Happy Memorial Day and a big Thank You! to all of the men and women that serve in the armed forces.
Yesterday I ran the Johnny Kelley Half Marathon in Hyannis, MA. For those who don’t know who Johnny Kelley was, you can read this obituary from the Boston Globe. He started running Marathons back before it was the cool thing to do, and he did it with greater obstacles to his training and less high-tech equipment than people do now; Johnny Kelley was an inspiring figure then, and still is today.
When I got up in the morning the weather was cool and overcast – perfect! Too bad the perfect weather didn’t last, by the time I finished it was in the 80′s and very sunny. I started out great, but by mile 10 I was starting to feel the effects of the heat. Even though I took 2 cups of water at each aide station, I was feeling dehydrated and really slowed down. I dug in and reminded myself of my goals: #1 complete the race, #2 achieve a PR, #3 finish in under 2 hours (I never said I was speedy!). I might not achieve all three, but I could certainly reach #1 and maybe #2.
When I hit mile 13 I knew that I was almost there and
I would hopefully see my family cheering me on soon. With about 100 yards to go, I saw my family clapping and cheering, then I heard the announcer urging people through to the end. I have no idea where I got the last burst of speed, but I sprinted to the end and passed 4 people! My time was 2:01:36. I PR’d by 3 1/2 minutes and was surprised that despite the heat I came so close to breaking 2 hours. Check out that grimace on my face – that doesn’t look fun!
The event was very well organized and there were tons of great volunteers ensuring that everything went smoothly. At the finish there were apples, oranges, bananas, granola bars, water, and they were even grilling hot dogs. I had my husband bring me water, chocolate milk, and dried cherries; I also grabbed an orange which really hit the spot. I also had packed a wet washcloth next to an ice pack and a change of clothes which felt great.
After we had lunch we went to Coast Guard Beach. The icy cold water felt fantastic on my legs! This morning I got a massage which really helped because my legs were feeling stiff. I briefly mentioned cherries which I have started to incorporate into my training after learning even more about them. I’ll follow up with a post about cherries in a couple of days. Enjoy Memorial Day!
