Philadelphia Marathon Race Recap

Last Sunday, I ran my second marathon.

Keith and I headed down on Friday afternoon to check out Philadelphia and the expo. We got the requisite cheesesteaks, and I picked up my bib and t-shirt at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

The expo was a runner nerd’s dream – lots of arm sleeves and tech tees for sale. The Convention Center was right near the Liberty Bell, so we took a stroll and did a bit of sightseeing.

Sneaking a pic with our first prez.

A man we did not know.  

On Saturday, we hung out with my family and had an awesome carb-loading dinner, courtesy of Mama Wyman. After some amazing chicken parm and cookies, Keith and I headed to the Aloft Hotel by the Philadelphia Airport. We settled in for the night, and I tried my hardest to go to bed early (with absolutely no luck). And what seemed like 20 minutes later, my alarm went off at 4:30AM.

Keith offered to drive me to the start, along with my cousins Pat and Sean, who were also running the race. We did some porta-pottying, and before we knew it, we hopped in the corrals and started to run.

Pat and Sean!
Notice my beautiful Wal-mart throwaway hoodie.

Sean and Pat were looking to finish in under 4 hours, so I decided to start with them and see how I felt. For the first 7 miles, I felt really good, and was able to hang with them. My legs felt strong and I just took in the sights and sounds of the race.

Bros being bros.

We started the race around a 9:40/9:30 pace, and then the boys sped up closer to a 9:00 pace, which felt a little fast for me.  Deep down I was hoping I might break 4:00 hours, I knew by mile 7 that this wasn’t the race to do it in. I didn’t want to kill myself and not enjoy this race, so I dialed it back, and let my cousins go ahead.

At about mile 8, I noticed a little bit of pain on the outside of my right knee. It was really foreign to me – I haven’t had pain in that spot since last winter, and didn’t experience pain in any of my recent long runs. I tried to shrug it off.

Around mile 10, I heard some house music in the distance. There were some amazing spectators lined up on the side of the course, dressed up in costume, just dancing along to the music.

A unicorn! And some neon guy!

By mile 12, the pain in the outside of my knee was getting worse. I tried saying a mantra to myself with each step: “Go…away…” It didn’t really seem to be working, but I kept trying anyway.

At mile 13, we split from the half-marathoners, which was not as terrible as I thought it would be. I felt kind of awesome for being a full-marathoner, and the psychological part of having to run another 13 miles didn’t really bother me. Plus I saw Keith right after the split, which was a huge boost.

After a quick hug and kiss, he told me my parents were waiting for me at mile 17. I ran off, and put on my iPod. The pain in my knee was spreading up to my quads and hip, and by the 14^th mile, I was in a lot of pain. I had a short pity session for myself, wondering how I was going to run another 12 miles with my right leg the way it was feeling. I decided to text my family mid-run, asking if they could have Motrin ready for me when I saw them. I somehow got through the next three miles, which was a huge, painful blur.

At the 17 marker, I took out my earbuds and looked for my family. All of a sudden, I heard loud screaming – “KAAATE!!!” Everyone - runners and spectators alike, turned their heads to see who was yelling. It was my amazing family.

Teary-eyed at mile 17.

I started to cry, seeing my mom, dad and sister screaming and jumping for me. It couldn’t have come at a better moment, because I was so down on myself, and my right leg felt useless. They handed me some Motrin, I gave them hugs, and kept going.

Slowly but surely, the pain disappeared from my leg. Miles 17-20 felt really hard, but I had a feeling that I would start to feel better. Also, as a side note on the race, I wasn’t a huge fan of the out-and-back course. During Miles 13-20, you run out to a suburb in Philly called Manayunk, and on the opposite side of the course, you get to watch faster (and presumably more trained) runners already on their way to the finish line. It seemed like the final turnaround point would never come.

Random shot of me at mile 13...

