When running outdoors in a New England spring, be prepared for any weather.
As of now the Eastern Sates 20-miler, which starts in Kittery and ends at the border of Massachusetts, will have overcast skies and mid-40s temperatures. I will have prepared clothing in case it's sunny and above 50, or rainy and below 40. Until the morning of the race, it'll hard to tell what the weather of a very early spring will bring.
As evidenced by the map, the long road skirts the Atlantic Ocean and its often unforgiving March winds. This year, repairs to the Seabrook Bridge has diverted the path of the course for 2010, hooking miles 13-18 inland. The elevation doesn't change a lot - this was the transition from rough cliffs to sandy beaches along the coast - but the small rolling hills are more drawn-out. The end of the race also changes this year as the last mile no longer reaches Salisbury but ends in Hampton Beach, just short of the Massachusetts border. It's a bit disappointing that it won't be a 3-state run this year but thankfully my goals have nothing to do with the geography.
Speaking of goals, some of you are probably wondering what they are. To be quite honest, I have nothing definite. I would like to set a PR for the distance and get myself below the 2 hour, 25 minute mark, but I have no definite gauge of how I'll do after the bump in the road that was Hyannis. Mileage has been a little low for the last 4 weeks and the only race I had was the 5K in Portland. (The Kerrymen 5K was postponed due to weather and slated for this Sunday, a day in which I obviously can't run it.) It's tough to say if my legs will feel good enough to hold 7-minute miles consistently or if I'll feel well enough to finish strong in the last few miles.
There's only one way to find out....run it.
