virtual race Archives - Omni Running

Rhode Master Series 2021

Looking to run Rhode Island in 2021? The Rhode Master Series of Marathons and Half Marathons is hosting a series of in-person events with virtual options.

2021 Rhode Island Rhode Master Series

2020 was a tough year for this series. Most of the races were cancelled or went virtual.

For 2021, in -person races are on the schedule with a virtual option for most races.

State and or local officials may place tighter restrictions or revoke race permits if conditions worsen.

This is out of the hands of race directors. Both race officials and state and local officials have everyone’s health in mind when they make their decisions.

Be sure to read registration details closely before signing up for any races.

The Rhode Master Series consists of five Rhode races in five cities and towns across Rhode Island.

When you register for three of the races you will receive a 15% discount. You can sign up for all five events and get a 15% discount on all five.

You can also register for any one of the races that you would like to run.

Providence Marathon Presented By The Providence Journal

2 May | Providence, RI | Sunday | 7:30 AM

This event includes the Marathon, Half and a 5K.

As of March 21st only the 5K registration is still open for $49.

The marathon is a nice mix of historic urban and rural neighborhoods as the race starts in Downtown Providence and heads south towards the East Bay and Barrington, Rhode Island.

The tree lined East Bay Bike path provides plenty of shade and scenic views of the Providence river and skyline.

The course is USATF certified and is a Boston Marathon Qualifier.

The half marathon is a nice mix of historic urban and rural neighborhoods as the race starts in Downtown Providence and heads along the Providence River to India Point Park before heading down tree lined Blackstone Boulevard towards Pawtucket. The course then winds through Pawtucket before heading back down the famous Boulevard and down along the Providence River, and finishing back downtown at the Rhode Island State House and Providence Station.

The 5k course will follow the start and finish of our larger races but enjoy a turn around in beautiful India Point Park.

The race will kick off 15 mins after the half marathon at 8:15 am at the same start banner as the rest of the Rhode Races. The course follows Memorial Blvd and South Water St. to India Point Park paths before heading back to the finish arch at the Rhode Island State House and Providence Station.

Due to USATF restrictions, no baby strollers are allowed on the course and walkers are prohibited from entering.

The Newport Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K

22 May | Newport, RI | Saturday | 7:30 AM

Registration these races is open still:

Marathon – $110
Half Marathon – $80
5K – $37
Beach Mile – $15

Registration fees for virtual races:
Marathon & Half $50
5K $20

For those lucky enough to run in person:

A 26.2 mi route in Newport, RI, United States. The route has a total ascent of 747.42 ft and has a maximum elevation of 15.75 ft. The first half of the course highlights the best of Newport with craggy shores, wide open ocean vistas, historic mansions and intricate architecture. After passing Easton’s Beach at the half way point, the full heads out to Middletown past Hanging Rock and Surfer’s End to a challenging course with more gorgeous views. The race finishes back along the water at Easton’s Beach.

The half marathon follows the first 13.1 miles of the full marathon route. The half starts 30 mins after the full marathon at the same start and finish as the full marathon. You will enjoy selfie worth seaside views, grand mansions and rocky shorelines.

2019 Newport Full Results

Free race photos will be available!

A post-race beer garden is also planned.

The Bristol Independence Half

26 June | Bristol, RI | Saturday | 6:30 AM

Registration for the in-person and virtual races is open:
Half Marathon – $65
Virtual Half – $50

The scenic course will start on historic Thames St. in beautiful downtown Bristol. It will lead runners around quaint and patriotic downtown, past festive homes and the America’s Cup Museum – following part of the famous 4th of July parade route.

The course heads out, winding through historic Blithewold and beautiful Roger Williams University before heading back downtown and finishing against the backdrop of the Mt. Hope Bridge and Narragansett Bay.

Course limit is 3.5 hrs. There is an early start option if you need more than 3.5 hrs. Please select this during your registration.

2019 Bristol Full Results.

Free race photos will be available!

