Maine Half Marathon - Counting Miles -

The Maine Half Marathon is a wonderfully organized event right in the heart of Portland, ME. The race is an out and back that winds north out of Portland, over the entrance to the Presumpscot River and up through the Falmouth Nature Preserve.

The Four State Challenge

Four half marathons in eleven days. Sounds easy enough when you sitting behind a desk in the comfort of Encinitas, CA. But, then, at some point you need to actually go run the races. And, drag the whole family through what will end of being 1,600 miles and four states in the car. Just like all big goals, you have to put one foot in front of the other and charge it. And, that is precisely what we did.

Race #1: Massachusetts – Cape Cod Trail Race and Half Marathon – Looping the Pond
Race #2: Vermont Sun Half Marathon – Endless Beauty
Race #3: New Hampshire Half Marathon – A FAST Country Stroll
Race #4: Maine Half Marathon – Counting Miles (THIS ONE!!)

Acadia National Forest

WOW, what a beautiful place. We spent a whole day in the Acadia National Forest. We drove in and then spent quite a bit of time hiking around. The drive was epic and is just a short little jaunt from Bar Harbor where we were staying. We found a place to park and hike near Jordan Pond House, and, we got sufficiently turned around despite my KEEN navigation skills. But, we hiked until the kids could hike no more and then we jumped in the car for more driving around and exploring.

The drive was amazing. You could explore the peaks on the island and you could also drive around the island right next to the ocean. We did both. The ocean and the rocks were like something I’d never seen before. We caught a foggy day and the blue water crashing on the rocks was magnificent. At one point I jumped out of the car to get an “action shot” of the ocean crashing up against the rocks. After 10 minutes and realizing the kids were probably screaming in the car with Amy, I relented before I was able to capture it.

Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor is a cool little tourist town that we stayed while in Maine. Before we headed south to Portland for the race. And, it goes without saying that when you’re in Maine, or just in this part of the country, you have to try LOBSTER. Now for me? I think lobster tastes like chewy snot. But, I know some people travel from far off just to eat the lobster. I overheard some nice folks talking about their travels for just this reason. He eats lobster, his wife shops. Thats the deal he said. Now, for our willing test subject? Amy Holbrook of course!

We found a wonderful little tourist trap of a restaurant that was attached to a gift shop (of course it was). And, Amy wanted to order lobster (of course she did)! Well, she got all suited up (see picture) and then the lobster showed up. A FULL lobster. Head, Tail, Claws, the whole nine yards. And, Amy, looking a little horrified by the sight requested some assistance from the waitress who assisted in cracking the lobster up for her. I sat on the other side of the table, completely useless but I did snap this lovely photo.

The Race

You know, it’s really not all that fair to discuss this race as at this point. I was absolutely counting the STEPS towards finishing, the tenth of miles and the miles. But, after you drive 1,600 miles, check in and out of hotels every day or so and lug endless luggage? Not to mention running 50+ miles? There is a point, and I HIT IT, that I no longer care about running half marathons. And, it was around mile 5. And from that point, all I wanted to do was finish and head to the Boston Red Sox Game. And we did. But, it’s a killer event, and although I won’t be back to run this race, I am very glad I did.

Thanks Maine for a wonderful time! And, someday, maybe someday, I’ll come back to visit. Maybe I’ll even try the lobster. 🙂