Cox Providence Rhode Race - the northern miles

On May 6th I am going to be standing in front of The Rhode Island Foundation waiting to start my first full marathon with the the Cox Providence Rhode Races folks.  Hopefully the weather will be like it was yesterday, okay maybe 2-3 degrees warmer with a little less wind.

Downtown Providence near the start line.  The building is part of the old train station.

Mile 2.5 in the marathon (mile 10 on my run yesterday).
Whole Foods was a great place to use the facilities and refill my bottle.
 Spectators on race day can grab a morning bite here before the marathoners head to East Providence
and the 1/2 marathoners head up the East Side.

Looking across the cove at the Metacomet Country Club at mile 5.5.

Beautiful Bullocks Cove at mile 10.5.  At low tied you can see the hulls of 3 boats from years gone by.

At mile 20.25 I was met with this sign!
I had stopped to chat with some workers on the East Bay Bike Path about a mile before the sign.  I asked them if the EBBP would be open again in time for the Coxs Marathon.  They indicated that the construction was now scheduled to be finished in mid-May and the marathon was being rerouted on the Veterans Memorial Parkway both coming and going.  The sign seemed to confirm what they said. 

At mile 24 we head across the Washington Bridge back into Providence.
The Brown University boathouse is down there on the water.

Coming off the west end of the Washington Bridge there are stairs and a bike ramp leading down to street level.

India Point Park is near the base of the bridge on the route out and back for both the full and the half...and yes that is a playground in the picture.  Looks like their is a water and Gatorade stop near it.

At mile 25.25 we head under the I-Way bridge for I-195.
They managed to make the new bridge very decorative.

Downtown Providence here we come!  

The Courthouse is set into the Benefit Street hillside.  Get ready to turn left and finish this thing!

We crossed the finish line and there is the skating rink all filled with beverages and snacks.
Now we just need to get down another flight of stairs to get to it!
There are some viewing bleachers on the left there to kick back and recover on.

So those are the photos I took yesterday on my 18.25 mile run.  I was entirely on the marathon course.  I just started mid-course and had to resort the photos.  I arrived downtown at lunchtime.  It was kind of crazy  seeing everyone all bundled up against the mid to high 50s wind.  I was running in my Nuu-Muu dress and already had my long sleeve shirt tied around my waist.  I ran will all of my food stuff (Margarita Clif Shot Blocks & and a Luna bar) in my dress pockets and my phone in my water bottle pouch so it was easy to take pictures.  I decided I am NOT wearing my Jockey skimmies and will be wearing my regular compression shorts under my running dress.  I also familiarized myself with where I need more anti-chaffing gel.  All in all I think I have this marathon planning under control.  I am going to get at least one more long run in.  Maybe I will even run the course from the top.  Hopefully the race course will be officially adjusted to account for the continued construction.  Jumping a bridge that is out on the bike path is not what I want to be doing between miles 21-23.