Great Bay Half Marathon – April 5, 2009

The forecast kept changing from 56 and sunny to 47 and rainy and back again. I woke up Sunday morning to what looked like a sunny day. I decided to wear my running capris and a long sleeve shirt, but bring a running skirt and short sleeve shirt just in case.

Jess and I got to the Newmarket high school (which was the finish of the race) at 9:30. The race website warned that it would be hard to find a parking spot after 10AM and they were right, I think we got the last one. Well, actually it wasn’t a parking spot, but Jess parked there anyway!

It was really windy. I mean really windy. The flags on the flagpole were fully outstretched due to the wind. So, I think it was 50 degrees, but it felt cooler with the wind.

We jogged over to the elementary school around 10:30 AM. Race start was supposed to be at 11 AM. I think the race started a little late, but we were off! Our plan was to take it easy and run about the same pace as our training runs, which was around 10-minute mile pace. We took a left and hit our first hill. First of how many you ask? I have no idea because there were soooo many of them. Thousands. I think. That’s how it felt anyway.

Hill after hill after hill. Did I mention there were hills? Don’t think I’m just a wimp. My neighborhood is essentially at the top of a large, but gradual hill, so every run I go on involves quite a few hills. This *is* New England, not Nebraska. Even so, this course was pretty hilly. According to mapmyrun.com (since for some reason my elevation data is missing from my Seacoast Half Marathon entry), the Seacoast Half Marathon that I ran last fall had a total 197 foot ascent and 194 descent. The Great Bay Half Marathon had a 253 foot ascent and 249 descent. YIKES! It really WAS hilly.

It was a pretty course, too. We had some nice views of the bay through the trees at one point. However, it was during the second half of the race, so I can’t really say that I enjoyed the views. I was too tired and focused entirely on the pavement in front of me just to get up the GIANT hill at mile 8.

There was some interesting course entertainment. At mile 2 and again just before the end there was a guy playing bagpipes. There were some guys in their driveway around mile 9 just jamming, a couple of guitars and drums. They were a great pick me up. Two folk singers at one point with a guitar and an accoustic bass (I think). A female barbershop quartet. And strangest of all, belly dancers at mile 10. I promise I was NOT hallucinating, there were belly dancers. Had to be the strangest course entertainment I’ve ever seen.

Jess and I took turns feeling good. Not on purpose, it just seemed whenever she got her second wind, I was lagging and whenever I perked up a bit, she lagged. It worked out. We had some fun smiling and waving together whenever we saw a photographer. So no matter how we felt, I think we looked good in the pictures!

So the mile by mile pace breakdown:

1 10:10
2 10:01
3 10:35
4 10:20
5 10:19
6 9:53
7 10:11
8 11:27 – I SAID there was a BIG hill.
9 10:27
10 10:42
11 11:07
12 11:16
13 11:12
0.1 9:41 (pace)

Finish time-2:20:18

And a bad cell phone picture taken right after the race (in other words, I look like crap)…