ZOOMA Cape Cod Race Recap

So call me crazy, but I decided to jump in and run the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half marathon last weekend. I haven’t run long in over two months due to the iron issues, etc. Seriously, I haven’t gone more than four miles. I knew it wouldn’t be a fast half marathon, I just wanted to run and have a good time doing it!

That being said, I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity for a super fun run with some of my besties. Michaela, Jenn and I decided to embody the mission of ZOOMA—running a race and getting to hang out with my girlfriends at the same time!

This was Jenn’s first half marathon, so she decided on a 3 minute run, 1 minute walk program that was such a smart choice. I have never done this in a race, but it definitely prevents you from going out too fast which is very important in a long race!

We got into town on Friday evening and met up at number pick up at the Sea Crest. I was very excited to finally get to meet up with SBS and Dimity from Another Mother Runner. I did a post a while back on their site, and it was so great to finally meet them in real life! I also love listening to their podcasts on long runs.

While chatting, I was able to grab one of the Another Mother Runner shirts, which I have been coveting for a while. It says “I Run Things,” so true in so many senses You can see it in the picture to the right.

After hanging out at the expo for a bit, we headed to the Chapoquoit Grill for some wood fired pizza and salads (and wine/beer too!). We tried to tuck in early, since the race started at 7:30 Saturday morning.

We arrived at the start a little before the race started, and before we knew it we were off! I will say that this course was super hilly! My butt was definitely feeling it the next day…We ran through West Falmouth, which is very scenic and then through some not so scenic areas and then back through West Falmouth.

The temp was perfect and it was actually nice that the sun didn’t come out until later, so we weren’t too hot! It was so fun to run this race in a relaxed manner and get to chat with my friends as we piled on the miles.

Everyone along the course was super nice, and there was a great sense of camaraderie among the runners. It was truly a unique experience that I won’t forget. As women, we are such a supportive bunch of runners!

At about mile 10, Meaghan Wilk caught up to us. This crazy mother runner was out on a 30 mile training run in conjunction with the race! She is training for the Stone Cat 50 Miler, and was super excited to finally have some ladies to run with.

We pushed ahead for the last 3 miles to the finish together (after which she added on another 3 miles!). Michaela and Jenn did awesome, with Michaela netting a PR and Jenn crossing the line of her first half marathon. I am so proud of both of them!!

We hung out after the race on the water at the Sea Crest. One of my favorite things about ZOOMA was the cute necklace you got instead of a medal, the great snack bags after the finish, and Barefoot wine samples! I loved all of the little touches too, including the mats and foam rollers at the finish!

I had an awesome weekend combining two of my loves, running and my friends. I will definitely run another ZOOMA race, it was a great experience! I had a blast running, so it was a definite Mission Accomplished!

Who else ran ZOOMA and what did you think?