Garden State 10 (New Jersey) Half Marathon Challenge

Photographer: Unknown. Photo by Elitefeats.

Hello Blogger world. Yes, it has been over two months since my last post. Now that it is the end of March, I am getting very excited for racing season again. At the time of this writing, there is one month left until the New Jersey Marathon. But first, I need an excellent tune up race to get my prepared. This past weekend, I ran in the Garden State 10 challenge. It consists of two races: 5K and then a 10 mile race. As part of my marathon training, I had to run twenty miles total (longest run).

Began the morning with two warm up miles to ease my nerves and collect my thoughts. The original objective was to run the 5K race at a conservative pace (around 7:30). My main focus was running the 10 mile race at a slightly quicker pace.

The first part of the Half Marathon Challenge was the 5K race. It started off great with a 7:09 first mile. Not sure if I was running slow, so I decided to pick up the pace a little bit. The last two miles had negative splits of 6:49 and 6:17 with the last .14 at 0:46. According to my watch, I set a personal best with a 6:10 mile. My official time was 20:59 with a 6:45 pace. I finished in the top 40 overall with a third place in my age group. It gave me a little time to re-hydrate and keep my legs fresh. Now, it is off to the start for the 10 mile race.

I started off very strong collecting off some runners. Around mile 3, the field started to spread out. I ran solo from five kilometers to just past the ten kilometer mark. At the ten kilometer mark, I was under 42 minutes and starting to tire slightly. It did not go according to plan, but I decided to move forward. As I crossed the finish line, I was surprised to see my time, 1:09:17. My pace was slower than the 5K race, 6:56 but it was hard to get upset about that. Checking my watch, I was very surprised to see my splits. It ranged from 6:31 to 7:09. I finished inside the top 50 overall with a fifth place in my age group. It was a great day and I could not be upset about the final result. With the marathon approaching in one month, my excitement is building by the day. I definitely do not photograph well during the races. Watching the video, my form looked horrendous.

Some of the best medals I have ever earned. Thank you to everyone that put on an amazing race.

Thank you Garden State Track Club; University Orthopaedic Associates; EliteFeats; Free Runner Photos; Owyn; Magic 98.3; volunteers; fire safety and law enforcement officials; and race directors for making this an amazing race. I had a great time running in New Jersey. Can't wait to do it again next month.

Happy Running
-MJ