Jamestown Half

18 September | Jamestown, RI | Saturday | 7:00 AM

Registration is open: $60 in person and $50 virtual

The course circumvents nearly all of picturesque Conanicut Island, providing sweeping views of Narragansett Bay and the Newport Pell Bridge – the largest suspension bridge in New England.

The course features vivid landscapes, winding roads, historic Watson Farm as well as the village of Jamestown with its small shops and quaint restaurants.

The race starts in Fort Getty, winds past Mackeral Cove, heads straight across the island before the decline into Jamestown Village, then following the east side of the island.

It cuts through a beautiful neighborhood before coming up the west side of the island where you will enjoy views of windmills, estuaries and farms before finishing back at Fort Getty. There is one small section of unpaved road before mile 2 and a long incline around miles 9 and 10.

Course limit is 3.5 hrs.

Free race photos will be available!

Ocean State Marathon, Half and 5K

24 October | Narragansett, RI | Sunday | 7:30 AM

Registration is open: $90 for the Marathon, $60 for the Half and $28 for the 5K.

Virtual Marathon and Half are $50, virtual 5K is $30

The Marathon starts at 7:30AM, Half at 8AM and the 5K at 8:15AM.

These races feature FREE PHOTOS and a secured bag check at the start.

The course is a stunning mix of beautiful farms, coastal homes, old rock walls and tree-lined, back roads.

The race runs past ocean views, river walks, kayak stands and fishing holes.

Race day starts at famous Narragansett Town Beach, winding through beautiful US 1A before descending into gorgeous Bonnet Shores.

The race rejoins US 1A, following working farms and picturesque waterways before heading back to the finish at the Town Beach. The race is truly quintessential Rhode Island.

The Ocean State Rhode Race is the final stop in the Rhode Master Series – 3-5 of the most scenic half marathons in Rhode Island.

Free race photos will be available!

These are GREEN Events

Rhode Races & Events is committed to recycling.

Road Races create a lot of waste, but we’ll reduce our footprint by diverting hundreds of pounds of cardboard boxes, water jugs, and plastic bottles from the landfill.

To learn more about our race day efforts and how you can help – please click this link. Additionally – all clothing discarded at the start of the race will be donated to North American Family Institute.

You can do you part when running your virtual races. If you follow the “pack in, pack out” rule that The National Park Service follows you wont drop your gel packs or the torn off top.

If you run from home you can have a virtually carbo free race event.

Run Rhode Island well my Friends,

Andy

One Mile Home Run

A couple of short distance races on a Saturday afternoon!

One Mile Home Run

Today I continued the Super Sunday Virtual Race Series with The 1K To Nowhere and One Mile Home Run.

From home I ran 1K to a random street corner. I stopped my watch, saved my 1K run and then tried to start my watch.

Super Sunday Race Series, 1K Run I hit the start button and got a beep. After a few attempts I thought I was going to have to guess how far a mile was.

It was in the mid 20’s and I was wearing shorts, so it got cold right away!

Much like a pilot trying to restart a flamed-out engine, I was determined to get my watch to start.

It seemed like five minutes before my watch beeped and the timer started. I could feel my sweat turning to ice water!

The 1K To Nowhere was in the books!

The Super Sunday Virtual Race Series consists of seven race distances:

1K, 1 mile, 5K, 5 Mile, 10K, 10 Mile and Half Marathon.

You can run these race anywhere and any time you want through March 17th.

Last Sunday I kicked off the series with the 5 Miler before the storm rolled in.

Running One Mile Home Run

The only time I run 1K or 1 mile is at a track.

Running from home I usually end up running a couple of miles.

No matter how fatigued or unmotivated I am, once I get out there I always feel like a 5K. Maybe more!

Running can be exhilarating.

The only exception is when I have an injury. I’ve gone out a few times and felt a twinge or even a cramp and had to cut it short. That’s been my year so far.

I have figured out how to run many distances from home accurately. The key is, from home.

Starting a one mile run from somewhere in the neighborhood makes it difficult to estimate how many streets I need to run up and down.

