Bethanie Brown is a senior at Waterville HS. She ran XC for the first time last fall, and had some success. Brown finished as the runner-up, she would go on to finish 5th in the New England championship. That was just the beginning of what was to come during the track season, as indoor Brown earned All-American honors in the 2 Mile, and capped off the outdoor season with a state all-time best for 1600m. follow Bethanie as she prepares for her 2012 XC season.
Well, summer’s almost over. On August 11th I ran my last road race of the summer, and my first half-marathon, in Jaffrey, NH. It was called the Monadnock Half-marathon, and only a few hundred people participated. This year was the second year the race was held. I signed up for it because I was looking for a half-marathon on a Saturday when I wasn’t busy.
One great thing about this race was the location. My family and I spent the night at our friends’ house in Temple, which is about 15 minutes away from Jaffrey. They own a horse farm, so we got to see lots of beautiful horses. In the morning they made us a delicious breakfast of farm-fresh eggs, and oatmeal with maple syrup.
Another great thing about this race was that they also hosted a 5K on the same day. My sister was in that race. The races started with a loud foghorn, and the 5K racers went in one direction while the half-marathoners went in the other direction. I didn’t see my sister again until the half-marathon was over, but she ran her first 5K in 25 minutes, winning for the girls’ 13-19 age group.
Monadnock is a mountain in New Hampshire, so it was quite a hilly half-marathon. At mile 7 there was a really steep hill, and I don’t think I was far from walking, and yet I was panting as I passed the volunteers who stood eagerly offering water by the side of the road. I just passed them by, but a few minutes later I regretted my choice, so the next time water was offered I accepted (but got most of it on my shirt). Anyway, on that 7th mile hill I was huffing and puffing, and I noticed some worried glances from the volunteers. But, as all hills do, this one eventually came to an end. I could breathe easily again, and I proceeded to climb rolling hills for 
the next several miles.
As the race ended I sprinted toward the finish line and the chute with orange synthetic ribbons to greet me. I was in second place for the women in 1:25, and sixth place overall. The volunteers at the finish line handed me a medal (all half-marathon finishers got one) and a bottled water. Then I went over to the tents to get some snacks (the third great thing about this race). Who wouldn’t like free mini-lara bars, granola and oranges?
On our way back home, Lauren and I got to stop and say goodbye to our friends Remy and Riley, who live in Wilton, NH. It was good timing because they were packing to move to North Dakota in a few days. It was nice to see them once more before they had to leave.
We got back home Saturday afternoon with plenty of time to rest and recover for the first day of pre-season. It’s good to be back!
More Information
