rhode island

Del's Lemondade

This past weekend I checked off another state off my list—Rhode Island (#24). Months ago I decided to run the Providence Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon. I figured it was a new race and a new state—all in one.

I have been to RI. Just only to the bus station and driving through. So I don't count it. I have to do something there and I figured running 13.1 miles in the state would totally count. Although since the state is so small, I was wondering whether I'd actually run into another state, but luckily Providence is far enough away from the borders of CT and MA.

I didn't sleep in RI, since I stayed with my friend in Boston (only 45 minutes away). On Saturday I had to get my race stuff, so this was my opportunity to get a sneak peak. We resisted shopping in Providence Place but it looked like it deserved a return visit. We had to have Del's Lemonade, which RI is known for. And it was delish. Pretty much a lemonade slushie. Perfect on a rainy, summer day. Or not. But this girl eats ice cream in December, so it worked out totally fine.

It was time to head back to Bean-town to stay out of the rain, get some pre-race food (which included peanut butter cup ice cream at Quincy Creamery), and get some rest.


As most of you know, I'm training for Chicago and am following a semi-intense plan. Per usual, I like to run a 1/2 to assess how my training was going. My 1/2 PR is from RnR Philly 2010, which was too long  agoto use as a guide for this year's marathon. So I was hoping to PR or at least pretty close to it in this race.



Providence

Very early Sunday morning, we flew down the deserted highway and crossed the state border. At 7am, in 60-degree weather and the sun shining down, I crossed the starting line to get my 13.1 mile tour of the city (which included too many hills for my liking). Providence was actually pretty nice. I guess there are some not-so-nice parts, but they decided to keep us runners away from those areas.


We ran through the city, up to some residential areas with folks cheering from their porches, down to the river and back through downtown. It was relatively quiet on the course but did get to see my friend Sue cheering for me a couple of times towards the end (when I needed her).

Running along.


Overall I felt good. I finished with a 1:43:20 time (5 seconds slower than my PR). The hills were slightly rough, the 1:45 pacing group passed me at the beginning (even though I was at a 7:45 pace), and I felt slight remnants of last week's 19 miler, but it was good. Now I'm wondering if I could have pushed myself a bit more if I had remembered my PR time. Or if there wasn't a hill at the end. Either way, I felt good when I finished and was extremely happy with how I did. I'm sure to PR on a flatter course at some point. I feel more confident about Chicago and will definitely continue with my current training plan to ensure optimal results.

To celebrate, I had a beer and listened to Karmin at the post-race concert. Oh and had a lobstah roll back in Bawston. Yummy.

I've now visited my 3 new states for 2012. I do have one more lined up though for good measure. Which will take me to the halfway point.



Post-race concert: Karmin