With only a mile to run it’s easy to run a street too far.

One Mile Home Run, Super Sunday Virtual Series On any other day I’d be happy to run an extra half mile or more. All those kibbles and bits add up to lots of miles over the course of the year.

But when accuracy counts, it’s easy to fall short. Or long as the case might be!

When I hit one mile I knew I was a third of a mile from home. Normally I would stretch this out to 0.6 miles.

But, since my goal was one mile I decided to walk the last 1/3 mile home.

I walked at a good clip and I was surprised that I didn’t feel cold.

One Mile Home Run, Super Sunday Virtual Race Series When I got to my house I took out my phone and tried to take a selfie.

With dark, fogged-up glasses, this was a challenge. But I managed.

So in one day I managed to run two, albeit, short races.

Not a major accomplishment but it was more miles than I ran in a week.

The Super Sunday 5 Miler 2020 was the last race I ran in 2020 before the pandemic. We had a great time and had no idea.

How is your winter running going?

Andy

100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon 2020

The nice thing about a virtual race is that you can roll out your front door when ever you feel like it. You won’t be late and you never have to worry about parking.

With the 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon, I even avoided the twelve-hour flight to Hawaii!

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know it’s worth the flight to get to such a beautiful place.

Running 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon

I love coffee and on more than one occasion I’ve actually run with a coffee in my hand.

You just can’t beat an iced-coffee as a refresher on the run.

I’ve had 100% pure Kona coffee when I’ve visited Oahu. When it is fresh it is a delicious and well balanced cup.

And strait up is the best way to appreciate the flavor profile.

Well, enough about coffee!

With the uptick in COVID-19 cases and the Governor’s new mandatory mask policy, I wanted to get an early start.

I’ve been running evenings in my neighborhood and trying to stay on well lit roads that are in good condition.

Unfortunately, everyone else seems to like those streets for their evening stroll or dog walk.

I left my house at 8:04 AM which is pretty good for me. Hopefully most people would still be at home!

The previous day I had cleaned up my garden and got things set up for Spring. This involved some digging and lifting.

I also raked leaves which involves lots of twisting of the back.

As I ran down my street I could feel the results of all that yard work.

I wasn’t out to set any records and told my self to settle down and figure out where you are going to go.

100% Pure Kona Coffee Course Medford Style

The night before I looked at a few of my recent virtual half marathon runs.

I wasn’t too excited about running these exact routes again. But I didn’t have a full course mapped out for today.

In Malden there is the Northern Strand Community Trail which is an old rail bed.

I’ve run plenty of hilly courses of my choosing, this time I chose to avoid hills.

I knew that the Community Trail would be virtually flat, I just didn’t know where it went or how long it was. I’d run a short part of it before, but there was the other direction to explore.

I added a jog down Commercial Street in Malden and hit two miles just after crossing The Malden River.

I knew I was near where I ran the trail before, but from the street I didn’t see any signs. So I took a left onto Canal Street.

In about 100 yards I could see the trail and people on it. I crossed the street and got onto the trail.

It was still early so I only saw about ten people on my run into Malden Square.

When I got to Malden Square I didn’t see any signs for the trail so I ran down Eastern Ave. Again, very few people.

Since I didn’t have a course planned out, I wanted to run down Eastern Ave until I found a good place to turn.

After I passed the Malden Police Department I took a left onto Maplewood Street.

I’ve run 5Ks in this area before, and knew I’d hit a main street heading back into the square if I just stayed on this road.

The idea was to then take Main Street from Malden into Melrose.

But shortly after making my turn I saw signs for the trail!

I should have turned right, but I didn’t know where the path went to and didn’t want to run to the coast. A bit more planning would have helped here!

I took a left onto the trail and headed back to Malden Square.

Foot traffic was still light but picking up.

At Malden Square I hit five miles. Only 8.1 more to go!

I was a little worried about what I would have to do to get those miles since I was so close to home.

