Done, state #25.
I arrived in Providence in the afternoon. I met another runner, TF, and she was staying at the same hotel as I was. My room was not ready so I left my stuff with the bell captain and TF and I made our way to the expo. It was a very small expo. I was there for about 20 minutes and then I left. I did buy two Nike shirts. I wore one for the race and love it.
Lunch was at P. F. Chang’s. Honestly, I was not impressed with the food at all. I had a beer and chicken pad thai but I’ve had better pad thai at other locations.
After lunch I went back to the hotel to rest. I was tired. I watched a couple of episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and then realized it was almost 8 and I had not had dinner yet. I did not want to walk far so luckily Subway was down the street and I bought a chicken sandwich. Earlier in the day there was the Street Painting Festival and I stopped to check out their work. It was amazing! So much creativity and detail in all of them.
I went to bed later than I wanted to and could not get up in the morning. I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, and ate a Clif Bar with coffee. I knew the weather was in the mid 40s and I debated with wearing a long sleeve. I ended up not wearing it and was so glad I made that decision. I should know better that temperature in those numbers is the ideal running weather.
The race began and ended at the State House. I was cold in the beginning but quickly warmed up.
Right away there was a hill. I stopped at the bottom for a bit because I was having problems with my headphones. Once I took care of that, I took off again. I used the Nike+ app on my phone to track my pace, time, and distance. I like it better than my watch because I have no self control and am constantly checking my watch.
It was cloudy which I liked very much and am glad it did not rain. The course was hilly but I did not think it was that bad at all. Perhaps I am over these hills? Or is it change of attitude? We ran past so many beautiful homes. Along the way I saw the most beautiful Dunkin’ Donuts coffee house I have EVER seen. I mean it literally was a big house with lots of parking. I am mad at myself for not stopping to take a picture. It was that beautiful.
I am proud of myself for how I ran the last 4 miles. I usually struggle the last 3 miles but I think this time I did good. OK, maybe not the greatest but decent for someone that usually walks towards the end. And let me say that to get to the finish line I had to go up a hill. I really hate those!!
There were plenty of spectators and water stations. Some runners had cute costumes which I thought was funny because it wasn’t even close to Halloween. Overall, it was a good race and I enjoyed it. I was feeling really good and this time I did not fall. 🙂 My knees were not happy with me. I’d like to think it was because of the hills and not because of an injury.
Oh and my finish time is 2:23:53.
Next race is Rock ‘n’ Roll Cleveland Half Marathon.