Blessing Of The Fleet 10-Mile Road Race

If I had to choose a favorite race of all the ones I've done so far, until this past Friday, I would have chosen the Matty Siravo 5K, when I won first place in my age group. But now I'd have to say that my first-ever running of the Blessing of the Fleet 10-Mile Race is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite race that I've run.

It wasn't any one thing that made it so great - it was a combination of factors that came together to make this an absolutely amazing experience. 

Beginning at the beginning - Scott dropped me off around 4:30, so that I could avoid the parking mayhem. Definitely a good choice, as it was pretty chaotic down there, and it was nice to not have to deal with any of that. The only problem with that plan was that once I got registered and picked up my number and my t-shirt, I had nowhere to put the shirt. Luckily I ran into a woman from the running club who had her car nearby, and she offered to take my shirt for me, so that problem was solved. 

It took me a few minutes to get my race number situated, because I did something Friday night that I've never done. I ran in just a bra top and shorts - no singlet or running shirt. I've always been way too self-conscious to do this, but I knew that staying as cool as possible would help my performance, so I braved it. 

I felt a little odd at first, and like I said, I had a little trouble figuring out what to do with my number (ended up pinning it to my shorts), but when I saw how many other women (of all shapes and sizes) were similarly dressed, I felt less and less awkward about it. And it definitely did translate to a much more comfortable run, so I'm glad I bit the bullet and did it. 

Anyway, for the next 45 minutes, I chatted with a few running club folks, got a few drinks of water, made a few pit stops, and wandered around outside, soaking up the scene. I also took a very quick warmup jog down the street, just to get rid of some of my nervous energy. 

With 15 minutes to go 'til race time, I started making my way to the starting line. I knew that this race didn't have chip timing, so I didn't want to get stuck way in the back of the pack. As it turns out, (and yes, I know it's poor race etiquette, but I didn't care!) I managed to work my way up to nearly the front of the pack. And as I talked to the people around me, I learned that they had all done the same thing, so I didn't feel too bad. I was lined up with a few people from the running club, so it was nice to have them to chat with before the start. 

We didn't have to wait long, and there were no pre-race announcements or festivities. Just the sound of the gun, and we were off. It was funny, too - all morning and all afternoon, I was a nervous wreck, just waiting for race time. But once I was lined up at the start line, all the nervousness disappeared. I was ready for this, and I knew it, and I was just anxious to get started. 

Let me just say that the spectators for this race were absolutely amazing, and are a huge part of the reason that this is my new favorite race. The first mile of the course was teeming with crowds cheering us on. I allowed myself to get a little swept up in the excitement and in the faster pace of the runners I had lined up with, and finished my first mile in 8:15. I knew that was a little too fast, but I just went with it, intending to reel myself back in for the next few miles. 

The first few miles of the course took us along the ocean. We couldn't really see the ocean, due to houses blocking our view, but the cool ocean breeze was in full effect, and made this part of the course really nice to run on. 

Around mile 3, we were coming to the top of a very small hill (one of the only real hills on the course), and the sun was peeking through the trees to the right of the street, and "Where The Streets Have No Name" was playing on my iPod, and I looked down the hill in front of me and saw nothing but hundreds and hundreds of runners. There's nothing quite as inspiring as that - and at that moment, I knew I was going to have a great race. 

As we approached mile 4, we were in sight of the ocean again, and it was beautiful. The weather was really pretty great. It was in the low 80s, and dry, with blue skies. Of course I'd much rather race in 60 degree temps, but for late July in New England, this was as good as it was going to get! 

We ran a little farther along the ocean, and then turned up toward the worst part of the course. From about mile 4.5 to 6.5, the course runs along a 4-lane secondary highway. There's no shade whatsoever, and the scenery is pretty dismal, and it's just a long, flat stretch of road, with nothing to break it up or offer any sort of distraction. 

I knew from running the course on two different training runs that this would be the worst stretch - and everyone who's done the race says it's the worst stretch. And it was. During those two miles, I started to feel really hot, and was definitely feeling a little more tired than I had been. 

Thankfully, the people who live along this stretch of the course know how bad it is, and many of them were out with sprinklers and hoses, and I can honestly say that I have never been so happy to get sprayed in the face with cold water. 

