Beach to Beacon 10k

I won the lottery to get into this race! I called my parents saying I had won the lottery and it sure felt like that a few months ago...not training for a weeks prior did not feel like winning the lottery on race day.

It was a cold day with lots of clouds in the sky which to me is perfect running weather so I at least had that going for me. My Uncle Fred and I shuttled from Hannaford parking lot to the race site. The most grueling part of the day...waiting in line for 45 minutes to use a port a potty. There is never enough of them at any race site. There were approximately 6,500 runners that day. The wheelchair group was first...they average 3:30 min./mile what awesome athleticism! Then we were off well....the elite athletes were off....approximately 7 minutes later my Uncle and I were off. 

Mile 1 was great. There was a slight sprinkle which felt great and a man running in a lighthouse outfit which was really interesting. The spectators were amazing for this entire race. Almost every corner had them which is good for me since I tend to push myself more when people are watching.

Around mile 3 I realized that I had not worn the right shorts and I was in quite a bit of pain but I stuck through it. At the half way point of that mile I saw my Uncle Pete and Dave as well as my Aunt Kim and Wendy. I was thrilled. They were screaming and taking photos which motivated me for a really long time. 

At mile 4 I was so surprised because I knew I was close. Surprised because I usually see mile 4 on half marathons and think nothing much of them but mile 4 was awesome. I knew I was getting there.

My Uncle had warned me of a large hill around mile 4 which was no where to be found until mile 5. This hill wasn't the worst hill I have attempted (Chapel Hill!) so it wasn't that bad at all. 

At mile 6, I was looking everywhere for my parents knowing that I should be running when I saw them pushed me more and more to keep with pace. Then right before I saw the gate I see a poster that said: "Way to go Steph!" The rest of my family was giving me high fives (Sara, Amy, Sydney, Uncle Steve, my Dad, Katie and my mom). It was awesome to have so much support coming in. The announcer called my name which my grandparents found to be very exciting.

The only 2 downsides to this race: after the finish there was no metal... And, to get to the food/event afterwards you have to climb a larger hill than was in the race... My hips were not happy.

Positives of the race: beautiful landscape, great expo: lots of free giveaways, and most importantly, my family was there! 

(Image: google images)