Race Recap: 2016 Annapolis Running Classic Half Marathon
Everything about the race went great for me this year, without question. The weather was perfect, I didn’t have to run it alone, I could do packet pickup pretty close to my house (even though I almost forgot!) and I could sleep in a little bit more this year since my boyfriend and I decided to get an Airbnb place nearby.
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| Me after picking up my packet, in all of my Annapolis Running Classic swag. Nerd alert! |
My boyfriend, on the other hand, forgot to select our local running store as a packet pickup location, so we had to drive up to Annapolis the night before the race once again. At that point, we figured we might as well get an Airbnb, since it was so annoying last year dealing with traffic in the morning (not because of the race, but because they were randomly doing construction on the highway the morning of the race, and it backed up the highway pretty badly and was only allowing one lane to pass. LAME!). We also had to deal with rush hour traffic getting to Annapolis after dealing with Friday rush hour traffic after work. I don’t know why Fridays are always so bad here on the Beltway, but I guess it’s just part of living in the DC Area. #kanyeshrug
Our Airbnb was pretty sweet! It was really close to the race (like, we could’ve walked to the race if I was slightly less lazy), and it was in a converted, detached garage, so we never had to interact with our host. We’re definitely going to keep this one in mind for the next time we want to do a mini local vacation!
The bed was really comfy, the temperature was perfect, and I had plenty of space for my Flat Lex photo!
The proximity to the Naval Academy Stadium, aka the startline, was CLUTCH. I never get to sleep in that much for a race! I was really happy about that, since I am definitely not a morning person.
When we arrived at the stadium, I tried to reach my friend Teri, and was worried I would never find her! We ended up starting in different areas, and I thought I’d have to run the race alone, for my third year in a row. Whomp whomp. My boyfriend started with me, but he was running the 10k, and his pace puts mine to shame, so I knew that wouldn’t last very long, which was cool. I’m actually used to running alone.
Lo and behold, I ran into Teri just before mile 2. Yay! We ran the entire rest of the race together, and I was so happy about this! I hadn’t really trained, and I was dealing with some soreness throughout the week, so I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to finish the race. Fortunately, we motivated each other, and finished together! I ran a better race than last year’s, which was a bonus, and the weather was absolutely perfect! By the end of the race, we’d hit about 70 degrees!
The post-race party for the Annapolis Running Classic is my favorite! Unlimited beer, oysters, FANTASTIC tomato soup, and post-race standards are everything I could ever want after a race (except, of course, a big block of cheese. I’ve only had cheese at one post-race party. Take note, race directors of America!).
This was my last race of the year, but it is still my favorite race! Nothing beats a race in Maryland, with free parking and beer, amazing views, and a short ride home afterwards!
Are you done with racing for the year? If not, where are you going to race in the next few weeks? What is your favorite race?