The 2022 NYC Marathon

The 2022 NYC marathon – if you followed along at all, you already know that it was a hot day for November in NYC. I think that would be the TL:DR for this race – “It was hot, we felt like death.”

But if you’ve found this race recap, you’re probably looking for something a little more long winded than that simple summary. Before I get into it, let me mention that this post is going to have less photos than my standard recaps, and I apologize in advance for that. Unfortunately, my phone wasn’t very cooperative during this race, as it wound up drenched in sweat, which made it damn near impossible to use.

Race morning started with an early morning alarm, and excitement as I rolled myself out of bed, despite the early hour. I got myself dressed, pulled an (ultimately unnecessary) throwaway layer of clothes over my marathon outfit, and ate breakfast as I waited for my friends to arrive – I had arranged an early morning uber for Mike, Katie, Darren and myself, that would take us to the hotel that our bus to Staten Island would leave from.

As my friends arrived, they were as sleepy and excited as I was, and we piled into the uber as soon as it pulled up to the house. I felt like I needed to pinch myself, race morning had finally arrived. It was about a 45 minute drive to the hotel for the bus, and then an hour of waiting around and taking advantage of real bathrooms before we headed to the land of the porter potty. The morning would basically just be a lot of waiting around, as mike and I weren’t scheduled to start the race until 11:30 – and we had left my house around 5 am.

We met up with a bunch of my friends from Landshark Endurance (formerly known as the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team), and loaded onto the Staten Island busses together, and once we got to the club tent, set up as circle as we organized ourselves before heading into the start village. Darren had hooked us up with folding chairs, which was honestly brilliant of him – I don’t know why I had never thought of it before! Most of the team headed into the start village before Mike, Darren and I, as they had earlier start times, and when we looked around and saw the club area had emptied out, we decided it was time for us to go through security and into the village as well, even though we had another hour and a half to kill before our start time.

The three of us hung out in the start village, grabbed dunkin hats – despite it being already too warm to wear them, and just waited for the booming announcement that the wave 3 corrals were closed. Once it finally boomed over the loud speakers, we headed towards the porter potties one final time before going towards the corrals. There was no line, but there was also no toilet paper. Thankfully another woman saw me checking various stalls and pulled out a roll of TP and offered me some. I love prepared runners.

Once we had all used the bathroom, we began our final preparations with gel placements in our belts and body glide applications. We walked from the orange village to the corrals and lined up at corral b waiting for them to open. I took this opportunity to use the bathroom one last time before starting – I had been drinking so much water in anticipation of the hot weather that I felt like I endlessly had to pee and was hoping I wouldn’t feel that way on course.

As soon as I was out we were able to head into the corral, which was hot with the body heat from all the runners. Around 11:15 they started moving us forward, and out onto the Verrazano for our 11:30 start. The air was electric with nervous energy, as all of the runners prepared to start their 26.2 mile journey. The national anthem was sung, a cannon went off, and the shuffle forward over the start began, as Frank Sinatra’s voice rang out singing “New York, New York.”

Mike, Darren, and I made it to the start line together, but we lost Darren pretty much immediately after that, as he took off across the bridge. Mike and I were all smiles as we took in the excitement of the moment, of finally making it to the start of the NYC marathon together.

The focus of the beginning of the race was to keep a steady pace – I was aiming for about an 11:30, hoping that we could start there and then progress the pace faster later, like we did for our 20 mile long run. It was congested on the bridge, which was a stark difference from the 2021 race, which had a smaller field. But the runners all seemed so happy, and as usual people were climbing up on the middle barriers for selfies, and workers in trucks were blasting music and dancing as runners went by. When we finally made it to the downhill of the bridge, I realized the 5 hour pacer was right near us, and we tucked into their group for a bit.

On the exit of the bridge, a runner directly in front of Mike and I snagged her foot on the road and went down. We stopped to make sure she was ok, and when she got up and kept moving, we did as well. I hope that she went on to have a good race, because it is a tough break to fall in a race, especially that early.

We had lost the pace group, but managed to catch up to them before mile 2…. Only to then loose them around the mile 3 aid station.

As we made our way through Brooklyn, I was glad that I had decided to carry my handheld water bottle for the beginning of the race. I had it filled with liquid IV, since Gatorade tends to bother my stomach, and I wanted to make sure I was taking in enough electrolytes for the warm weather. I still grabbed water at each aid station that we ran through, and Mike and I would split for a second as I ran through and he walked, but then he would pop up beside me again a minute later.

Mentally, I had broken the marathon down into blocks between my spectators. The planned sightings looked like this:

Mile 8 - Dennis (my husband), Jude (mike’s husband), Tommy (my brother) and Sophie.

Mile 8.5 – Michal with the Landshark Endurance team cheering squad

Mile 12 – Jennie and her bother Matt

Mile 14 – My parents

Mile 16 – Dennis, Jude, Tommy and Sophie again

Mile 19 – Carson

Mile 23 – Jennie again

Mile 25 – Tommy and Sophie

Finish line seating – Dennis and Jude

I was so thankful that we would have so much support on course and looked forward to seeing my people at every opportunity. I am 100% the kind of runner that is highly motivated by seeing her people on course.

The first 8 miles were warm, but I was feeling good as we turned onto Atlantic Avenue and started looking for the first group. The crowds were wild at that point, and it brought a smile to my face every time some spotted my shirt and yelled “Happy Birthday!” It really made me feel like the whole world was out there cheering me on.

Tommy, Dennis and Sophie brought out the cat signs that my Mom and I made for the 2021 race, and it made them easy to spot despite the crowds. We pulled to the side and said hello, Mike grabbed his traditional marathon shot off of the poster Jude was holding, I passed off the dunkin hats I had grabbed at ft. Wadsworth and my handheld water bottle, which was empty at that point.

After we left our spectators and started moving forward on the course again, Mike and I started to drift apart as we ran. I don’t wear glasses when I run, so it is often hard for me to identify a face in a crowd, but I was able to spot Mike thanks to the bright orange BibRave cap he had on. He was feeling dehydrated, as we headed into mile 9, which was unfortunately one of the three miles on course that did not have aid stations. I was already kicking myself for passing my handheld water bottle off to Dennis but knew from past experience that if I had kept it, my shoulder would be in pain by the end of the race.

