Maine 1/2 marathon

Last weekend I ran the Maine 1/2 marathon with my friends Carlene, Jenny and Kim. I spent the entire previous week in Chicago for work, arrived Saturday night, and so my expectations were very low for a Sunday race and a prerace almost 2 h drive. The race ended up being a great experience. I ran the entire race with Carlene, who is super strong and manages to talk non stop through races. We started out at a 9:30 min/mile pace, which was rather scary for me, because I usually start at 8:30 and push faster the second part of the race. But this was impossible during this race, because the road was narrow and packed the first couple of miles. However, the course was beautiful. Almost flat, with a couple of short and not to0 steep hills, and views and smells of ocean and freshness. We finished in 1:50, not a PR, but a great enjoyable race, that left me feeling great the rest of the day - not the usual headache, fatigue, nausea that I normally experience after racing.

The morale: it is oh so OK to run a race sometimes for enjoyment and not for a PR, chat with your friends and have a chance to take in the view. I'll try it more often.