One of my absolute favorite things to do is race. Like I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like it. Like really. So when, a few weeks back, my coach asked me if I wanted to race Pumpkinman Half in Maine, he didn't even get the full sentence out before I was signed up. Yes sir!
Pumpkinman is a pretty awesome race. Kat, the race director, takes care of all the details as if it's a big WTC affair, yet it still very much has a local, low key feel to it. The best of both worlds!
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| Plus, this is the post race meal. No lies. Full on Thanksgiving dinner that was SO FREAKING GOOD. I legitimately would have done the race all over again if it meant I got to get back in line for seconds. Don't lie, you all want to do the race now too. |
I swam well (for me) and finally got myself under 30 minutes again. The swim might have been a bit short, but at the very least, I felt like myself again in the water. Wing is coming around just in time. Then I rode really hard. I was given the go ahead to go at it on the bike and, trust me, you don't have to tell me that twice! At one point I thought to myself "you DO still have to run after this, so maybe we need to back it down a notch". Still, I felt good and strong. The cycling legs are coming around. And finally, I got to really enjoy the run which was the best part. I cheered for people, I thanked volunteers and I smiled. It was a fun day.
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You do have to run up this into T1. There are actually prizes for the fastest times. Let it be known, I was in NO danger of winning one of these prizes.
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| It was a wet, chilly day but New Englanders are tough and I didn't hear any complaints. I kinda couldn't feel my feet at this point on the bike. |
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When I was finishing I heard a woman scream "You ARE a Pumpkin-woman!". Not sure how I feel about that.
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You might notice that I'm wearing the race shirt on the day of the race. In general this is a no-no, but when one doesn't bring enough warm clothes, one is very, very thankful for the awesome long sleeve, hooded race shirt and will break all the rules to keep warm.
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I really hope I get to return to Pumpkinman next year! I highly recommend it as a nice end of the season half or in preparation for a fall IM. Indeed, that's what I used it for. IM Chattanooga here we come!
