by karlyn on May 10, 2010
This past weekend, I ran the RaceVermont.com Half Marathon in Shelburne. This was my first race ever, so I don’t really have much to compare it to…but here goes nothing!
Why I would run this race again: The t-shirt is really cool! Ok, that’s not a reason to choose a particular race…but it certainly does not hurt.
The event seemed well organized and most of the volunteers (with the exception of one gentleman that I encountered at the end that was completely rude to me) were really nice and up beat and cheered you on throughout the race.
Some of the views you got in the second half of the race, which took place mostly on running trails, were absolutely amazing. At one point, you go right by Lake Champlain. I’ve seen the lake a million times but I still slowed down to a walk to take it all in for that part.
The facility that runners had access to was very nice – hot showers and lunch were available there afterwards.
Why I would not run this race again: Hills, hills, hills! And I guess this course was less hilly than the previous location they had it in! I run hills…I live in Vermont after all…but the only place I really got a break from them was between like mile 5 and mile 8. The rest was pure hills….up, down, up, down, up, down. ugh. It’s just not my particular cup of tea.
Also, the race director said at the start of the race that in the future they wouldn’t allow headphones. Now, I know that a lot of runners frown on listening to music but I am one of those runners that needs to and does not believe it’s dangerous as long as the volume is kept at a reasonable level. I would never run a race that did not allow this and most major races do now.
Overall, I don’t think I would run this particular course again but if you want to do a course that will show you some really beautiful parts of Vermont (and you don’t mind hills!) it’s definitely not bad.
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One word: Orgasmic.
It is pretty safe to say that Vermont Peanut Butter’s Avalanche variety does more for me than any man could ever hope to do. And, unfortunately for my waistline, I just keep coming back for more. Ben, Jerry….move over. I’ve found a new best friend that I can take to bed with me and eat right out of the jar.
I came across this peanut butter at the Maple Festival in St. Albans and was skeptical at first. Peanut butter is peanut butter, after all. But the white chocolate part caught my attention so I asked for a taste.
It was love at first bite. The chocolate taste does not overwhelm the flavor of the peanuts (just enough sweet to compliment the salty) and it’s not as oily as other natural peanut butters out there. It also has the extra benefit of whey protein powder for you fitness types.
The prices are a bit expensive – I paid $7 for my jar – but so well worth it. I don’t know if I’ll ever buy another brand of peanut butter again.
You can buy this peanut butter, along with several other varieties, on Vermont Peanut Butter’s website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
It all went down at Maplefest 2010, a day of fair food, parades, crafts, and (of course!) all things maple. I was visiting Meaghan in St. Albans for a belated birthday celebration and thought “Vermont has a lot of kick ass exports. Why not start a website to write about them?” There just aren’t many websites that do a really good job of covering all the state has to offer, which means a lot of folks are missing out. The craft fair at Maplefest only sharpened my resolve and I quickly recruited Meaghan to the cause.
Here you’ll find our brutally-honest thoughts on all things Vermont: food, wine, beer, events, places and home-grown companies/products. We’ll write about things we like, and things we don’t. We’ll take suggestions about things we should check out, and if you disagree with something we say, we’ll welcome your comments.
We’re looking forward to starting this project and getting to know our home state a little bit better in the process. We hope you enjoy it!
