Two 'Halfs' DO Make a Whole

Over the last month, I have happily run a couple of no-pressure half marathons with friends.  Some old friends, some new friends….all fun!  Although I have one more race planned for this Fall, Ghost Train 15 Mile trail race, all of my “heavy lifting” races are in the books!  I’ve truly been running for fun and it’s been perfect.

Two weeks ago, I took the bait from Carrie and registered for Applecrest HalfMarathon.  I was a little hesitant at first, since Applecrest ran only 2 weeks after Quebec City Marathon.  But I found my legs to be quite cooperative and just as importantly, my head was excited to join in.  By race day, we had a fun little posse headed up to Hampton Falls to run. 

The day was warm and the course was packed with rolling hills.  My 3 comrades were using Applecrest as a training run for various October marathons, so the pace stayed generally comfortable and at times appropriately cautious – didn’t want anyone injuring themselves!  The race was very well organized, the shirts and medals were cool, and the after party had something for everyone:  face painting, food, music.  Great New England atmosphere!

Merging friends - Meaghan, Me, Carrie, and Karen

Soon after Applecrest came the bait from Meaghan, “Any interest in running the Wicked Half Marathon in 2 weeks?”.  After an appropriate amount of whining about the early start (7:00 am, which meant a 4:30 am wake up!), I succumbed to the peer pressure and registered for this coastal run through Salem and Marblehead, MA. 

Not as hilly as Applecrest, Wicked Half took us through Salem and out to beautiful Marblehead neck.  Although the clouds kept the sun away (thanks!), the views were still gorgeous.  The homes in that area are something else altogether –

source

Just as Applecrest delivered, Wicked Half was also very well organized, had good traffic control (those streets can be very busy on a Saturday!), and again, offered cool race bling.  After we finished together, we made a bee-line to the Inn on the Square to dive into some of this post-race goodness –

Yeah, we look miserable, huh?

And the collective bling for all our work –

Although 2 half marathons most definitely do not make a whole marathon, 2 halves of my runner self certainly make a whole Lisa!  My more serious/driven side who focused on managing the race at Maine Coast Marathon and who broke through a PR time that seemed ready to settle in for a long winter’s nap welcomed my impromptu/fun side who focused on having fun and enjoying the company of old and new friends alike on some of our more beautiful New England half marathon courses.

Even though it’s only September, I am finding myself already thinking ahead to 2014.  Not to rush 2013, but I have a few ideas marinating and am excited to see how it all plays out!

Anyone else already thinking about 2014?  Anything you want to share?