Another half marathon — ZOOMA Cape Cod in Falmouth, MA– is in the books!
I’m not quite sure where to begin, since it was kind of an up-and-down race weekend for me. There were so many things I loved (the ZOOMA gang, my fellow ambassadors, the Sea Crest Beach Hotel) and others (the race course) … not so much.
Plus I pulled a total rookie racing movie, which I’m sure colored my overall experience.
But let me back up.
I headed down on Friday evening and checked into my lovely room at the Sea Crest … conveniently located at the start/finish line and post-race festivities.
After unpacking, I ran down to the Expo to grab my bib and then enjoyed a drink at the bar while waiting for my fellow race ambassadors.
And I got to see this. I mean, seriously?!
Eventually, all the ambassadoras gathered outside on the beachside deck at the Honest Tea Mocktail Party.
I enjoyed dinner at the on-site restaurant with Jess, Nancy, Dani, Amy and Amy’s husband (and photographer extraordinaire), Chris, then headed to my room.
While I loved the hotel itself, there was a pretty rockin’ wedding going on that night, and what I’m guessing had to be wedding guests were yelling and making all sorts of noise in the halls starting at 11pm, which made it hard to sleep. I eventually had to put my TV on with the sleep timer, so at least I could fall asleep to the sounds of a TBS movie.
Even still, I was up every hour or so, finally waking up about 20 minutes before my 5:45am alarm time. Sigh. So I got started with making a cup of coffee (two thumbs up for in-room Keurig machines!) and bagel with almond butter. After getting dressed, I headed down to Amy and Chris’ room, where the ambassadors were meeting up.
Now let me back up to the “getting dressed” part. Because here’s where I made my total boneheaded mistake.
Remember how I mentioned in my last post how this was going to be my last race in my old Brooks? Well, wouldn’t you know, before I left on Friday, what should arrive on my doorstep but my new Brooks Glycerin 11s. I packed them along with my old shoes, thinking maybe I’d wear them for the race, having apparently been brainwashed by the way they felt when I slipped them on and puttered around the house.
On race morning, I tried them on again, and even though I KNEW it was a dumb thing to do, I thought, Let’s test them out. How bad could it really be?
Answer: Awful.
What in the world was I thinking?!
Anyway, we all headed to the start line. Did I mention what a GORGEOUS day it was? High 50s at start time with plenty of sunshine. Perfect racing weather.
The start area itself was so organized and I LOVE races with a small field of runners. Once the 10K runners took off (about 5 minutes before the half marathoners), we lined up and were able to immediately get into a groove once the horn sounded … no need to dodge and weave around runners like you have to do in larger races.
The first mile was a pretty one along the ocean. I hung behind the girls for a bit with my first three miles at a sub-9:00 pace, but they eventually sped up (all shooting for a finish time in the mid 1:50s) as they knew they would, which was fine with me. I knew this wasn’t going to be a sub-2:00 race for me, so I transitioned my mindset to thinking of this as a long run in preparation for the Hartford Half Marathon.
And it was also around that time that I thought, Hmmm, my feet kinda hurt.
By that point, we had finished a quick out-and-back, left the ocean (which we wouldn’t see again until mile 10 or 11 or so … boo) and headed back up a main road — which was open to traffic, like most of the roads along the course — that led to the Shining Sea Bikeway.
Now I normally love a good, flat, shaded bike path, but it kind of felt anti-climatic for a half marathon, kind of like I could have been running anywhere at anytime, you know? We were on the Cape … where was the ocean and the beach?
Then somewhere along the bike path, the pain in the balls of my feet turned into a nasty burning sensation, and I began cursing myself for my stupidity. Unfortunately, the discomfort continued — and worsened — with every step, to the point where my mindset shifted to simply finishing.
Every mile seemed to drag on forever, and truth be told, I was miserable. Eventually, we exited the Bikeway (maybe around mile 7 or so?) and continued the rest of the race on both main roads and side streets through random neighborhoods.
And on the hills. Oh, the hills on the second half of the course.
Similar to the bike path, it felt kind of strange running through random neighborhoods. It reminded me more of my long runs than a race, particularly since, by that time (about the 10 mile point?), the crowd had thinned out considerably and there were few runners around me and absolutely zero spectators. It was kind of hard to stay motivated and focused.
I tried to push the pain in my feet aside and hobbled along for the last few miles, fantasizing about crossing the finish line and the moment I could take my sneakers off. Seriously. Thinking about that is really what got me through the back end of the race.
Finally, after surviving a whopper of a hill at mile 12, we turned the corner and I knew we were approaching the finish line. I found a fifth gear I didn’t know I had left and cruised over the finish line around 2:05. Yes, it was my slowest half marathon time to date, but given the circumstances, the hilly course (my most challenging half course!), and the fact that I wasn’t really racing for a PR, I was pretty happy with it.
What I wasn’t happy with was myself for naively thinking I could wear new sneakers for a freaking half marathon and have it be okay.
Thankfully, I only have a few blisters as a side effect of my stupidity, and on the bright side, at least my shoes are broken in for Hartford now, right?
And I got one of these sweet medals!
After grabbing my medal and some water, I limped — in my socks — to the beach, enjoyed a glass of wine at the post-race festivities, said goodbye to most of the other ambassadors, and limped back to my room. I had an hour until I had to check out, and I needed a shower before hitting the road.