Throughout mile 9 and into mile 10 I kept pulling ahead of Mike, and then struggling to find him in the crowd. Eventually I told him that if he saw me pulling ahead he should call out, or I was going to wind up losing him all together. I felt so relieved when I saw the mile 10 aid station…. But then I saw that there were no cups visible. I kept running further into the station, assuming that later tables would have some, but they never did. And then I realized that people were drinking from jugs of water and Gatorade that volunteers were pouring into runners’ hands or directly into their mouth… can someone please explain to me how on earth NYRR let this happen, on a 75 degree day, after we dealt with a 2+ year pandemic? Despite my disappointment and disgust at the circumstances of this aid stop, I put my hands out and thanked the volunteer that poured water into them. But it was not the aid station that we needed. I hoped that the mile 11 station would be better, but texted Jennie, who would be at mile 12, and asked if she could get us water bottles, just in case.

Mike was feeling even worse after the lackluster aid station, and the gap between the two of us got even bigger as the race went on. Unfortunately, the aid station at mile 11 was even worse than the one at mile 10, as all of the bottles were being poured directly into people’s mouths, and I just could not talk myself into that level of communal water. There was a medical tent taking the “pour into the hands” approach, so I did wind up getting a handful of water there (I mean, how ridiculous does that sound?!).

As we approached mile 12, I completely lost Mike. I sent him a text, and spent about 5 minutes slowly walking backwards, trying to spot that orange cap. But then a text came in from him, telling me to keep going without him. I felt bad, but we had discussed it before the race and agreed that it was okay if we needed to split up and run our own races. I also felt like I needed to keep moving forward, and get to Jennie, who had water for me. The humidity and heat were already starting to make the day hard, and I needed the water she had. It was such a tease as we ran by the crowded parts of Brooklyn, where the streets were lined with spectators at restaurants, all holding various drinks. I seriously contemplated stopping and asking for a cup, not sure if this would be an issue for the rest of the race.

I spotted Jennie and her brother, and she held up a giant string of cats wearing birthday hats, which made me smile so big. She was cheering as I approached and handed me the best birthday gift – a giant bottle of cold water! I thanked her, gave her a very sweaty hug, and headed towards the end of the Brooklyn part of the race, and onto the Ed Kotch bridge, which spit me out in Queens!

My parents had driven into queens to spectate, and I knew I would spot them between miles 13 and 14, just after the bridge. They were decked out with home-made signs, and I laughed when I saw Mom had even made a frosty the snowman one, to help the runners think cool thoughts. Dad was smiling and holding not one but two phones as I ran up to them, capturing my approach. I gave them hugs, complained about the weather, and kept trekking forward.

By this point in the race, I was soaked to the bone with sweat. Every article of clothing I was wearing was completely wet. I had opted for a sports bra that had a pocket for my phone, but even that was so wet that any time I took my phone out I had to let it air dry for several minutes before I could take a photo or answer a text. It made it a little complicated to update my spectators, but I did manage to send out a message to Den and ask him to fill my water bottle and add a tube of liquid IV, then pass it back to me at mile 16, where I would spot him next. After the messed-up water stations, I did not want to rely on the race to have hydration for the rest of the miles ahead.

I crossed from queens into Manhattan, and as usual it was eerily quiet on the Queensborough bridge. It is a mental game as you cross into Manhattan, because with no spectators and another uphill climb, it’s hard to talk yourself out of walking. I did all I could to keep moving forward and enjoyed watching the skyline off the side of the bridge. As I approached the end of the bridge I could hear the crowds on 1st avenue and knew in less than a mile I would see more of my people.

The crowds lining 1st avenue did not disappoint, and I soaked in the cheers as I made my way along. Before mile 17 I spotted Sophie perched on Tom’s shoulders, cheering, and holding up a giant cat head poster. When I got closer to them I saw Den and Jude. Den passed me my water bottle, freshly filled up, and I made my best attempt at taking a selfie of us all, despite my phone really fighting me in the process- It was wet, and I had wet hands, which are not the best combo for phone use.

From there they would split into 2 spectating teams – Den and Jude would head for the finish line, and Tommy and Sophie would head for a point during mile 25, on the last stretch of 5th avenue before the final turn into central park.

The day was only getting harder, and I was struggling to keep myself motivated to move forward. But getting some electrolytes in from the handheld water bottle helped. I would see my friend Carson around mile 19, just before heading into the Bronx, and two bridges later I would find Jennie on course again in central park. This was my 10th marathon, and I have never seen so many runners struggling at aid stations and medical tents. at one point, a runner ahead of me straight up started puking in the middle of the road. I was able to get my water bottle refilled as I ran out of water, and even took an extra gel.

I was so focused on running as I got closer to the Bronx that I almost missed Carson cheering on the side of the road – as I got closer to her, I saw she was holding a “Happy birthday” sign, and a “Go Mike!” sign, and I thought to myself, what a coincidence, that she’s cheering for someone with a birthday, and someone named Mike – and then I realized that the Birthday sign was for me, and it was my friend holding it. I may have been a little delusional at that point. But I was so happy to see her, and it gave me the boost of motivation I needed to get from Manhattan into the Bronx.

At this point in the race my pace had slowed considerably. My dad had started texting me encouragement. As I left the bridge and entered the Bronx, he sent me a text that read “The Bronx loves you” and you know what I saw after looking up from reading the text on my watch? A big sign, with a heart that said the exact same thing. I almost cried when I spotted it.

I had forgotten just how long the Bronx feels when you are this deep into the marathon. I was struggling to take in water because I had to pee so bad. But I knew that I had to keep hydrating, so I made the decision to stop at a porter-potty, which luckily still had toilet paper. I felt much better once I was back on the road, and soon after accepted a water bottle from a spectator who was kindly handing them out. I had to constantly push myself to keep running, I wanted to just walk so bad at this point in the race. I told myself that I could just get back to Manhattan running, then I could take a break. With every corner we turned in the Bronx I expected to see that last damn bridge, and every time it wasn’t there I questioned if I could make it to the bridge… until, finally, I could see it, and knew that I would make it back into Manhattan.

I had taken a few walk breaks up until this point, and each one was harder to talk myself into running again after. So while on the bridge I decided to set my watch to run/walk intervals, knowing that I could skip the walk portions if I felt good, but mainly hoping that having the intervals would up my mental game, and keep me from walking too much. I went with a 2 min run/30 second walk.

I made it across that last damn bridge, and back into Manhattan. Now I just had to make it to central park. The sun was starting to set, and I really wanted to make it to the finish before it got dark. Thankfully, the crowds were still out in full force cheering, and putting a smile on my face each and every time someone shouted at me with wishes of “Happy birthday!”

