Newburyport Half Marathon Recap

Yesterday my sister and I ran the Newburyport Half Marathon and we couldn't have asked for better weather. The air was nice and crisp with little wind and it was slightly overcast and since the race didn't start until 10:00am it had warmed up just enough for perfect fall running weather. The course was very scenic and went throughout the City of Newburyport in neighborhoods, around the center and near the water. The course was gorgeous and it was marketed as a flat course but there was a few steady inclines and hills that you felt but overall it was relatively flat.


My sister and I right around the finish line, this was her first half marathon!

Since this was my sister's first half marathon and I helped train her I decided to run the whole race with her. She did an awesome job and in the picture above it looks like she is doing better than me. We crossed the finish line in 2:02 which was awesome since Kristina's goal was to finish under 2:05. She kicked it at the very end of the race and beat me but I figured I would let her :) since it was her first and my seventh half marathon.

After race party

Once we finished the race we headed to the car to change then met up with my parents, Joe and Abigail to enjoy some after race beers. They had Peak Organic Brewing Company there as the beer sponsor and it was delicious. I had never tried their beer before but I will be in search for it next time I am at the store because it was delicious.


 

Kristina, Abigail and I post race

Proudly wearing our yo yo medals and enjoying our well deserved beers

The closest my dad will get to finishing a race

After we enjoyed the post race party we headed over to the center and found a cute diner to have lunch.  The service was a little slow but it was worth the wait because my wrap was delicious.

Abigail wearing nonno's hat (that is what she will call my dad)

Turkey bacon ranch wrap on a spinach tortilla

Question: What is the best part of a race for you?

Training Run and Fish Tacos

Yesterday morning my sister, Kristina, and I woke up early and got ready to head out for our last long training run before her first half marathon on the October 23 in Newburyport. Running near her house is very hilly so we had no choice but to conquer some long hills. We left early enough to beat the summer heat we encountered here in Boston over the weekend. She did awesome and we completed the 13.1 mile run in 2:08 which was a 9:48 pace. We were both happy with this especially since Kristina was at a wedding the night before and had a crazy busy weekend.

After we showered and had a quick breakfast Kristina, my mom and Abigail took me to meet Joe at Whole Foods where he was doing our food shopping for the week. He bought some tilapia from the fish market so last night I made fish tacos. Before cooking the fish I preheated the oven at 350 so i could heat up the wheat tortilla shell. I cooked the fish in a nonstick pan with some lime juice and I seasoned the fish with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning. I cooked the fish for about 3-4 minutes on each side once the pan was hot. While the fish was cooking I cut up some fresh avocado and pulled some chopped onion out of the fridge.

Once the fish was cooked I assembled the tacos which were delicious and filling. I could only eat one and wished I had room for more since they were that good.

Question: What is your favorite type of taco?

Last Day for LÄRABAR Giveaway & Fitness Friday

Don't forget to enter my LÄRABAR Giveaway, it ends tonight at 9:00pm and I will announce the winner tomorrow!

Also I wanted to let you guys know I made my decision on the Maine Marathon. I have decided to switch it to the half marathon give then fact that I will be running another half on October 23 in Newburyport with my sister and just found on this morning that I will be running the Chilly Half Marathon in Newton, MA on November 13.  I will be running the Chilly Half Marathon with one of my BOMF residents who eagerly said yes to me this morning when I asked if he thinks he would be ready to run a half marathon in November. I am so excited for him and can't wait to enjoy the journey with him!

Don't forget that it is also Friday so hop on over to Jill's blog and join in on the Fitness Friday Blog Hop!

Vacation in OOB (Old Orchard Beach)

Here is a recap of my first half of my vacation in Maine with my family at Old Orchard Beach.  We rented a house right next to the beach where we could see the ocean from the porch. I loved having the beach that close because you can just run back up to the house if you needed anything, it was perfect especially with the baby.

Beautiful beach!

Mommy and Abigail

We had gorgeous weather with very little rain, but one afternoon we did have a quick shower. It was well worth it though because we got to see a beautiful rainbow!

One night we opted for lobsters and steamers for dinner which is of course one of my favorite meals. He is my little lobster that I devoured along with my nice glass of riesling! I wasn't a huge fan of white wine until this past summer and now I can't get enough of it, but my favorite white wine is Pacific Rim Riesling.

 

I was so proud of my sister while we were away she accomplished her longest run ever of 9 miles. I have talked her into signing up to run a half marathon so we are all singed up for the Newburyport Half Marathon on October 23.

Question: Where is your favorite vacation spot?