When I got to Malden Center I kind of knew where I was. I drive through here often and have run in the area a few times.

I got to an intersection I thought I knew and took a right.

Wandering the Hills of Malden

Besides running the distance my main goal was to avoid hills.

Malden has hills everywhere and if you don’t know where you are going you are bound to find them.

As I ran up Dexter Street I admired the old homes. In San Francisco some of them might qualify as “Painted Ladies”.

I could see hills around me and the street was starting to rise a bit.

At the next intersection I took a right, then another right and then a left onto Clifton Street.

I really had no idea where I was except that I wasn’t on a hill!

If I had gone strait at my first right I would have been on my way to Oak Grove T station. From there I could have headed into Melrose, an area I know well.

Instead I was on a street I barely know. When I got to a familiar rail road bridge I took a right. Why not, eh?

After a series of turns I managed to get back to Malden Square, cross Eastern Ave and found the Northern Strand Community Trail again.

My plan was to run the trail to “The End” and see where I was for mileage then.

I was very happy to be at 7.5 miles.

My supplies were holding up and so was I. Kind of.

As I ran the trail I realized that I was dragging my feet and scuffing with each foot fall.

This is a highly inefficient way to run since your feet are catching so much drag from the scuffing.

I took a Honey Stinger and made a greater effort to correct my form.

Other than that nothing really hurt.

End of The Trail

The trail seemed to dead end at West Street. A guy on a bike looked like he was heading down West Street and perhaps the trail went that way?

Again, I kind of knew where I was and went in the opposite direction.

West Street dead ends behind the Best Buy parking lot and I hit nine miles as I started across the back end of their parking lot.

Sacramone Playground is next to the parking lot. A bunch of young kids had soccer practice or something. I saw a dad go into the men’s room of their field house and for a second I thought that looked like a good idea.

But I was close to home and decided to push through.

Fortunately I was on the right side of the street to get through a very busy intersection. I ran over the Malden River again but on a six-lane bridge this time.

Since I was so close to home, I decided to run the trail along The Malden River. I’ve run the trail three or four times before.

I knew where it went and that I’d still be short on distance.

A ways up the trail I stopped to have a Honey Stinger cookie. I hadn’t had any breakfast and my stomach was starting to grumble.

With the fall leaves, it was a nice place to run. And with fewer leaves on the tree I could see more of the river. It’s a good sized river in this area.

I hit mile ten just before “Little Creek” and decided to run down Commercial Street when the trail ended.

I ran Commercial Street all the way down to Wellington Station.

The problem with running along a river is that you can’t just cut across when you want to. They don’t make bridges like side streets.

So instead of getting back onto Revere Beach Parkway and making my way through Wellington Circle, I ran through the train station!

I did notice one person sitting outside checking me out. She must have wondered what the hell this was all about.

Talk about running for a train!

And this dude is in running gear. Where the hell is he going?

The door was open, I ran up about 10 painful steps and across the station.

The great thing is that they have a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to the parking garage!

I’ve never run though here before, but it was pretty cool!

The bridge goes to the 3rd level of the garage and I got to run down the ramps!

Unfortunately, I did loose stellate signal in this nine-story concrete structure.

Then I ran through Station Landing and got a cross walk light to get across The Fells Way.

I hit eleven miles while running across the pedestrian bridge, so I was on the home stretch now.

On My Way Home

I was only about a mile and a half from home, as the crow flies. So I tried to stretch things out as I ran through the Mystic River Reservation.

Before I got to the end of Commercial Street in Medford I hit twelve miles. Only 1.1 miles to go.

This is my front yard so I know all the side streets to add a bit here and there so I can finish almost in front of my house with the exact distance I need.

I was really dragging now and the thought of walking crossed my mind.

But I thought of all the people who get geared up like I was just to run a 5K. How ridiculous would I look in this get up walking down the street?

So I ran.

I was tired and ready for it to be over.

Running down a street I drive almost every day, sometimes several times, is just not as exciting as running in Hawaii.

