Hi there! Remember me?
I missed you. Well, not really. Work has been VERY busy in 2013 and not training for a marathon has given me all the time in the world for a pretty full social agenda. A marathon-less life means you can travel to see family on the west coast, eat drink and be merry over the holidays, and celebrate turning “quarter life plus one” surrounded by an amazing group of family and friends.
During (most) of this time, I was still running. I made workouts and usually completed them. This weekend the NYC Half marked my return to running in 2013.
The NYC half is without a doubt my FAVORITE race. The energy running through the city is like nothing else. Wait, I’m sure it’s like the marathon but we all know that I can’t comment on that…YET!
All week I went back and forth debating a race plan for Sunday. Part of me wanted to set out for a PR but another part of me wanted to just have fun and enjoy the race. I had a ton of girlfriends running it, one of which being my most dedicated training partner M. It was her 3rd half marathon and we trained together for weeks in preparation.
By Thursday I made my decision. My training for this race was decent but not stellar. I really didn’t know if I was in the shape physically or mentally to break my time from Philly last year (1:48:19). At that point I had been full-fledged marathon training and we all know that I overdid it on the course. I didn’t know if I really cared enough to push myself to that point on Sunday.
In the end, I decided that I wanted to share this fabulous race with an even more fabulous friend. I’ve had a lot of great race karma in my years of running so I wanted to pay it forward. I was going to stay with M the whole race to offer any support she needed. I think I was also a little bit relieved to be taking the pressure off myself.
After deciding this race was for fun and not for time, my days leading up the race were very different than my usual pre-race preparation. I skipped Friday’s last training run for a girls’ dinner at Penelope and ordered an entrée at dinner on Saturday night that was actually served inside a block of cheese. So much for no dairy on race eve!
Sunday morning my alarm went off at 5am and I threw together an outfit that incorporated some form of green. I love my all black everything race outfits but in the spirit of my heritage’s holiday I had to change things up. After a Cliff bar and coffee, it was time to be dragged uptown to find friends and jump in corrals.
Fun fact… The weather was maybe 30 degrees and felt like the low 20s. The corrals were crowded with bundled up runners ready to start running in an attempt to warm up. We did start running but unfortunately the “warm up” part came much later than any of us wanted.
Miles 1 - 2: Holy mother it was freezing. I couldn’t really feel my feet and hoped that my body would warm up… eventually? I didn’t feel fresh but didn’t know if it was from Saturday’s dinner or the bitter cold. I told M that I was running with her even though she asked me at every other step to run ahead.
Miles 3 - 4: Hello Harlem Hill. M and I got separated after she had a mildly traumatic iPhone mishap right at mile 3 so I darted up the hill to get it over with. I called her phone until she finally picked up. I told her that I was at the top waiting for her. She told me to go on but no such luck sister, she was stuck with me. I found her at the top and we kept going.
Miles 5 - 6 : The Sister Hills. Harlem and Cat Hill are a pain but the three “sister” hills on the west side of Central Park aren’t really a piece of cake. I could run the loop of Central Park with my eyes closed but it doesn’t make it any easier.
Once the end of the park was in sight we were ready for the fun to begin. “Empire State of Mind” came on my iPhone right as I was entering Times Square and I didn’t even plan it this year! Last year I might have turned it on, don’t judge. M really enjoyed the change to a flat course and my paparazzi skills mid-run.
Mile 7: Bright lights and lots of people! This might be the only day that I absolutely LOVE Times Square!
Miles 8 - 11: We left Times Square on 42nd Street and headed to the West Side Highway for the remainder of the race. The wind hit us briefly and I regretted ditching my gloves 2 miles back. Once we were on the highway it was SUPER flat and the weather was starting to warm up.
Mile 7: Bright lights and lots of people! This might be the only day that I absolutely LOVE Times Square!
