First off, let me just say I have even more respect than before for those of you who have raced marathons (or really any races) on two consecutive days!
State #12 : New Hampshire
I already wrote my report of the Warner Fall Foliage Festival this weekend, but here are some pictures from the race.
Waiting to start
My incentive to run fast
(she was on my heels for the last .1 mile or so)
Pushing hard to the finish
State #12: Vermont
This race was the real reason we were in the area. We found the NH race just so we could knock out two states, but we drove 10+ hours each way so we could run the Harpoon Brewery’s Octoberfest Race. When I heard it was only 3.6 miles, I figured it was going to be an easy one for me. I was wrong. After I looked at the course elevation, I told my dad I was going to take it easy for the first mile and then pick it up at the end. Why? Because there was a 4% incline for a large part of the first mile and then an even steeper downhill at the end. The first mile went as planned. Due to the packed crowd of runners and running the uphill at a nice steady pace, we hit mile 1 around 9:30. The second mile was a nice mix of up, down and flat and we came in around 8:30. I expected mile 3 to be more of the same. I was wrong.
Mile 3 started with flat and then went into a nice downhill. The only problem with that was we were looping through a neighborhood and to get back to the main road, well, what went down had to go back up. It actually was not a long uphill, but it was really steep. No way was I walking that uphill, so I just took it at a nice steady pace. I was feeling ok when I got to the top, but then started wheezing. WTF? I have plenty of issues when running, but this was a new one! I told my dad to go on and I slowed down until I could get my breathing back to normal. Mile 3 ended up being 9:03. The last .6 mile had a small incline and then a huge downhill. I picked up my pace as much as I could without actually rolling down the hill. With less than a tenth of a mile to go, I thought I was going to puke, but convinced myself I could make it one more minute before I threw up.
I ended up finishing with an average pace of about 8:52. For the first time in my life, I nearly passed out after a race. I ended up lying down on my back on the grass for a few minutes until I caught my breath. Needless to say, I was a bit worried about what was going on with my breathing.
My breathing finally got back to normal and my dad and I picked up our commemorative mugs, grabbed a few brats, and then got back to the finish line in time to see my mom finish. I have to say I’m incredibly proud of my mom. She run/walks these races with us and manages to do them at a pretty darn impressive pace. In fact, I can’t *walk* as fast as she walks! Guess that’s why she often places in her age group. I’m really enjoying our travels around the country doing races together. I really hope before too long that one of the boys will decide that running is fun and join us.
Oh, and the breathing? Well, Monday morning I woke up with the stuffy nose/cough/sore throat thing that Beer Geek and Jones had last week. I’m guessing that coming down with that + cooler, drier air + hills = breathing issues.
congrats on crossing 2 more states off your list!! sounds like a fun weekend!!!! Sorry about the almost passing out feeling, it happens to the best of us!
Two more states – woot!Mmmm, Harpoon Levithian Series…
You were in my hood. Kinda. I grew up in a town southwest of Warner. Hope my state treated you well.
congrats – i didn't realize you raced two days in a row. that's really got to be tough.
Congrats on the race(s)! I love that you get to do this with your Mom and Dad – what a wonderful thing to share with them!Definitely scary about the breathing issues, but it sounds like you have an explanation now. Hope you feel better!
Congrats on crossing off 2 more states! You are amazing. I do hope the cold clears up quickly.
Awesome!! I love that you run with your parents. I hope to start that trend here. I think my little Milo might be the runner of the bunch but really I hope they all are.I was thinking that as a family we could have yearly get together and have our own fun run. Go for a run together and then eat together. They are all so little but I like the idea :)Nice job on two more states!!
Wow, you're just checking those states off your list! Congratulations on your feat…Very impressive! Sorry you're not feeling well. I've had that almost passing out feeling after running a marathon sick…no fun …and very scary.
Congrats on two days in a row! What a feat. I had breathing issues racing a 10k at elevation. It messes with all of your goals, so sorry it happened to you.
Woo 2 more down, way to go Mama!
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Congrats on the races and crossing two more states off of your list!
Congrats! It's so great that you get to do these races with your parents. It's too bad about the stuffy nose and sore throat, but good to know that's likely the reason for the breathing issues!
Congrats on crossing off two more states!! Hope your cold goes away quickly!!
Yeah on completing your Vermont race! How neat that both your parents are racing with you!
Good to finally be able to check in and see that you crossed off two more states! Congrats! Hope you feel better soon.
Congrats on the back to back races! Awesome you knocked out 2 states doing it. Hope you feel better soon.
Way to go!! Awesome that you added two more states!Happy Birthday to the little guy!
wow, sounds like a really challenging race! Guess you can't take a short race for granted, huh? Congrats to you and your parents for a great finish and congrats on crossing two more states off the list!
Congrats on crossing two more states off the list!