Jersey Shore Half, Sandy Hook, NJ 10/3/21

We got up in time to go to our favorite bagel shop for a carbo-loading breakfast and headed south on the Garden State Parkway, where we soon encountered a thick, heavy fog - so thick that most traffic actually slowed down a bit.  I had some hopes of the fog keeping the sun off us during the race, but as we turned eastward, the sun started rising and burning off the fog.  By the time we got to the parking lot on Sandy Hook, the sun was shining brightly, though we could see there was still a lot of fog on the mainland.  I got my bib & shirt and began my pre-race warmup routine.  About 15 minutes before the 9:00 start (why so late when the sun was up by 7?), I headed over to the start line and found Mike, a member of my team in the RA running game.  About 5 minutes before the start, the organizers had to push everyone back into a dense pack (which is what happens when you have no timing mat or any other indication of where the start line is).

Miles 1 - 3  8:36, 8:33, 8:34

Mike and I ran together (he's training for the Philadelphia marathon) and were chatting when another runner (Tim), going at our pace, chimed in and joined us.  I was running easily and comfortably, enjoying the company, though I recognized the weather was warm.  It was 66º at the start and the sun was shining brightly.  The race is two unequal loops and this stretch took us on the first northbound leg.  I felt just fine.

Miles 4 - 6  8:31, 8:34, 8:34

Still running evenly and keeping my target pace.  After the northward leg, we ran around a few blocks to get the extra mileage needed for the race to be 13.1 miles over two loops before heading back south.  About halfway through mile 4, Mike and Tim were running a bit faster and though I like running with people and seem to do better than running alone, I didn't want to up my pace into the 8:20 - 8:25 range to keep up with them, so I fell back and stayed on my pace, though they never really got very far ahead of me during the southbound stretch.

Miles 7 - 9  8:41, 8:54, 9:55

By mile 7 it was getting more difficult for me to stay on pace.  Still, when I hit the southern turnaround early in mile 8 I felt I was OK and my wife later told me I was looking fine, running upright and comfortably.  After the turn, though, I felt a slight wave of dizziness and eased off a bit, hoping it would pass.  I'd been taking water at every station (and there were plenty of them), as well as drinking from my water bottle (I would eventually drain the whole 16oz bottle), but the warning signs of dehydration were there.  Then,

the wheels came off and I had to slow dramatically.  I briefly wondered whether I should stop, but threw that idea away and simply walked to the next water station, stopped to drink some extra water, and resumed running, though much more slowly.

Miles 10 - Finish  11:36, 9:09, 13:14, 9:41

I continued my slow run, with another stop at the next water station, for mile 10.  The 2:00 pace group caught up with me and I decided to see if they could pull me along, so I fell in with them and maintained their 9:09 pace for a bit more than a mile when,

and they pulled away from me as I went back to alternating running and walking.  My water bottle was empty and I'd taken three cups of water at the last station.  I made a push to pick up my pace for the last mile and crossed the line in 2:04:15, almost 9 minutes slower than my pace in the HM I ran back in April.  The temperature in the shade was 75º by then and much hotter on the shade-less road.

After meeting my wife & son, I learned that my son had come in 2nd overall in the 2-mile race that set off after the half had begun, and he'd won a free pizza from a local place, so we stopped of there on the way home and he ate 4 slices of "victory pizza" on the drive back, so the day wasn't a total loss.

I agree about the 9am start. One of the reasons I didn't start mine was the time. Ugh. Great job in tough weather!!

Tough day at the office, hopefully you get some decent conditions next time out. It's been 65 degrees overnight here for over 10 days now, I've never seen anything like it. It's certainly not racing weather.

Congrats to your son.