Around Cape Ann 25 K

Around Cape Ann 25 K
Time: 2:18
Pace: 8:53
Weather: Sunny and hot - 80's
Course: HILLLLLLLLY

This was a great race for me. I have run it 3 times now so I knew what to expect – hills, LOTS of hills, and pretty much no let up at all the entire way. The final ¼ mile is a lovely hill that’s long, windy, and I swear pretty much a 90 degree angle….I remember thinking after my first marathon that I was so grateful I did that race b/c it really prepared me to run 26.2 miles unlike any other race or long run could.

I was nervous about this weekend’s race, having not run much at all this summer due to sheer exhaustion from 3 marathons in a 12 month span….aggressive, too aggressive for me at this point I guess and I burned out a bit. The past few weeks I have been fighting my way back and feeling pretty good but still was unsure of what this race would do to my under-trained legs. Running with Barbara, we cruised through the first mile and then slowed down realizing how hot it was - sunny in the low 80’s at 9AM – but the wind helped a bit and the frequent water stops (some race-official and many others just local people out enjoying the day with us runners!) were a huge help along the way. I chased down a skinny blonde woman and dusted her at mile 6 (my favorite race-day activity) pretending I was my athletic idol Desiree Ficker chasing down Kate Majors at the Timberman race 2 weeks ago, and kept up a solid pace the rest of the race. I was psyched with my finish time and for the first time in months actually felt like a runner again!

Notes from the race:
Desiree Ficker “hold ice cubes in your hands” trick works to cool you down fast
Pre-race: 2 hrs - English muffin w/ pb, 1 hr – Lara bar; felt really good out there on that.
Need sun block –shoulders fried!
Running watch WAY off….must calibrate ASAP.