And, truthfully, I was kind of bummed out, so I didn’t really feel like staying to socialize.
But I was happy to find that I felt pretty darn good after the race — besides my feet, of course. No stomach distress or screaming calves like in past races. I’m taking that to mean that my training paid off, which hopefully is a good sign for Hartford. And who knows what would have happened had I worn my old shoes.
Anyway, like I said, it was an up-and-down experience for me …. although there were definitely more ups than downs, and I know I can only blame myself for some of the downs. But here’s the scoop:
What I loved:
- My fellow ambassadors! Seriously, these gals are awesome. So real and genuine and supportive. One day I’ll be fast enough to keep up with them 🙂
- The race was incredibly well-organized with lots of clear communication. Two thumbs up to the ZOOMA gang!
- Plenty of course signage — there was never a doubt where you were going, which is critical in long distance races with a small field, because you can often find yourself alone on the course.
- FABULOUS volunteers!! Thank you to everyone along the course who were helping to direct traffic (not an easy job), man the water stations, and make sure us runners were all taken care of.
- Great swag bag (short-sleeve tech tee, hat, Feetures socks)
- So much positive energy! It seemed like everyone around me had a huge smile on their face, and it was awesome to see so many ladies who had clearly made a girls weekend out of the race. Great vibes all around.
- Small race field = no logjam at the start.
- Sweet medals!
- A post-race party that included wine, massages, music and icing down in the ocean.
- Having the hotel as a home base (think nice bathrooms, plenty of parking, areas to wait inside had there been inclement weather, etc.).
What I wasn’t crazy about:
- Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed by the race course. Not in terms of the difficulty (because, um, that second half was so hard!), but the aesthetics. I ran the Falmouth Road Race last year, which is mostly run along the ocean, so naively I thought we’d be running along a similar route with ZOOMA. (I guess I should have paid more attention to the course map). I personally wasn’t too crazy about running in random residential neighborhoods or running along the bike path, although one benefit to the bike path was not having to share the road with cars.
- Perhaps I missed it, since I was so focused on taking my sneakers off once I crossed the finish line, but I didn’t see the requisite post-race bananas or bagels or other snacks? There was a table on the beach passing out more lunch-type foods (either a chicken salad sandwich or a hummus wrap) … but it was 9:30am.
But overall, I had a fabulous run-cation and ZOOMA truly lived up to its tagline of Run. Laugh. Celebrate. Thank you, ZOOMA, for welcoming me as an ambassador. I am so honored to be part of such an awesome group of bloggers and grateful to experience this event! I had a blast … sore feet and all.
Anyone tried to race wearing new sneakers (and lived to tell the tale)?
Disclaimer: As a race ambassador for ZOOMA Cape Cod, I received a complementary entry into the half marathon and products from race sponsors, but all thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.
AmyC says
It was so fun hanging out with you and the other girls this weekend! They did have bananas at the finish and I almost missed them, so I can see how you did. You’re going to do awesome at Hartford and by then your shoes will be broken in too!
Jessica says
I had a feeling I missed them somewhere 🙂 So nice seeing you! And thank Chris for being our wonderful photographer!!
Sue Tate says
I was a Zooma Ambassador for Annapolis this year and agree with all of your sentiments! Our course left something to be desired too! Glad I found your blog! I’m originally from the Boston area too1
Amy says
I ran Zooma Cape Cod as well with two other girlfriends. We had many of the same feelings as you did. Beautiful weather. Beautiful scenery. Awesome volunteers. Great swag bag. Post race party was fun. Best part was standing in 50 degree ocean water to help alleviate burning feet and legs. Met some amazing women. The vibes were electric. I was disappointed with the post race water and banana. Thought there could have been a little more. I would love to be an ambassador next year!
Angela says
Oh no! I’ve never worn new sneakers to a race but I wore heel lifts to my first marathon. I knew something was wrong when my toes were hurting by mile 2 but I didn’t put it together (and the lifts were for a sore ankle so there was that). Well, it was a bad idea because two big toe nails didn’t make it. Worst decision ever! Well, at least your shoes should be ready now!
~Ang
Angela @ happy fit mama says
So nice to meet you in person finally! The location of the race was great – I LOVED having my own personal bathroom at the starting line. The less port-a-potties I have to use, the better! I agree about the course. While pretty in parts, it would have been nice to have been near the water more. Although, I loved the bikeway – shade and flat made me happy!
Kelly says
Oh man, so sorry about your feet :(. I almost missed the bananas too, but someone grabbed one for me. I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend more time with the rest of the ambassadors, but it sounds like we all had really great races (even if we all had some minor aches and pains ;))
Danielle says
It was so nice to meet you and the other ambassadors last weekend!
I have to agree that I was a little underwhelmed by the course also, you’re right, there are a lot of really great scenic places to run and we were on residential streets! Plus the bike path is where I normally do my long runs, so that just felt sort of “normal” to me vs. race like. And honestly, it’s funny because I was soooo hungry after the race I didn’t think twice about the fact that a hummus wrap was weird at 9:30am, but in hindsight it kind of is!
Dollops of Diane says
Funny – I saw one of your barefoot, beach photos on race day and thought, “It’s a little chilly for bare feet.” Now after reading this I totally get it – ha! Tim needs new running sneakers and I keep telling him to get a pair and break them in before his half in a few weeks. The clock is ticking!