Finally, I saw the sign welcoming me into central park, and made the right turn onto the familiar roads of central parks, where I have spent plenty of weekend mornings logging miles at the smaller NYRR races. I kept up with running intervals as I made my way through the park, looking for Jennie and her brother as I went, knowing that they would be in the park to cheer me on. As I ran, I spotted Darren, who I hadn’t seen since the Verrazano. We chatted for a minute, and griped about how the race was going. He had lost his salt early on, and was as over the warm weather as I was. We ran together for about a half mile, but then he opted to walk a little longer when I was ready to go into another run interval, and we parted ways.

Soon after I spotted Jennie, around mile 24. As much as I had struggled to make it through this race, I couldn’t believe that it was almost over. I gave her a quick hug and she cheered me on as I rejoined the runners moving through central park. Even though there were only two miles left, I would still get to see Tommy and Sophie at mile 25.5 and Dennis and Jude at the finish line grandstands. I willed myself to keep moving forward, even though my body was tired.

At this point I basically could not use my phone for anything other than reading messages that got relayed to my watch, as it was too wet to be useful. Tommy started sending messages saying that him and Sophie were going to have to abandon their spot and head to the dinner reservation we had booked, and I was super bummed, as I was almost to the little span of 59th street that you pop out onto before making the final turn back into central park, where I knew they were waiting. I has resigned myself to not seeing them, when during a walk interval I heard Tom cheering for me, and Sophie yelling out as well. I almost cried happy tears when I saw them, and it was exactly the push that I needed to start running again, and get myself to that finish line (Tom later explained that he had checked find my friends, and when they saw I was so close opted to wait for me to run by before going to check in to the dinner reservation).

I was back in the park, and in the end of the final mile. There were signs up telling me I only had 800 m to go – two laps of the track, I could do that. I could hear the finish, and the sides of the course were lined with spectators. 400 m to go. It was the end of the marathon. I came up one final hill and around a corner, and could see the finish line at last, as lit up as the sun went down. The grandstands lined the finish, and I spotted Dennis and Jude holding up a giant cat head, and smiled as they cheered me to the finish.

I crossed the finish line, and felt like I was in a dream. It was over, the race was done. I followed the stream of runners, barely aware of my surroundings, but with a smile plastered on my face. I got a medal from a volunteer, and picked up a recovery bag that was filled with snacks and drinks. I had run with the NYPD team, so a volunteer directed me to a tent right at the finish, and I got to avoid the very very long walk out of central park, instead plopping my butt in a chair in the NYPD tent for a few minutes, while I collected myself.

I was able to dry off my phone, and checked the tracking to see where Mike was at on the course. It was going to be about 40 minutes before he was projected to cross the finish, so I decided to make my way to meet Tommy and Sophie at the restaurant for dinner, that way I could change into dry clothes. I collected my checked bag, and hobbled my way out of the park. When I got to the security exit, Tommy was waiting to escort me to the restaurant, which was about a block away. He offered me a piggy back ride, which made me laugh – I was pretty sure I would not be able to jump up onto him, and instead handed him the bags I was carrying and took his arm, shifting some of my body weight onto him.

We were eating dinner at the Smith, and luckily the table was ready when we got there. We were a party of 8, Me, Tommy, Sophie, Carson and a friend of hers, plus Mike, Jude and Dennis, who would join us once Mike crossed the finish line. I was able to change into dry clothes and we ordered some apps while we waited for the rest of the group – I could probably write a whole blog post about the injustice of their bathroom being in the basement, but I’ll stop yammering on. Once everyone arrived, I ordered something bubbly for a group cheers, and did my best to eat a burger. It was delicious, but I struggle to eat after long races. It was a good call to eat before going home, as in past years I have felt delirious after making the hour plus trip home before eating post race.

We took the subway back to penn station, and the LIRR back home. It was a long, hard day, and there were moments that I wanted to quit, but I was proud of myself for continuing to show up and put one foot in front of the other.

I am also proud of Mike, who somehow managed to pull off a marathon PR despite the bad weather!

Week 15: Training for the 2022 NYC Marathon

Not sure how this happened so fast, but we are officially in taper town! I have less than three weeks between now and a 26.2 mile tour of the 5 boroughs of NYC… and only ONE double digit run left between now and then, which is wild to me.

I am gonna start with a side note this week – way back in week 8 of training, I mentioned that I was having massive blister issues when going out on long runs. I want to report, that thanks to a suggestion made by my friend Katie, the issue has been completely resolved – all I had to do was change socks for my long runs. Now, I love my tall compression socks, but this blister issue was getting worse each week. So when Katie suggested that I try a pair of injinji toe socks, I was skeptical. But I ordered a pair and used them for my next long run… and every long run since. It was like magic, and my blister issues are a problem of the past now. I still use my procompressions for bike rides and shorter runs, but I have to accept the blister prevention trade off, and say that injinji will be my go-to for longer miles.

I started the week with a rest day on Monday, that included getting a massage at the yoga studio. I had planned to go to a yoga class after, but the instructor that I like was no longer listed as teaching, so I opted to go home and have dinner with Den instead.

I got up bright dark and early Tuesday morning – the sunrise is officially after 7 am now, which means that the dawn is just barely breaking as I finish my morning miles now. It was a little chilly, but I was still happy in shorts as I set out for a 4-mile run. I wound up cutting it a little short, and finishing at 3.7 miles, due to an urgent bathroom need – it wasn’t time efficient to head back out and get in the last .3 miles after, as it would have made me late for work. So I’ll probably tack a little extra distance onto another run this week.

Most of the day Tuesday I wound up taking advantage of my standing desk at work, because my hip flexor felt awful anytime I tried to sit. I was frustrated by this, because I had felt fine before that mornings miles, despite a little soreness in the middle of the long run on Saturday. That night Sophie and I headed to the gym and focused on leg exercises, especially ones with a single leg option. Better late than never with some single leg strength work, right? Don’t worry, I won’t pull this crap on marathon week.

I originally planned to run again Wednesday morning, but because of the hip pain I figured I would take an extra rest day and move Wednesday’s planned miles to Thursday, since my long run wasn’t until Sunday anyway. I set an alarm for 4:45 am on Thursday morning, so that Dennis could bike with me for 6/8 miles before heading to work – but then woke up at 5:30, very surprised that my alarm had not gone off! Upon checking my phone I learned that I accidentally set a 5:45 alarm. Whoops.

