i'm sorry

guys--it's been way too long. i know, i know, i always say that. and to be honest--i'm not sure if anyone will read this blog anymore, or ever actually did. however, i spend about 70% of my day reading other people's running blogs, so i figured i might as well write about my own misadventures in running. maybe someone will find it interesting? if not, it'll still float in cyberspace until the end of time, and when i've forgotten about my first time running a marathon (oh wait i didn't post about that), or anything else in my 20 something life in NYC, i can just find this little gem and reflect. OK. enough. i'm back. 


NYC HALF, March 18, 2012. 

so let's back up to pre-race week. i was on vacation, and headed up to western mass for a few days of R&R. i slept 10 hours a night, did some great shakeout runs around town, and generally had a blast. i made sure to consume numerous important pre-race hot chocolates. with extra marshmallows. 

i also really enjoyed being out of the city, and getting to see the lovely purple mountains i used to take for granted. i also found my first race bib, from a fun run in williamstown in 1993. so glad my mom saved it! 

i headed back to NYC on thursday, ready to head to the expo and pick up my bib.  the expo was not crowded and there were a good amount of booths to weave in and out of. i picked up a 26. 2 magnet for my fridge (since i don't have a car). i felt secretly cool buying a 26. 2 sticker. not gonna lie. 

it was a good expo and i got the usual bib, t-shirt and a few freebies. i am a big fan of the shirts (not really the color or the design, but the actual fit and fabric of the shirt that new york road runners uses is awesome!)

the rest of the weekend was pretty low-key.  saturday night was a feast of thai food, black broad noodles are the best carbs right? after dinner, i set out my stuff for race day. i decided to go with the same outfit that i ran the philadelphia marathon in. the neon arm warmers did not fail me, and they make it easier for friends/family to spot me!

i got up early and had my usually cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and jam. if it ain't broke, then don't fix it, right? it was perfect as usual. i headed from the financial district to the upper west side. it was lovely hopping on the subway at 6:00 am and seeing runners everywhere.  the 2 was running local, and at first i was kind of pissed (i HATE being late), but in retrospect it was probably better that way because it was pretty chilly at the start and i would not have wanted to stand outside any longer than i did. i walked east on 72nd and found my spot in my corral in 5 minutes flat. then, it was time to wait. a guy from book of mormon sang the national anthem which was pretty legit.  the gun went off at 7:30 or so and i passed the start line at 7:47. it was GO time. immediately, i felt like everyone around me was going pretty fast. in most races i've run, it's been too crowded to run any faster than a 10:00 minute mile at first, but this race didn't feel crowded at all,  despite there being 15,000 runners! i took off and felt great throughout the park. the hills were fine and it felt mostly downhill. my splits in the park were: 

MIle 1: 9:25

MIle 2: 8:56

Mile 3: 8:30

Mile 4: 8:46

MIle 5: 8:53

Mile 6: 8:33

finally, it was time to get out of the park. i was kind of excited to run through times square, and i knew the course by heart once we hit 42nd street. my garmin was wonking out due to the buildings, so who knows what my actual splits were for these few miles. honestly though, i felt like i was flying and all i could think was wow, this is the coolest thing ever.  

Mile 7: 9:05

Mile 8: 7:21

my usual running path is up and down the west side highway, so once we got there, i felt good. i kept thinking to myself, i feel good, this is weird, don't bonk. but then, the miles kept ticking by and i still felt great. i think the only part of the course i disliked was going through the tunnel. it was a good half mile underground, in a tunnel, and the air circulation was not great. i wasn't that into it. but after that, we quickly were approaching the finish line and there were so many people there to spectate. it felt really cool. probably even cooler than finishing the marathon for some reason. there's nothing like running new york.  my last splits were: 

Mile 9: 8:25

MIle 10: 8:23

Mile 11: 8:24

Mile 12: 8:02

Mile 13: 9:11

last point one :) 5:51

i finished in 1:53:44!! a full 5 minutes and 3 seconds faster than my old PR (1:58:48). i was shooting for 1:55 but i honestly didn't think i could do it. however, i did. i'm really proud! after weaving and desperately trying to find t and my mom, i did!

not exactly flattering photos, and perhaps i will post more once i have the race photos..the rest of the day entailed brunching at sarabeth's 

and buying myself my favorite orange tulips. i'll pretend they weren't 10.99. 

all in all, it was a great race, a great weekend and i'm happy. can't ask for more than that, right?

xx

ps, if you read this, let me know! :)