Falmouth Main Street Mile 2015 Race Recap

Last year I ran the Falmouth Main Street mile with my now 7 year-old, but this year mama got to run all by herself! Sadly the obligatory medal at the end was not enough to convince my son to run with me (he didn’t feel good anyway, poor guy!). Next year, I’m going to try and get him on the course again.

I’ll admit I was kind of nervous heading into this year’s mile race, because I ran long on Saturday, and I wasn’t sure how my legs were going to feel the next day. Additionally, I am wear-testing a pair of minimalist shoes that I wore on said long run. Let’s just say that my lower legs were feeling the minimalist nature of the shoes– in a good way! They were worked, and I felt like a 90 year-old woman when I got out of bed yesterday morning (stiff and sore!).

Pre-Race

The Falmouth Main Street Mile is always held at 1:00 p.m., so race prep is a little bit different than your average race. Thankfully it wasn’t too warm this year. It was overcast and a little humid, but nothing too remarkable. It can still get pretty warm here on the Cape in September, so we lucked out!

I picked up my number at the beach house a few hours before the race with my youngest and then hung out before walking to the start line. I popped a GU before I left– I didn’t want to lose my lunch after the race! 😉 I was definitely more nervous than last year, since I was actually planning to race it (rather than coaching my son along). Since it’s not too big of a crowd for this race, they allow everyone to self-seed next to the Village Green.

The race started with the boom of the Falmouth Track Club cannon (newly refurbished this year!), and we were off!

The Race

Everyone charges out of the starting line, and it’s always hard to rein it in a bit when you’re all pumped up on adrenaline. By the first quarter mile, some people have already crashed and burned and it starts to thin out a bit. I was kind of frustrated trying to find space to break through, but only one lane of Main Street is blocked off, so I needed to wait a bit.

It’s crazy to me how fast a mile goes by when you’re racing it. Quarter mile intervals seemed to fly by. Someone was calling out splits at the half way point, and when I heard 3:23, I was hoping I would hit around 6:45. I wasn’t sure if it was possible since my legs were still a little tired from the previous day’s long run. Thankfully there was still some energy left, and I squeaked in with a 6:52, which was good enough for first place in the 18-39 women’s division (seventh female). I got a cute little bobblehead trophy to take home. 🙂

Post-Race Thoughts

My first thought when I was approaching the finish line, was man– there are some speedy kids in this town! All joking aside, I am psyched for the future when I watch these pint-sized speedsters cross the finish line. I am happy with my time considering that I ran long on Saturday, but I feel like I could have pushed a little harder initially. Although some find racing the mile intimidating, it’s actually kind of fun. It’s over before you know it, and it’s kind of fun to test your speed! All in all, the Falmouth Track Club puts on a great family race, and I will definitely be back for next year!