Disclaimer: I received
a free entry to the Buffalo Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more
about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review
find and write race reviews!
I just got back from Buffalo, New York where I spent
Memorial Day weekend with family and represented BibRave for the 2nd year in a
row at the Buffalo Marathon. I had a
blast running last year and I couldn’t wait to get back with one goal of
ringing the PR bell as I crossed the half marathon finish line. If you’ve been following along, you saw this
goal slip further and further away from me due to injury but I was determined
to go and take advantage of a fun weekend of running (and walking) with my
cousin Melissa.
I got into town on Friday afternoon after a long solo
drive. Within the first few hours I
already had some of my favorite Western New York foods: Tim Hortons, a sub from
Wegmans and of course… chicken wings!
Saturday morning was the John Beishline Memorial 5k. Melissa originally signed up to run with her
boyfriend Mike and told me I should too.
Before my injury I thought it would be a good shake out run opportunity
but now this became the main focus of the weekend for me.
The race sold out at 1,200 runners so there was a pretty big
crowd for a 5k. I told Melissa I would
stay with her for the whole run and that’s just what I did. We started with Mike and lost him about half
way. The race ran through neighborhoods
and headed back around Niagara Square to finish in front of the convention
center. We jogged. We walked.
And then we ran through the finish line.
I had a blast!
After the 5k we had a full day of activities that included picking up our half marathon bib numbers at the race expo, a
trip to the outlets, nail appointments, pasta for dinner and an early bedtime.
Sunday morning was half marathon morning and my 4:45am wake
up call came way too early! Ali got to
Melissa’s apartment at 5:15am and we headed to the start line.
Since I wasn’t cleared to run more than 4 miles I decided
that I wouldn’t start the race and I would run the second half with
Melissa. I’ll admit that I had a ton of
guilt doing this. It didn’t feel
right. But I was a registered runner and
I took the timing chip off the back of my bib number so there would be no
record of times and check points. Once I
saw Melissa and I started running with her, I was happy I made this decision. She was having a rough day (her ankle had
been bothering her) so we ran/walked the rest of the course. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining
and we probably did way more walking then running but I didn’t even care.
Melissa crossed the finish line in 2:58:59. She was way off her goal but happy to stay
under 3 hours. After the race we met
back up with Ali (she was a DNF 😥) and enjoyed a Mile 27 beer brewed by Flying Bison
especially for the Buffalo Marathon. Pretty cool, right?
So what’s next for me?
I will probably run the Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, MA
on August 20th but my next goal race will be Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half
Marathon in September!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
September 17, 2017
Use code BIBRAVE 15 for $15 off the half!
Did you run the Buffalo Marathon? Head on over to
BibRave.com and post your race review!
[Related posts: I signed up for the Buffalo Half Marathon!
& Race Report: Buffalo Half Marathon]
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