There was a severe shortage of lush green vegetation. And while it was a nice day, it would be considered a cool day in Hawaii.

I only had to run two side streets to get my distance and finish where I wanted to.

Apre Kona Half Marathon 2020

After I took off my shoes, hat, gloves and gear belt I made an iced coffee!

It was Starbucks Guatemala blend and not Kona, but it was still cold and refreshing.

I made my way upstairs for a long hot shower. Surprisingly I had almost no chaffing and felt almost human afterwards.

I didn’t feel like eating, so I topped off my iced-coffee and settled down to write.

Run well my Friends,

Andy

Virtual Boston Marathon 2020

With all that is going on in this world, not being able to run races IRL is nothing to complain about.

All of us are seeking some normalcy in our lives and running with people gives runners that feeling. There is peace in idle chit chat while running down the street.

Like most races, The Boston Marathon turned into the Virtual Boston Marathon 2020.

Any runner who had a Boston Marathon bib could participate in the Virtual Boston Marathon 2020.

The Melrose Running Club had six runners with a bib who decided to run the Virtual Boston Marathon 2020.

They started training in January like any other year and then hoped the race would not be cancelled.

Then the race was postponed and turned into a virtual race for the first time in Boston Marathon history.

While the club suspended Sunday Long Runs, they continued to organize Sunday Long Runs and other training runs to prepare for their race.

I didn’t have a bib for the 2020 Marathon, so I ran as a bandit for the first time! I also did not train to run a marathon.

It Takes a Village

Starting at Mile 2, The Boston Marathon has water stops at every mile. This year the crew had to arrange their own water stops and bathroom stops.

Maria Cavero was the team captain and master mind behind putting together the course.

Yvonne Liu-Constant put together the first draft of the course and then Maria found ways to avoid as many hills as possible!

Several miles had virtually no elevation gain and most had only 20-30 feet of elevation gain.

Together, Yvonne and Maria found people’s homes, parks and other spots where we could stop and re-charge.

Volunteers and Guardian Angels

The crew reached out for volunteers for the water stops and to provide on-course support.

They put together seven water stops and a crew of about twenty volunteers. On paper it was about twelve volunteers but many more turned out to help and provide support.

I think the volunteers were as excited to be there as the runners were!

Unlike Boston, we stopped at each water stop. There was no big clock on Boylston Street waiting for us. This year, everyone was just looking to run 26 miles and 385 yards.

It was very chill and less of a “dammed the torpedoes” vibe.

For most of the run there were three guys on bikes riding with us. They were in helmets, sun glasses and masks so I’m not sure who they were!

These guardian angels rode with the last person on the team, took photos and stopped traffic for us!

These guys stood in the middle of Alewife Brook Parkway, aka Rt. 16, into Cambridge and stopped traffic!

With authority they turned their bikes sideways on the median strip, held up their hands and shook cow bells! Drivers actually stopped for them.

They did this countless times so that we could cross busy roads with minimal hindrance.

This bandit would like to thank everyone who took time out of their Saturday to come out and run a water stop or stand in the middle of a road for us.

Running the Virtual Boston Marathon 2020

I was going to go to the start of this run but upon reviewing the map, I realized they were passing within a half mile of my house. So why drive to Melrose?

Over the past few months my weekly miles have rarely hit twenty miles. I’m not qualified to run a 5K. Running more than a four mile training run takes an act of will power.

I didn’t plan on running 26 miles, 385 yards so I told them I would meet them on the corner down from my house.

I figured they were running 10 minute miles. I left my house at 7:20 and thought I’d meet some of them on the corner.

When I got to the corner of Spring and Central Streets I didn’t see anyone. I decided to run down to the first water stop.

No one was there, so I decided to run around the neighborhood to make up some miles and warm up a bit.

I run in this area at least once a week, so I knew exactly where I was.

I ran from the water stop to The Fellsway, all the way back and up to Main Street. At Haynes Square I hit 2 miles.

