Last night, I ran in the Harborthon 5K in Boston, Massachusetts. It was, hands down, the best 5K I have ever participated in. No joke. I think I may have had the most fun last night, than I have all summer long. At a steep $50 entry fee, the 3rd annual race to benefit Camp Harborview certainly made me feel like I got my moneys worth and more.
The race took place on an island in the Boston harbor. I was ready to go with my G Series Fit products. I had the prime and replenish ready to go. I always get nervous for races. ALWAYS. I wore my heart rate monitor before hand to track my anxiety. My resting heart rate on the ride over to the ferry was 105 BPM! That is pretty high considering it’s normally 67-75 working at home.
We passed the island they used to film Shutter Island, which was scary. The ride out was a beautiful harbor cruise and took about 15-20 minutes. Many people in town take cruises like this just for the views.
The race started at 7 o’clock. I hopped in with the 8-minute mile crew with my friends Maggie, Molly, Meghan, and Elizabeth. I have never had so many friends run the same race! It made me super excited. While waiting for the gun to go off, I saw Janel! I hadn’t seen her since FitBloggin so it was fun to catch up before the gun went off.
The first mile was pretty uphill. I felt strong and was aiming for an 8-minute mile pace. I ran with Meghan pretty much the whole way. She is a veteran marathon runner so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up but wanted to push myself. Maggie blew by me after the first mile. She has run 2 marathons. Without any music, I was regretting leaving my iPod behind.
The hilly course proved I am not ready for the Urbanathlon. My heart rate hovered around 184 the last 2 miles. The last half mile was very downhill, which was a blessing. I saw Aimee (she made that cool jell-o shot American Flag on the 4th of July) as we came down and told her she better sprint. I’m not sure if she did, but having her 40 yards ahead of me helped push myself to the finish. Aimee also runs marathons.
I finished with a pace of 7:49! That was my goal. The overall time was 24:14 which I was happy about considering the crazy hills. Afterwards was when the fun began!
The race was sponsored by Sam Adams and B.Good. We (well, I was at least) were given EIGHT drink tickets! B. Good served a delicious bbq buffet serving whole wheat buns, burgers, chicken, veggie burgers, whole wheat pasta salad with broccoli and mozzarella, potato salad, and grilled corn. It was delicious, hot and fresh! We were blessed with a gorgeous sunset as we ate.
After everyone finished eating, an 80’s band from NYC played in front of the crowd of 1000+ people. Some people came over just for the after party and now I can see why. Their name was Rubix Kube and they were so fun! They were entertaining and energetic. Everyone there seemed to be dancing but then again, I was in the front row so I may be biased.
They played for over two hours and as if I hadn’t had enough exercise, I danced the entire time! I only used two of my drink tickets like a good girl. Having so many friends there made it that much more fun. Elizabeth has the most fun I think. We couldn’t get her to leave.
The 5K was so well organized and was so much fun! I would do it every Thursday if I could. The 5K benefits the Camp Harborview Foundation, which provides a safe haven for at risk inner cto create a camp for at-risk Boston children that would expose them to experiences and activities beyond their day to day life. Apparently each year, the 5K doubles in size. Last year they had 500 runners. This year they had 1000! It’s easy to see why. Everyone danced the night away and had a great time. If all 5K were like this, I would do many many more!
What race has been your favorite so far?
PS. I got a T-Shirt that actually fits too. BONUS POINTS.