About 200 yards from the final point of the race, I saw my two cousins come up behind me. I was SO HAPPY to see them. I was really confused why they were there, and realized that I had just passed them. They were the running angels I needed at that point, and seeing them made all of the pain vanish from my leg.

By mile 21, I was running a few feet in front of them, and they waved me to keep going on without them. Shortly after, I saw my family for the last time, and I felt like I was running a completely different race.

My amazing sister.

Papa Wyman.

I realized at this point, that I would be in pain no matter what, and I might as well finish strong. I started to dedicate songs on my playlist in the last few miles to my favorite people in the world. During Melissa Ethridge’s “I’m the only one,” I pictured Kelly and me belting out the words together as kids, and silently thanked her for all of her amazing cheer-leading during the race. “Uptown Girl” reminded me of car rides with my parents, and I thought of all the support and love they give me when I need it most. During the Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy,” I thought of Keith and his unending words of kindness when I’m super stressed or nervous about running (and life).

I ripped out my headphones at mile 25, and I wanted to remember and enjoy the last mile of my race. The spectators lining the course became more crowded, and I heard perfect strangers cheering me on, whether they were calling me a runner, by my name, or by the animal print I was wearing.

My last fan was close to mile 26, where Keith was ready with a Gatorade in case I needed it. I gave him a quick hug, and ran off towards the finish.

Feeling groovy.

Judging by the pace bracelet I got at the expo, I knew by the last few miles that I could make it in under 4:15. I was feeling really strong the last few miles, and I wondered if I could even get in under 4:10. I knew it would be close, but I wanted to give it my all. I hit mile 26 at a 9:09 pace, which was the fastest pace I saw since Mile 12. I broke off at a sprint with .2 miles left, and I wanted to give the spectators what they came to see – nutjob marathoners giving it their all when they had nothing left to give.

And after a roller coaster of a race, I finally crossed that finish line in 4:09:38.

I was beaming, so happy that I finished well. One of my favorite things about this race was the post-finish treats – I became cold really quickly, and they had hot, salty chicken broth ready for the finishers. They also had a short line for the post-race massages, which I gladly waited in to have a brave girl work out the kinks in my legs. 

One happy, sweaty family!

My Keith!

I met up with my family, and gabbed about the race. Then Kelly, Keith and I went to a restaurant called The Pub that my friend Meggie recommended. It was a crazy German beer hall-type place, that made us all feel like we were in the Twilight Zone. We clearly got burgers and beer.

The Pub's beautiful decorations.

Ralph the Reindeer - Keith's win from the claw
machine at the Pub.
Still out for debate whether he's a reindeer or a moose.

Final thoughts on the Philly Marathon - It was an awesome race. Doing a really big race was a nice change from last year, because I was always surrounded by other runners and endearing spectators (fan fave was a guy dressed up as a sumo wrestler, holding a sign that said "If you stop running, I will eat you.") The course itself was pretty flat, except for a few hills in the beginning of the race that I didn't really notice. As I said earlier, I didn't love the out-and-back setup. The first 13 miles were really scenic and fun, but the last 13 added on a psychological element of seeing people much faster than you about to finish. 

I am really happy with my time - I tried not to think about it too much during training, since my knee injury in the summer definitely set me back a bit. But when it comes down to it, I set a PR by 23 minutes and I couldn't be more proud of that. I have my whole life to beat that dreaded 4:00 mark.

Lastly, I felt so blessed to have been surrounded by my family for this marathon. They were the ones that kept me going when I wanted to give up.  I'll be the first to admit that standing in the cold for four hours on a Sunday morning is the opposite of fun, yet the fact that they were so enthusiastic and had so many good things to say about the race made me so happy. What an amazing day.

Brooklyn Half-Marathon Race Recap

After training for 12 weeks, the day finally came. I ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, and it was awesome.

As I’ve said before, last year’s race was quite terrible, and it taught me a lot about running (like how running on a treadmill is nothing like running outside. You heard it first from me). I was undertrained and unprepared for 13.1 miles of pavement, and almost swore off running because of it. But this year’s race was a completely different experience for me.

