2019 NYRR 9+1: The Gridiron 4 miler

As we begin 2019 I start, for the third time, the process of qualifying for the NYC marathon. While I qualified in 2017, I didn’t run the race in 2018 as I wound up getting married the week before, and in 2018 I completed my nine races, but ultimately decided not to fulfill my volunteer obligation, as I knew that my cousin Jen would be getting married race weekend for the 2019 marathon, and in Georgia, so there was no way I would get to NY in time to run it. But so far, things are looking good for 2020!

If you’re not from New York, you may be wondering what the heck I am talking about - let me give you the run down. If you’re a runner, you have probably heard of the NYC marathon, which happens the first weekend of November every fall. It is a tough race to get into, as you can’t register for it unless you have time qualified, won a race lotto, raised a lot of money for charity, or participated in the 9+1 program. The New York Road Runners, the race company that hosts the NYC Marathon, gives runners an option to earn guaranteed entry by running in 9 events, and volunteering at one event. The spot you earn is non-complimentary, so you still have to pay registration fees, but you are guaranteed the opportunity to register.

This year both Sophie and Mike have agreed to my marathon madness, and will be running the weekly races with me throughout the course of the year - Kasey, just think of all the blog posts that you won’t be in if you don’t run with us, are you sure marathon FOMO isn’t a thing?

I picked up Sophie, and her first question was “Are we running up the hill in central park? Your dad warned me about it.” I had maybe neglected mentioning the hills of central park to Sophie, who had never before run there. But lucky for her, today’s race excluded Harlem hill, so she got to avoid the worst of the hills this time.

For this week’s race, I linked up with Sami and Nicole from the tri team to carpool. I had offered to drive, but when Sophie and I got to Sami’s house Nicole was ready to take us as passengers, and I wasn’t about to complain about getting a ride into the city. It was an easy ride into Manhattan - you usually don’t hit too much traffic driving in from Long Island on Sunday mornings. We had to do a few laps of the area before we eventually found parking, but we prevailed in the battle against parking garages and found a spot on the street. It took us about 10 minutes to walk to race day central, where Sophie, Sami and I picked up our bibs, and then Sami and I checked bags before the race started.

We debated getting in some mileage before the run, but ultimately wound up getting in about a 1/4 mile before happening upon the football toss that they do for the superbowl, and Nicole to try a throw since the womens line was short. We then made our way to the corrals, which were set to collapse 10 minutes before the race started. It was only a 4 mile run, so we didn’t have to bother with gels today, so it was just a quick stretch and then we were on our way. Sophie and I stuck together, while Nicole and Sami zoomed off, as they had paces they wanted to hit during the run.

After a relatively flat start, we turned the second corner and faced the first of the three sisters - a hill formation consisting of three hills that are less than friendly, and which stayed with us as we ticked off the first and second mile. We did a drive by water stop in the second mile, and I had to peel off one of my layers - it was just too warm. As usual, I had seen a temperature in the 30s and panicked, putting on an underarmor cold gear shirt that I was regretting by the half way point.

This was a superbowl themed race, so during the second mile runners had to pick a lane - depending on which team they wanted to win. Sophie, being from New England, went for the patriots as the winner. I, not caring about football but lover of harry potter, went against the patriots, since Dan Radcliffe had spoken out as being against them in the week leading up to the race.

We had a short hill reprieve as we made our way around the south side of the park, but soon enough the steepest hill we would face that day was upon us - Cat Hill. By the time we were over it, we had about a mile left in the race, and I was able to truthfully tell Sophie that the hills were over, aside from the slight uphill at the finish. With no hills left I was able to relax my breathing, and sail right to the finish line. We completed the race in 37:39, an average pace of 9:18 min/mi.

We collected our bagel and apple, grabbed our checked bags, and changed out of our running clothes that were wet with sweat. As we were doing this, my friend Carson found us, and we all chatted as we stopped to grab our race shirts and made our way out of central park and to the car.

All in all it was a good day for a race, that went by quickly thanks to good company. My next NYRR race? The United Airlines NYC Half Marathon.

NYRR 9+1: 2018 Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon

So, one of the goals that I set for myself this year is to run at least one half-marathon every month, and I signed up to run the Fred Lebow Manhattan half as my January race. When I signed up for this race it was the third event on my calendar, but with race switches, cancellations and transfers it wound up being my first event of the new year.

With being sick for the last three weeks, I was a little nervous about jumping into 13.1 miles. Don't get me wrong - I am finally getting over this cold, even if I hardly have a voice, but I am far from 100%. The night before as I pulled my gear together for this race I was nervous, and was dreading the race the next day. What if I couldn't finish?

Thankfully, Dad agreed to drive me to the race, and hang out in central park while I was running. We left the house around 6 am, and I tried to eat a peanut butter sandwich and hydrate as we traveled. We got to central park around 6:50, and Dad started circling around as he looked for parking. At 7:00, he dropped me off by the entrance to the park so I could pick up my race bib while he continued to look for parking.

