A Map Showing A Sub-3-Hour Marathon In Each State

A Map Showing A Sub-3-Hour Marathon In Each State
Blue dots are the 50 sub-3 marathons and green are the 10 missed attempts since my 1st sub-3-hour marathon at the 2009 Boston Marathon

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Vermont Again! Marathon #69

Vermont, you elusive land of nectar, you! 
"I'm ready enough," I thought. Then came the storm delay, the humidity, the sun, the heat, the hills, the self-doubt... the excuses. This was my second swing-and-a-miss in The Green Mountain State; you're lucky you're pretty Vermont because this 3:04:41 won't be the last you see of me!

After The New Jersey Marathon, I was physically and emotionally wrecked. Sprinting down the homestretch to 40 years old, stressed from operating an all-consuming run club, and all of the sudden my hips hurt, then a strained calf muscle kept me from redoing South Dakota on 5/11. So, in the 4 weeks between NJ and this race, I rested. The mileage wasn't there but the pains were subsiding.

But enough about running, let's talk about why we're really here...

I flew into Burlington Friday morning and drove the 1.5 hours to Hill Farmstead Brewery intent to fill their noon to 5pm hours with beer, a book, good conversations, and the views from the remote farm on which this brewery is located. I met some great people from Los Angeles and this book on Chernobyl is fascinating, all-in-all, a rejuvenating visit.

Hill Farmstead's location is its true charm
Dinner and drinks at The Reservoir, next to the bed & breakfast we had in Waterbury, turned into hours of conversation with the locals. At the end of day 1, I had more adult interactions than I get as a stay-at-home dad in a week!

The following morning, I woke up to pillow talk with Laurie - yes, the same Laurie from NJ... she was saying something about all the pillows each of our beds had. What did you think I meant?! She arrived late, after I had passed out.

I forgot my toothbrush, I improvised
No trip to Vermont is complete without a stop at Ben & Jerry's and the highlight is the graveyard of retired flavors.

R.I.P. luscious flavors of the past! 

The Alchemist Brewery has a cult following in the beer world with Heady Topper double IPA. They recently built a facility with a beautiful outdoor space to meet the demand of New England but after we had a few beers contemplating a round of disc golf from their patio, I felt it just isn't the same as having to follow their delivery truck schedule to head off a delivery at Warren Store like Melissa and I did in 2014 on this NH & ME double marathon trip - that's how crazy it was back when they were small and didn't have a taproom.

Calling it what it is
At the Trapp Family Lodge doing our Sound of Music pose
You know what's happening down the road this afternoon? Bernie Sanders's 1st Vermont rally of this election cycle! We thought about it...

The only thing missing from this trip was Michael, who was with us in NJ, so...
Now, back to running.

Our Hotel Vermont room is rustic chic and perfectly located close to the start line where we watched as a storm rolled in off Lake Champlain, delaying the start by 45 minutes. We were in for a warm, humid morning.

This race is a big deal for Burlington and the townsfolk do a great job of volunteering and supporting the runners. There were several homes with their own aid stations handing out Freeze Pops (I had a few), Vermont maple syrup (it's quite good as a gel substitute), and high fives from children. After conquering the rolling hills, peaking on a not-insignificant climb up Battery Hill to mile 16, the remainder of this course is fairly flat. However, I was drained and when my average pace per mile crept over 6:53 at mile 20, it was time to change the narrative.

Mile 24 - being happy with "failure"
This is my 1st race as a Master and new Boston-qualifying standard which I thought was 3:05 (turns out it's 3:10) - new goal for the day! I finished with enough time to shower, drink a beer, grab one of the hotel bikes to see Laurie at mile 25.5. She succeeded in breaking a habit of dropping to the half in her last couple of marathons and finished in 3:51. I was happy for her; we both made it a great race!

It was a fun weekend. Plenty of great conversation followed at one of my favorite VT breweries, Lawson's Finest Liquids. It was perfect weather to be outside: I took Laurie to Warren Store to grab dinner and wade in the nearby stream before heading back to Burlington's Foam Brewery and Burlington Bay Market for their Maple Creemee and a Lake Champlain sunset.

Getting artsy
Lake Champlain
See you soon, Vermont!




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