I trained for the half using Hal Higdon’s intermediate training schedule, which had me running a lot. There were speedwork sessions, tempo runs, easy runs, pace runs and long runs. I became accustomed to running faster and longer, and really tested my legs. I felt confident that I would be able to run this year’s race faster than the debacle of 2011, but I didn’t know what race day would bring.

I spent Friday drinking a lot of water. And I mean a lot. So much I had water belly. After doing a bit of research after last year’s race, I realized I had all of the symptoms of dehydration. I didn’t want to take any chances this year.

Friday night, I headed to Jillian’s apartment, where fellow racers and I carbed up on gnocchi, penne, garlic bread and cookies. I also brought some colorful Macarons from Cookie Road in Greenpoint, which were a hit.

How can you not love macarons from a place called Cookie Road?

I followed my little routine the night before a race – pinned my bib on my shirt, put my clif shot in my running capris, threw in a change of clothes in a bag, and chugged some Gatorade. I was all ready to fall asleep and dream of happy running things… when I heard a really loud bass sound in my apartment. After some investigating, I realized the apartment below mine was having a party. Awesome.

I became nervous and mad. Of all nights! So I tried putting my headphones in to fall asleep to J.K. Rowling, and eventually dozed off around 12:30AM. And when I felt like my head had just hit the pillow, my alarm woke me up at 4:50AM.

I went the stress-free route of taking a cab to the start of the race, where I could happily munch on my breakfast and Vita Coco and not worry about getting there late. I got to the start at 6:00AM on the dot just like NYRR told me to, and the nervous knots in my stomach showed up.

Grand Army Plaza!
It's way too early for exclamation points.

This year’s race seemed to be a lot more organized – either that, or the man with the microphone by the porta potties was on a power trip. I knew exactly when I needed to drop off my bag, get in line for the toilets, and finally, when to head to the corrals. I am good at following directions.

Lotta potties.

For most of the other NYRR races I’ve done, I’m in the corrals for about five minutes max. On Saturday, it was closer to 20 minutes. I was getting a little claustrophobic as the guy stretching next to me had serious spacial-awareness issues, but it wasn’t anything a little iPod mixing couldn’t fix (no classic corral pic this time – I was a minimalist and only carried with me my clif shot, credit card, and a twenty. I roll deep). Before I knew it, we were off.

Courtesy of NYRR
I WILL make it into one of their photo albums someday 

Even though I stopped at the porta potties before the race, all the day drinking on Friday must have really filled me up. During Mile 1, I realized I already had to go again. I am cursed with a small bladder.

I clocked in Mile 1 at 8:07, and I told myself to slooow down. The first few miles of the course were completely unfamiliar to me, so I was trying to gauge my pace against the terrain as best I could. I located a string of porta potties at around mile 1.5 that didn’t have a huge line, and told myself that adding 60 seconds to my time was inconsequential to the whole race (last year, I had a full bladder around Mile 8 but I didn't stop and it was unpleasant. I learn from my mistakes). The pit stop thus explains the outlier pace at Mile 2: 9:37.

My legs didn’t feel so great between miles 3-5, which I told myself was just a result of my body warming-up. I was feeling worried and was still trying to find my stride, but I reminded myself that I had looked forward to this moment for three months. After a little self-pep talk, I started to feel really great.

We hit Prospect Park, and I was hovering around an 8:20 pace. But then I got to Mile 7, at the end of the Prospect Park loop, and I was hitting an 8:04 pace... and feeling good. What was happening??


This was when I really started to enjoy the race. I was trying to see how fast I could maintain my pace but still feel OK. I downed my vanilla clif shot as I headed out of the park, and prepared myself for the sunny and widely-dreaded straightaway to Coney Island.

This is pretty much what the entire straightaway looked like.

I loaded the end of my playlist strategically with my favorite upbeat songs (I gauge whether a race is a success based on how much I lip sync on the course). The miles seemed to fly by, and I was really enjoying myself. Before I knew it, I hit Mile 11, and I tried to pick up the pace for the last two miles. 