I ran down Central Street to the water stop and in a few minutes Kristi and Bobby Taylor showed up. In no time they had everything set up and some of the cyclist began to show up.

It was great to catch up with Bobby and Kristi who have both started new jobs recently and have a new dog.

Soon we saw runners in the distance heading down Central Street towards us. This commonplace street corner began to feel exciting.

Some people came out of their houses to see what all the commotion was and everyone seemed happy to see us.

As everyone showed up we began to take over the intersection. Drivers were really good about waiting for people to step out of the way. And we tried to be good in keeping people out of traffic.

The runners had black and white bibs which did not stand out. The drivers had no idea that they were witnessing part of the 20020 Boston Marathon. These folks were decent to us just because that’s what people do.

After everyone was ready to go we headed down Park Street to Riverside and ran through Medford Square.

Medford Square is always busy and has six roads entering or exiting the square. A classic New England intersection.

I was running with Haecha Donnelly and one of our guardian angels helped us get through the square.

We ran up High Street and crossed The Mystic river on a little foot bridge that I’ve never been over.

Then we crossed Mystic Valley Parkway, another hairy crossing and headed towards Whole Foods to cross this road again into Arlington.

I started running with Jackie Ecker along The Parkway. As we crossed one of the streets a young women was clapping and cheering for us and Jackie took a spill!

She fell to the sidewalk in an a “Superman pose” with her hands up and to the sides. In that moment before she moved, I was worried.

I helped her up and she seemed fine. She had a cut on her knee, elbow and small cuts on her hands. She got up and kept on running. No big deal.

Everyone except her was worried.

We ran on a boardwalk next to the Alewife Brook. This was really cool and a place I’d never been to before. The brook was clear of brush and trash and the area looked to be set up as a flood plain.

Our next turn was a right onto Broadway in Arlington and to our second water stop.

Since I was a guest I only took water.

We headed back down Broadway and turned onto River Street towards Medford.

Another area had never run in. People were doing yoga in the park and enjoying the river.

Then we got to one of my favorite places to run in Medford.

Magical Mystic Valley Parkway

We crossed High Street and ran through the rotary onto Mystic Valley Parkway. Our guardian angel was able to stop the few cars in the rotary and we crossed safely.

As we ran down the Parkway we passed two groups of people who were waiting for their Boston Marathon runners to arrive!

It was like being in Framingham or Newton except we were in Medford. They all waved and cheered us on and it was fantastic.

The Parkway is shaded and cool as the sun began to beat down on us.

I hit mile 9 just before we turned off of The Parkway. While the pace was modest compared to how I would normally run a marathon, my total lack of training was beginning catch up to be.

When I’m training for a marathon The Parkway in one of my long run routes.

Magical Mystic Valley Run 2014.

The Second Half of My Run

We took a slightly different route through Winchester than my normal route. And it was nice to see something different.

As we passed people on the trail they waved and cheered us on. Most wore masks and I assume they were all smiling.

In Winchester we had water stop three on the lawn of a church. There were spouses and kids with signs. It was great to see all of their excitement.

At this stop I took a gel and a Nuun tablet for my water bottle.

After this stop we had the familiar slog up Washington Street. It’s not a bad hill, but it always comes half way or more into a run.

For me Washington Street was miles eleven and twelve to our next turn.

I had been feeling it for a few miles. I had the energy but my left knee had been acting up and now my hips were beginning to ache. The hips are a sure sign of lack of training and stretching.

When I signed up for this gig I planned to run 13.1 miles at the most. Now I was headed for 13 and we were miles from any end.

I began to think about catching a ride with someone at the next water stop.

For the past few miles I had been running with Jose Viveiros. He was training for a marathon in Jackson Hole, MT in three weeks. This was one of his taper runs!

Jose was feeling it too and we began to make plans to bail.

Heading for the End of The Road

I knew where we were but wasn’t sure how to connect the dot of where we wanted to go.

We were going to Maria’s house where Jose had his car. To make sure we didn’t end up running forty miles I fired up Google Maps for the win!

