At 5:00 this morning I rolled out of bed, toasted a mini bagel, dragged on my clothes, and headed to the subway station still chewing. I didn't think it would take me that long to get to the appointed stop near the starting line, but trains run far less frequently in the mornings, and there are no express trains at that hour. As it was, I ended up sitting on the platform for about 20 minutes before a train arrived, but I made it in plenty of time to check my bag.
The weather this morning was overcast and much cooler - still a tad humid, but not too bad - making this one infinitely more pleasant than Queens. I didn't bring my iPod, thinking I wouldn't need the distraction, and I'm glad it stayed at home. I haven't been hitting training as hard lately because I figured both summer races were going to be lost causes anyway because of the heat, and I regretted that today. My final time, 1:49:40, was five minutes slower than my PR, and I think I could have gotten a lot closer to it if I'd put in the workouts I should have. Nonetheless, it wasn't a terrible performance, and the course was pretty hilly which hurt me as well. I felt great during the first six miles or so and was sort of surprised by how quick my pace was, but I slowed much more than I would have liked for the last four or so miles - not the even performance I try for. The PowerBar gel I swallowed halfway through the race gave me a stomachache as well, making me wish I'd taken the advice I always dish out to other people about never trying anything new on race day.
Notable sights were few, but they included a guy running with a small video camera clipped to the visor of his hat (I wondered who he was going to subject the video to after the race; I love running, but watching a half-marathon from the perspective of a runner promises to be dry material) and a guy sitting at a bus stop, smoking a cigarette and watching the runners go by in a blood-soaked t-shirt. Only in the Bronx...
Rather than a play-by-play of the race - I don't want to be compared to Video Camera Guy - I've decided to report in a different format this time:
What I Like About Racing (in no particular order)
-The electricity in the air before the start and during the first half mile
-Cheering fans
-Fans who offer high fives
-Clever signs and t-shirts to read along the way
-Heading for the starting line from the subway in a tide of other runners; there's an incredible sense of camaraderie, even if I don't talk to anyone
-Looking for the highest/lowest bib numbers - today's were 51 and something in the high 7,000's
-Passing men
-Passing people wearing overly technical running gear or t-shirts that proclaim them finishers of various hardcore competitions like ultra-marathons or Ironman competitions
-Cheering for the first woman runner, who usually laps me somewhere around Mile 4.
-Seeing runners recognize someone they know, either a fan or a fellow runner
-Eavesdropping on other runners' conversations
-Thinking about what I'll write on my blog (really!)
-Finishing
-Sending a text message to a list of family/friends to let them know I'm done
I've got two more races planned: the Diva Half on Long Island and the Staten Island Half, on consecutive weekends in October. Supposedly, Dave's friend Kat wants to run the Diva Half with me, which I will believe when she meets me at the train station the morning of. My chain-smoking Spanish friend wants to train for and run the Staten Island Half with me as well, and based on my performance the last time I tried to run two in a row, I think he may actually be able to stay with me if he puts in any kind of training at all; I've run with him once before, and what he lacks in talent/physical fitness (a lot) he makes up for in stubbornness (even more). I'm looking to go after my PR of 1:44 in Long Island, which is flat and should see cooler weather than my last four races, so I've got a lot of training and excitement to look forward to. The Staten Island race will be notable for another reason, even if my time is slow (which it is likely to be): it will mean that I've met my goal of running a half-marathon in each of the boroughs!
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