36 - Maine Marathon - Portland, Maine

As I mentioned in my last blog — running two marathons back-to-back, 2 days in a row — what was I thinking? 

After I finished running the New Hampshire Marathon on Saturday, I jumped in the car and took off for the 2.5-hour drive to Portland, Maine. I felt tired but not that bad after my shower and massage.

The drive to Portland, Maine on back-country roads was picturesque. However, the rain, which had fortunately stopped for most of the race on Saturday, started again.

My hotel was near the Maine Marathon start/finish area at the University of Southern Maine.  While picking up my number, one of the volunteers recommended a local place, The Great Lost Bear for dinner, so that's where I ended up eating.  Saturday night I slept really well — no surprise! I guess running a marathon that day helped.

Starting line

Sunday morning was a cloudy, cool autumn day. Fortunately, the rain had again stopped, and it looked like it was going to hold out for the run.  There were about 3 times the number of runners (about 900)  at the Maine start compared to the day before in New Hampshire.

Immediately after the starting gun sounded, the rain started and poured on and off during the entire marathon.  This was definitely NOT fun!

Double marathon veterans shared that the first few miles of the second marathon (remember that I did two marathons in one weekend) were tough but after a few miles, you loosen up.  This was NOT the case for me, every step was torture. All I kept thinking was, What are you doing?  WHY are you doing this?  To be honest the answers never came to me.  But after completing the marathon on Sunday, Nancy (my childhood friend from Pompton Plains, NJ who now lives in New Hampshire) made an excellent point, I now had bragging rights — no one could ever say that I was a wimp for not ever running a "double."  Not sure if I every really wanted them, but it sure sounds good now that it's over.

The Portland course was scenic like the day before but not nearly as hilly.  This day I was not holding back, I was going as fast as I could, but felt like I was crawling.  Surprisingly, I actually ran slightly faster than the day before, but it sure as heck did not feel like it.  On Saturday, I ran an 11:19 average mile pace whereas my average mile pace on Sunday was 11:15— yes, a whopping 4 seconds faster per mile.

Almost finished...

Finished!

My finish time on Sunday was 3.5 minutes faster than my time on the day before.  More or less, I finished both marathons in just under 5 hours.

Nancy, Lola, Brian

After the marathon, I took a long hot shower in the University's locker room and then headed back to Nancy and Brian's in New Hampshire.  I collapsed on their comfy couch and watched some Sunday football.  Sorry about those Jets, Brian. We had pizza delivered for dinner and I retired to slumber land early.

Monday I drove back to Pennsylvania where Mark was waiting for me.  He was not able to join me for the "double" weekend; he had just returned from lecturing all weekend at the New York State Veterinary Conference.

35 - New Hampshire Marathon - Bristol, New Hampshire

Running two marathons back-to-back, 2 days in a row — what was I thinking?

In the marathon community, running 2 full marathons in a single weekend is called a double.  In the 50 State Marathon Club, it is not unheard of so I "needed" to experience it.

Nancy, Lola, Brian

Thursday morning, I left Pennsylvania and drove to Nancy and Brian's beautiful new home in Nashua, New Hampshire.  Nancy is a childhood friend from Pompton Plains, New Jersey.  We had a delicious lobster dinner at Surf Restaurant in Nashua and had a great time catching up on life.

Sue and Jim

On Friday afternoon, I left Nancy's house and drove an hour north to Tilton, New Hamphire, where I had a hotel for the night.  It had been pouring rain the whole day so the weather wasn't looking too good for the marathon. For dinner, the hotel recommended a local restaurant called Onions Pub and Restaurant.   As I arrived at Onions for an early dinner, a couple (Sue and Jim) arrived for their wedding with the bride's parents and the justice of the peace.  They were getting married, and I became one of the witnesses. I was also elected wedding photographer!

After dinner, I drove 20 miles further north to check-in and pick up my race number  for the New Hampshire Marathon.  Then I headed back to the hotel for the night.

The Starting Area of the New Hampshire

Newfound Lake

On Saturday morning, the marathon was scheduled to start at 9 AM — a little late, but I was happy to sleep in.  When a group of about 300 marathoners gathered under cloudy autumn skies for the start of the race, the rain had finally stopped.  The course was very scenic, taking us around Newfound Lake.

The fall foliage was at its peak. There were a number of rolling hills, which made the course a bit challenging, but fortunately, most of the uphills were in the first half of the race.

Knowing that I was running a second marathon the next day, I tried to maintain an easy, comfortable pace.  Mentally, "holding back" was a challenge, but physically it was great!  After the race, I took a quick shower in a local school locker room, had a brief massage that the marathon staff offered, and then jumped in the car and took off for the 2.5-hour drive to Portland, Maine. 

Nancy and Lola

 Overall, this was a small-town, no-crowd race. But it was certainly well-organized and a charming marathon, and I would certainly recommend it!