Falmouth Road Race Recap with Team Beef!

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by the Beef Checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI).  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Falmouth, Massachusetts – located in Cape Cod – for the Falmouth Road Race and Expo!  I was there on behalf of the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, and was lucky to be involved in two ways: 

1)  Chatting about all things sports nutrition at the Beef Booth at the expo, and

2)  Running the race on behalf of Team Beef!

The Expo

Friday and Saturday I spent a few hours at the expo with some lovely ladies from the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, as well as one of their volunteer producers.  We had lots of goodies at the booth, like free samples of beef jerky, chili seasoning packets, cutting boards and more. 

It was fun to run into some friends & followers at the expo, including this lovely lady Liz who follows me on Instagram!  I ended up running near her during much of the race which was great.

At the booth, I was able to offer mini sports nutrition consults, and ended up answering a lot of questions over the two days!  The 3 most common questions I got – along with my answers – were…

1.  What should I eat before a race?

Something with easily digestible carbohydrates, some protein, little fat, and minimal fiber.  And something that you’ve had before that you know sits well in your stomach.  For most people, that might be a bagel with a little cream cheese, cereal and milk with a banana, a smoothie, or a peanut butter, banana, & honey sandwich.

2.  How do I stay hydrated leading up to a race?

Sip on water regularly in the days leading to your race, but you don’t have to overdo it.  Your kidneys will adjust for excess water consumption.  The morning of the race, hydrate well, but I recommend stopping about an hour before the race starts (or just sipping slowly right before).  This is only to keep you from having to stop for a porta potty break mid-run!

3.  Should I eat beef jerky before or after a run?

Generally after – it’s got some protein and sodium to help with recovery.  Combine it with a piece of fruit or another carb source for a balanced recovery snack.  That said, I do know some ultra runners that love snacking on this during long events.

 

@chrissytherd is at the Beef Booth answering runners last minute nutrition questions! #BeefFuelsFalmouth #BeefOnTheRun #FalmouthRoadRace2017 #falmouthroadrace

A post shared by NEBPI (@northeastlovesbeef) on Aug 18, 2017 at 8:31am PDT

Of course, after my time at the expo booth, I had to take advantage of those famous Cape Cod beaches.  I spent a few hours Saturday afternoon relaxing in the sun and reading this book, which has been on my library list forever!  {Enjoying it, though I do have a hard time with some of the concepts in here!}

Race Day!

The race took place on Sunday.  Falmouth is a funny distance – 7 miles.  That means if it’s your first time running it (like me), you’re pretty much guaranteed to set a race distance PR! 😉

It’s also a point to point race, which makes for a gorgeous course but is a little tough logistically.  They have to bus all the runners from one part of Falmouth down to Woods Hole.  Keep in mind this race has something like 12K runners, so there are a lot of people waiting for these buses.

Fo’real:

It moved pretty fast though as there were a steady stream of buses.  When we got down to Wood’s Hole, the lines started again for the porta-potties.  I think I just picked the wrong place to wait, because my line took forever.  Once I got down to my pacing area, I saw a ton of empty porta potties.  So lesson learned for next time – check the ones in the pacing corral first before you stand in line for 45 minutes at the other ones!

Once the race started, they release groups of runners in pulses.  So even though it technically starts at 9am, I didn’t start until about 9:30.   I found a pal of mine, Paul (who coincidentally did my wedding photography with another friend of ours!) and we hung out chatting until we actually started.

The first few miles of the course were hillier than I was expecting.  I guess when you do 80% of your runs on a flat treadmill (our gym has childcare, which is pretty much the only way I get most of my runs done!) – any hills feel tough.  I went with a run/walk strategy during this part, walking up any big hills and running the downhills/flat sections.  That seems to work best for me in terms of not being tired by mid-race.

After mile 3, the course flattened out.  But there was a trade off:  flat roads in exchange for glaring sunlight.  It was hot, but I’m pretty resilient when it comes to running in the heat.  I actually ran much steadier during miles 4-6 than the first few miles.  And the scenery during much of that part of the race is just gorgeous; right along the beach.

The last mile was tough but lovely.  Everyone said there is a tough hill at the end, and you’ll think to yourself “is this it?” – and it’s not, it’s coming up after that.  And that was SO true.  There’s this kind of gradual uphill that had me thinking “is this it?”.  And then you rounded a corner and there was a steep, challenging uphill – “oh, THAT’S it.”  After climbing that, though, you get this beautiful downhill finish right underneath a giant, high flying American flag. 

I ended up finishing with a time of 1:28 – about a 12:40 minutes per mile pace.  While I would have loved to be more in the 12:00 pace, I was really proud of this race.  It was a little hilly and it was really hot – yet I managed to come in at a time that was pretty good for me.  Plus, it was my first time ever getting a negative split, running the second half of the race faster than the first.  Woohoo – go me!

Post finish, I ate my hot dog and frozen yogurt bar, then trekked the two miles back to the hotel to get my car and head home.  Overall, it was a really fantastic weekend and event!

Share with me:  Have you ever done the Falmouth Road Race?  Have you ever raced a random distance besides the normal 5k/10k/half/full?

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Chrissy Carroll

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

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