On Sunday I ran in state #31 in New Jersey. I’ve already written about what I did the day before the race.
On race day I got up at 5:20 am. I slept OK that night but was still tired and had a headache. I quickly made my coffee and got dressed. The night before I had picked my clothes and decided to wear pants and a long sleeve underneath my Oiselle singlet. I had two shirts to pick from depending on the weather. That morning the weather forecast was 41 degrees which I figured was decent running weather. I picked the yellowish shirt. Once I was done I went downstairs and then outside to check again the weather. It was cold! But I knew that I would warm up once I began running. I waited for my Uber driver and in the meantime got a big plastic bag to keep me warm while I waited in line for the race to start. I must remember to pack one in my suitcase just in case I need one again.
The driver dropped me off at 6:25. I had plenty of time to wait. Did I mention it was cold? Oh and it was windy too. I did not want to wait outside so I walked to a café place and waited there till about 6:55. I then got in line and the race started a few minutes later. I was surprised there was no singing of the National Anthem or maybe I missed it? No time to fret about it cause it was time to run.
As usual my first mile was my fastest (10:18). I was surprised at how good I was feeling. I did warm up a little but still felt cold because the wind had a mind of its own. The first few miles went by fast. We ran on the road and trail which helped break up the rhythm of just running on pavement. Trail running is definitely more difficult. It was nice not to deal with the wind.
There were hills. Oh boy. There was one before mile 6 and it felt like it was a mile long. Surprisingly it took me almost 14 minutes to finish that mile. I say surprisingly because it felt longer than 14 minutes. I walked most of it because it was just so darn long! My quads were burning and I felt some tightness in my left leg similar to my race in Des Moines but without the glutes pain.
I thought the last half of the course was prettier but more difficult. We ran through the streets of Princeton. Beautiful area with lovely homes. But it definitely had more hills. I was tired and in pain. My new shoes gave me no trouble except for some chafing on my right foot near my bunion. I’ve experienced similar chafing with other shoes so I know it wasn’t because of my new shoes. I guess it is time to get that surgery I’ve put off.
See all of the hills?
There wasn’t much crowd support but the small amount that there was did help. The volunteers were wonderful too. As for the medal, well I am not too happy about it. My nephew told me that I have nicer ones.
I am glad I did this race. It was definitely challenging for me but still a pretty course. I first thought of doing it last year but instead decided to run the Manchester Half Marathon. And boy am I glad I did because I got to meet Kathrine Switzer!
If you plan to run this race in the future make sure to stay at the Nassau Inn in town or rent a car.
Next race: Run Disney Wine and Dine in Florida. It was be my last Disney race this year.