The John Theissen Freaky 5k

As a lover of Halloween, when I started seeing ads for this local race, I was intrigued. A skeleton tech tee, trick or treating, and only 3 miles from my apartment? Well, I was sold. So I texted some friends to assemble a crew, and both Mike and Carson agreed to join in. 

Mike was just two weeks away from the NYC marathon, and I was trying to get on track with training for dopey in January, so we had more miles on our schedule than a 5k calls for. So, we decided to take advantage of this being a local race, and run there and back. 

I rolled out of bed just before 7 am on race morning, and Mike ran to my apartment from his house - he had to get in 12 miles, and I had to get in 9, so the little extra distance would bring him to his goal. It was the first cold morning of the season, in the low 40s, and I was excited to pull out some of my favorite cold weather gear. Since it was a Halloween race, I also pulled out my x-wing pilot costume as well, and used it as my top layer. 

Mike got to the apartment just as I stepped outside, and after a quick stretch we were on our way. We chatted about life, the dopey challenge, and how Mike had done so well with training for his first marathon, which was fast approaching. I kept an eye on my watch as we went, as Mike had to sign up for the race when we got there, so we needed to be there before 8. 

Once we arrived, we were able to get Mike all registered, then we stretched out as we waited for Carson to arrive. When she got there I passed her a race bib and shirt, as I had been able to pick up her race day gear. While there was day of registration and bib pickup, they also offered advance bib and shirt pickup, so Den had swung by the John Theissen store front the day before to pick up Carson and my bibs, since we had pre-registered. I quickly used Carson’s car as a changing room, and lost some layers before it was time to start the race. 

The three of us headed towards the start line, stopping and putting our raffle tickets into various bins before the race - they had some great prizes, from sporting events and concerts to headphones and Apple products. As we prepared to get moving I told Mike and Carson I was gonna try to really race this one, since my knee had been feeling better. I put on my headphones, and when the start horn went off followed the crowd to see where it would lead me. 

My first quarter mile clocked in faster than expected - I hadn’t been looking at my watch, and as the crowd thinned out I checked my pace, and it was sub-7. Whoops. I governed my speed a little bit, and settled to a pace right around an 8-minute-mile, since that was what I was hoping for. The course was easy enough to follow, and my first mile rang in at 7:57. My stomach was a little knotted, but I felt good otherwise. 

There was a water stop just after the first mile, and a candy stop during the second mile. We were running through residential areas, and it was cute to see kids outside in their Halloween costumes, spectating the race. Mile 2 came in at 8:14, and while the pace was hard, there was only one more mile. I could push it for one more mile. My knee felt good, even if my stamina was feeling like it had faded a little. 

One mile to go, and I was going to try to keep pushing it. I turned up the volume on my headphones, and followed the beat of the songs that were playing. I had made a short playlist on Spotify the night before to get me through the race, and I was glad I had it playing. There was another water station in the third mile, and as it came to a close I could spot the train station in the distance, which was right near the finish line. Two more turns, and I would be able to see the race awesome finish line. I kicked up the pace a little, and pushed it as I finished the last bit of the race - 3.1 complete, in 25:35, at around at 8:09 pace. 

I was really happy with my finish time, thrilled that my knee felt fine, but mostly glad that they were handing out water at the finish line - I needed it! I walked towards the runners that were turning the final corner and plopped down on a curb, to watch for Mike and Carson, as I figured they would be coming around the corner soon. When I spotted them they were all smiles as they headed for the finish line. 

The three of us reunited, and headed towards the post race refreshments- they had quite the spread! Bagels, hot soup, candy, cookies, brownies, breakfast bars, and more! I opted for a banana and grabbed some Halloween candy for later. We were waiting for the race results to be posted, so our next stop was to look at the raffles, which had been pulled while we were running- and to my surprise, I won an iPad mini! I collected my prize, and then headed to the soup line. 

When the race results posted, the three of us crowded around the lists- Carson and I had both placed 3rd in our age group, and Mike had placed 5th in his! Woo hoo! 

When the award ceremony started, we learned that the awards went five deep in each age group, so we would all be getting medals. When they announced Mike’s age group, it turned out that he had actually came in fourth! We were all excited to have placed in our age groups, and once we collected our awards it was time for Mike and I to start running home. 

We took it easy as we finished up our miles, three more for me to make it to 9. The one eventful part of the run home? Mike spotted a frame that he wanted, so we called Carson with a mission to retrieve it since she had her car. 

