Wednesday, April 22, 2015

2015 Asbury Park Half Marathon Race Recap

I ran the Asbury Park Half Marathon last Saturday, April 18th. It was my first race at the Jersey Shore and it was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the temps were comfortable (at the start), I thought this was going to be a great run but I was wrong as it was actually the toughest race I've had in a long while.

I woke up around 5:45am so I could get to my friend Dana's house at 6:30am to carpool. Kelly and Min arrived and then we were off to the Shore. I can't remember the exact time we got there. I'm sure it was before 8am as we didn't have trouble finding parking and the lines for the porta potty weren't horrible. We were hanging out near the porta potty's to meet up with some MRTT friends and after a while the line got really long. I'm so glad we got there early to use the facilities. 
Here is a pre-race pic of us.
We made our way to the start line about 10 minutes before the race started. It's a smaller race with about 1600 runners running the half marathon. There were no corrals or waves, so it made for a crowded start. It would have been nice to have pacers but I guess it being a smaller race, it was not offered.
The national anthem was sung and then we were off running. I felt really good at the start, but there was some weaving and congestion in the beginning that I was not happy about due to slower runners. However it didn't take long to break free and keep at a good pace. 
The course was nice. We ran the streets of Asbury and on the side streets of some neighborhoods.
We ran up this street and at some point turned around and ran back along the same street. What I liked about this part was seeing runners on the way back. I got to see my friends throughout the race and cheer them on. The below pic was taken from my friend Dana. She was our driver, photographer, and cheerleader. She even made a sign. I saw her twice on the course and was happy to see her each time. Thanks for everything Dana! :) This was probably around mile 6 where I was feeling ok but started to feel tired.
It was at around 7 miles when we finally got closer to the ocean and onto the boardwalk.
At this point I was feeling more tired. I'm not sure what was wrong but my legs just couldn't go faster. From here on out, my mile split times just got slower and slower. It's ok though because I was enjoying the beautiful scenery. It was so nice to see the ocean. It was pretty interesting running on all sorts of ground types - from concrete, pavement, boardwalk wooden planks, and even sand at one part. It made for a challenging run. The sand part was horrible, I'm just happy it was just about 10 yards, but still it was tough and we had to do it twice.
It was pretty cool to running so close to the ocean.
The last 4.5 miles were hard for me. I was hot and tired but I trudged on. When I saw the finish line, I tried my hardest to sprint to it and was just so happy to finish. I finished with 2:01:49.2. Not happy about the time, but I'll take it. I think I need to work more on hydrating before the race especially if it is going to be a warm day, as I finished with a bunch of salt on my arms and face.
Happy we finished and with our medals. 
After the run we headed to the Convention Hall to pick up our shirts for the race.
Inside was the expo and we also got some food - a bunch of pasta, potato salad, and bottled water.
Here is the shirt and medal.
Overall a great race. It's pretty flat and I don't recall any hills at all. Loved the scenery and seeing the beach was so nice. I think I just had a bad day, so I would love to do this race again. I definitely recommend this race to others.
I’m linking this post up with this week’s Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up! Brought to you by hostesses Diatta Harris | Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons | The Frugal Exerciser and co-hostesses: Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Heather | Divas Run For Bling.
Femme Fitale Fit Club

19 comments:

  1. Awe, so sorry you had a hard race. Your pace is amazing to me! And the ocean looks lovely.

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  2. Mine was tough too. But I wold have been thrilled with your "slow" time.

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  3. Gorgeous scenery. Sorry the last bit was so tough.

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  4. Congrats Sharon! Look like a fun race on a lovely day. I love running oceanside!

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  5. Yeah it happens, but it's ok. Thanks Larissa! Seeing the ocean was my favorite part of the race!

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  6. Congrats, that's a great time! Don't be too hard on yourself! I would love to do a race that ran along the beach like that!

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  7. Congrats! Looks like such a fun race too, running on the boardwalk like that would be awesome!

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  8. Congrats Sharon - the random warmer weather does make it for a harder race. I like how scenic the race was - I know this half was recommended to run for my NJ race. Maybe next year :)

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  9. That looked like a beautiful run. I've totally been there before (where it just feels tough) in fact, I think the flatter races sometimes are tougher. Anyhow, your time was really good but I know we all want to PR every race...I wish!

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  10. You finished like a boss as always. I liked your time and I remember Asbury Park. I'm a Jersey girl at heart. Looked like a gorgeous day for a race. #wowlinkup

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  11. Thanks Sue!! A race along the beach is so nice! I hope you get to do one some time!

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  12. Thanks Jenny!! Hope you get to do it sometime. If I'm still around, I will definitely do it again.

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  13. Thanks Diane! Yeah, I agree and think you have a point with the flatter races being tougher, I think I need some ups and downs in the race. Hope you have a good run at SLO!

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  14. Thanks!! :) It was a beautiful day for the race, hope you get to visit Jersey again sometime!!

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  15. Great job! Looks like a cool race to run! Great pics!

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  16. Great Job :) I struggle with the heat so I really
    commend you on finishing with such a great time!

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  17. Thanks Renee! Yeah this was the first hot running day of the year so I wasn't ready for it, but I'm happy I finished. :)

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