With a huge smile on my face, I made it to the Coney Island Boardwalk, where I spotted my parents and got a rush of happiness that carried me across the finish line. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like collapsing. I just wanted to get to my family so I could celebrate.

Splits that pleasantly surprised me.

I was really happy with my time. I PR'd by 10 minutes, and beat by goal pace by 15 seconds. I didn't stop smiling all day.

I made my way to meet my parents and Keith at Nathan's, where we laughed and downed hot dogs, fries and most importantly, beer.

How freakin' cute are they

My Keith!

Aside from wanting to be able to complete the race without being in all-consuming pain, my main reason for wanting to be hydrated and well-trained was so that I could enjoy the end of race treats that I missed out on last year. Success.

UAE Healthy Kidney 10K Race Recap

Let me preface this post by saying that I really hope the ING New York City Marathon is as life-changing as everyone says it is. It was absolutely my own choice to do the guaranteed entry 9+1 program, but it has become... exhausting (9+1 program breakdown: Run 9 New York Road Races + Volunteer for 1 race in a calendar year = Guaranteed Entry into the following year’s NYC Marathon). In theory, running nine races does not seem like a whole lot, but in practice, it truly is.

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about my aggressive 5 races in 5 weekends schedule, and I have knocked down four of them. That’s four 5:30-6:00AM weekend wakeups, four banana and peanut butter English muffin sandwiches, and four playlists with One Direction's timeless song. It’s a good thing I’m a gal who knows how to get a lot of sleep.

Saturday morning was the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park. I came pretty close to bailing, but I realized I would just be delaying the inevitable. Postponing Saturday’s race would mean another $20 down the drain and an early morning wakeup sometime later in the year. So I got up, quite begrudgingly.

Queensboro Bridge, you ain't so bad

The weather was beautiful – which meant I had a lot more runners and bikers around to keep things interesting. My legs felt great as I maintained an easy pace, and as usual, I was happy that I decided to wake my cranky self up after all.

Nice 'n easy.

I made it to Central Park with about 4 ½ miles under my belt. I caught up with my favorite fellow 9+1ers, and then made my way to my corral. The race had a $25,000 prize for the first finisher, and the Men’s 2012 Olympic Marathon Team ran the race! No wonder mad peeps turned up.

Typical pre-race pic
Trying to include all 7,918 of us

I noticed I was a little thirsty by the time I got to Central Park, but I shook it off and figured I could gulp some water on the course. In hindsight, I should have picked up a Gatorade to carry with me. It would have been my BFF during the race’s miserable course.

The 10k was a clockwise tour of Central Park’s outer loop. The four-mile course I’m accustomed to in the Park has rolling hills, but it’s nothing a pair of semi-tired legs can’t handle. The 6.2-mile course, however, is a whole other animal.

The hills in the first few miles felt like mountains. The downhills and flat parts of the course didn’t help me recover, nor did they feel easy. I went through the first three miles feeling pretty bad and incredibly thirsty.

By Mile 4, I was really tired. I saw people around me walking up the hills, which was super encouraging… I was hoping to reach my stretch goal of a sub-8:00 pace, but at this point in the race, I told myself to ease the heck up. I knew it was a lofty goal, and one perhaps I could make if I didn’t run 4 ½ miles before the race. But I reminded myself that not every race is supposed to be record-breaking, so I dialed it back and just did the best I could.

Finally by Mile 5, I kept telling myself that I only had two miles left. I used every technique in my repertoire to keep me going – everything from telling myself how well this race would prepare me for the Brooklyn Half, to concentrating on my form. It. Felt. So. Hard.

I quickened my pace in the last mile, because I figured the faster I ran, the faster it would be over. I knew I was spent when I wasn’t able to sprint the last 200M like I normally do. But I went as fast as my tired little legs would take me.

