Last weekend, Sunny and I took on another half-marathon, the second tandem run of the year after January's trip to Miami. Boston's version nicely tracks the Emerald Necklace, a shouldn't-miss part of any trip to the area.
Over 5000 people took part this year, a mighty motley crew of people waiting for registration, port-a-lets, and the starting line. We lucked (?) into excellent weather, with a couple hours' worth of low-wind, high-sun running. The route heads south down the Riverway, a road that twists through Boston's suburb of Jamaica Plain. You reach the Franklin Park Zoo at mile 6, do a couple of small loops, and then return on roughly the same route (but using a parallel road).
The winners break tape in just over an hour and keep a 13 MPH pace, almost all-out effort for many people. Sunny and I set personal records at about 2:01, largely because we didn't stop and walk anywhere. Miami included a few of those and led to a 2:15 time.
Our friend Rosanna joined in for the last few miles, which includes a final loop around the Fens prior to the finish. You can hear the announcer between 11 and 12 before losing him for most of 13, which feels a little discouraging. Sounds of the other runners wrapping up make for good motivation, so you want that crescendo-and-celebrate feeling.
I have to be honest and say that Sunny's enthusiasm gets me onto the course for 13.1 miles. That's a lot of leg work! At least it feels really good when you stop...
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