21/50 - Maine Marathon

That lobster roll in New Hampshire was the beginning of what was going to be an epic gustation of lobsters! Maine is one of my favorite states for this and myriad other reasons. Its coastal beauty, idyllic New England charm (and chowder!), its preponderance of Volvos and oysters, and simple lifestyles make it a state that I yearn to retire in. I will jump at any chance that I can to revisit it.

It was a 2.5 hour drive from Bristol, NH. We arrived in Portland, went to the expo, then checked into our hotel; the one The Wife booked in the 11th hour because I happen to be a procrastinator when it comes to booking all the travel associated with these marathons. I prefer to be spontaneous and free but unfortunately in this situation, it would have resulted in sleeping in the car because all the hotels were booked. Lucky for me, this hotel was about a mile from the start line but more importantly, really close to a great bar we stumbled upon called The Great Lost Bear (the website alone is worth a visit for its awesomeness - www.greatlostbear.com). I may be biased given my affinity for bears, but this place was the bee's knees. Chicken wings and beer - that was my pre-marathon dinner for the second of a double marathon.

The race started at 7:45am. The east coast likes to sleep in and I appreciated that today. I woke up feeling great considering yesterday's race. My back was still in pain but this time I just toughed it out; I had an unexpected tinge of pain resurface for the first 4 miles of this race. Back in July of 2013, I tore a calf muscle prior to the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in Washington. I was beginning to feel that same uncomfortable sensation until the adrenaline kicked in. I managed a pretty decent run after that until the fatigue set in at mile 23.

I finished the Maine Marathon in 3:03:24 (7:00/mile pace), tied for 24th out of 1,027 finishers. I'm the analytical type so I was curious what my deterioration rate was from race #1 to race #2. The first time I did this with KY & OH, it was 5.5% (a 10-minute difference). This time, it was 4.0% (a 6-minute difference). My average race time for this weekend was 3:00:02. All races were Boston qualifying times for my age group. Details within: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/606053611

Now for the good part... We found an all-you-can-eat lobster brunch! With 6 whole lobsters between the two of us, we walked away in the black. Down the street was the most clean and sterile brewery I've ever been to - Maine Beer Company (www.mainebeercompany.com). They had a maple syrup stout only served at the brewery called 2014. We went back the next day after visiting Allagash (www.allagash.com) and L.L. Bean for more of it while doing NPR crossword puzzles at their picnic table on a beautiful fall afternoon.

After relocating to www.theregency.com near the wharf in downtown Portland for a few nights, we continued our quest for oysters and lobsters. Being the donut connoisseur that I am, I staked out The Holy Donut (www.theholydonut.com) on Facebook months ago and it just happened to be a block from the hotel (coincidence?). This is the stuff of my donut dreams... After a walk to the west end neighborhood of Portland for the best breakfast corned beef hash (www.hotsuppa.com) the following morning, we began our journey home with a stop at www.smuttynose.com of course!