So I headed out and was able to get in 5.75 miles that morning. I figured it was better than nothing, and I am in taper town at this point, so missing a few miles isn’t going to have that big of an impact. Honestly, if anything it will probably give my hip the break it needs. It was a very dark morning run, and it was even chilly enough that I kept my zip up on for the whole run for the first time this season… I did ditch my gloves and headband after the first mile though.

My last weekday run was on Friday evening, when my friend Ryan asked if I had time to get in a few miles together. I had worked late and picked up my bib for the Suffolk county half on the way home, so we were planning to head out for a few miles around 8 pm – but I just could not. By the time I got home I felt overwhelmed with my to-do list, and felt run down. I felt bad, but I bailed, but Ryan was gracious about it, and we re-scheduled for the following week.

Saturday was spent cleaning and prepping the house, as my brother was planning to move in with us, and then headed into Brooklyn to check out a tattoo convention with Kasey and Tommy. After the show the three of us headed to Tom’s apartment, and loaded up his stuff into cars and moved it to the house. It was a busy day, and by the time we got home and got everything into the house, I knew that I had not eaten enough throughout the busy day, and tried to cram in some extra calories before bed.

My alarm clock felt too early Sunday morning when it rang out, but I rolled out of bed and got ready for the race. Mike had offered to drive, and picked me up so we could head to the start line. Runners were being instructed to park about a mile from the start, and then there were busses to shuttle us to the start. We got there about 15 minutes before the race was set to go off, and were able to hop in line for the porter potties and made a quick bathroom start before joining the crowd at the start. I lost a gel to the porter potty, when it flew out of my pocket – it was one of those times I was glad that I always carry an extra.

When we got to the start the national anthem had already been sung, and I dropped my throwaway layer into a pile of sweatshirts as we joined the masses. There were 10k, half marathon and marathoners all lumped together in the start area. After a moment the start was signaled, and we shuffled towards the start with the crowd. Unfortunately, there were no corrals at the start, so there was a TON of congestion at the start line, as people of all paces were lumped in together. After about a half mile the crowds finally eased, and Mike and I were able to settle into a comfortable pace.

The first water stop was just before the second mile, and it was kind of chaotic. It was a loop through the start line again, and the volunteers seemed overwhelmed by the number of runners streaming through, trying to grab water. The first cup I got was empty, but the second had a little water in it at least. The next aid station was between miles 4 and 5, and it was full of volunteers from the lightening warriors tri team – this one was fully ready for us to run through, and we were easily able to grab some water. From there we headed towards the main attraction of the race – the bridge! I was struggling to find a good pace, with the air more humid than is typical of the fall since it was getting ready to rain. The uphill as we headed up the bridge for the first time did not help this. But eventually we got to the top, and started the downhill, where we opened up the pace a little bit. There was a bit of flat ground between the bridges, and an aid station between the two bridges. Before we knew it there was an uphill pitch again, and we were crossing a second, smaller bridge. This one had exposed grating for us to run over, which felt a bit tricky. We had to slow down, nervous that we were going to trip.

As soon as we got off the bridge we reached the turn around point of the race, right around mile 9, and had to go right back onto the bridge. Just as we got off the open grating and onto the road again, we heard what honestly sounded like a car crash. Mike whipped around and saw that someone had taken a bad spill on the other side of the bridge, and the runners around him were rushing to help. We kept running, as we saw that there were paramedics stationed a little up the road, and let them know what happened as we ran by, and they rushed to go help. Hopefully he was ok, as it sounded like a bad fall.

Once we were off the second bridge, we could see the aid station between the two bridges in the distance. I needed to stop and use the bathroom, something I generally try to avoid during races, but there was no way to avoid it. I told Mike to go on without me, but he insisted that he would wait just past the aid station, and there he was when I emerged 5 minutes later. I grabbed some water, and we continued on our way. While we climbed the bridge for the last time, I felt good in the steady pace we had found, but Mike was itching to zoom through the last bridge and rip the band aid off, so he picked up the pace and headed up the incline without me. Eventually I caught up with him, as we very happily got to head downhill. From the height we were at we could see another aid station in the distance, and Mike joked that it was a mile away – I was surprised when it was ACTUALLY a mile away though.

It had been overcast for the whole race, with humid air weighing down on us, and when we got to that aid station, we both down two cups of water and two cups of Gatorade. The red Gatorade was nice and cold, which felt like a gift. It gave me the power up I needed to push through the last few miles.

Once we were off the highway and back in town, we had just over a mile to go before the finish line. The final mile was in remembrance of fallen soldiers and had photos of them in remembrance. This is something that makes me cry 100% of the time when races do this.

After we passed the 13th mile marker, we saw the big blue arch that we assumed was the finish line, and I grabbed Mike’s hand so we could run over the finish together – we turned and ran through the arch, both expecting the finish – and learned that it was just the entrance to the finishers chute, despite both of our garmin’s claiming that we were already at 13.2 miles. So, we ran through the finisher’s chute hand in hand, and crossed the finish line together.

We were handed our medals (which I somehow managed to loose in the following hours… maybe it will eventually show up at my house), and then lead to a tent at the end of the finisher’s chute, where we were given a reusable insulated water bottle full of water, a full sized sweat wicking towel, and post-race snacks including watermelon, hot soup and bagels.

Mike and I found a place to sit while we ate for a minute, and then wandered through the post-race village, and he redeemed both of our coupons for a free beer at the finish. Then we found the bus that would shuttle us back to the parking lot, so we could head home.

For some reason this was a hard race for me. I am not sure what it was, but I felt so defeated when we were done, and was exhausted all day after. It was just one of those runs. I am hoping that I just went in a little under fueled, or the humidity caught me by surprise, and its not indicative of how I will feel at NYC – I hope NYC feels as good as my 20 miler did!

Week 14: Training for the NYC marathon

Less than a month to go to race day, which means the runs are getting longer as the days get shorter – and this week is officially peak week! Aka the week where my total mileage will be the highest of any week of this training cycle, the goal is 40 miles.

I started my week with some yoga at emerge on Monday night, where Vanessa (the owner of the studio, and my favorite yoga teacher), was teaching a class. It was a small crowd, which is unusual for her classes, and she organized the 10 or so of us into a circle around the room, so we were all facing the center throughout the class. While the class started like most classes do – with sun salutations, after guiding us through a few fast-paced rounds, she challenged us to keep moving, but however our body needed on that night, rather than her instructing us. She spoke to us throughout the class about doing what we need rather than what is easy, how even the kindest person on the planet is judgmental, especially of themselves, and how at the end of the day, each individual knows what is best for them more than anyone else. As the hour came to a close, she ended the free flow and lead us through a few group movements and into meditation. It was a unique class, but one that I enjoyed.

