Don't Run Boston!

I'm always looking for a reason, or even just an excuse, to do the "Don't Run Boston" race.  It's a 50K/50 mile race around the marvelous trail system of the Blue Hills Reservation south of the city, requiring basic navigation skills and a sense of adventure.  One of my favorite races, for sure!

I managed to talk it up enough to convince our friend Taylor to join me this year and run it together.  It was her 3rd 50K and she was interested in trying something a little different.  Much less about beating cutoff times and much more about having fun and exploring.  This race should fit the bill.  Now I just had to hope I could still navigate while also chatting and laughing our way around the course...

Taylor's mother and 2 sisters joined us for the weekend, yay for the fun company!  And welcome to Boston:

We wandered around downtown Boston on Friday, admiring the beautiful flowers that just might have been chosen because of their similarity to the Boston Marathon colors (or possibly the other way around?):

So much history and so many pretty buildings (also some excellent chow-dah!):

Our AirBnB in Hull was near the beach, so we had a nice walk along the water.  Taylor staying loose before the big race:

Fun with Colby, Taylor, and Ashley:

The forecast for the race was originally perfect, then it looked like a lot of rain, then it went to "we don't really know one way or the other."  We dressed to get wet and were pleasantly surprised with a simple misty drizzle for several hours.  Later in the day it dried out, and the whole time the temperatures were beautiful and cool.  So lucky!

After a relaxed start with the loop around the pond, it was time to navigate.  Taylor and I worked well together, with me watching the map and her watching what other people were doing while also looking for the turns I described.  We almost picked up a running companion who looked like she might enjoy the company, but I managed to mess up one early intersection and our would-be-friend stuck with another runner who had a better idea where to go.

Having a super time!

We made our way around the park and over to the marsh.  My most recent experience(s) here included wading through water, but this time there was a way through the fence to bypass the swamp - super cool!

We were careful on the wet rocks of the Skyline Trail, no slips.  It was actually quite tame compared to some of the rocky trails (and some of the off trail stuff we've done) around Flagstaff.  Both of us were having a blast.

Getting our "bonus points" by climbing the tower, even though it was entirely too foggy for any views:

Taylor asked what the bonus points were worth, so I told her we could trade them in for high fives  :)  Up top!

The folks at the aid station were friendly and helpful, learning our names right away and assisting with snacks, drinks, and our drop bags.  Thank you all!

Taylor was climbing great and we were full of energy (and snacks) for the 2nd ascent to the tower.  Thank you Taylor for the best photos I've ever taken home from this race:

By the time we got to the 23-mile water drop we were ready for a short rest, and Taylor discovered that she loves Coke and Doritos (at least during an ultra, probably not so much otherwise).  I have to include this blurry picture because it makes both of us laugh:

Just a few miles left, I think we got this!  Oh, and a couple more minor wrong turns, oops.  Taylor never seemed to mind, always upbeat and happy to be there.  Even when her feet started hurting near the end.

One last loop around the pond, then her family greeted us at the finish line - yay Taylor!

That was the most enjoyable 50K I've run, so happy and grateful that we got to do it together!