Did you know that Delaware was the 1st state? I didn’t until this weekend. I mean, someone probably taught me that at some point in elementary school but that fun fact must have slipped my mind.

I flew into Philadelphia yesterday and then drove to Delaware. It’s right next to PA, but it took two hours to get to Rehoboth Beach. Another fun fact about Delaware- the speed limits are slow. Like really slow.

On the way I drove past by Dover Air Force Base which was cool. I saw quite a few military planes taking off and landing.

Another really cool thing about Delaware- no sales tax! Big big fan of this. Like a $2 Diet Dr. Pepper is $2! Mind blown.

When I arrived in Rehoboth Beach I went straight to packet pickup. It was a tent outside and it was super cold so I just grabbed my stuff, and then went straight to my hotel. I door dashed some food and relaxed, which was nice.

This morning I woke up and checked the temp. Real Feel – 19 degrees. 🥶 Stupid cold.

So, I bundled up as much as I possibly could. Hat, neck gaiter, long sleeve shirt, vest, hoody, fleece lined leggings, tall socks (to be warm, not to steal the style of Generation Alpha). Oh, and hot hands.

I went into this race just planning to get to the finish line as best I could. I had my MRI this past week and am meeting with my doctor on Thursday to discuss the results. I got the lab report back but it was a bunch of medical jargon and when I asked google it suggested everything from physical therapy to surgery- so waiting for someone with an actual professional doctorate to give me a recommendation. Until then, I’m just minding the pain.

The race started at the end of a boardwalk with a Christmas tree. Not much fuss, all of a sudden people just started running.

Part of the route was along the beach, that was my favorite part.

After the beach the course went into some woods.

It was more like trail running, although flat, but it did have lots of rocks. I know that because I tripped on them and ate it.

My time wasn’t anything special, but I got the job done. Luckily I had parked right by the finish line, so I grabbed my medal and some food, and then quickly got into the car and cranked the heat up to hotter than summer in the Sahara desert. I then trucked it to my hotel where I tried to scald feeling back into my fingers and toes with the hottest shower I’ve ever taken.

After I got feeling back in my extremities, I did some shopping and then grabbed an early dinner (Mexican food and a margarita, my favorite).

Overall I’ve enjoyed my time here, other than the extreme cold. Definitely won’t be retiring to Delaware, but would come back to take advantage of some tax free shopping. I head back in the morning.

I’m waiting on my doctor’s recommendation before planning out my races for next year, but really hoping to be finished with all 50 states by the end of 2025. Fingers crossed!