I headed into the park with several extra layers on. It was easy enough to find race day central - I just followed the masses holding gear check bags and wearing sneakers. Race morning bib pickup was a dream, with no wait to get my hat and my bib. At NYRR races they use a QR code for quick pickup, and I learned today that every runner is assigned one QR code, which is used for all of their events - it's not a different code for each race as I had previously thought. So, I'll share the tip I got from the woman who was working bib pickup today: screen shot your QR code and save it in your phone, that way you always have it on race morning.

I grabbed a gear check bag even though I wasn't checking anything, that way I could throw my coats in it and easily pass them off to Dad when the race started. I made a quick pit stop at the porter potties, and then headed towards the start area and hung out on a bench near the start line while I waited for 8:00, when the race was scheduled to begin. By this time, Dad had found a parking spot and met me in the park. There were runners all over the place, and lots of people walking their dogs. Before 9:00 am it isn't required for people to have leashes on their dogs in central park, so there are always lots of people out with their pets on race mornings.

At 7:45 I started to get all of my stuff together. I took my pre-race Gu and loaded three more into my SPI belt, along with some Sport Beans in case I wanted a mid-race pick me up. I also set up my headphones and stored my inhaler in the back pocket of my leggings. Dad and I headed towards the corrals, and I handed over my jacket. I made a last minute decision to keep my gloves and headband because I was cold at the time, but knew I would be sick of them by mile 3.

Once I was in corral E I only had time to take my inhaler before the national anthem was sung, and we were off. Dad texted me that he would be on the left side of the course just before mile marker 3, so I made a mental note of that as I got moving.

I didn't have big expectations going into this race. I figured that I would aim for a pace in a 10:00 - 10:30 range, and hopefully feel okay. I didn't pay too much attention to my pace in the first mile, I just tried to settle into the pace of the runners around me. As we approached the first mile, my watched buzzed and let me know that the pace had been a 9:11, and I felt pretty okay. I had gotten caught up in the excitement of the race starting and had gone out faster than expected.

With the second mile came Cat Hill, and I slowed my pace a little as I took on the first hill. I knew I would be hitting this hill two more times and had two trips up Harlem hill in my future as well. Mile two slipped away, and I spotted dad for the first time just before mile three, and flailed around a little to make sure he saw me approaching. Sure enough, I had ripped off my mittens and ear warmers before mile three, and attached them to my SPI belt, where they would live for the rest of the race.

Next, the race headed around the north end of the park, and Harlem hill approached. As I trotted up the hill there were more spectators than could be found elsewhere on the course, some with signs and some just cheering runners on as they headed up the hill. Mile 5 came in at 9:38, which would wind up being my slowest mile of the race. As I conquered the hill, my watch buzzed with a text from Dad that he would be just before the water station that was near the start line, where I would complete loop one of the race. I wasn’t too far from there when I got his text, and caught him by surprise as I ran by.

Had to get a selfie with the Fred Lebow statue as I ran by!

As I made my second loop around the park I was feeling really good, and when I hit the halfway point of the race I considered my mile splits – they had been pretty good so far, ranging from 9:12-9:38, and I wasn’t feeling excessively strained, so I decided to pick the pace up a notch. I ran by dad again just before mile 8, and this time he was ready for me to run by and snapped some photos.

With the pace sped up, the course and its hills had become instantly more challenging, but I was ready. I kept my fueling strategy consistent, taking a Gu every 4 miles and some beans when I felt like I needed an extra push. Around mile 10 I got sick of hearing music as I ran, and the headphones got shut down so I could just enjoy the sounds of the park, the people, the runners feet pounding the pavement.

When my watch hit 11 miles, my time was at about 1:43…. 2.1 miles left to cover - if I could do that in 17 minutes I would break 2 hours. Now, my half PR is 1:58 and change, and the fact that it was possible to finish anywhere near that pace today blew my mind. So, I picked up the pace one last time, in hopes that I could at least finish the race in just under two hours – but what I didn’t consider here was that my watch was running about 0.15 mi ahead of the course mile markers.

I really pushed to get through the last two miles, which despite the hills came in at 8:42 and 8:12. When my watch hit 13.1 miles, the time read 1:59:38. But at this point I quickly realized that I still had a bit more to run before I came upon the actual finish line, which I crossed in an official time of 2:01:03, and I was elated. I had not only finished, but I had finished in a time that was (at least in my speeds) fast!

Was it a PR? No. But for me, it was a personal best, even if I had not hit a record. For the first time, I had managed to run negative splits for a race. I felt great at the finish line, which was a victory in and of itself after how I felt at the NYC marathon finish line. Most importantly, I felt strong, and was reminded that I needed to stop telling myself that things are impossible – because I can complete races that once felt impossible.

I collected my medal and walked happily through the finishers area. I had missed Dad at his last on course location, which was just before mile 13, as I was more focused on getting to the finish line. When I started this race, I questioned what kind of day I would have. Heck, I had even considered not doing this race, but boy am I glad that I ran it.

So let this be a reminder to you: You can do impossible things, you just have to give yourself the chance.