2 down…11 to go! Colchester Half Recap

Chilly Weather, dirt roads, and hills like I have never run before, did I like the Colchester Half Marathon? ABSOLUTELY! I actually loved it which is not usually the case when races involve this many hills. As you can see from the hill profile above, this was a tough course and I knew that, but I just jumped into it, stayed calm and relaxed as I tackled each hill.

The positives:

I traveled down to Colchester the morning of the race for the 10am start and arrived at the High School to pick up my number and get settled in. There were about 400 people in the lobby and there were places to sit AND restrooms with no lines. It was great, my mom was my support crew for this race, so it was great for her as well to be able to sit and wait comfortably.  Major positives!

A few minutes before 10, the race director asked us to head to the start. As we shuffled to the start, other runners were chatting and very friendly, I was impressed. Much of the chatter was about the ultra low entry fee ($12!) and really that being the only good thing about putting ourselves through the torture that we were about take on. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with a $12 entry, but let me just say I have never met a nicer race director. This guy had more energy than all the runners put together. He started the race with us and would run through the crowd getting us excited. Sporadically throughout the race he would stop at a turn and make sure he high fived all runners. Finally, the last 1/4 of a mile was uphill and my legs were feeling it, the race director ran up along side of me, and talked to me the final minutes of the race…it was just what I needed and I finished strong.

The course itself was narrow roads with dirt roads mixed in. There were alot of cows (probably the biggest number of spectators were farm animals) and the hills were steep. It made for a challenging course and because of this I felt I was working with the other runners to climb the hills rather than pushing our time or trying to beat others. I have never run any of the popular obstacle races that are out there, but I am guessing that is what they feel like and knowing you are accomplishing something really HARD!

After finishing the race, I was welcomed back into the high school for a post race party and here is the best part of the whole race…there were SHOWERS! I had to continue traveling to New Jersey which was another 2 hours and to be showered and refreshed was amazing. I was thankful for a comfortable ride and my Mom was thankful for not having to ride with me in my running clothes.

Negatives:

There were none! I would say if you are someone who likes the whole race experience (medals, t-shirts, crowds, etc.) then this race is not for you, but give it a chance, you might meet some great new people and feel a type of accomplishment like you have never felt before.

Run On-

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