Curlygirl, how'd the half go?  This was your first one, right?  I'm considering the Sportshoe Half in October . . . I guess I need to decide pretty darn soon if I'm going to train for it!  It would be my first half, and my biggest concern is training for/running it by myself.  My friend at work (who is 38 wks pregnant) is thinking she might run it with me (she's hardcore!).  If you have a spare min, tell me how the half is different from the shorter races, of if it's just run-run-run.   !http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/smile.gif|src=http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/smile.gif|border=0!



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the half was great..it was a real learning experience.. we went out really slow.. the first 5 miles felt so easy.. the next did too.. but once i got between 8 and 10.. those sucked!! i even walked a bit to recollect myself.. the last 5k was just "let me finish this race"..

i ended up finisihing in 1:54:37 even with the walking..

my next one is in may.. the big lake.. it will be a way more hilly course and i really want to focus more on nutrition and maybe getting more gatorade in me during the race... all and all.. i nice distance though.. looking forward to my next one...

I would've the Kerryman's Pub last year, but I had just raced back-to-back weekends (rescheduled Mid-Winter Classic and the Law Enforcement 1/2 mary in MA), so I thought I would rest and take a break from racing.  Anyhow, I end up doing the walk with my family and it was fun (great weather).  Depending on whether I run the Irish Road Rover or not, I might run the Kerryman's Pub race next week.

Gambo Trail, where is that (I'm in Buxton, about 10 minutes from downtown Gorham)?  It sounds like it should be along the Presumpscot, yes??

The B2B is definitely a great race.  I like the Yarmouth Clamfest 5-miler a lot too.  If you like running along the Boulevard and East End, you may want to try the Portland Trail 10K, that too is a fun race.

jwmacleod67 - thanks for the tip on places to run in Gorham.  I run from Buxton into Gorham and along route 114.  My wife thinks that I'm nuts and playing Russian Roulette, but the loop that I run is measured (8 miles) and it include hills, so I like it.

As for the Maine Marathon (or half marathon), no, I have never ran that before. However, I signed up with TNT and ran the Dublin Marathon last year and 80% of our training runs were done on the Maine Marathon/Half Marathon course. My assessment for the half marathon portion of the race is that its a flat course. There use to be a decent hill at Dragon Cement (Route 9/Ocean Ave.), but they've changed the route to eliminate the hill, so it should be a pleasant run/race.

As for pacing for a half mary, I can't offer you any advise because I've only ran 1 half myself and did the "dead man march" across the finishing line.  However, that was also when I was an "immature" runner and don't know how to pace myself (I started off blazing and crashed and burned hard near the end).  Should I run/race a half now, I would run the first couple of miles at 30 seconds slower than my anticipated pace.  After that, I would then pick up the pace a bit and ease into my anticipated pace.  I would do this for about 8 (or 9) miles.  I would then evaluate my situation to see if I have enough energy to pick up the pace or to just finish the race at my anticipated pace.

Hey is Bikerreed still active on this board and does anyone have an email for him or the Brunswick running club?
Also does anyone have a running contact at Brunswick Naval Base?

Thanks
boothy52

elufa, thanks for the info on the half mary.  Yes, your wife is right: you ARE crazy to run on 114!  I have to cross it on Huston Road to get to my daughter's daycare and I feel like I'm taking my life in my hands twice a day!  Although, Fort Hill is a great hill challenge.  I saw someone absolutely POWERING up that hill a few weeks ago while driving to work - she certainly has my admiration! 

Do you ever run up around Mighty Hill? That is probably fairly quiet from a traffic perspective. I have thought about Huston Road, but it would depend greatly on the time of day.

If I decide to train for the half, I will be running down 114, through Gorham, and out on 202/4 to my cousin's house in Saco for training. Remember playing that game Frogger, and trying to get your little frog across the road? That will be me in the center of Gorham Village! heheheh

Seriously, if I'm going to run the Sportshoe Half in October, I had better decide by this month, correct? Or do I have a little more time? I'm currently putting in 10-12mpw.

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