The inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon in Norfolk, VA is in the can. I teamed with two other runners to pace the 2 hour group and had a wonderful race day.harbor lights halfRace Weekend kicked off with a trip to the Half Moone Cruise Center to pick up my race gear and work the pacer booth Friday afternoon. It was so much fun getting to meet people I would be helping on Sunday while harbor lights halfcarolers got everyone in the holiday spirit and Bon Secours In Motion held free mobility and muscle imbalance testing. My short shift flew by, though little did I know I probably should have hung out a bit longer. Leaving the expo was an absolute disaster. I got into my car at 4:38pm and didn't get out of the City of Norfolk parking garage until after 6. Not only was this a massive pain in the rear, it cost me an additional $2.50 and wasted plenty of gas. I'm not sure who is at fault for the fiasco but hope the horrendous situation is resolved before the 2015 edition of the Harbor Lights Half Marathon.Harbor Lights Half

I had a nice relaxing Saturday and got ready for Race Day. After the previous week's debacle, I was excited to get a solid training run in while cheering on some fellow runners to new PRs. I popped out of bed Sunday morning, dressed for the cooler temperatures, fueled up with breakfast and an E2 then headed to the course. Doug dropped me off before going to do his own harbor lights halflong run and I met up with all of the other pacers, including my two hour buddies, Mike in a turkey suit and Tony with an apron and plastic knife, before using one of the numerous Port-a-Potties. No lines! I then dropped off my gear and slid into Corral 3 just as the National Anthem began.

Before we knew it, Corral 3 was off. The course started with a slight incline to really get my body moving and we had some serious GPS issues. Quickly we decided to work off of total time rather than the watch splits. The course travels through several scenic areas of Norfolk and it was nice to be out on the quiet morning streets with a few hundred friends. Much like when I paced the Rock n Roll Virginia Beach, I paid little attention to the course's details as I was more worried about clocking steady miles and helping those around me. I did, however, make some general observations.

Course support was great. There were sprinklings of fans who were quite enthusiastic on an early, chilly morning and fully loaded, well staffed water stops helped everyone stay hydrated. Later there were gels around Mile 7 and around Mile 9 (I think) a Baker's Crust pie stop. Port-a-Potties dotted the sidelines and the timing mats at 5k, 10k and 10 miles were very visible.

The course itself was narrow at points, especially when you hit the cobblestone stretches and everyone opted for the sidewalk. Most of the race was run on one side of the road or the other with light morning traffic passing by. I struggled to find a flat surface because of this which started to bother my knee and I found myself on the sidewalk for a few minutes to even things out.

Turns and hills. There were lots of turns on the overall flat course but there were three large reverse hills, meaning we started going down under a road and came up on the other side to break up the flatness. Mile 11 felt very long and Mile 12 has you run past the post-race party before making a sharp right turn and weaving back to the Finish Line along the river's edge.

Mike, Tony and I crossed the Finish Line at 1:59.59 and the race couldn't have gone any better. It was a blast to run with the two hour group, especially when we were call and responses of harbor lights half'gobble, gobble...beer, beer' under every bridge. Congratulations abounded as we walked through the shoot collecting water, bananas, pretzels, race logo glassware, inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon bottle opener medals and heat sheets. It was very rewarding to have so many runners thank us for pacing them to new PRs and we all went on to celebrate at the Post Race Party.harbor Lights half

Unfortunately the heat sheets weren't as helpful as I hoped because the sun wasn't out to warm them but J&A Racing did another great job putting on a fantastic post-race party. While we partied, Jerry of J&A Racing continues to work hard to make sure every single runner has a good experience. Such a nice thing to see. The party featured Right On Band, who always put on a great show, Blue Moon beer there was never a line for and quickly served delicious Baker's Crust Stew. A bonus? No post-race Port-a-Potty lines either! The event swag included a women's cut tech t-shirt that I actually really like, a nice big bottle opener medal and a logo glass I was quick to pour my post race libation in.

The Inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon was a great late fall race and I hope J&A puts it on again next year. As long as the early expo parking problems are ironed out, I'll be there.