I did it! I made it to the end. As someone who in general hates rain, spending 2.5 hours+ continually in the rain is huge. That’s probably why going into the race, the most I’d run was 15 minutes in the rain. Woah. What a miss. That practice would have come in handy before the 2022 Jersey Shore Half Marathon. (Lesson learned.)
After I finished my last half marathon, I decided to sit out more than the usual recovery cycle. With my knee not feeling 100%, I wanted to take it slow — let it heal and allow plenty of time to fully do the training cycle all the way through. Almost a year later felt appropriate.
Jersey Shore Half Marathon course
In addition to the prime (for me) early October timing, I chose the Jersey Shore Half Marathon because it was a relatively short drive for me and was at the beach. There was also a tiny part of me that was amused because, like much of America, I had a different view of the Jersey Shore for so long.
Race morning
I knew I was going to be a rainy day, so I spent time rethinking my race day attire and all I brought with me. I’d originally bought some fun witch running socks and a purple tutu to wear over my leggings. Between the rain and no one else wearing anything along those lines, I was glad I abandoned those plans.
Instead I opted for a pair of Lululemon shorts, my Oiselle headband and hat (proved super helpful in the rain), Brooks lightweight long sleeve jacket, Bombas Big Bird calf socks and some inexpensive run sleeves from Amazon. I also brought almost all my Brooks shoes — old Ravenna 11s in case I decided to wear to the line and discard, my Adrenaline 22s to race in and my daily use Revel 5s for after.
Mile 1: And we are off! There are so many people. Wait. Is that the starting rline? (Loud noise goes off) Oh so I guess now the race is starting?
Mile 2: Man, I can’t believe how warm this garbage bag is. This was an amazing suggestion. Also, where can I throw away this garbage bag and gloves?
Mile 4: After pretty quick miles 2-4, I tried to be mindful of pace, not wanting to repeat my prior half where my knees were done at mile 5.
Mile 6: This may tank my time, but I can’t not stop at a bathroom when I’m spending 2+ hours in the water. (Nuf said.)
Mile 7: A lady went by me in a bright yellow run club shirt that said she is a run walker. I credit her with motivating me a LOT on the back half of the race. She would pass me and I’d pick back up steam to pass her. And then she’d pass me and the cycle would repeat. My race MVP!
Mile 8: Feeling those knees a bit more now. Remember those mile 4 thoughts. Goal is to finish faster and not injured.
Mile 9-12: My race day soundtrack (below) I wasn’t supposed to listen to since we weren’t supposed to have headphone on came in CLUTCH. I really hit a bit of my stride — leaned into music and lip synced my way through these miles.
Mile 13: Where is finish line? I can’t see anything that looks right. Now? How about … now? oooooof.
Overall, I’m incredibly proud of my time. My mile 1 time was the pits. 15+ mins. Partly from my poor skills at breaking away from the crowd but mainly because I couldn’t tell where the race even began! But things stabilized nicely from there. I’m used to longer races landing at a 12+ minute mile so having an official race pace of 11:48 for me for a half marathon is huge.
My first half was just over 3 hours and my second was a bit shy of that at 2:53:52 (13:16 average pace.) And those were times with no potty breaks. So incredibly proud — and busy trying to figure out what half I should do next!
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