I knew I gave it my all when I nearly collapsed at the finish line (a tad dramatic), and I ended up being really happy with my average pace. For my first 10K race, I gave myself a pat on the back. And rewarded myself with a really yummy nap later on.

After a nice, long shower, I headed home to NJ for Mother’s day. I spent the afternoon running errands with my Dad in Central Jersey suburbia, which is SO much more enjoyable than running errands in the city. You only truly begin to realize how many people live in New York when you’re waiting in line at Duane Reade.

Fresh, inexpensive fruits and veggies.
How I miss you.

My family spent Mother’s Day lounging, and I spent 95% of my time on my parents’ back patio. It was perfect weather again, so I took in as much greenery and fresh air as I could.

Love the toe shot.

This Saturday will be race 5 of 5 in my crazy and stupid spring series – the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. I’m feeling pretty good about the race overall – I know I have put in the training, and this week’s runs will be all about keeping up fitness and not worrying about pace. I know for a fact I will be more successful than last year’s race (if I don’t keel over from dehydration, I will consider it a victory).

I’m hoping to run it in 1:51:00 as my stretch goal – which would be an 8:30 pace. Would I like to go faster? Sure. Will I beat myself up if I don’t make it? No. I have put in the time – and now all I can do is think good thoughts and carbo-load (the latter of which I’m really skilled at). 


I’m hoping that this is an omen of good things to come:

Broad Street Run 10M Race Recap

Lots of fun stuff happened this weekend. Let’s dive right in, shall we?.

Friday night, I went home and headed over to my sister and her boyfriend’s softball game. They are in an adult slow-pitch league, which is full of former athletes and people just looking to have a good time. As a former softball enthusiast myself, I was a bit antsy watching from the sidelines, but they did GREAT and ended up winning. Kelly and Rick are quite the dynamic duo.

How cute is she?

Saturday morning I woke up groggy (this is not unusual), with the BEST surprise ever waiting on the kitchen counter. Papa Wyman picked up bagels from my oh so beloved Bagel Hole. These are the most amazing bagels. Anywhere. I'm not kidding. Drive to Princeton Junction now and try one. Or three.

Yes, that's Mark Harmon's face on a mug.

In the afternoon I went to north Jersey with my parents, where we hit up a rummage sale and got a few “vintage” items (what is the official protocol in calling something vintage? I think this term is used very loosely at rummage sales. Just because something is used does not make it vintage). And as a perfect Saturday afternoon in the Wyman house usually goes, we got a yummy lunch after and ran a few errands. I stocked up on all the TLC I could get.

Jillian invited us to stay at her parents' house the night before the race, so Lauren and I carpooled as she lives a stones’ throw away in Princeton. An amazing dinner was awaiting us, with plenty of carb-loading staples that included pasta & meatballs, garlic bread and lots of cookies. We all went to bed quite full.

Sunday was a typical race morning – a much too early alarm, race day jitters – but it also included a runner’s dream of a breakfast spread, courtesy of Jillian’s family.

Mmm PB and Vita Coco.

In hindsight, we probably should have left a little earlier. 40,000 people + one parking lot = hot mess. We waited about 40 minutes to get off the exit and into the only open parking lot at the finish line, and then had to take the subway up to the start... which took another 20 minutes. The race started at 8:30AM – so it’s a good thing that there were so many dang people, because we were able to hop into a corral that didn’t start the race until 9:00AM. And then we finally began running.

We are awesome.

This was my first race with my brand new GARMIN! (R.I.P. pink timex – you were kind to me). I was so excited to run in a new place, with so many other runners around me. I hit the first two miles at about an 8:15 pace, and then told myself to reel it in. My race day goal was to run at an 8:45 pace, and my stretch goal was an 8:30 pace. I was feeling really strong, so I let the wave of runners sweep me up with them.

Mad peeps.

I hit mile 3 at about an 8:25 pace and tried to keep it up. Though this is pretty uncharacteristic of most races I run, the miles seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, I was at mile 5, and was hitting each mile around an 8:30 pace. And I was feeling great.

