Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon, Portland, Maine 7.9.2016
When I signed up for the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon, I was fresh off a finish at the New York City Half Marathon and had formulated a new plan to run a half marathon in every state. It was four months away and I planned to train more consistently and more focused than I had in the past. Now, if we fast forward 4 months, to the evening before the race, I had spent several weeks running only 1-2 times with only a solid long run of 8 miles. Three weeks before the race I did attempt 10 miles with discouraging results. Combined with the summer heat and my lack of training, I averaged over 11 minutes per mile with repeated walk breaks and fatigue that made it seem like running 13 miles was unlikely this time.
I did not have high hopes for a good race. Friday afternoon my friend Joan and I left Boston and headed up to Portland. We arrived about 4:30 and checked into the hotel along with some other runners. We dropped off our stuff and decided to head to bib pickup first. I called an uber who dropped us off near(ish) the pier where the expo would be held. There was clearly a lot of traffic with the influx of visitors to the town. The expo was not too crowded though, I did not have to wait in line to pick up my bib or shirt. Joan and I even scored Old Port stickers.
After that, the two of us decided to go check out the Shipyard Brewery since they were sponsoring the race. The brewery closed in a half hour but that didn’t stop us from ordering two flights of four four ounce pours and 2 additional tastes of beer. I said, I didn’t have high hopes for this run, and the two of us might as well enjoy our time in Portland. That meant tasting every beer on tap. There weren’t many runners there (probably the correct choice) but we did run into one of Joan’s coworkers sampling so that made me feel a little better. We wandered down the street to Sebago shortly after for one more beer (and I started drinking water) and split a plate of nachos. We briefly met up with my friend Pete who was also running but he decided to leave and try to make it to the expo before it closed.
We continued to wander around Portland that evening stopping at one more bar. I did wise up and decided not to drink anymore and only ordered water from then on. We made it home by about 10:30 p.m., and I tried to get relaxed and ready for bed as quickly as possible. My phone was giving me troubles charging so I was very nervous about it dying overnight and not waking up to my alarm. As a result, it was a broken sleep where I woke up every hour or two to double check the time.
The alarm went off at 5:30 and I got dressed and ready to go. It was cold in the room and the forecast called for rainy weather all weekend long. I pinned my bib on my t-shirt but I put long sleeves on before heading downstairs to the continental breakfast. I buttered a piece of toast and met Pete and his cousin Megan in the lobby and we shared a cab to the start.
After getting to the start area we split up, with Pete and Megan headed toward what I assume was the fast people corrals and me heading to the port-o-potties. As I made my way back through the crowd the national anthem was starting so I knew there was only a few minutes ago. I did not feel confident about this race at all so I went all the way to the back of the pack and slowly started walking up from there. My previous half was around 2:20 so I found the pacer with the 2:20 sign and lined up a little behind them. I had hoped to keep them in my sight as long as possible but didn’t actually expect to keep up.
The first wave of runners was released at 7 am and the second batch at 7:03. Despite being cold all morning, I was glad I pinned by bib to my inner t-shirt. Within a half mile I was warm enough to remove my long sleeves and tie it around my waist.
The first hill came around mile 2-3 and while unpleasant, the real challenge was changing direction multiple times. My dad had told me he’d see me at mile 3 so I began distracting myself looking for him and Sue. When I got to the top of the hill I realized it was more residential and that he probably wouldn’t be able to drive close with the road closures nearby. As we ran down a hill around mile 4 the rain started to pick up. I was gaining on the 2:20 pacer and decided then to try to pass her. I thought I’d just try to stay in front of her as long as possible and use that to gauge how fast I was running.
At the bottom of the hill we turned back down Main Street and ran back through downtown Portland. As I was running along, I looked up and thought that the car driving by looked like Dad’s. I realized it was him and Sue as they drove past but they didn’t notice my shouts and waves. Another quarter mile up the road they had pulled over and were fiddling with something in their car and I yelled and waved again. They saw and waved back and drove further up the street again so they could have some time to get out and take pictures.
It was a welcome boost before heading back uphill. Mile 6 was a killer with a slow and steady incline. The biggest problem I had was being wet. I could feel my feet sliding around in my shoes and blisters forming but I tried to ignore it as best I could. There was a man running near me with his shirt on inside out and for the remainder of the race I found myself staying near “TagMan.” I’d pass him, he’d pass me, we’d run awkwardly side by side not speaking but playing a game of chase. I’m not sure if I was his target but he was definitely my running nemesis for the second half of the race.
Running around the Casco Bay is probably quite lovely on a sunny day, but on this morning it felt endless. My dad and Sue were at mile 10 providing some much needed encouragement but I was really ready to finish. The path was packed dirt and it felt like most of it was in my shoes. My blisters were rubbing and my thighs were starting to hurt. The pathway was a little too narrow for how many people were running together which made it difficult to pass some slower runners and walkers.
Under an underpass was an out and back segment of the course.. I really wish they’d put these boring sideways jaunts earlier on in the race. I’m not a big fan of running down a side street and turning around to come back near the end of a race. Let’s do that early on when I’m still fresh and taking in the sights.
The final mile or so of the race went by a railroad museum and there were plenty of spectators cheering us on near the old railroad cars. It’s always exciting when you see that first person wearing a finisher’s medal standing on the sidelines cheering you on. It means the finish line has to be near!
I powered through that last half mile, determined to finish ahead of the 2:20 pacer who was steadily gaining on me. I knew I beat her but I had no idea what my time was until I checked my email a little while later. 2:19:47! A surprising PR and one I immediately knew I could beat if I actually stayed committed to training. After grabbing my medal and water from the finisher’s chute, I met up with Dad and Sue for a photo opp.
It was still kind of rainy and gloomy when I finished the race and all I really wanted to do was shower before I had to check out of the hotel. I didn’t stay and enjoy the post-race festivities or beer but even without taking that into consideration, I’d still recommend this race. Portland is a great town. The course was mostly flat with only two slightly challenging hills. The water and gatorade tables were well stocked and the volunteers were great. The finisher’s medal is awesome (and doubles as a bottle opener!),And even though it rained most of the time, it was a terrifically cool and comfortable temperature for a July race.
50 States. 50 Races. 