The blast of cold water I got around mile 5 totally rejuvenated me- so much so that I looked down a few minutes later and saw that I was running at a 7:40 pace!  I quickly slowed down - I knew I wouldn't be able to keep that up for 5 more miles! 

At this point, though, I was holding steady at just under an 8:40 pace. I worried that that might be a bit too fast, but I still felt pretty good, so I kept at it. 

I was doing good with stopping at most of the water stops (and there were tons - both official and unofficial), and drinking half the water and dumping the rest over my head, so I felt very well-hydrated - and very soaked, too. It got to a point where I couldn't tell if I was drenched in sweat or if I was wet from all the water I was dumping over my head or getting sprayed with. 

All that water got me through those awful two miles, though, and when the turn off of that road was in sight, I was surprised to find myself thinking "well, that wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, either."  

And once I turned off that road and onto the next section of the course, and I took stock of how good I was feeling, and how that worst part of the course seemed to go by relatively quickly - I got such a huge mental boost from that, and I knew that I was going to have no problem meeting my 90-minute goal. I just felt so amazingly positive and strong, and was positively overwhelmed by the fact that I was just having SO MUCH FUN doing this race! 

The crowds also picked up again at this point. They thinned out a little during the middle part of the course, but now both sides of the street were lined once again with cheering spectators. And the great part of doing a local race like this is that so many of the spectators were familiar faces! It's great just to have random people cheering you on, but it's sooooo much better when it's people you know! 

So, needless to say, I started picking up the pace a little as we got to the 7-mile mark, and mile 7 beeped on my Garmin at 8:32. I was still feeling great as we passed by the race start at mile 8.5, especially knowing that there was only a mile and a half to go. 

A very, very slight incline and a few more turns later, we were headed into the final mile of the race. I had finished mile 9 in 8:22, and I was determined to finish mile 10 in 8 minutes or less, so I ran my heart out in the final stretch. 

I wasn't holding anything back. I took off my headphones so I could really hear the crowd as I approached the finish, and I went flying into the chute as the clock read 1:25:42. 

And looking back later, I saw that I had in fact completed the 10th mile in exactly 8 minutes. Perfect. 

The post-race scene was absolute chaos. The race ends right in front of the ocean, and there's a big Seafood festival/carnival, which attracts lots of people to begin with - then throw in a couple thousand runners on top of that, and you've got complete insanity. I wandered around a bit, and ran into a few people from the running club and chatted with them, but then got myself out of the crowd and sat down and stretched a bit. 

Scott met me a short while later, and after making one attempt to get into the beer tent for a drink, we gave up and just headed to a local restaurant for some pizza and beer - a great way to celebrate a great race. 

I've tried to figure out what made this race so awesome for me. Yes, I'm thrilled with my time, and with the fact that I beat my goal by nearly 5 minutes. But even more than that, I think it was just the fact that I felt so incredibly positive and happy the ENTIRE time I was running. Most of my races that I've done have gone pretty well, and I always enjoy them, but this was different. 

I think the fact that I ran the course a few times made a big difference - I knew what was around every corner, and that really helped. And I also think that the fact that I've done several 10 mile training runs (plus one 12-mile training run) helped me both physically and mentally. 

And again, I can't say enough about the crowd support. I've run two half-marathons, both of which had pretty decent crowds, but they don't hold a candle to this race. It was unbelievable. 

In any case, it all added up to a fabulous race on a fabulous night, and made for an experience that I won't soon forget. 

The final numbers - 

759 overall, out of 2300 runners

63rd in my age group

185 out of all female runners

I'm still glowing : ) 

Comments

[chris]

I couldn't have said it better myself.....what a fabulous race on a fabulous night! the course is great too. this was one of those races where it seemed like the planets were aligned to make for a perfect experience.

[Wes]

I loved your race report. I love that everything came together for you. Those are the kinds of races that just leave you feeling good for a long long time. Congrats again!!

[Shawn]

Awesome race report! I wish I could have been there. I have heard that the crowd support is always good at the Blessing.

[SJ Goody]

GREAT GREAT GREAT report!! I am so happy that you had such a wonderful race... that is the way it should be. :) Congrats again!

[J-mom]

Great race report!! Awesome how it all came together!! :>D