I took this while running
Not sure if that kid is judging me,
or just admiring my skillz

There was a fair amount of bobbing and weaving around other runners that I think contributed to the fatigue that hit me around mile 6. I don’t think their corrals were in the least bit scientific, and should have been staggered a bit more. But between my Vanilla-flavored Clif Shot and signs that said “Your Pace or Mine?” along the way, I was able to keep going.

Before I knew it, mile 8 arrived, and my fatigue seemed less intense since I knew I had only two miles to go. More and more spectators lined the sidewalks as we neared the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and I felt my energy level continue to go up. I hit mile 9 at an 8:25 pace, and began to move my legs a bit faster. The end was in site, and I booked it as fast as I could across the finish.

Final Garmin Time: 1:24:05 !

I tried to do the math in my head, and realized that I beat my stretch goal by almost a minute. AWESOME.




Lauren Running Wild - can you please keep blogging?

For all the parking and crowd woes the race had, the swag bag at the end was done well. We were greeted with medals, Gatorade, water, soft pretzels, and a bag full of fruit, granola bars, and other yummy treats.

After the race, and after we finally got out of the parking lot, Lauren and I BBQ hopped around Philly. We stopped by her sister's friend's place first, where I have never been so happy to take a shower and not use a porta potty. Two of my high school friends were also hosting a party at their apartment, and I'm not one to turn down a cold beer after a sweaty run. It was definitely a race worth celebrating.

Lauren and I finally hit the road back to Princeton, feeling like we had lived 3 days in one. Pretty awesome race, with lots of good friends.

Goodbye for now Philly, I'll see you in November!

Run as One 4M Race Recap

Let’s start with the important stuff.

I made Keith cupcakes as a study buddy for his law school finals that start this week (I always found that infinite amounts of Chex Mix and Cherry Coke helped get me through finals in college. Sugar helps you concentrate, it’s been proven). After helping Erin make them last week, I was dying to give them a whirl.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Butter

Sugar

Oreos

Oreo crumbs

Cream cheese frosting (also with butter, sugar, and Oreos)

Oreo half to garnish

Let me know if you need any further instruction on this recipe.

I hit the road early this morning for some mileage before the Run as One 4M Race in Central Park (is this starting to sound familiar?). My alarm went off at 6:35AM, and I shuffled around my apartment until the last possible second. I wasn’t excited for this race, since my favorite running buddies weren’t in attendance, and I knew I’d be doing 10ish miles before brunch was even being served in Brooklyn.

So I begrudgingly did the same route I did last week, childishly groaning during the first mile.

Are you tired of me complaining about my self-imposed early morning miles? I am too!

The run ended up being great. I left my iPod off until the race, and I realized I'm becoming more and more familiar with the route's little quirks (the unforgiving smell by Columbus Circle… the bum who hangs out at 60^th and 3^rd Ave with beverages from Au Bon Pain… where was he today??).

Look at all the cute dogs!!

I got to the race at a little under a 9:00 pace, with just enough time to hit the porta potties and get to the start. I tried to take a picture of myself in the corral, albeit unsuccessfully. I’ll spare you the weird angle and the other runners who are creeping in it, and trust that you can create a mental image yourself.

While I was stomping around my apartment this morning, I was not eager to run the same exact course as last weekend’s Run for the Parks. But after my 6-miles runners’ high, I realized I could use it to my advantage. For the first time ever, I made a race plan. I was most tired during the hills in miles 1 and 3 of last week’s race, so I decided to warm-up a bit during mile 1, pick up the pace during the flat course in mile 2, conserve energy in mile 3, and step on the gas in mile 4.

I surprised myself by the amount of energy for the race. I didn’t need the emergency granola bar I packed in my amphipod, and I was mentally ready to take on the course. So I followed my plan:

Mile 1 was the most tiring – I spent most of my time bobbing and weaving, trying to get into a groove and set my sites on people I could try and race past. I picked up the pace at mile 2 as planned, feeling really good. I dialed it back slightly at mile 3, and booked it during the last mile.