My first run for the week was scheduled for Tuesday, with 5 miles on the calendar. I made plans to go to the gym with Sophie in the evening, so I wanted to get the miles in before work. Unfortunately, even though my parents are back from vacation, Mom is still dealing with the time change (they got used to being 6 hours behind in Hawaii), and Dad tested positive for covid… so I was on my own. I don’t really like running by myself in the morning – there is just something about starting the run in the dark that gives me the heeby jeebies way more than running as it gets dark at night. But I reassured myself that the sun would be coming up soon enough and pulled on all my lights as I headed outside. It is the time of year when the temps drop, and I overdress for every run, because I am cold when I wake up. It was about 45 degrees outside, and while I started the run with a jacket and ear warmer, I ran by my house less than 2 miles into the run to ditch both. I stayed close to home for this one, just looping the blocks near my house. I almost bailed on the run at 4 miles, when I ran by my house, nervous about the time, but ultimately kept going. I slightly overestimated my last loop, and wound up at 5.4 miles when I got home – my morning routine was a bit rushed after that, as I hurried to get out the door for work.

Despite our plans, our evening gym trip did not happen – we pushed to Wednesday night instead, because my stomach was not cooperative after work.

Being peak week, I had to get in a 10 mile run on Wednesday. I have a standing appointment after work every Wednesday, so there was no way I would have time to run that far in the evening, and I didn’t want to push the miles to Thursday or Friday, as I need to do my 20 miler on Saturday, and wanted to give my body time to recover. So, it was time for an early morning.

Dennis agreed to bike with me for the first half of my run, and we got up at 5 and rolled out of bed. We both set ourselves up for the morning the night before, so it was quick to get ready and get out the door. It was another chilly morning, but this time I opted to just add a vest to my shorts and t-shirt, which turned out to be a better plan. It was pitch black when we got on the road, but we both were decked out with light up vests, and Den had lights on his bike, while I wore light up gloves. I popped on a podcast about the haunted mansion and put one foot in front of the other to get going. It was slow going, but my plan was to run by feel and not push it, to make sure I’m not burnt out when the long run rolls around this weekend. Around mile 5 Den stopped at the house, and I kept going, the sun finally starting to brighten the sky. It was an uneventful run, and I just felt happy that I had committed to getting this run done early, and actually got out of bed and did it. My Garmin died around mile 6, but thankfully I had noticed the low battery when I started it, and tracked the run on Strava simultaneously, knowing that the watch may die. Will it annoy me that my watch face shows the wrong mileage for the rest of the week? Yeah. But at least I knew when I had hit 10 miles, right as I looped back to my house. I rushed through getting ready and grabbed a Kodiak cake flapjack cup for breakfast, and was on my way for the day.

The last weekday run was scheduled for Thursday morning, and I had 5 miles to get done. Rain was predicted Thursday afternoon, so I knew I needed to get out in the morning. Lucky for me, Dennis was working from home that day, so he had a later start time than normal, as he was skipping his commute. So he was able to join me on his bike for most of the run. We got up and out before sunrise, and I looped a little right near the house before venturing further to do an out and back for most of the run. I had opted for long sleeves and shorts after a few chilly mornings in a row, but was too warm after a mile in long sleeves. Like I’ve said before, it’s the time of the year when I am excited to break out all my cold weather running gear that has been neglected for months, and inevitably wind up over-dressed.

Dennis had to bail at mile 4 to get back to the house on time to start work, so I was solo for the last mile. But at least the sun was up at that point, and by that hour there were plenty of people around, walking their dogs and heading to the school near by. A benefit of running on dens schedule instead of my own was that I had plenty of time to get ready after, and even took a minute to stretch and make myself some avocado toast.

After work I met Sophie at the gym, and we spent a half hour lifting with an upper body focus, and then took one of the core classes that the gym offers. When we left the gym it was full on monsooning outside, and even though I ran to the car I got completely soaked.

I was legitimately excited that I got to “sleep in” on Friday morning, and after talking with Mike and Katie determined that I am not the only one among us feeling a bit exhausted during peak week – but honestly, I feel excited too! But it is a little wild to me that by the end of the week I had already logged 20 miles, and still had another 20 to go before I could call my weekly miles “done.” Since Friday was a rest day, all I did was a restorative yoga class in the evening. I figured it would force me to stretch for a bit and get me in a good mental state ahead of Saturdays long run.

Mike and I planned to head to the beach for the long run, since we don’t run there in summer – there is hardly any shade, and it just gets too hot out there. But as the temps drop it becomes one of my favorite places to run locally. In my head, I broke the run down into 4 5-mile sections, and I wanted to focus on not going out too fast, and picking it up a little at the end if we were feeling good.

We headed there around 6:15 am, and were on the boardwalk by 6:30. I wasn’t sure if the water would still be on at the beach, so I decided to carry my hydration vest as we headed out. I had it loaded up with my gels and some salt as well, that way if we decided to forge on rather than do sectional out and backs I would be good to go. As we started our long run the sun was rising over the beach, and it made for a limited “golden hour” view, as everything looked beautiful as the sun rose higher in the sky. Mike and I joked that we have very different methods of dressing ourselves for marathons – I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, while he had on a long sleeve, t-shirt, jacket, shorts, and long compression pants. I still am not sure how he didn’t overheat. I set a pace alert on my watch to keep a conservative pace for the first 5 miles, and had to slow us down a few times as we settled into the run. As we headed further out on the boardwalk, I checked one of the water fountains and they were still on – which meant we didn’t need to double back to the car constantly to refill on water. So we ran until the end of the boardwalk, and turned around a little after mile 4. As we headed in the other direction, we added a few offshoots to get our mileage up, and around mile 9 turned down the bike path to cedar creek, where we experienced the one hill of the day – the drawbridge that we crossed on the path. The sun was up by this point, and we could see ton of fishermen down on the dock, casting their lines into the bay. Around mile 13 we turned back again, and headed for the car so I could ditch the hydration vest for the last 5 miles. We got to the car at mile 15, and decided to do another boardwalk out an back. Mike and I wound up separating for the last 5 miles, as he needed to slow a little bit, and my hip was unhappy with the short strides that my legs were doing when slowing down. I decided to push the pace, and managed to get into the 10s for the last few miles. I was feeling really good during the final mile, and kept pushing – when my watch buzzed to indicate 20 miles, I had managed to make my last mile the fastest, at a 9:37. I was really proud of this, considering back in June I was struggling to run one mile continuously, and here I was, running 20. I had a little surprise at the end of my run – my Mom knew I was running on the boardwalk, and came out to do a morning walk and catch me at the end of my run. So I got to chat with her while I stretched and waited for Mike to get back to the car.