With verbal cues for each turn Jose and and I set out from the Winchester water stop and did the old walk/run routine.

We were both beat.

But as we went he kept telling me about Jackson Hole and another race out west.

He is working on running a marathon in all 50 states and now is a good time to do it. Airfare and hotels are fairly cheap. And getting a reservation is pretty easy.

He almost had me talked into it, but the last few miles had a few hills that made it clear that I was not ready for a marathon in two weeks.

We ran the flats and down hills and walked the up hills. At this point it was about getting to the end for both of us.

As we crossed The Fellsway in Melrose neither of us had been to Maria’s house from this direction. I had never been there at all. Jose assured me that we were in the right neighborhood.

Then we finally turned the last corner and saw her house with 26.2 miles balloons and the chalk finish line.

There’s a picture of us crossing somewhere.

We hung out for a while and chatted with Jeanne and Lesley about the run.

My run came in at 16.05 miles at a pace of 12:49. That’s about 10 more miles than I ran in total the week before.

Definitely not in marathon shape!

Jose gave me a ride home and he headed off to Somerville to pick up some food for the after party.

Boston Marathon Finish line 2020 — The Crew celebrating their Boston Marathon finish

As a bandit I didn’t want to crash their party. Plus I had to get to the Post Office.

It was great to run with a group of people. We all wore masks for most of the run and no one complained.

The few IRL (In Real Life) races I have seen all allow runners to take off their masks once they are on the course.

Whenever we were near people it was “shields up!” But sometimes we pulled them down while running, and of course at water stops.

Over all I think we were pretty careful.

Congrats to the ladies for finishing the 124th Boston Marathon!

Run well my Friends,

Andy

New England Road Trip challenge

Get your mojo on the go! Try the New England Road Trip challenge series and compete with runners from all over New England and the world!

Is your running motivation in a funk? Lost your mojo?

Why not try the New England Road Trip challenge to get your rear in gear?

New England Road Trip Challenge

Bay State Race Services recently announced this new challenge which begins on August 10th. Registration is open now and will be until October 31st.

The sooner you sign up the sooner you can start logging your miles towards the challenge.

Take your pick of New England Road Trip Challenges from the 52 mile run from Boston to Providence or run the entire virtual road race circuit of 716 miles!

You can run virtual races and “double dip” or log your training miles. Submit your miles and watch your self move along your designated route.

This is a great way to challenge your self even if you don’t like running virtual races.

Pick one or several challenges or run them all!

Boston to Providence – 52 miles (~ 1.00 miles/day) Finish by Sept. 30th

Concord to Boston – 68 miles (~ 1.30 miles/day) Finish by Sept. 30th

Providence to Hartford – 76 miles (~ 1.46 miles/day) Finish by Sept. 30th

Augusta to Concord – 140 miles (~ 1.68 miles/day) Finish by Oct. 31st

Montpelier to Augusta – 180 miles (~ 2.16 miles/day) Finish by Oct. 31st

Hartford to Montpelier – 200 miles (~ 2.4 miles/day) Finish by Oct. 31st

Tour of the Capitols – 716 miles (~ 4.97 miles/day) Finish by December 31st.

You are going to run a bunch of miles between now and the end of September, October or the end of the year.

Why not join the challenge and see who get’s there first!

Check out the challenge web site for complete details.

Run well my Friends!

Andy

Time for a Margarita Half Marathon

I definitely did not feel like having a margarita after this run. The heat really knocked the snot out of me and booze was the last thing I wanted.

The Margarita Half Marathon was originally scheduled for May 3rd in New Hampshire.

Due to COVID-19 the Margarita Half Marathon and 5K were turned into virtual races. I ran my half marathon on July 10th.

May is a great time to run a half marathon in New Hampshire, July is not such a great time to run a half marathon in the Greater Boston Area (GBA).

Running the Margarita Half Marathon 2020

This was my second half marathon in 14 days. On June 27th I ran The Great Bay Half which was postponed from April 5th to a virtual half.

