I picked this race mostly because it fit well into my build-up to Philadelphia Marathon, and I’m so glad I did. It was less than a 2-hour drive away and featured rolling hills that would be good prep for similar terrain on the Philly course.
At the start line, I wasn’t feeling particularly driven to run hard. Louie and I started the race thinking we’d stick together. I was pretty content to just cruise along wherever we landed. [Reminder to self: I’m a trainer, not a racer. I need to come up with some better pump-up rituals for myself].
For the first five miles we yo-yoed with the hills from 8:30 to 8:10s. Unfortunately in mile 6, Louie got a leg cramp. We took it easy for about a quarter mile, but the cramp didn’t respond. After a brief pause he urged me on. I didn’t want to race all out, but I wanted to stay at or above marathon pace, so off I went.
The weather was mixed—super windy, but sunny. My hair continually whipped into my eyes and my one regret from this race is forgetting my sunglasses [haha, see photo]. Inexplicably, I almost always felt both hot and cold at the same time.
Somehow I really enjoyed this race, though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the photo 🤣
My pace continued fluctuating with the hills, with a couple sub-8 miles and a couple 8:30-40. I wasn’t in a rhythm, but I was enjoying being out there, taking in the views, and just being in the mile I was in.
Since I wasn’t gunning for time, I certainly wasn’t expecting to place in my age group. I didn’t stick around to get my results, so I didn’t realize until we were on the road back that I placed 3rd of 80 women in the 45-49 group. Not sure what the award was, but you had to be there to pick it up—too bad. This marks the first time for an age group placement in the half, something I’ve only achieved at 5 and 10K distances before, and never in a race of this field size.
What I loved about this race:
I’ve run several waterfront races, and this was my favorite. We watched the sunrise while we warmed up along Easton Beach near the start line. And throughout the race there are several breathtaking moments where you wind around a bend to be met with gorgeous view of waves crashing on sea stacks. The wind brought some challenge as mentioned above, but it certainly made for that dramatic action with the waves.
What I didn’t love:
There were three little out-and-backs on the course on roads that end at the water. I suppose they were thinking you’d get extra views, but the hairpin turns are the worst. Total momentum zappers. If I was trying to PR, pretty sure these would have really pissed me off.
Despite those, I’d happily run this half again. Maybe I’ll be back for the full one day.
The details:
Amica Newport Half Marathon
October 8, 2023
Weather: Very windy (15 mph), sunny, 40 and chilly to start, warming to 52 degrees
Finish time: 1:49:19; 3rd place age group 🎉