It was by no means my fastest 20 miler, but I am really proud of how strong I felt, and how far I have come in the last few months.

I spent the rest Saturday relaxing, and Den and I had a few friends over Saturday night for a big ramen dinner, and some nostalgic movies. I was hoping that I would be able to work on painting our living room Sunday, but was not sure if I would feel up to it after running 20 miles Saturday… but my body pleasantly surprised me, and I was more than happy to get up Sunday morning and clean then tape and start to paint. I am really excited for our living room to feel like a coherent space, rather than an assortment of furniture that other people were getting rid of – is this what it means to feel like an adult?

To end this post, I’ll say the thing: We are officially in taper town! 

Week 13: Training for the NYC Marathon

I was so pooped after my long run Sunday, but despite an early bedtime the fatigue carried into Monday. I struggled and needed an afternoon cup of tea at work, just to make it through the day without feeling too sleepy. After work Mike and I met up and headed to a yoga class together, to get some movement and stretching in.

The rainy weather that started over the weekend persisted into Tuesday, and the rain was coming down hard that morning, so I opted to sleep in and get my run done after work, either on the treadmill or outside. When I got home from work it was windy and foggy, but the rain was a drizzle at most so I opted to head outside to run. I pulled on my “Run Visible” Brooks jacket, to make sure that I would be visible, despite the less than stellar weather. I only had 4 miles on my schedule, so I did a nice out and back rather than loops near my house. I took it easy, enjoying the chilly weather, and eventually warming up enough that I needed to peel the jacket off and wrap it around my waist (in that moment did I think about how the new version of this jacket has a feature where it can turn into a vest when you take it off? Yes. I will continue to try to resist buying it, as the one i have is perfectly functional). I knocked out my miles, feeling good overall. Once I was done with my run I headed to the gym with Sophie, and we got in a solid 45 mins of strength training.

The Wednesday morning forecast called for rain again, so I hoped that the weather would be better in the evening again. I slept in, and we had another day full of rain and even some thunderstorms. As I drove home from work the rain was in full force, but thankfully it slowed down, just as forecasted, right as I got home. I geared up and headed out for another solo run, this time 9 miles. I have been on an audiobook kick lately, and listened to “One of us is Next” as I ran and out and back and then loops around my neighborhood. It was a little drizzly still, but at least it wasn’t windy. As the sun went down both my light up gloves and vest started to die, and I hoped that they would last until I was finished, so that I wouldn’t wind up alone in the dark (thankfully, they just barely held on). I made a quick pit stop around mile 7.75 to chug some water, then did one final loop to finish out the 9 mile run. Even though I was tired and just wanted to shower and be lazy for the rest of the night (I am pretty sure only a runner would consider themselves “lazy” after running 9 miles….), I pulled open the peloton app and selected a 10 minute core class. My friend Katie and I agreed to keep each other accountable with our core work, and she tagged me when she got hers in earlier in the day after running, and I knew I spending the extra 10 minutes on a little strength would be worth it. I am still not sure if the class was really hard, or if I was just really fatigued.

On Thursday afternoon Sophie and I headed to the gym, and did a workout that focused on the upper body. This new gym that we started going to is often packed out in the weight room, making it hard to find space to use the dumbells, so we usually stick to the fixed machines, because it is just easier to find space that way. But tonight I finally felt comfortable enough to make space for myself to do the exercises I wanted to do, and it meant we wound up doing a good enough workout that I was sore for days after.

I had 5 more miles to squeeze in before the weekend, and when I got home from work on Friday Den was just finishing up power washing the house. I asked him if he would want to come on the first mile of my 5 mile run, and he surprisingly agreed! I slowed my pace to match his, and we did a one mile loop right by the house (he would spend the next three days limping around a little, as his muscles protested the fact that he moved them in an unfamiliar way – while he can handle himself on a bike, running is not really his wheelhouse). I continued on for the last 4 miles, challenging myself to get a little faster each mile, and pleased when I pulled off a progressive run.

That weekend I headed into the city to run the Staten island half with my friend carson. You can find my race recap HERE!

Week 12: Training for the 2022 NYC Marathon

I feel like I finally hit a groove again on week 12, managing to get out for all the miles I planned, and even making time for a little strength training.

I had three weekday runs planned - 9 miles, 5 miles, and 4 miles. After a lighter load during week 11, I decided to get the longest distance done early in the week, that way I had plenty of time to recover before the weekends long run - 18 miles!

I had no run planned for Monday, but Sophie and I hit up the gym and did a strength circuit that left us both sore after.

On Tuesday I planned to get my 9 miles done in the evening - my parents were STILL out of town at this point, and I was really looking forward to them getting home so I could switch back to morning runs. It’s just not something I’m great at doing on my own.

So Tuesday night I headed out on my run as soon as I got home from work, after opening a fun package that had come in the mail - my NYC marathon finishers jacket! I won’t be wearing it until after the race, but I couldn’t resist ordering the new design when I saw it. I wanted to make sure I would be able to get the right size.

It was going to get dark while I was running, as the sun is setting earlier every day now, so I set out my light up vest and light gloves so I could loop by the house and grab them quickly when it got darker. I put on the audio book I was listening to, Daisy Darker, and just ran easy as I listened to the story. I felt good during the run, and made a pit stop around mile 6 to grab my lights and a sip of water. By the time I finished the 9 miles it was dark, and I was ready for food. It was an uneventful, easy run, which I didn’t mind at all.

I didn’t have a run Wednesday, but I did get a fun package in the mail - new running shoes! I ordered two new pairs of brooks, a pair of Hyperion Tempos and a pair of adrenaline GTS 22s, hoping that one pair will be my marathon shoes! I had been waffling for weeks, and finally decided to buy both. I normally run in ghosts, but wanted something a little more supportive to help with my knee. The adrenalines are part of the cereal collection, so the colors are super fun!

Thursday morning my parents were back in NY, but fighting jet lag after being 6 hours behind us for over 2 weeks - so I was flying solo on my morning run. I was up and out before the sunrise, once again wearing all my lights as I ran. It was a little bit of a chilly morning, and it helped make the run a little more comfortable. I tried the adrenalines for the first time, and liked them. My legs were tired from the last few days, and it was by no means a fast run. I was happy when my watch finally buzzed, indicating I had finished 5 miles.

