... and I mean that quite literally. The place reeks of fish. Why was I in New Bedford? you ask. It most certainly was not for the shopping (I don't think there is any) or the beautiful beaches (much too cold) or the charming townspeople (no offense to those who might be from New Bedford, but with the exception of the incredibly friendly mayor and a few spectators there weren't many New Bedford-ites I would refer to as charming) or even the whaling museum (despite Jeff's assertion that it's a must-see because of the whale skeleton). No, I went to New Bedford to run in a big, ol' 13.1 mile circle. Yes, that's right, I ran a half marathon yesterday... and it smelled like fish.
Fish odor aside, it was a great day. Five of us smushed into Tyler's car (huge thanks to him for driving) and departed Boston around 8 am, arriving in "beautiful" New Bedford at right about 9 (T-2 hours until race time). After picking up our numbers and other race materials in the cafeteria/gym of the elementary school, aka race central (I'll admit, I only called it that in my head), we set up camp on the floor and tried to relax a little in the time before the race. The relaxing thing didn't exactly happen for me... I convinced myself that I might be feeling sick, tied and untied and re-tied my sneakers about 50 times because I was sure that they were too tight or not tight enough, I took alternate outfits out of my bag several times, pondering whether or not I should change my clothes, I put my gloves on, I read a map of New Bedford, I took my gloves off, I ate a Luna Bar and drank some Propel, I then worried that maybe I shouldn't have had more to drink, I took my necklace off, then put it back on thinking maybe it would give me some good luck, I tightened my shoe laces again. Basically, I was a fidgety basketcase, but it made the time go by and next thing I knew we were headed down the hill to the starting line.
I'll skip the majority of the boring details of the race itself except to say 4 things. 1) The beginning of the race was terrible. I felt like the world was running past me at lightening speed and I was moving in slow motion. I, in no way, mistake myself for a speedy runner, but I also don't think I'm the slowest person in the world, I mean, that's a lot of people to be slower than... but that's what it felt like for the first 2 miles of the race. 2) Hills are not fun. They are not fun at the beginning of a race, they are not fun at the end of a race. Period. 3) Having a buddy to run with makes a world of difference. Case in point: my new friend Paul, also a DFMC runner but one I have never met before. He kept me on pace and pushed me through the final hill to the finish, not to mention kept me company throughout some less than scenic sections of New Bedford. And, finally, 4) There's nothing better than coming down the final stretch of a race and having your (much faster) running buddies there waiting for you at the finish (and making a whole lot of noise, I might add) Thanks Lindsey and Jeff!
So, that was my race... I finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes, which I was pretty happy with. I think, had I not felt so absolutely horrible at the beginning, I could have done better, but it was my first half marathon, so I can only get better from here!
2 comments:
Oh man I haven't laughed so hard in a week. I've been telling people in this town for years it stinks. But most don't smell it. Thanks for the out of town verification. Oh and yes they Mayor seems pleasant enough, but he is just a smooth tongued charlatan
Hi. That was really funny. I live in New Bedford (unfortunately) and I've been complaining about that corpse-y fishy smell for a long time. It's not natural. Anyhoo, I did go down to the race so I must have seen you. I was the fat girl going "WOOHOO!". *lol* Good luck with your upcoming races. :)
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