For the past few weeks, I have been in a bit of a funk. Nothing major, but I have been feeling a bit burnt out mentally and physically. My legs have been super tired and my energy level has been bad. This is not my natural state. I do think it may be time to get a physical (or at very least clean up my diet a bit more and lay off the mega doses of caffeine to get through the day). That being said, I almost skipped coming out to NY to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I got all in my head about running a slow time and being disappointed. Then, luckily, I decided to chat with some friends in NY and my brother about the trip. I was reminded that, I have so many reasons to come out East and that the race is for fun after all.
I flew out on Thursday and visited Larry and Dan at By Pond Farm (a/k/a my happy place). It was beautiful weather and a day in the country lifted my spirits. I caught up with Larry and Dan, had a great dinner, went for a run and enjoyed farm fresh eggs for breakfast. My boss came out for our one-on-one meeting (she randomly lives 10 miles from him). I then went to have lunch with Mahala in NJ on my way to the city. It was so great to catch up with a dear friend that I do not see often enough.
Then, I went to the city, dropped off my things and met Emily for the Brooklyn Half “Experience” (a/k/a number pick up). It was a ton of fun to catch up with Emily. You may remember, last Brooklyn Half was Emily’s first! She was back again with a goal to break 2 hours [spoiler alert – she did it!] We got our number and Lola’s kid race bib. She was running her first mile race [spoiler alert – she loved it and she got a medal!] We walked through our old ‘hood and checked out what was new (and old) and went by our old apartment. It is covered in scaffolding for tuckpointing. I also saw that a picture I bought in the ’90s was still hanging there. Funny! Afterwards, I went to meet Marie for a pre-race dinner. It was terrific to catch up with her, too.
So, even before the race, the trip was a huge success – filled with friends, family and fun. Race morning was an early start and a subway ride to Prospect Park. They were suggesting getting there very early because of security checks and early baggage close. I got there at 5:40 for a 7:00 start. I ran into Chicago (now NYC) friend Matan and then headed to baggage. I spotted Marie and Andrea right away and we dropped our bags. It was 5:50. We headed through security to the corrals and made it by 6:00 AM. One hour to spare. Better safe than sorry. We relaxed and chatted and caught up with some friends in the corral.
I had very low expectations for the race. My legs have been like lead and my knees have been feeling creaky. Plus, there was some overall malaise that I mentioned in the beginning of the post. I felt fine, so I decided to go by feel. I ran the first 2 miles with Andrea. I was way too fast and I knew it, so I let her go. [She had a great race and finished in 1:33 and change.] I hit the 5K way too fast and pulled back some. The second 5K has a lot of hills so it would have been slower anyway. I focused on pace by feel and I actually felt pretty good. I was feeling strong and positive and was running through various mantras in my head. I’d forgotten how long you are in the park, but was happy with the big downhill before you exit. I got onto Ocean Parkway and was delighted to see I was at mile 8 not mile 7! I got confused! I still felt pretty good, but not great like in the NYC Half. I focused on getting to 15K. My last 5K was slow as a result of running too aggressively in the first 10K. I tried to keep up with people passing and I just couldn’t. That said, I never felt upset or very frustrated like I have in some other races.
I did so much better than I expected. I had concerns before the race that it could be a personal worst for that course and a lot of “what ifs” going through my head. I didn’t realize how much I slowed down in the last 5K and was surprised that I was not a bit faster. That said, I finished in 1:43.02 (7:52 pace) with a smile on my face having run much better than I expected to and encouraged runners along the way. I beat the mental “suck monkey” as Marcia likes to say. This was 5+ minutes slower than last year, but all things considered was a good race for me. I had fun, pushed myself and truly enjoyed the ride.
I met up with my friends, took pics and waited for Emily. It took her 20 minutes to start so I had to wait for her sub 2 result! I hung out with Emily, Seth and the girls for a while and then made the trek back to Manhattan. It is a journey but it’s worth it.
I spent the day with Kathy and the boys and then celebrated her birthday with her friends. We had so many laughs (and too many drinks!) Today, I will see a bunch of friends in the morning for an easy run and coffee and then another friend for lunch before heading back to NYC.
I’m so happy that I came – sometimes it’s about the journey and not the outcome. This weekend lifted my spirits and left me feeling loved and grateful.
Hope you had a great weekend, too!