Saturday, March 21, 2015

New York City Half Marathon

Last weekend I raced in the NYC Half Marathon. It is one of the three biggest races I have been in.  I went down on Friday and made a 3 day weekend of it.  Love NYC and I hadn't been in awhile so it was great.

I arrived with my friend early on Friday.  We left stuff at the hotel which was right in Times Square and headed off to the expo.  The expo was good although it wasn't as big as I thought it would be.  I got a couple of shirts that I liked a lot and a new waist pack.  One of the shirts has the race course on the back in case I forget where I ran.

Then we became tourists by first going to the top of the Empire State Building. I have been up a couple of times but it was a clear day and there were no crowds and no lines!
Then we played near the jumbo tron (???) in Times Square for the Revlon Ad.  You keep showing up and it is addictive to try and get the best picture. It was hard! Here are a couple of the tries. I have the hood on.



We ended up at the ticket booth getting tickets for a show Friday night even though we were already going Saturday night.  We got tickets for If Then with Idina Menzel (did I get that right?) which is ending soon. It was superb. I enjoyed it so much!  Saturday night we saw Aladdin and IMO you can't go wrong with Disney on Broadway.  



Saturday we spent a lot of time trying to figure out where the race was ending and where to meet.

 I don't like that this race didn't have a family meet up area.  Sat. was rainy and cold so trudging around trying to figure this out was a pain. Then we went to just below Central Park to hit up F.A.O Schwartz, the Apple store and Nike. We also went to the Public Library which has the most fun store.  I was exhausted and ready to go back and rest before the show.  

I must admit I was nervous about getting to the race in the morning.  I changed my mind several times about how I would get there but ended up going up very early. I took the Metro and got off not quite where I should have but it all worked out.
I was in wave 3 which was the last wave to start. It was much colder than predicted so I did not have the clothes I wished I had.  It was cold waiting and I never took off my throw away top.  Once I was ready to I thought about hitting the windy road along the river and decided to keep it on. Smart move!


Once we began I was finally running through Central Park which has been on my bucket list for so long!  I was in heaven.  There were 20,000 runners in the race but it truly wasn't too crowded.  We ran through CP for a few miles and yes it was hilly.  Then we went into Harlem for an out and back before going back into CP.

When we were going back through CP I spotted the only person I know from NYC. It was Ali (the one who blogs) and I have only met her once. But I yelled to her and told her I was Emily's mom and she went crazy.  She was spectating and cheering on runners. Her enthusiasm left a smile on my face for several miles.  Then we left Central Park. I was looking for a bathroom without lines and shortly after we left I found one. Score.

Then it was up 7th Avenue on the way to Times Square which was incredible.  I loved this the most by far which surprised me because I thought Central Park would be my favorite. But Times Square with no traffic and people cheering you on......epic!

We turned and ran down 42nd Street which was great.

I was not running fast but I had a pace I wanted to maintain.  My long runs had been so so so slow that I was a bit worried.  I had been running a mile and walking a minute and had planned to do this during the race but I felt so good I didn't.  I have been having a lot of trouble with my knee but it didn't bother me at all during the race.  It was going to be a very tight time getting back to the hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport. I had this in the back of my mind throughout the race.

Then we turned onto the West Side Highway which runs along the Hudson. It was open and windy but I was okay.  I loved all of the course.  We went through a tunnel which was pretty cool.  This is a picture of coming out of the tunnel.

I thought I was still doing well but my last mile was slow.  


I did finish in the time I wanted, somehow met up with my friend and then we took the Metro back. I was freezing and sore.  Stairs were a problem.  The worst part was the walk back outside in the wind to the hotel.  We got back and thankfully there was time to change before the shuttle got there. I made it by about 10 minutes.  

Then it was a long day at the airport but our flight wasn't canceled although that was in some question.  

Overall I loved this race. I wouldn't do it again (probably).  It was expensive and there are lots of races out there. Next year I 'd like to do the half in DC that is the same weekend. Plus the race is on a Saturday which would be more relaxing.  I'm glad I did it though, it was a great weekend.  

