Western Mass Mother's Day Half Marathon

Signing up for races is THE best way to get my butt it the door for runs. So I signed up for quite a few races for 2013! The bulk of my racing will be shorter (shorter than my usual half marathon distance) races, as I signed myself up for a race series with my new running club, Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club: http://www.sugarloafmac.org

However, my first race of the year that I started training for over the winter with my running friends on campus, Liz and Jess (and the occasional Karen who was simultaneously training for a 70 mile canoe race), was the Western Mass Mother's Day Half Marathon in Whately, MA.

It was thirteen miles through backroads a few towns away from where I live. We ran past cute houses and lots of fertile farmland. There were some rolling hills, but the biggest one (which wasn't really even that large) was within the first mile. It is a lovely course and I highly recommend putting it on your race calendar, even if you live a few hours away. It's a beautiful tour of the Pioneer Valley for sure!

The race began and ended at the Yankee Candle production factory in Whately, as you can see from our photo. While the race was a lot of fun, both Jess and I did not fuel properly prior to or during the race. We ran pretty good times (our second fastest half marathon to date!), however, I believe I could have set a PR if I had both eaten a bit bigger breakfast and had just one more GU with me during the race. I have been so used to using minimal food and water during the winter months, that I made a rookie mistake of not having enough fuel or electrolytes during the race. A mistake I won't make again!

Even with the fuel glitch, I still had a great time. I am so thankful for my running buddies on campus who keep me motivated and for my former running buddies from afar who have all taken up blogging to share their training and racing experiences.

Next up on my race schedule:

The Shelter Island 10k in my hometown!
http://www.shelterislandrun.com


New gear that I'm loving:

My fluorescent orange and navy blue Pace Setter Skirt from Lululemon:

My newest Sweaty Band (1" Blue Chevron Style):

My newest Newton running shoe (I actually have last season's shoe, but the only difference is the color):

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