I really wanted to run with people on Saturday so I took Nancy up on her offer to run with her and Jess from 30SomethingMotherRunner. Nancy was hoping for a PR, which mean beating 1:52:24 and I was happy to try and help the best I could.

We headed out from Nancy's house just after 6 so I snacked on my banana in the car and saving my LUNA Bar to enjoy onsite. Neither of us could remember if the race was at 7am or 7:30am. Pretty good bloggers, right? Ha.

Amy graciously opened up her room to the blogger crew to hang out in pre-race. Thank goodness because it was chilly out there.

Plus we could avoid some port-o-potties for awhile. It is really the little things in a racer's life. :P

Thanks to Amy's husband Chris for being our photog

Before the race it was all about mingling with the fellow bloggers and racers. You all know I love meeting new folks - especially social media friends/blog readers - at races so this was another great opportunity.

Big thanks to Kim for coming over and saying hi! Kim blogs at BarkingMadAboutRunning!!

Plus I drooled over the medals before the start of the race. It would be mine in just a couple of hours.

We snapped one last ambassador photo before sending the 10kers off. About 5 minutes later, it would be our turn.

Photo Courtesy of Nancy

The countdown began and BAM we were off for 13.1 glorious miles.

It is wicked cool seeing a sea of women run down the street with a few boyfriends/husbands in the mix.

The morning air was nice and crisp giving the perfect temps for a Fall race in New England. The beginning of the course is pretty flat, which I did not complain about. :) Having run the race last year I knew there would be some hills to battle within the last 3 miles so I tried to keep that in mind while we were running. I wanted to help Nancy have a nice consistent run.

And make sure I was taking in the sights around us.

I mean how lucky were we to be running along this.

Mile 1: 8:33 Mile 2: 8:13 Mile 3: 8:09

Let Nancy know that the 8:09 mile was great, but we needed to pull it back a little. I think the excitement of seeing her film crew from Feetures put a little pep in her step during that mile... or maybe the Sparkle Athletic skirt she borrowed from me. :)

I love the 2-3 mile area since there is an out and back so you can actually wave to other friends or cheer on the other runners. This is where I saw a few of my Tedy's Team running mates who were taking in the race as well. Yay!

Mile 4: 8:27

During Mile 4 I decided it was selfie time. But with a bad internet connection I wasn't sure how long it would take me to actually upload the photo. FYI It took until just before Mile 7.

Mile 5: 8:30 Mile 6: 8:32 10k Split: 52:32 (8:28 min/mile pace)

The middle miles take place along the gradually inclining rail trail. I really appreciated the path being nice and shady.

Mile 7: 8:33 Mile 8: 8:31

And it was the perfect time for a group selfie.

Hi From Mile 8!

Action shot baby. You can see a 4th girl behind us. That was Courtney. We met her while on the path and had a great time chatting with her for awhile. She is turning 26 on Wednesday (October 1) and will be running her first marathon (26.2 miles) on October 26. How about working the 26 on that one? Courtney, if you are reading, it was our pleasure meeting you and running with you for awhile. Good luck!! :)

Mile 9: 8:36 Mile 10: 8:38

It was great chatting with Jess and Nancy about life, blogging and running.

We were cruising along, but I knew the hills would be coming as would the sun and heat. It was definitely getting warmer while we were out there and the shade would be decreasing.

Nancy was testing out new fuel on the day of the race and it started to backfire causing some stomach pain. Jess and I reminded Nancy that we were there for her race and whatever she needed. If she needed to walk, we could. She called the shots.

I could tell the stomach pain wasn't fun and was hurting the PR chances, which was upsetting to Nancy. Jess and I tried to keep the mood light and spirited. No matter what she would be finish and under 2 hours. Since I love being someone's cheerleader, it was a blast trying to keep the spirits of the troops up.

Mile 11: 9:05 Mile 12: 9:11

The final mile included the biggest of the inclines of the course. This is where my Garmin came in handy. Letting Nancy know we had 0.6 miles to go and Jess translating it into repeats: "just two repeats left." Doing whatever we could to keep the three of us moving forward.

Mile 13: 9:19

Right after passing the Mile 13 sign, we went to turn into the Sea Crest hotel parking lot towards the Finish before the volunteers yelled at us that we needed to "continue straight." Ahh we were about to go the wrong way. Oops! Thanks volunteers. :)

We had decided during the last mile that we would all raise our hands over the Finish. I mean you gotta get a group on the same page for a good Finish Line shot.

Final Time: 1:54:17 (8:43 min/mile pace)

YYAAYYY!! While we missed Nancy's PR goal by 2 minutes, we still had a blast out on the course and made some memories. :)

Pretty pretty bling for my 21st Half Marathon.

I want to thank ZOOMA for improving the signage, volunteer presence and number of safety cones on the road when we were crossing. Last year I had some close calls with some cars that almost hit me whereas this year was a breeze.

Additional thanks to the Falmouth Fire & Rescue for patrolling the course keeping the ladies safe. We did have to see them go into action for a woman that fell and I hope she was okay. Her knees were all scraped and bruised.

Even though the run was done, the fun was going to continue with the post-race party on the beach.

Yes the foam rolling was less painful with my toes in the sand. :) Thanks Muscle Milk for laying out at least half a dozen yoga mats with foam rollers.

There were a ton of tables set up along the beach for ladies to enjoy their post-race snacks (hummus wrap or chicken salad wrap) and wine.

Don't worry folks I made sure to test them all and they were all delicious! :)

Of course post-race was additional chances to see some of my favorite people.

Nancy & I snapped another photo together

Jen & I - make sure to read Jen's weight loss story on the blog she has with her twin sisterTwinsTakeOnLife

Some of the amazing ladies of Tedy's Team :)

Angela, Nancy, Amy and I

After a bunch of hugs and celebratory high fives, it was time to head out and enjoy the rest of my weekend on the Cape.

Until next year ZOOMA...

***

Did you run the ZOOMA Cape Cod 10k or Half? What was your favorite part?