The Big Sissy's Long Awaited Race Report...

...or How I Broke My Foot in Two Places....
...or How Much Running in Soft Sand is Too Much???...

All of these would be fitting titles to the Big Sissy's RR...but we'll let her rant for a bit....


If I were in charge of the world (which I am not-but she is striving towards) all races would be planned with common sense and the non runner in mind! (again, a reminder that the thoughts expressed here are solely the writers and may not be confused with the blog's owner's own love of running!!) So after we picked up our excellent race packets, which were the highlight of this race, we learned where the Five Guys Burgers and Fries along with the PetSmart are located in New Jersey. Being a dog owner myself I have to say that the information on where the PetSmart was located along with the location of the 24/7 emergency vet could be potentially useful information but I digress. Race packet pick up was very smooth which considering it was 4th of July weekend at the shore was amazing because it could have been a giant nightmare!
We arrived at the race site only to discover that the racks (at least some of them) were numbered wrong. (I think this was only the 10 or so numbers that the Big Sissy fell into, but I for one was confused when after seeing the mis-marked racks couldn't find mine...) So I set all my stuff up and then had to move all my stuff again. Not so horrible but I should have known then. As we got our pre-race directions we learned that the race was going to start ½ mile from the transition area and then go another 400 or so meters down the beach. Now, there are 80 blocks of beach in Avalon and I understand that some people had trouble last year with the current and ran into the peer but again…there are 80 blocks of beach. After a lovely week of water temperatures the wind decided to change on Saturday and so the water was COLD and I don’t just mean a little cold I mean freeze your feet off, can’t breathe cold.

We need to get you a wetsuit Mooch...

Like any good swimmer would do, I simply swam like the little old ladies who didn’t want to get their purple hair wet at the pool in the summer. My old lady breast stroke was still faster than most of the people’s regular swimming but then we hit the beach…now we have to RUN back to our bikes in the loose sand (see map...I think she's referring to the map I posted previously...) Any advantage that I gained in the water was VERY quickly lost as I trudged back to my bike. you passed this guy trudging!!

The bike was a scenic three loop course, like my sister my ADHD kicked in and by the middle of the second lap I was completely bored but I did notice some very cute doggies along the way who were passing time with their people watching the race. The helpers were cheerful and helpful which is always nice. Not too many bike complaints except that again, you have 80 blocks of beach maybe there was a way to stretch the bike route out so that you didn’t have to do 3 loops but again…

But you're smiling here!!

...next was the run and thanks to the piping plovers (adorable little endangered birds that they are) nesting on the boardwalk we got to run on the beach at high tide. I could again say that there are 80 blocks of beach and PAVEMENT in Avalon but you get the idea. WHY ON EARTH DO YOU RUN ON THE LOOSE SAND FOR THREE MILES WHEN THERE IS A PERFECTLY GOOD PAVED STREET??? Less than ¼ of a mile into running in the loose sand I ditched my shoes and ran barefoot for the remainder of the race. It is completely demoralizing to pass the finish line 3 times especially when you are slow like me. But I did finish and the ice cold towel was a very nice consolation prize. Nic’s beach towel was way cooler. As a total positive they had CHOCOLATE MILK at the finish which was great and REALLY COLD (like the ocean) and since I didn’t swallow any salt water or work hard enough to puke it was sure tasty!!! Since I couldn’t walk on my screwed up ankle (which later turns out to be a broken in 2 places metatarsal bone...) which was now even more screwed up thanks to three miles in loose sand, my very kind sister the nurse went in search of some ice. This turned out to be a much larger challenge than one might think and again proved the value of the ice cold towel at the finish. Anyway, couldn’t get out of there fast enough and for sure I wouldn’t do the race again, even with the awesome packet stuff because I really do think common sense shouldn’t be so hard but hey what do I know?! Some nap time on the beach and a walk in the water to ice my foot finished the afternoon for me.

Nice Puke-Free Finish!!!

Congrats on a great race despite the broken foot and all...I think that ranks you pretty tough in my book!! And a shout out to Dad for the great pictures...although he failed to capture my pukey finish photo, he did a pretty good job getting all the other highlights...or at least some good pictures of the lady in purple he thought was me!! JK...luv your skillz DAD!