Mile 1: 8:07

Mile 2: 7:27

Mile 3: 7:50

Mile 4: 7:17

Total: 30:41

Avg Pace: 7:41

32 second PR!

I came home, showered, and celebrated by making an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich.

I was dreading the race this morning, and I surprised myself by having a really great run. The 6ish miles I did before the race went by crazy fast, and without an audio book or playlist to distract me. I was totally aware of every muscle ache and incline, and I didn’t feel like keeling over at the finish line. In fact, I felt like I could have kept on going.

These all feel like great omens going into the Broad Street Run next weekend. I'll leave my complaints at home, and enjoy every step of the 10 miles of early morning Philadelphia pavement.

Run for the Parks 4M Recap

I spent Saturday drinking wine at my cousin’s bridal shower and carousing with my gregarious family. As most of my cousins are nearing marrying age, I learned all about what “black-tie optional” means and why it’s a real no-no to have a yellow gold engagement ring.

Kelly and my cuz' Ravan won three "party favors"
Magraths know their wine.

Last night, Keith and I carbo-loaded on yummy Chinese food and beers at our favorite local bar. Beer has carbs, right? Who’s with me?

I was dreading going to sleep in preparation of a super early wake-up time. Rain was on the forecast starting at 4AM, which resulted in a bit of crankiness. So I procrastinated going to bed by doing smart things like pinning my bib on my shirt and making nachos.

5:50 AM came, and there wasn’t a raindrop in sight. Hooray! Admittedly, I was a bit nervous for the run, because I woke up with a rumbly tummy. But I popped a tums, shoveled my favorite pre-run breakfast in my mouth, and hit the road at 6:30AM.

I had a plan to run 6 miles before the race as I had 10 miles on the agenda for the weekend. So I mapped out a nice little route through the BK, Queens, and into Manhattan. I decided to save my iPod for the race, and was surprised to find that at 6:30AM in the city that never sleeps, it was eerily quiet. It was really refreshing to start the day without any noise and be left to my thoughts.

Little photo break at Columbus Circle.

I made my way to Central Park with some time to spare, so I hit up the porta potties and made my way to the green corral. Apparently I wasn’t the only crazy person waking up early on a Sunday to support the Parks.

So many people.
Now leave me alone while I turn on Taylor Swift.

I have never tacked on miles before a race before, let alone 6. I was curious to see how my legs would hold up, and intentionally didn’t race this prestigious 4-miler with any crazy time goal.

I clocked in the first mile at around 8:07, and my legs felt great. Just after the first mile marker, I noticed an aggressive woman in pink passing me. I started to pick up the pace and passed her… and then she passed me… and we repeated this cycle a few times. I have to give her some credit, because I clocked in the second mile at 7:33. And then I began to feel mega tired.

Since I was keeping a pretty good pace for the first two miles, I wondered if it was possible to PR.... The third mile seemed to have all of the hills, so I kept up a moderately fast pace, but I wanted to save my last stores for mile 4.

Mile 3 came in at 8:05, and I knew it was possible to try and get under a sub-8:00 pace. Cue some nice downhills and huffing and puffing, and I beat my previous record by a whopping 11 seconds.

I really felt the fast pace in my lungs, but it wasn’t anything a little post-race bagel and water couldn’t fix. I was proud of myself for finishing a ten-mile run so strong, and now I know I can beast this Brooklyn Half-Marathon that so horribly beasted me last year.

I found Jillian, Lauren, Audra and Brad at the end of the race, but the cold and misty weather made us chilly and ready to go home. But not before we got this scenic shot of Central Park.

All I wanted at this point was a hot shower and my warm bed. I got home just as the first raindrop fell, picked up some coffee, and collapsed in my bed. Looking forward to doing it all again next Sunday for the NYRR Run as One Race...

Happy Sunday!!!