On Friday I had plans to do a screening of the new hocus pocus sequel with some friends after work, so I knew I had to get my miles in early. So I once again got myself out of bed, and this time headed out for a 4 mile run - I was pleased with myself for doing all of the longer distances earlier in the week, so at least it was “only” 4 miles that morning.

The screening was fun that night - we set up a screen and projector in the backyard, and enjoyed so many yummy snacks while we watched a sequel to one of our favorite childhood movies (I mean, Den and I even have a cat named Binx. If that doesn’t give us away as fans, I don’t know what would).

Saturday I planned to play catch-up around the house, since I was registered to run the 18-mile NYC training run with NYRR on Sunday. I cleaned and moved some furniture around, and in the midst of it all got an email from NYRR - the 18-miler was cancelled due to high winds. Womp Womp.

As soon as the email came out, texts came flooding in from my friends, discussing where and when we would get our miles in. Mike was opting to take to the treadmill, but Sami invited me to join her and a crew from the Merrick bicycles tri team at SUNY old westbury, to take on our 18 miles with a side of hills.

I was nervous about the weather, but Sami talked me into it. I rolled out of bed the next morning and snacked on a kind bar as I drove to campus to meet the group. We would be running loops, so I opted to leave my water at my car, and just grab some as we passed by each time, rather than lugging it along. Normally I would just wear my hydration vest for a run like this, but my back was hurting from moving furniture the day before - not my smartest plan.

As much as I tried to get to the group meet up spot on time, I was, as usual, about 10 mintues late. Thankfully they were kind enough to wait for me, and Sami had mapped out loops near and on the old Westbury campus for us to run through to complete the 18 mile run. I loaded my pockets with salt and two gels for the first loop, and we left the parking lot and spent a mile on the hilly campus before getting to the exit and heading to a flatter neighborhood near by. There was a decent size group of runners, and when the first mile chimed on my watch, I realized that I was getting caught up in the group and running faster than I intended. Thankfully, Sami felt the same way, and the two of us dropped back a little from the group. We made it through the first neighborhood loop with only one wrong turn, and headed back towards the parking lot so that we could get a sip of water around mile 8. I also ditched my jacket at that point – the race cancellation due to weather had lead to me layering up, but it really was not that bad out. Sure, there was some wind, but it wasn’t cold enough for a jacket.

We were rejoined by Bobby and Rob, who were planning to run 18 and 20 miles, respectively, that day, but the rest of the group called it quits, as they had only shorter distances planned for that morning. The four of us headed out for the next segment, this time spending a few more miles on the hilly campus before taking a detour off campus, and finding ourselves in an empty industrial park with a very large parking lot – that we happily did some flat loops of. The wind was much worse in the parking lot than it had been on campus, since it was more open, and didn’t have lots of trees around to block the wind. When we got back to the hills we made our way around a full campus loops with all its ups and downs, and wound up back at the parking lot just beyond mile 16. We all had varying distances left at that point, as people had been looping back to each other to get the group linked up again when they pulled far ahead, so we decided to finish out our runs with parking lot loops, which had the added benefit of less hills. When my watch chimed at 18 I felt good, but relieved to be done. I pulled my yoga mat out of the car, and chatted with the group for a bit as everyone pulled in after finishing their miles. I was so glad that Sami had talked me into meeting up with the group to run, because I know I would have slept in and put it off and then wound up spending way too much time on the treadmill otherwise!

With the completion of the 18 miler, it meant there was only one more long run to go before NYC! This race is going to sneak up on us before we know it.

Week 11: training for the 2022 NYC Marathon

This is going to be a short one – it was an abbreviated week of running, that I built into my training plan when I made it earlier this year. I knew that I would be spending this week in vegas for work, spending 8 hours a day on the show floor at a convention. Combine the fatigue of standing all day with work dinners and a three-hour time difference, and I knew that there would not be much energy left over for running.

When I was packing I put three running outfits into my bag – in an ideal world I was hoping I would get in 2 four mile runs, and one 8 mile run, but knew that realistically with the time the gym opened every morning (6 am) and the time I needed to meet me team each day (8 am) plus getting myself ready every morning, it was unlikely that I would have time to get in 8 miles before having to head out one day. But I was confident that I could get in two mornings with 4 mile runs and save my long run for once I was back in NY.

Saturday was mostly a travel day, and Sunday was the first day on the show floor. By the time I got back to the hotel room those nights my body clock was screaming for bed – I am not good at time changes. But with the early bedtime on Sunday night, I managed to get up very early on Monday, and get to the gym right as it opened – I snagged the last treadmill that was available and watched some T.V. on my phone as I made my way through a 4 mile run. It was warm in the gym, and I was sweating by the time I was finished, but I was pleased with myself for getting up and making time to run. That night the whole team went out to dinner, and I indulged in some excellent fettuccine alfredo.

Tuesday morning was a wash, after being out with my team a little later because of the dinner. That night my employer treated us to a show, and we all went and saw the Beatles “Love” Cirque Du Solei show – the athleticism that the performers displayed was honestly amazing, and I could not believe how big the cast was when they came out for the curtain call at the end of the show. We all opted to walk back to our hotel after, which was a little over a mile away, so that we would get a chance to see the strip at least once.

I headed to bed right after the show, so was once again up early enough on Wednesday to get in a run. This time I thought to bring my iPad along, so that I had a bigger screen to watch T.V. on while I ran. The hotel gym was just as hot as the previous run, but thankfully not as crowded. I was able to get a treadmill again and tried to give a little progressive push as I made my way through the miles. When the distance rolled over the 4 mile mark I slowed down my treadmill, and headed back to my room to get ready for the last day of the convention – I work in the industrial baking industry, and it was a baking convention that I was attending, so I may have indulged in a few extra sweets during the week – I couldn’t resist when they were being made fresh on the show floor!

Thursday was a travel day again, and I was up bright and early to head to the airport. By the time I got home it was after 6 pm, thanks to the time change adding a few hours on to our travel. I was pooped after a busy week, and really happy to be back in my own bed.

When I got home, my cat Binx seemed to have picked up a little cold while I was away. I mention this because I always get nervous when he is sick, since he has had some health issues in the past. I kept an eye on it, and made him a vet appointment for the following Monday, the first slot our vet had available.

