LauRunning

I ran my first ever race in Maryland at a vineyard with my mom. After a long stretch of hot weather, I appreciated getting a cooler morning for a run. Vineyards: a different type of trail run. Why Bordeleau Vineyards I'm currently in Virginia visiting my mom. One of my mom's friends mentioned a 5k in Maryland that was happening while I was here, and I was intrigued. I've never done a race in the US outside of New Jersey or New York, so I liked the idea of running in a new state. It was both a run and walk, so I ran the 5k, while my mom walked it.  I've called this run Bordeleau Vineyards 5k, but it was technically part of Wine Run 5k. These are 5k events around the country that take place at wine-related location, and you get a glass of wine afterward. I don't drink and am anti-alcohol in general, so this isn't the type of race I'd normally seek out. But this isn't an area with many races, so I jumped at the chance to do one, no matter the theme. The jou...

I got my best 5k race time at a rainy run at MetLife Stadium with my family. Rainy jump. Why Giants 5k My boyfriend, John, is a big New York Giants fan. I was intrigued when I got an email from the Giants about at 5k at MetLife Stadium where they play. The race finished in the end zone, formers players were going to be there - it sounded like a cool thing to do, especially as it fell on our anniversary. My sister, whose husband is also a Giants fan, reached out to me about the race not long after I got the email, as we were scheduled to be visiting her that weekend. We agreed we’d go to the race, and we all ran it, including my young niece who ran the kids race. The weather  This race was wet. In a forecast where pretty much every other day in the lead up to and after the run was sunny, race day was rainy. It wasn’t predicted to rain until the afternoon, but there ended up being frequent showers from the moment we got there. We got our race shirts before the run, and while I wasn’t...

 I ran a 5k in my hometown in incredibly sunny and hot June weather. Jumping American in America. Why NJ Trail Cross Country 5k I like to run races when visiting my family. The Cross Country 5k was the one I came across with the most convenient time and location for my visit. I also liked that it took place in my hometown, though I had never actually been to the park the race was held it. The race The route and conditions The race was held at Central Park of Morris County, which is a big sports complex with fields of every sort. Surrounding the park is a cross country course. The route started in an open field and then went into trails. Most of the race was in the shade, which was very welcome seeing as it was 78F by the end of the race (and this was at night!). The open field at the start of the race. The ankle timer With it being so hot, I wasn't particularly keen on the chip timing for this race. It was a thick band that wrapped around your ankle. I've had ankle chip-timing ...

 I ran a very rainy, muddy, hilly trail 10k at Lewis Morris Park, and it wiped me out. Jumping in my race shirt. Why NJ Winter Trail Series This was the other race I was thinking of doing 2 weeks ago when I did the half marathon at Kittatiny Valley State Park, but I didn't like that the half marathon was 2 loops. It's part of a winter series, so I decided to run the 2nd in the series but only do the 10k. The trails at Lewis Morris Park. A rainy race In a forecast of seemingly endless sunshine, the only day with predicted rain was the day of this race. And rain it did. Luckily, it was only a light rain, but it meant spending most of my pre-start time in my dad's car keeping dry. My dad was the official umbrella holder of this race. The worst race toilets I got an email the day before the race to say there were no porta-potties being brought in for the race. Instead you had to make use of the single porta-potties that are in the various parking lots that are near the course. ...

I did my first trail half marathon at Kittatinny Valley State Park in New Jersey and walked away with an extra medal for finishing 2nd in my gender and age group. First trail half marathon complete. Why Alexa's Thunder Run The day before the half marathon, I was searching for upcoming races I could do in New Jersey while I'm visiting my family. Most were 5k's, but I found 2 trail half marathons for the next day.  I had never done a trail half marathon before, so this seemed like a good opportunity to try one out. I preferred the course for Alexa's Thunder Run because it went by lots of lakes and the course was 1 loop, while the other was 2. Most importantly, I decided to run a half because I've been stuffing my face with food while in the US, so this race was a chance to offset some of the damage. A very cold morning I talked about in my last race recap how I had a very long wait in the cold. This race, I had a shorter wait, but it was much, much colder. It was belo...

15 hours after landing in the US, I ran a 5k trail race where you get a slice of pizza at the end. Off a plane and onto the trails. Why Pizza the Trail I'm in the US with my family for 6 weeks. I of course had to look at what races were happening while I'm visiting. I came across this 5k trail race that had 2 main selling points to me: you get a slice of pizza at the end the course was using (relatively) new trails along the lake I spent my childhood summers at  It was taking place the morning after I was set to arrive in the US. I held off booking thinking maybe racing so soon after a long day of travel wouldn't be the best idea. But I do love racing and it was only a 5k, with pizza, at my favorite place in the US. I felt okay after I landed, so I signed up as soon as I got back from the airport. A long wait in the cold The race website said pack pick-up 8:15am, race start 9:30am. It wasn't clear if that meant pack pick-up FROM 8:15am or AT 8:15am, but I aimed to get t...