In the weeks leading up to the race the Hudson Valley got an overwhelming amount of rain. Because of the rain and the subsequent flooding parking was minimal at the park where the start/finish line was located. They suggested getting to the park by 6-630 in order to get parking and start picking up your packets. They were closing the road that the race would start out on at 8am sharp. I live about 40 minutes from where the race was being held, so that meant that Mike and I set the alarm for 430 to try to be out of my house by 530 and to the park by 615. Let me tell you, 430 comes VERY early!! It was good though because the 3am wake up for Disney will be even earlier, so this was a good practice! We got up, got dressed, tried to consume a decent amount of caffeine, got everything together and we were out the door by 540, only a couple minutes behind schedule, but we planned for that. It was definitely still very dark outside when we left, it was E-A-R-L-Y and Mike and I aren't really morning people. With his nerves mounting and our anxiousness to get there, we had a pretty calm and quiet ride. We got there, got signed in and picked up our loot. Bags donated by Golds Gym, some running gloves and tech tee shirts. By 7 we were done getting our stuff and we stopped by the bathrooms and headed to hang out in the car for an hour because it was also COLD outside! It was only like 43 degrees out. Luckily I had also planned for that and wore sweat pants and a hoodie over my race gear.
So 8 am rolls around and Mike and I head to the bathrooms one more time and then to find my mom and Jess who were meeting us there to cheer us on. There was a 1 mile kids fun run that started at 815 and Mike and I wanted to watch them go. It was really awesome. It was a 12 and under run and the winner ran it in 6 minutes even. She was 11 and completely adorable.
So then it was time for Mike to head to the starting line. A few deep breaths and he was off for his 13 mile journey.
They told us 5k runners that we had to let them get 15 minutes ahead of us before we started our run, so I hung out with mom and Jess for 15 minutes and then I made my way to the back of the crowd at the start line. I was expecting to just use this as my long weekend run, even though 3 miles isn't long - it was a light/rest week. I started out and I was feeling great. I ran the first 1.5 miles at a 10 minute mile pace, which of course made me completely run out of steam! By the 1.5 mile mark/turn around to start heading back spot I was tired, that pace was way too fast for me. I walked a little and I was trying my hardest to get my heart rate down to the 150's, but it took forever. I ended up finishing really strong, maxing out at 9mph, way faster than I have ever sustained for any distance. I finished with a 2:32 minute PR.
After I finished it was about 20 minutes until the first half marathoner finished. The winner finished in 1:13 and change. After we watched him finish, we went and got me some food and water. They had a great assortment of deliciousness. I grabbed an apple and a water and headed back up to wait for Mike to finish. Mike finished at 2:26 and change (they still haven't posted official results yet)! I was so proud of him. He said his legs were killing him and he was a little slow moving, but we grabbed him some food and a water before heading out.
I loved this race. There were a ton of people and it was super well organized. We were stoked when we finished and really happy with the whole day.
So then it was time for Mike to head to the starting line. A few deep breaths and he was off for his 13 mile journey.
They told us 5k runners that we had to let them get 15 minutes ahead of us before we started our run, so I hung out with mom and Jess for 15 minutes and then I made my way to the back of the crowd at the start line. I was expecting to just use this as my long weekend run, even though 3 miles isn't long - it was a light/rest week. I started out and I was feeling great. I ran the first 1.5 miles at a 10 minute mile pace, which of course made me completely run out of steam! By the 1.5 mile mark/turn around to start heading back spot I was tired, that pace was way too fast for me. I walked a little and I was trying my hardest to get my heart rate down to the 150's, but it took forever. I ended up finishing really strong, maxing out at 9mph, way faster than I have ever sustained for any distance. I finished with a 2:32 minute PR.
After I finished it was about 20 minutes until the first half marathoner finished. The winner finished in 1:13 and change. After we watched him finish, we went and got me some food and water. They had a great assortment of deliciousness. I grabbed an apple and a water and headed back up to wait for Mike to finish. Mike finished at 2:26 and change (they still haven't posted official results yet)! I was so proud of him. He said his legs were killing him and he was a little slow moving, but we grabbed him some food and a water before heading out.
I loved this race. There were a ton of people and it was super well organized. We were stoked when we finished and really happy with the whole day.
