I woke up Sunday morning contemplating just skipping the race and sleeping in. My mother in-law was taking Michael that day, so sleep was actually an option. But as my alarm went off a third time I decided that I should drag my tired butt out of bed and get dressed. It was my first half marathon in NYC. Which meant I got to sleep in my own bed. As I was getting ready, it almost felt like I was just prepping for a long run. It really didn’t hit me that I was running a race until I toed the starting line.

The More/Fitness half is an all woman’s race. The atmosphere was unlike any other race I have ran. It’s hard to describe, but there was a sense of female comradely. Thousands of women gathered in their corrals in Central Park. The race is two (plus a little) loops around the outer parts of the park. Included in a loop are two large hills (gulp!). The course was amazing. I have lived in NYC for 5 years and this was my first time running Central Park. It was a great experience.

The race was well organized from start to finish. Like all NYRR events it was a smooth race; ample water and post race food, great on-course support, and an abundance of photographers. The expo was also pretty nice. There were tons of vendors, freebies, and motivational speakers.

I started the race with my personal trainer, who I lost around mile 1 and didn’t see again. My first four miles were difficult I just couldn’t seem to find a good pace. I was sore, tired, and just blah (thanks Aunt Flo). To top it off, I was hot and having a internal personal struggle on if I should take my shirt off (you can read more about that here). Once I was able to convince myself to run in a sports bra (mile 6ish) all the other miles seemed like cake.

Unlike my previous race I timed my sustenance just right. I took two Shot Blocks at mile 4, two at mile 7, and one at mile 9. That seemed to work for me. My energy didn’t feel like it hit rock bottom during the race. I also alternated between water and Gatorade at the water stations. And I had my own water (Nuun) with me.

Overall it was a good race. I was flirting with my second best time, but missed it by two minutes. Oh well, I think what I got out of this race was better than any PR I could have asked for (read here). If I hadn’t stopped to take off my shirt, go to the bathroom, or get my sunglasses from my hubby I would have had a second best time. But knowing that I could have been faster makes me realize that I am getting stronger in my training. That is motivation!

Before I begin, I want to make it well known that I actually didn’t run the race. I got sick and was sidelined. But I did watch the race, talk to runners, and saw things happening between miles 10-13.

The AC April 1/2 started right outside the Bally Hotel on the boardwalk. For the first few miles racers ran down the boardwalk until they hit the end of the boardwalk where the switched onto Atlantic avenue and continued down to the end and turned around. The overall turnout for racers was somewhere around the 3,000 area. And spectators were slim to none.

Atlantic City April Fools Half Start

Overall, the race seemed pretty well organized. There were plenty of water stations and an abundance of Gu at each. But there were some downfalls, while I was walking to the finish to meet my hubby, I saw a water station that was manned only by a handful of high school or middle school students. I was appalled by their behavior. Before the race was even over they were taking down the table and pouring water into cups without gloves. But the worse part were the four boys who decided to drink water and spit it at each other. I understand that kids need to have fun, but they were playing this game OVER the cups that were for the runners. I saw a girl pick up a cup that was just spit on, fill it with water, chase down a runner and hand it to her. The runner proceeded to drink it. I am pretty sure the runner didn’t see the antics. This was taking place at mile 12! Another incident happened in the earlier miles, around 10ish, the kids were yelling “run fatty” to a runner passing by. This was uncalled or and deeply inappropriate. There should be supervision when it comes to children volunteering in an event like this.

The kids playing around at the water station

While I was cheering at mile 10, I had a handful of runners ask me if I knew where the bathrooms were. I hadn’t seen any, so I wasn’t much help. Many runners seemed frustrated with the bathroom dilemma.

The course was absolutely breathtaking. The whole run took place along the ocean. I would run the race next year just to be able to partake in 13 miles of ocean view. The course was not closed, so by mile 11 and 12  for the slower runners there were many people walking in the way. I could see how this could be frustrating, but I don’t know if it’s even possible to close the boardwalk.

Can't beat this ocean view

The post race food was abundant. When entering into the food area, there was a beer truck right in the front (one free beer for each runner). Food selection consisted of candy, bananas, oranges, bagels, and amazing clam chowder.

Post-race food area

Overall the race seemed to go pretty well and was a great experience for those that partook. The course was flat and I overheard a lot of runners talking about their PR’s (my hubby included… YAY HUBBY!) The medals are cute and have a spinner in the center.

Happy Runners

There only seemed to be a few minor glitches that could easily be taken care of with some extra bathrooms and adult supervision.

The End is Near - and she was actually at the end!