I was nervous. Even though I put in the training and ran the course for a few of my long runs, I knew a lot would come down to weather and how I was feeling for the Newport Marathon. This is a tough course with a lot of hills and twists and turns. Brutal winds and pelting rain are not out of the question this time of year in New England.

As race day approached, I have never been more excited for packet pick-up and was first in line when they opened on Saturday. In terms of race review, this was the bare bones packet pick-up: Get your number, get your shirt, get a little goodie bag (and a free beer glass thank you very much). No sales of running gear, headbands, massagers, blah blah blah.

The night before I fretted over everything: compression sleeves or no, arm sleeves or no, bib on shirt or shorts, how does my iPod feel on my arm. I decided to go minimal. No sleeves, bib on shorts for easy shirt removal if I got hot and iPod ready to rock.

We started at 7:30am for the half and the full marathon: 1680 runners for the half and 575 for the full. The plan was to run conservative for the first half. However, as per usual, I felt amazing and just booked it. I always have this overly optimistic idea that maybe I am faster than I think. The course was GORGEOUS. Although I have run it before, I haven't seen such perfect conditions as there were in 2015. Just a light breeze, decent temps and the sun over the water on Ocean Ave. Really great. I tried to pay attention to coordinates and do my best to minimize all the turns. There are a lot of turns in this race.

The biggest downer of this race is running through the finish line with the half marathoners, knowing the worst is yet to come. I don't think any runner feels a sense of yay-13.1-more-miles when they split with the half marathoners at the finish line. Also, this course is known for a tougher second half and it's pretty hilly in the first half too. The first half goes by mansions and along Ocean Ave, so it is gorgeous. The second half has less ocean view and more neighborhood. It's not quite as visually appealing, but still pretty. There really isn't a bad view to be had in Newport, RI.

I have more finisher medals than I can count and my Newport medal remains one of my favorites!