My knee has given me a lot of grief since the race. I have not run since. I have a PT and a chiropractic appointment this week (long story).  I am discouraged as I have been working on it for awhile and cut back my training considerably.   It doesn't hurt to run generally but getting up after sitting or sleeping and driving are the worst.  I have two more halves in May.  I don't care about them AS MUCH as this one but I do care.  It's time to heal.  







15 comments:

Laurie said...

I agree, it's time to heal. Don't wait until it's too late or you may be sidelined for awhile. Glad you were able to do the NYC Half. Your pictures were great.

Wendy at Taking the Long Way Home said...

Still, sounds like a really fun weekend. I hope your knee calms down!

Jill said...

I have never been to NYC but if I ever went, I'd love to do a big race there. Maybe when it's a tad warmer though :). I'm glad you had a great time there, I just can't even imagine all the cool things you can do there. I hope your keen calms down soon and you get some much-needed relief.

Amy said...

Very, very cool you got to race in NYC - I loved all the pictures you put up! Did the sky really look that ominous, or did you use a filter?

Bad news about the knee, though. I hope you can figure out what it causing it and get it healed in time for your other halfs. Good luck!

Giorgio said...

I can see that You had a great weekend in NYC, and enjoyed running the half-marathon. Sorry to hear about your knee. You need rest. Take care!

What a beautiful picture of the starting line with that cloudy sky. I love the two pictures which you took while you were running along 7th Avenue on the way to Times Square. Thanks for sharing those pictures of NYC.

Giorgio said...

I can see that You had a great weekend in NYC, and enjoyed running the half-marathon. Sorry to hear about your knee. You need rest. Take care!

What a beautiful picture of the starting line with that cloudy sky. I love the two pictures which you took while you were running along 7th Avenue on the way to Times Square. Thanks for sharing those pictures of NYC.

Darlene said...

Sounds like you had a great weekend. Hope your knee heals soon.

Black Knight said...

I hope your knee gets well soon and you can do all the scheduled workouts.
Glad you could enjoy both the city and the half.
Those clouds look really threatening.
Great photos.

Kathy McGroddy-Goetz said...

Hoping your knee heals up soon - I also got to run the NYC half last Sunday but was in wave 2 - what a fun time! I enjoyed seeing your pictures as I didn't take any along the course - thanks for sharing !

Char said...

I'm glad you got to run it because we get to experience it virtually. Running through Central Park has been something on my bucket list for a while so I'm a bit jealous that you've gotten to do it. It does look like it was really cold. Time to rest up and get that knee feeling better again.

Karen said...

I have never been to NYC but would love to go visit one day. What a great weekend. Sorry about your knee, maybe you need to take a break for a bit? :(

Fran said...

What a special race! It must be so much fun to run in NYC. And how special that with all these people you see one you know, so cool!

Hopefully your knee is better by now.

Christy Ashley said...

I've been keeping an eye out for your recap! I'm glad you had the finish you wanted! I'm also glad to hear that the race wasn't too crowded...I ran it in 2011 and had to walk almost all of Mile 7 because of how crowded it was! I was trying to go sub-2 (which somehow I did) and was devastated that I couldn't get around anyone!

Looks like an awesome weekend! I'm glad you liked If/Then too! It had its World Premiere here in DC and didn't get very good reviews. I know that they put it back into pre-production and changed a lot of the show before sending it to Broadway and now I've heard wonderful thinkgs!

Pahla said...

I just love all those photos! I've never been to New York, and honestly had very little desire to until reading this and seeing all the pics. Maybe during slightly warmer weather, though. :) I sure hope you get some relief with your knee soon!

Michael said...

I am so jealous! I know it will be an expensive trip, but I can't wait until we finally make it to NY!

What wonderful things to do and see.

Heal up soon!! When are you coming to Kansas City for a race?