Race #46 - LBI 18 Mile Run - 2:20:08

What a wonderful day to run 18 miles. It was sunny and 60 degrees with very little wind. This race and distance could be a real bear if the weather is not favorable. This race is run from one end of the island to the other which is 18 miles long, from Holgate to Barnegat. I ran this race 5 years ago into a 25 mph head wind which was not very pleasant. When I signed up, I was hoping the weather would be in my favor and it did.



There weren't many takers for this race except for Eric Davis who has run a few races with me this year. Eric goes sub 20 for a 5K and 1:30 for a 1/2 marathon. My goal today was to run easy and hope to feel comfortable at the end. It was meant to be more of a training run leading up to a potential marathon in November or December. My plan was to hopefully run 7:45's and feel good at the end. My overall pace was 7:47, but I didn't feel great at the end. It was combo of the feet pounding and just the legs getting fatigued. This was my longest race of the year so I wasn't sure want to expect at the end.

The number pickup and registration was at the St Francis Community Center, from there you get bussed to the start in Holgate. Everything was well organized and we got to the start with 30 minutes to kill. A little stretching and multiple bathrooms stops took care of the excess time.

Eric and I headed out together at the start and ran the first two miles at the 7:45 pace but he by mile 3 he was pushing t a bit. I didn't want any part of a faster pace at mile 3 so I let him go. I was clicking off the 7:45's and to my surprise I saw Eric at mile 6 struggling. He said he just did an 8:30 mile 5 so I knew he was in trouble. Way too may miles to be suffering at mile 6. I hung with him for a bit, but continued to run my race. I passed the house my brother built 10 years ago which was a source of inspiration today. It is a wonderful house on the bay, but he never really got to enjoy it, passing away less than 2 years after it was completed. At the halfway point I felt pretty good and thought maybe I should pick it up a bit. I did run faster but not by much. At this point I knew I wanted to run 2:20 or slightly better.

I hit the 13 mile mark at 1:40:25 and just wanted to stay strong for the final 5 miles. It was getting a bit hot and I kept drinking water at each stop. I didn't pass many folks but you can see some were struggling the final few miles. There was some walking and others were trying to work out cramps. The Barnegat lighthouse was the finish and you really don't see Old Barney until the final turn into the park. It was a nice sight when I did finally see it and I also saw the clock at 2:19:48. I thought it would be great to go sub 2:20 but the clock ticks quickly when the legs are heavy. I guess I had to cover about 75 yards when I noticed the clock, but couldn't get my legs to move quickly.

As soon as I stopped running my legs were cramped and I needed to walk a lot. In 15 minutes I felt much better. A quick massage and I was feeling 100% better. Meanwhile Eric struggled to finish in 2:50 which was nowhere near the time he thought he would run. This was his longest race of his career so I am sure he just misjudged how fast he could go for this distance.

The folks that put this race on do a wonderful job with many volunteers helping out. The bus ride back to the Church was tough as we hand to cram into the small seats. At the Community Center we were fed sandwiches and pasta as well as many sweet desserts.

I think the worst part of the day was the 90 minute ride back home. My lower body was sore and uncomfortable in the car.