This weekend I was lucky enough to run two races.
I’m still waiting to get pictures from the Trenton Half Marathon, so I’ll recap that race at some point this week. Today I’ll recap the Colony Grill Hot Oil 5K.
When I got home last night from Trenton I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run this race. I was tired, sore and my allergies were all out of whack..but then I thought about the free pizza and beer after the race, lol. Also this race sold out in July (it’s capped at 1,600 runners), so it would be so rude of me to not go after being lucky enough to register on time to get entry into the race. Besides, it wasn’t that far from my house (30 minutes by train) so I didn’t have to get up too early.
I ran this race last year so I knew what to expect as far as bib pickup, the course, etc. The race offers race day bib pick up which is always appreciated! Just like last year, our bibs, t-shirt and goodies came inside a small pizza box. I just think its so unique and cute! My only complaint is that the race doesn’t offer gear/bag check. Because of this I had to wear the race shirt underneath my zip-up which caused me to overheat during the race.
Pretty soon it was time to go outside and get ready for the start. Since my legs were still extremely sore and fatigued, I treated the race as a recovery run. I was hoping that logging a few miles would make my legs feel better.
Right before the start. Pro Compression socks for the win! |
The course takes place through the streets of Fairfield, CT. Not too much crowd support but the people that did come out to cheer us on were fantastic! It’s a challenging course and it is definitely not flat. I would say there are 2-3 hills and 1-2 inclines. There is one water station at mile 1.5 and it was well stocked with plenty of volunteers. My unofficial finish time was 33:16 – slower than my normal 5K time, and slower than last year’s time, but I was happy that I was able to make the last mile my fastest! I also didn’t stop to walk even though my quads were on fire. All in all, a good race and I’ll probably be back next year as long as it doesn’t fall on the same day as the NYC Marathon.
The post race festival is so good! As I mentioned before, they have free beer and pizza available, as well as bottled water. This year they also offered cotton candy for the kids and post-race massages for runners. More importantly, Orangetheory Fitness had a table set up at the festival and they told me that they are planning on opening a facility in Norwalk, CT next year! This makes me very happy since that’s only a 15 minute drive from my house. I’ve been wanting to try them forever!
After the race I took the train back home and then proceeded to be all about stretching, foam rolling and PRO Compression socks for the rest of the afternoon!
My attempt at a post-race selfie |
Stripes on Stripes |
How was your weekend? Did you race?
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama says
Great Job!! I absolutely loved Trenton last year, you guys were extra lucky because it was at least 20 degrees colder last year!! It was like 35 at the start….bananas. Great job on a weekend of racing!!
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much Nellie! We really couldn't beat the awesome weather!
Annmarie L says
You're such a rock star running two races in one weekend! This one sounds fun, love that they have free beer and pizza!
kookyrunner says
It's such an awesome race! It's a hard course with the hills but the pizza and beer at the end makes everything worth it!