E Murray Todd Half Marathon

Two weeks ago, I checked the weather for this morning's Half Marathon, and it said low 50s. NICE!
Last week I checked the weather and it said low 40s. Not great but do-able.
This morning it was 30*. Seriously. Let's throw in the wind chill, and it was probably 20s. It.Was.Cold.

I met my friend Eileen in the parking lot at about 7:20 and we picked up our bibs and long sleeve shirts.   Luckily, registration was indoors at Brookdale Community College's Athletic Building! We did some laps on their indoor track and stopped for a potty break. Just before it was time to line up, I ran into some friends and we stopped for photo ops!

First, with Sherri, who I met through this blog! So great to meet a fellow Half Maniac at such a small race!

Then, I got my photo with my friend Eileen, who I have run a bunch of races with, and will be running more with this year! LOVE her, she has definitely pushed me to run better races!

Lisa is a fellow Half Fanatic, and Jersey Girl! We met through FaceBook and have met up at a few races, and will luckily be meeting up at even more this year! She is also a Half Fanatic, what an awesome bunch we are!

After the happy photo ops (there will be *no more* of those!) we lined up for the race. It was chip times, but only at the finish, it was a gun start with no starting mats. I started my watch at what felt like the start, and we were off. No worries tho, after the photos, I put on a running cap and gloves. Good thing, it was soooo cold!
The first few miles were very nice, rolling hills, but the wind was brutal. And then the steep hills started! They also didn't rope off the roads, so we were running on some very small or non existent shoulders with cars zooming by. Eek!
I stopped at mile 5 and walked while eating my Honey Stinger Waffle, and was dismayed to find that the mile 6 water stop was closed because they ran out of cups. Really? Now I am thirsty, the hills are INSANE and the next water stop isn't until Mile 8.
Many steep hills later, and one really bad step that left me with a sore knee for the rest of the race, brought us to the mile 8 water stop where I finally got my water! Whew! After the that, the hills were more rolly, and we were in farm country. Beautiful farm country. LOVED it. My friend Lisa caught up with us at this point (she was always right nearby, she was run/walking so she would pass us, we would pass her, and on...and on...lol) and stayed with us for the last miles.
After farm country we entered Thompson park, and some windy roads. There was a nice water stop there, and also Dave from the JSRC playing his trumpet. I *love* Dave and his trumpet! Races without him just are not the same!

After the Park, which we mostly walked through, since Eileen and I were nursing sore knees, we approached the College again. It was such a relief to see the finish line ahead! The three of us staggered over the finish line one after the other and headed over to the "food" table. We got bottled water, and they had oranges and bananas. I really wanted actual food, so I didn't take either. They also had jars of European "Peanut" Butter to try, so I took one. I haven't tried it yet though, lol.

As bummed as I was with my finish time (around 2:50-2:55) I am also thrilled overall with my finish. It was a crazyhard race. The hills were nuts, the wind and cold was insane, and I was wrecked by the end. I had a lot of fun running with Eileen and Lisa.
BUT
My whole body aches, especially my butt muscles lol. My head hurts, even after an Excedrin for Migraines, and even after a hot shower, I was still cold an hour later!
Things I was disappointed in? The lack of water at mile 5, the lack of food at the finish, and the lack of bling. Also, the fact that the roads weren't closed and many roads had no shoulder. It was a $30 registration though, so I wasn't expecting much, but after Disney I am a little spoiled!
Things I loved? Dave and his trumpet, the presence of Police and Park Rangers on the course, and the course was pretty well marked.
Will I run it next year? Maybe not, I haven't decided yet. I loved being able to run a Half so early, so maybe so, lol.

13in2013 Race #2 DONE!!!!

Have you ever had a bad race experience?