Covered Bridges Half Marathon

The Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Vermont is race I’d been wanting to run for a while. Boasting scenic views of green mountains, rolling pastures and three covered bridges, Jenna, Meredith, John and I signed up months ago. Last Saturday Jenna and I drove up to White River Junction with a stop near Killington for a short 3 mile hike called Deer Leap Overlook.

Part of the trail to Deer Leap meets up with the Appalachian Trail–how cool!

There was a rewarding view for such a short hike!

   

After the little hike we met up with Meredith and John at Long Trail Brewery, one of my favorites! Can you tell why?

We each got a sampler and went out to their back patio to enjoy the scenic views–it sits right next to the Ottauquechee River.

We also enjoyed some pre-race snacks–nachos and the best truffle fries I’ve ever had. But anyway-I’m here to talk about the race! We stayed in White River Junction, a short drive from where we parked for the race in Quechee. After parking, we had to get shuttled to the start in the quaint town of Woodstock, Vermont.

Oh, and it was raining…

The weather ranged from lightly misting to full on rain all throughout the race. I was semi-prepared and had a visor, thank goodness. I hate rain in my face!

They weren’t lying–the race was scenic! It was probably one of the prettiest I’ve run.

I was worried that it was going to be super hilly. I didn’t look into the course so I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully there were only two major hills, neither of which were a big deal.

Around mile 10 I was starting to get cold and was wishing for some dry clothes and shoes-thankfully there was only 3.1 miles left.

I finished in 2:19:15–not too bad three weeks out from running a marathon and a half.

There was also delicious ice cream at the finish! Along with a Harpoon Beer. They actually had a decent selection of about six different beer flavors to choose from. I chose the pale ale with mango…yum!

Thankfully our hotel allowed a late checkout so we all had time to go back and shower and change into warm clothes. Overall it was a great race despite crappy weather. It was still beautiful. I’d highly recommend this race!