By the time we made it back to the apartment I had totaled about 9.6 miles, and my knee felt relatively normal - my legs were tired, but more from being less used to long distances that I normally am. 

All in all, it was a great morning for a local race, and I had a great time spending Sunday with my friends. 

Race Recap: Nassau County Police Department Memorial 5k

This is the second time I was participating in the NCPD Memorial 5K, as excited to get out for a good cause. The race fundraisers for the families of the fallen officers from the Nassau County Police Department. Coming from a family of cops, I think that the families of fallen officers should always receive support from the community.

Plus, the last time I did this race it was a great time! It’s an easy and quick course through Eisenhower Park that is entirely flat, and they don’t even make you run over the grass which sometimes happens with races in that park. I had originally asked my cousin Ryan to run this race with me, but he was under the weather tonight. I texted Mike to see if he still had plans, for the last time we had discuss the race he was busy. But lucky for me – his other plans fell through and he was able to come run with me.

The race happened on a Monday night, so after work I headed home and change into the shirt that I wore for the New York City Marathon in 2017, which featured the NYPD running club. I swung by Mike’s house and picked him up, and we head to the park together. It’s a local race for us so it only took about 10 minutes to get there.

The parking lot closest to the race were already filled up, and I didn’t want to park on the grass this time around us so I opted for a slightly further out parking lot. We’re already going to be running a 5K, so with a little extra walking really matter. We got over to the race area just as people are starting to head to the start line, and fell into the massive group of people waiting to get going. Soon after there was announcement at the start was going to be delayed by 10 minutes. I looked around us and waited in the starting corral knowing that a lot of the tri team was going to be doing this race and spotted a few of the jerseys ahead of us. We weaved through the group of waiting runners and I spotted Tara. 

She asked me what my plan for this race was, and honestly I didn’t really have one. I just plan on sticking with Mike and letting whatever piece happened it just happened. But when she greeted me she had told me that she was hoping to see me, so I could pace her for this race. I asked her what time she wanted to run, and she said something in the eights. I knew that Mike had been able to hold pieces that fast as he had been coming with me lately to do a few miles during my tempo runs, so I figured we may as well go for it. 

The national anthem was saying, and the race finally begin just a few minutes delayed. At first it was very crowded, with over 700 runners doing this event and no real seeding system runners of all different paces were starting at the same time. Made for a congested start, but with a little bit of weaving we were able to break into a less congested area of the race. The 1st mile including out and back portion where we ran towards the aquatic center in the park, and then we ran back towards the start area and spotted other members of the Tri team among the spectators. A lot of people that I knew spectating the race, and it was exciting do you hear them shout out my name as I ran by. At one point we ran through so many people that I knew, that Mike joked he would pay someone a dollar just to cheer for him. My watch buzzed to indicate that we had ran a mile just as we passed the 1st mile marker, an 8:29 pace. Before starting we had said we would try to stay between 830 and 845, so I tried to slow the pace down a little bit going into mile two that way there wouldn’t be any burnouts. But so far Mike and Tara were both sticking with me and looking strong.

It was a nice night out despite being August in New York, and Even the humidity was tolerable. I was surprised with how little I was sweating, and overall just felt really good. The week before this race I had totaled 50 miles, so I really didn’t expect these pieces to be coming without a high level of effort even the humidity was tolerable. I was surprised with how little I was sweating, and how overall i felt really good. The week before this race I had totaled 50 miles, so I really didn’t expect these paces to be coming without a high level of effort. There was a water stop in the 2nd mile, but I didn’t manage to get over in time. Sorry Mike and Tarah, if you guys had really wanted water at that point. I figured it was only a 5K, so we would survive to the end even if it sucked a little bit. The true torture came when we ran by an ice cream truck shortly after, and I didn’t even have any change to get something. We finished mile 2 with an 8:40 pace, as we weaved through a more wooded area of the park. At this point I kept a little bit of a closer eye on the pace - I wanted to make sure that we all would be able to stay together to the finish line.

I tried to cheer on my fellow runners as Mike, Tara and I pushed to keep the pace. We looped through the back side of Eisenhower park, and were soon nearing the area that we started the race in, and closing in on our third mile. Mike fell behind a little bit during the last mile, so as we approached the finish line I told Tara to go on without me, and slowed a little so Mike and I could be reunited, and finish the race together. When he caught up to me he was practically sprinting, and I met his pace as we raced for the finish line together. - we finished the race in 26:38, a new PR for Mike!

