Shipyard Maine Coast Marathon and 39.3 Challenge

So where did I leave off? Oh right, I was about to run a marathon! My friend Kristin was running the full also and she had her eyes on a PR! (Spoiler alert: she crushed it!) My goal: to not get swept off the course and finish under the cut off time.

The race started at 7:30 at the Kennebunk High School, only a three minute drive from our motel. Jordan dropped me off and I met up with Kristin to wish her luck. The day was a lot cooler and more cloudy than Saturday. Thank goodness, because it was perfect marathon running weather. I was on the fence about what to wear for this race but went with a light long sleeve. It was the perfect choice.

Surprisingly, my legs felt great. I was worried I was going to be sore from the half, but after the first few miles my legs warmed up and I kept a decent pace of about an 11:00 minute mile.

The views weren’t bad on the course, huh?

Jordan drove along the course to stop and cheer. It was great to see him every few miles! He got this awesome shot me munching on jelly beans. Every other water stop had a food item for the runners instead of a gel. I must say, this was an awesome approach. I had a new snack to look forward to. I think my favorite were the mini chocolate chip cookies at mile 17.5 and the m&ms at mile 25. I know they say “never do anything new on race day” – but I decided to wing it and eat the snacks. It was a good decision.

At around mile 10 I started talking to a girl named Kathryn who had been running the same pace as me from the beginning. She was running the challenge too and is also an avid hiker! She’s from Maine and has hiked all of the 48 highest peaks in New Hampshire! It turned out we had a ton in common. It was great to chat  and it helped the miles go by faster. We were determined we would drag each other across the finish line if we had to. Before we knew it, Mile 20 was upon us. And I actually hadn’t taken that many walking breaks. I only walked through water stops and up some minor hills.

By mile 23 my legs started to really feel it. My feet were hurting a little bit, but I was determined to keep running. I had been running between the 4:45  and the 5:00 pacers for most of the race, but I didn’t see the 5:00 pacer until the last .2 of the marathon. We were on target to finish in about 5 hours. I was shocked! Finally, the finish line was in sight!

Volunteers promptly handed us our medals–TWO! We got the marathon medal and the special 39.3 medal for finishing the challenge! They also gave us our jackets. We wore them with pride!

Jordan met me at the finish line and I hobbled my way over to get in line for pizza.

I was pretty much in shock that I had actually ran a 5:03 marathon the day after running a half! I wasn’t even sure I could start the race, let alone run the entire thing in five hours. I guess it goes to show I am stronger than I give myself credit for.

I got my post-race beverage, the Shipyard Summer Ale. Beer never tasted so good!

I would highly recommend both of the Shipyard Maine Coast races. They both had amazing views along the coast, great support and even some spectators! Both races were incredible. 

We went back to the hotel so I could shower and change and then we went on a mission to find a Maine lobster roll.

Mission accomplished!

This lobster roll came from the Clam Shack in Kennebunkport. It was AMAZING! And to make it even better, there were no lines since it was off-season.

So now I’ve completed the 39.3 challenge, what’s next? I guess I have to think about it…