This race has been run for years out of Atkinson NH but this year they moved it to Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill. This is a great venue for the race. They have the use of the gym so it's not necessary to wait outside for the race start, and ample parking right by the gym and the start. My car was parked about 10 meters from the start line.
A good thing too as it was 10 degrees at race start. Fortunately there was no wind and the skies were clear so it was actually a beautiful day for a race. I sat in the car with the heat going until about 2 minutes before the start, then jumped out and into the pack lining up for the start. (I did do a 1/2 mile warmup and stretch a half hour before the start).
The first couple miles didn't feel particularly great, and I wasn't all that fast either with an 8:40 and 8:21. My legs felt a little strange, a little numb, because of the temperature (I was wearing black tights) so I concluded this wasn't going to be a fast day and I ignored my watch the rest of the way. Instead I just let my body dictate the pace.
The course wasn't too bad, but was hardly a fast course. It was rolling the whole way with very few sections that were actually flat. There were a couple of pretty decent climbs as well. 392 feet of elevation gain overall. It's a pretty course through the northern Massachusetts countryside with a fresh blanket of snow. I saw plenty of horses and goats, even a few llamas.
Based on how I felt I expected to run maybe a 1:52 or 1:53. I was shocked to see 1:48:xx when I turned back into the Community College and saw the timer at the finish line. I was going to beat my time at the Oceanview Half by more than a minute!
Post-race, they had the usual fruit at the finish line, and several different soups available in the gym. This was a nice little race and I might do it again.
Splits:
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