My Quest to 50 + 1
(PR)
14 Down 36 More to Go
Maine (Mount Desert
Island Half) 13.1 Miles
October 18, 2015
This weekend I completed my 14th state on my
quest to 50 and my 22nd Half Marathon. I visited Bar Harbor, Maine this weekend and
so far one of my favorite states that I have visited. My race itself wasn’t so
great due to fighting a cold all week and my immune system wacky but this trip
was so worth it. The town of Bar Harbor was super cute and I got to visit
Acadia National Park which was on my bucket list of National Parks to visit and
it was absolutely breathtaking. I also got to meet some really cool people with
Operation Jack for Autism and Sam. I will try and keep pics to a minimum in
this blog but everything was so pretty have to share a little of it all.
A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE
RACE
It was an 8 hour drive to Bar Harbor, Maine from my home and
I’m so glad for my best friend Enrique to make the drive. We arrived in Maine late afternoon Thursday
night and in time to watch the sunset by the water which was a beauty and then
of course we had to have some Lobster or how they say in New England Lobstah.
The next day on Friday despite the rain and my cold we still decided to stick
to the plan and visit Acadia National Park. We couldn’t do one of the hikes but
we were able to do one that was still beautiful.
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| Sunset at Bar Harbor |
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| LOBSTER ROLL |
CADILLAC MOUNTAIN
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| Lunch by Jordan's Pond |
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| Jordan's Pond in Acadia National Park |
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| Trail around the Pond |
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| Top of Cadillac Mountain |
DAY BEFORE THE RACE
On Saturday the day before the race we drove the course
which started about 13 miles
from town, the course was quite hilly and the way
the race was set up we had to run on the side of the road with traffic still
flowing in some parts which was a bit crazy and a first for me. Since we still had some time before dinner we
decided to go back to Acadia Park and visit to places Thunder hole and Sand
Beach which was also beautiful and worth the trip.
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Thunder Hole at Acadia |
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| Thunder Hole at Acadia |
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| Sand Beach |
PASTA PARTY NIGHT BEFORE
Saturday evening we had plans to attend a pasta party and I
got to meet Sam who I raised money for his charity Operation Jack for Autism,
such a cool guy and super nice. He even gave us a little painting to everyone
who raised money as a token of his appreciation which was really awesome. The painting was even more special because it
was painted by adults who have special needs. I also got to meet the rest of
the folks who were also part of Operation Jack and also ran the race.
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| Dinner with Sam and Operation Jack for Autism Folks |
RACE DAY
Race day is finally here, Woke up still feeling a bit sick
and the temps were really cold 31 degrees with wind gust at 18mph. I’ve ran in colder weather than this before in freezing temps
but guess since I was still fighting a cold it wasn’t as fun. I actually went
into the race feeling I would have a good race just pace myself but at the
start of the race my toes felt like they were frozen, I ran the first couple of
miles and warmed up but toes still felt good, at mile 3 I felt dizzy and hot
and thought I was going to faint, this was a first for me during a race and the
fact that it was so early on in the race was a bit scary. I took ammonia inhaler,
not sure what it’s called exactly but it’s a little stick you pop and take a
whiff and then I took a power gel which has electrolytes, walked a bit until I felt
ok and continued my race. I definitely took it easy though, no racing for me so
I ran when I felt good and walk a bit when I felt bad.
My friend Farah was also running this race with no training
at all but this was her birthday race so she came out.
Overall the road trip/weekend was fun with Enrique and
Farah. Maine was so beautiful and Acadia National Park is a must see if you
ever go visit. Race itself wasn’t my best and was a bit tough may have to go
back for revenge haha and I got to meet some cool people.
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| Race course |
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| Post Race |
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| Post Race with the Birthday Girl |
UPCOMING RACES
In a couple of weeks I will be tackling the TCS NYC Marathon
for the second time, feeling excited.