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| Oh hi Times Square! |
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| Hi M! |
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| Just being 16 and taking selfies |
Miles 8 - 11: We left Times Square on 42nd Street and headed to the West Side Highway for the remainder of the race. The wind hit us briefly and I regretted ditching my gloves 2 miles back. Once we were on the highway it was SUPER flat and the weather was starting to warm up.
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| NYC Half. There's no race like it. |
This year I also noticed a huge increase in crowd support and excitement along the West Side Highway. This was the point in the race where I started having a lot of fun. The endorphins kicked in and I was entirely too peppy for M to handle. Luckily, she didn’t trip me as I kept running with her.
Mile 12: I took out my headphones to take in the energy and excitement as we neared the end of the race and entered Battery Tunnel. I absolutely LOVED this part of the race although I know some others didn’t feel the same. I knew how long the tunnel would last but unfortunately others, like M, didn’t love it as much. Once we exited the tunnel we were in the home stretch with roughly .5 to go. The sun was shining and streets were lined with tons of people cheering all of us all on.
Mile 13: SPRINT! I don’t even remember seeing the mile 13 marker because once I saw FINISH it was game time.
M crossed the finish line right after me and it took her some time to recover. We caught up with her parents, took a few post-race pictures, and then made our way to the nearest bar. I love running a race but celebrating post-finish sometimes is the best part.
We headed to Stone Street to catch up with fellow runners and super supportive friends. I definitely still felt the endorphins and finally M began to feel like herself again. I actually overheard her saying she wanted to do the race again next year which was just slightly different than the comments she had moments after the finish.
We headed to Stone Street to catch up with fellow runners and super supportive friends. I definitely still felt the endorphins and finally M began to feel like herself again. I actually overheard her saying she wanted to do the race again next year which was just slightly different than the comments she had moments after the finish.
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| Post-Race celebrations & hydration |
I 100% recommend the NYC Half to any runners and non-runners that have an affinity for or live in NYC. It's the best!
This race was the perfect way to kick off 2013. I feel like I remembered what I love about running and it got me excited to see what this year holds. I am strangely looking forward to start marathon training again and can’t wait to take a trip to DC for my first Nike race next month.
“I love waking up rested and ready to meet the new year in the finest way possible - running into it.”- Kristin Armstrong, Mile Markers blog, Runner's World.com
I have a good amount of work to do in the next few weeks on my running and overall fitness. The Nike Women’s DC Half appears to be a flat course and my mind is set on a PR. I loved everything about my NYC Half experience this year but I am itching to push myself and see what I can take on next. I think I needed this break from running and PR reaching to get fired up. Game on.
I’ve had a hard time creating a good running playlist this year but think Sunday’s was a good start. I’m going to start with the NYC Half and add on some new tunes for DC. If I am going to set out for a killer time, I'll need the perfect soundtrack for the course and self-torture.
*NYC HALF 2013 PLAYLIST*
1- Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
2- I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) – Icona Pop
3- Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera)- Pitbull
4- We Found Love (Glee Cast Version) – Glee Cast
5- Starships- Nicki Minaj
6- Don’t You Worry Child- Swedish House Mafia
7- Collide- Leona Lewis & Avicii
8- Mirrors – Justin Timberlake
9- Empire State of Mind (feat Alicia Keys)- Jay- Z
10- Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz)- Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis
11- Brokenhearted- Karmin
12- Raise Your Glass- Pink
13- Die Young – Ke$ha
14- Cinema (Skrillex Remix)- Benny Benassi
15- We Found Love (feat Calvin Harris)- Rihanna
16- Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)- Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
17- Firework- Katy Perry
18- You Can Call Me Al- Paul Simon
19- Dog Days Are Over- Florence + The Machine
20- Use Your Love- Katy Perry
Lastly, I will leave you with this video. Thank me later...
When will we meet or talk again? Soon my friends, very soon. LA’s sneakers are back in action.
Lots of love and laughs!
xoxo
LA
LA
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