I had Friday off and decided it would be a good day for a half. No matter how unfit I was or how hot it was, I was going to do it.

At 8:56 AM I set off from Medford headed to somewhere in Cambridge. I had a general idea of where I was going. My sole criteria for a turn around point was the mile 6 mark.

It’s easier to add on distance on the way back. In May I ran a half and ended up walking almost a mile so I could stop my watch at 13.1 miles for my official distance.

Sometimes I learn from my mistakes.

Garmin lists the temperature at 73° F, but that must have been at 8:56 when I started my watch.

As I ran down my street I actually felt pretty good. And that’s unusual. Usually a knee or an ankle makes a few grumbles.

I should have recalled that when things start out well, they often do not end well.

The First Six Miles

I knew it was going to be warm, hot even. Over the past few months my training has been poor.

My only goal was to finish the race through an honest effort. There’s no cheating in virtual racing. At least not for me.

The first two miles got me to the Somerville side of the Mystic River bridge.

This segment, along the Fellsway, was mostly in full sun.

After the bridge I took a right onto Shore Drive towards Blessing of The Bay Boat House. They had the crew of summer work kids out front for their morning brief.

I was glad to see that at least some kids were getting the opportunity to earn a few dollars and learn how to work this summer.

I went under the Rt. 93 bridge and headed south on Mystic Ave/Rt. 38. The on-coming traffic kept me very focused as the sidewalk is narrow here and folks like to fly down this road.

I found a break in traffic and crossed Mystic Ave to run the back side of Foss Park. The pool was full, but the facility was closed.

I chose this route for a little shade.

To avoid the bridge over the rail tracks I went down Broadway to Cross Street and ran through East Somerville up to Washington Street.

I hit Mile 4 just before I crossed The McGrath Highway and headed for East Cambridge.

Eventually I ended up in Kendall Square and headed down Broadway to find my turn around spot.

Margarita Half 2020, Kendall Square — Broadway in Kendall Square

On my way down Broadway I passed a Starbucks. I wasn’t at mile 6 yet but one water bottle was almost empty and I wasn’t even half way yet.

I ordered a Trenta iced coffee on my phone and turned back to Starbucks.

As I approached the door I stopped my Garmin and then stepped into the dark coolness. My drink was being made as I approached the counter, so I only had a minute or so to cool off.

I grabbed a straw and stepped back into the heat.

The Long Road Home

I was now on my way home and short on distance. My watch hit mile six as I walked down Broadway drinking my coffee. Man it was good!

I took a leisurely jog back through Kendall and The Canal District down to Lechemere Station.

My shorts were so wet from sweat and water dripping off of my coffee that for a moment I thought I had a problem!

When it’s hot and you are sweating, that is a good thing.

I found a trash can on Cambridge Street and tossed in my empty cup. It only took about a mile and 12 minutes to drink the entire cup. And all of the ice had melted.

I pretty much took the same route back to Washington Street and then took a left into the neighborhood.

At this point my quads were exhausted and I was beginning to feel altered.

I checked my running belt for a salt pill, but I didn’t have one. That was a crucial error on a day like this.

My sports drink had some sodium, but I was dripping sweat.

I got back onto Broadway and ran the same route back to Blessing of the Bay Boat House.

Fortunately they had a porta-potty on the grass next to their parking lot.

It was like an oven in there, but I meant business!

I continued on the bike path next to Rt. 93 and headed for Medford.

I didn’t hit mile 11 until I had crossed The Mystic Valley Parkway and was less than a mile from home.

At this point I was doing a fair amount of walking and experiencing the worse part of what I had anticipated.

When I got back into my neighborhood I started going up and down the side streets to get in my distance.

So close to home and I felt like I was running laps!

I managed to jog down my street and stopped my watch before I got to my house.

I was DONE!

I don’t think everyone has run and reported their results yet. But as of my run I was 131 out of 138!

Have you run any virtual races this year? How do you feel about them?

Run well my Friends!

Andy