All Women and One Lucky Guy

I discovered that Hal Higdon is my friend. In order to perform the way I want at a race I need to follow a training plan. Having said that I am still pleased with my race today. I had run 4 miles on Thursday and that is it in the last 2 weeks! I ran a respectable 2:12 with a pace just over 10 minutes a mile. I was 15/31 in my age group, not really rocking but also respectable. It was an outstanding course, easily the most scenic I have raced on and I seek scenic races! The sun was out, the temperature was just right and the ocean was sparkling! The race consisted of 3 loops. Two of the loops had the most ocean viewing but even the last one had a good amount. The second loop went up the Nubble Lighthouse, always one of my favorite spots in Maine. After going past the lighthouse we ran toward Short Sands Beach. There was a point where we turned and were running straight at a cliff overlooking the Atlantic! It was stunning. A strong smell of ocean greeted us on this gorgeous stretch. I kept my pace fairly steady. The most discouraging part was in the third loop where we ran south along the beach and continued past York Inn. It seemed like we were going south f-o-r-e-v-e-r and that the route back would be impossibly long. Once we finally turned around my attitude was much improved! I had an excellent finish, perhaps I should have been running faster if I had that much left in me! It is a race I wouldn't mind repeating!