The day was beautiful - a perfect fall day in New England and idea for a nice, long run.
This wasn't my first time running the BAA Half Marathon. I first did it when the course started and finished near Fenway Park, but now to accommodate more runners, it begins and ends at Franklin Park. This makes the course more challenging as you need enough energy for a big hill towards the end of the race, but it's the same great course that winds along the Emerald Necklace.
In this race more so than most others, it's critically important to run the tangents. The very windy road can vary in distance depending on how much attention you pay to cutting the corners, especially during the first 5-6 miles of the race.
There's also two areas where you go by runners ahead and behind you, so it's a nice opportunity to spot friends and family you're racing with, or didn't even know were running (both, in my case).
At the end there's the same great BAA finish experience, a wonderful medal and awesome shirts for all the runners. Plus, I completed the Distance Medley and finished third in my age group, so I'm awaiting a nice surprise that should come in the mail sometime in the next few weeks.
Overall - a great race on a great day!
