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20th Annual Covered Bridges Half Marathon – Pomfret, Woodstock, Quechee – VT

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“You can’t experience the world by talking about it, get out & have an adventure!” ~JD Andrews

we're ready to rock it!

up at 5:15AM bright-eyed & bushy-tailed! the day started quite early since we had to be bussed to the start of the race. mother nature ordered up a perfect day for my first half marathon (thank you very much). it was 45 degrees at the 8:15 start and the high of the day was 64. last year it was colder & raining and apparently the race for several years started at 10:15 – so people were finishing their run in the heat of mid-day.

glad things worked out better for me…i needed all the help i could get to complete the task at hand! AND thanks to runfit and the great coaching of Marnie & Nan, founders of HillTop Training – i was as ready as i’d ever be. that, and my fast shoes – Nike ID – you can have a pair too.

action shots: the covered bridges & me huffing it half-way through the race

overall, the race wasn’t bad. once i settled into the run, i was a-ok until around mile 8 – that infamous hill. don’t let anyone fool you, there are other hills in the CBHM it’s just that the 8th mile one is the worst. OK, i’ll tell you the truth – i walked that hill! but after that, i was back at it running away. the last mile was really the toughest until i saw the finish line and perked back up. this is what i walked away thinking:

1) YES – i said walk! i CAN still walk and i didn’t get injured.

2) WOW – i cannot believe i just ran 13.1 miles! the farthest i’ve ever run and faster than i had hoped to do it. your body really can do amazing things if your mind tells you it can.

3) GIRL POWER – the “sneaker divas” i ran with met their personal goals & many beat their previous run times! i’m in AWE of them all.

i haven’t seen all of new england but the CBHM tag line – the best 13.1 miles in New England – might actually be true. it was a beautiful day and course! thank you to all the volunteers that made it possible!!

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