Surftown Half Marathon, 2019

The Surftown Half Marathon and 5k is one of the first races that comes to mind when I think about running with my ‘homies’. The race a bit of an event for our group of running friends... the course runs through Westerly and along Misquamicut beach, a gorgeous stretch of coastline in Rhode Island. 

No, for real. One of the pretties courses you can run, in my opinion.

Which means that it’s just far enough away for us to get a hotel the night before. It’s not hard to justify... When a 13-mile run starts at 7:30am, the last thing we want to do is start the race already exhausted because we had to get up at 4am and drive 2+ hours to get to the starting line. So every year for the last few years, we've reserved a room (or two) at a lovely inn just a short walk from the start and finish lines. 

Let me talk about the inn a bit, and give a bit of a plug for this lovely place. If you ever find yourself looking for a place to stay in Misquamicut, consider a little place called Blue Whale Inn. We’ve stayed there the night before the race for the last 4 years. The prices are reasonable, especially considering all this little Inn offers. A complimentary bottle of wine comes with each reservation (it usually ends up coming home with us, since we’re too nervous to drink before the run). They also have a ‘Sunset Celebration’, where the owners put out a variety of complimentary desserts, cheeses, and wines for the guests to enjoy on their patio and in the backyard. The owners are so accommodating, putting out fresh fruit extra early for the runners, and leaving a full breakfast out late for when they return from the race. And although we’ve never been able to take advantage of it, they offer beach chairs, umbrellas and beach toys for use to all of their guests, along with small wagons that can be used to bring everything on the short walk to the shore. 

It was two years ago, sitting out on the patio with this group of women, chatting about any and everything, the challenge of a race in front of us the next morning, when I thought of the concept for this blog. Two years ago, I had originally signed up for the half marathon, but had to switch it to the 5k because I was barely a month out of the hospital due to Crohn’s complications. I had initially felt disappointment in myself, being unable to join most of our small group on the beautiful half marathon course. But every single woman there expressed how impressed they were that I was getting on the road at all... and it occurred to me that we were all brought together (some of us meeting for the very first time that day) by this weird love (sometimes love/hate) for running, no matter the distance.

Beyond sharing a set of hotel rooms together, our group has made a small tradition of going to this one particular sushi place the night before the race. Sushi may seem like an odd choice the night before a run, but we’ve found it to be pretty decent fuel for the next day. It’s also the only place where I’ve ever seen a banana sushi roll... which is actually way better than one would think. Even better, my guts have never reacted badly to it, so it’s a solid choice prior to a long race with only a few port-o-potties along the way.

Anyways, as mentioned in my last entry, I spent the majority of the summer dealing with a case of Achilles tendonitis in my right ankle. It meant a severe lack of running and exercise prior to the race, so I wasn’t expecting much in terms of a finish time. And while I was right about not exactly setting any records, I was pleased with how well my ankle held up. A little achey afterwards, but I wasn't hobbling.

I'll finish off with a few photos. My one regret is that I didn't get a picture of the hill at mile 10. I've never been on the Boston Marathon course, but I like to think that, because of this hill in Westerly, I can sympathize with how those runners feel when they approach Heartbreak Hill. 

We were evenly split this time around... 3 of us ran the half, while 4 others ran the 5k. Erin, on the right, PR'd with a finish time of just over 2 hours. She's incredible!

The finish line hasn't been taken down yet, which we count as a win!

This Sunday is the Rugged Maniac, which is by FAR my favorite Obstacle Course Mud Run. Then I've got one weekend off before the Hartford Half Marathon. Hold it together, legs, fall is for running!