I still had to head to work on Friday, and I was wiped out between the time change and the busy week. It was a rest day because of that, and after work I took it easy. I headed to bed early, because Mike, Michal and I had signed up for the great south bay half marathon on Saturday morning – our training scheduled called for 13 miles anyway, so we figured we may as well do our training runs in a race setting, with aid stations and all to practice for the marathon.

Unfortunately, I did not get the relaxing night of sleep I was hoping for. Instead, I was woken up by my Binx sneezing in my face at 2 am, and then spent the next hour worrying over him as he was sneezing lots and clearly not feeling well. By 3 am I woke up my husband, and decided to take the cat to the emergency vet – I pay for pet insurance every month, so I may as well use it rather than stay up stressing with no solution in the middle of the night. Three hours later, after some blood work and examinations, they concluded that it was just a cold, and sent us home with some medicine for the little guy. We got home right as I my alarm went off around 5:15, the time I had been planning to get up for the race.

Mike was planning to pick me up at 6 am, and after some back and forth I decided to go to the race. Worst case I could walk or drop out of I felt too tired, but I felt ok, and figured I could just take a fat nap post-race. 

It was a chilly morning, and we found our friends Rob and Michal as we waited in line to pick up our race bibs. Once we had our numbers we headed back to the car, so we could keep warm as we waited for the race to start. The race was set to start at 7:30, and just after 7 I left my friends in the car and went to stand in the porter potty line. Mike and Michal found me near there, and the three of us headed to the start together.

We planned to just run by feel, and stick together throughout the race. The plan here was to use the race as a training run anyway, so no one was trying to PR or anything. The race started, and I struggled a little to get going. I set my watch to just show the time of day, and ignored it as it buzzed out with the pace for the first few miles, not talking much and just listening to Mike and Michal chat, glad that there were three of us so I could just hang out without contributing much. Eventually I settled in, and started to feel good – it was nice to finally have some “good” running weather, after a summer of hot and humid mornings. Somewhere around mile 4, Michal commented on our pace being good – I had been ignoring the pace, but gave into temptation and looked – low 10s, I was shocked. I dismissed the pace chatter, and told them I didn’t want to talk about it, as we plowed on.

Michal was carrying handheld water bottles, which is her plan for fall marathons, so she needed to stop to refill at an aid station. I felt like if I stopped running I would loose my groove, so when they walked to take care of a refill (and an untied shoe for Mike), I kept running and after a few minutes they caught up to me. The three of us kept chatting, and as we slipped into the later miles of the race, I was surprised at how good I felt. We kept that same rhythm of me running through aid stations and them catching up, until it happened around mile 10. I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time, but after a turnaround at an out and back, I realized that I had pulled further ahead than I expected to. I peeked at my watch, and saw that I was running a sub-10 minute mile…. And I felt good.

In the years that I have been running, I have always heard people talk about how the best way to “race” a half marathon is to keep a consistent pace for the first 10 miles, and then treat the last 3 miles like a 5k and leave it all out there. While I hadn’t meant to pick up the pace, I felt good – so I decided to go for it, and challenged myself to run the last three miles progressively faster. I ran my last three miles at a 9:49, a 9:28, and an 8:58. It wasn’t my fastest half, but I felt proud as I crossed the finish line – glad that I had shown up for the race and pushed myself at the end of it.

I waited by the finish for Mike and Michal to run through and learned that Mike even pulled off a PR that day! It was a good day for running all around.

It was a good morning for running, and then I went out with my husband, brother, and Sophie to celebrate Sophie’s birthday. The rest of the day was a bit of a wash, as I spent most of it napping after a hard effort that morning + a bad night of sleep the night before.

That half marathon was really a reminder of how much I love this sport, and it made me feel more like myself than I have in a long time.

Week 10: Training for the 2022 NYC marathon

This week started a string of schedule changes for me – I would spend the weekend through next Thursday traveling to a conference for work, so I moved my running schedule around a bit to accommodate that. I swapped a few weekend run distances, and planned to attempt a long run Friday night after work, so that I would not be stuck on a treadmill again.

I started my week with a run on Tuesday night, planning to get in 8 miles. My friend Ryan agreed to keep me company for 2.5 miles, so I headed out after work to knock out the solo miles before he would arrive at my house. I looped around the neighborhood solo, getting excited when I spotted a cat along the way. I kept the pace easy, but was still soaked with sweat – even though summer was coming to a close, warmer temps were still hanging in. Ryan met me right as the sun went down, so I grabbed my light up vest before we got going. It was really nice to get out and run with him again, like we had been doing pretty often early in the year. Ryan and I have been friends since we were teenagers, and like most adult friends, struggle to make consistent social commitments with everything going on – so running for a half hour or so and catching up has been a highlight for me each time we get out to run together.

When I finished my run Dennis had dinner ready, which I was really thankful for.

My parents were out of town this week, so I lacked my normal morning run accountability. On Wednesdays if I don’t get out in the morning I struggle to find time as I have a standing appointment after work, and despite this I failed at getting up to run Wednesday morning. By the time I was free to run at night the sun had long since set, and I just did not feel comfortable going out for a solo run – so I headed to the gym and hopped on the treadmill for a mile, and then did some strength training, telling myself that I would run Thursday morning, even though I hadn’t planned to.

I managed to roll myself out of bed Thursday morning, hoping to get in 3-4 miles before work…. But my body had other ideas. Thankfully it wasn’t an injury or anything – just an upset stomach. I got in just over 2 miles before I had to trot back home and rush to the bathroom. By the time I had finished my business, there was no time to finish my run before work. Oh well, at least I showed up and got a little time on my feet.

Since I had to be at the airport early on Saturday to head to vegas for a work trip, I planned to squeeze my long run in on Friday night – of course, it had been a busy week, so I also needed to run some errands and pack Friday night. Not the best planning on my part.

As soon as I got home I headed out to run, and I just felt off. I couldn’t find a groove, but I did my best to just keep moving forward. I planning to get in 13 miles, but because I had to run some errands and finish packing, I planned for 2 hours of running. I headed out solo when I got home from work, and Ryan once again agreed to meet me for the last half hour or so. Honestly, if I didn’t have Ryan meeting me, I probably would have canned this run after an hour. I was exhausted, and just could not find a groove. I focused on moving forward and was really glad when I finally got some company.

Ryan finished out the run with me, and I wound up logging just over 10 miles. Not exactly what the plan called for, but it was something. I spent the rest of the night packing, and on Saturday morning a car service picked me up and took me to the airport.