There were volunteers handing out cool towels and water bottles at the finish line, and those towels were amazing. We caught our breath, and then walked around the post-race area until we found the BBQ. They had catering from Texas roadhouse, and each runner was able to select two hot foods, a side, and a drink. I got a hot dog, a chicken slider, a oatmeal cookie, and a seltzer. They were also handing out draft beer to the runners, so Mike and I each got a pint, and I passed mine along to him once we found a seat to eat, since beer isn’t really my thing. The beer was unlimited for each runner, you just had to being back your cup to get more.

Mike and I enjoyed our tiny feast, watching other runners finish their race as the sun set in the park. Once we were finished eating we chatted with some of my friends from the tri team, as we waited for the raffles to be drawn - each runner had been given a raffle ticket, and there were additional tickets available for purchases, with some great prizes. We didn’t wind up winning anything though, and headed home after the numbers had been drawn.

Overall, I love this event, from the cause it supports, to the BBQ after the race, and the T-shirt that they give out, and I hope I will be able to run it for years to come.

Race Recap: Jamesport Triathlon

Well people, it’s the end of an era, the end of my favorite hashtag. If you follow my on Instagram you may have noticed that any time I bike or swim or do an activity with the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team, I tag my photos with #StillNotDoingATri.

But after three years of training with the team and not doing a tri, I did the thing: My first triathlon.

I was nervous leading up to the big day, but I knew that I had gotten in plenty of laps at the pool, a handful of open water swims, many winter miles on the trainer, and a few session outside in the real world on my bike, clip in pedals and all. Plus, I had the support of the Tri team, plus Dennis, PG and Jennie who had driven all the way out to Jamesport to cheer me on.

I packed up my car the night before the race so that no thought would be required when it was time for a very early wakeup the next morning, and tried to get to bed early, despite some nerves trying to keep me awake. When my alarm went off the next morning Den and I piled into the car, and started the hour-ish long drive towards Jamesport. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we made our way there. The drive felt like it took much longer than an hour, but eventually we pulled into the beach side parking lot, and started unloading the piles of supplies that I had brought with me.

When we unloaded the bike from the car we made some last minute adjustments, which mainly consisted of pumping up my bike tires once again. We made our way over to the transition area, where Merrick had their own team bike rack. I found my name on the bike rack, and started by hanging up my bike. I had brought my wet suit along in a 5-gallon home depot bucket, so I set that up at the end of my area, so I could quickly dump my wet suit after the swim portion of the race. I laid out my two sets of shoes on a towel, leaving part of the towel un-burduned so that I could dry off my feet.

I passed my cell phone and go-pro off to Dennis, and followed Jackie and Nicole towards the water so I could warm up in the water before the race. If I had learned anything from previous open water swims, was that I am more comfortable if I have a few minutes to adjust to the water. I took my time getting on my wetsuit, since I had just repaired some tears in it earlier that week, making sure I was comfortable with how it was sitting. Then I waddled over to the water, and flopped around for a few minutes. I felt the low key panic that often comes with open water swims for me, and hoped that feeling it before the race meant that I would be fine once things got moving with the actual race.

Soon the announcer was giving a warning for the first age group to line up at the start, so it was time to vacate the water. The wave start was broken up by age and gender, from youngest to oldest. I was in the second wave overall, the first female group. Once the first group of guys had taken off I lined up with many of my team mates, who I knew would speed by once we hit the water, and tried to calm my nerves. I could do this. It would be hard, but I was capable.

The announcer counted down, and off we went. A run across the sand and into the water, wading until it was deep enough to get a stroke in. I stuck to the back of the group, not wanting to get swam over or kicked in the face. Once I was far enough into the water, I started swimming, counting my breaths between strokes, and trying to stay calm. There were plenty of swimmers, life guards, and buoys around me, but I was still panicking a little. It felt like the swim was taking forever from the start, even though the total elapsed time was less than 15 minutes for the 500 yd swim. Eventually I reached the buoy that marked the turn around point, and took a second to swap to backstroke to collect myself. As I started swimming back to the shore, the I was hot in the wetsuit. I felt almost constricted as I kept swimming, half wishing I hadn’t worn it. As the water got shallower, I tapped my feet to the sand to calm myself down. This was tough, but I could do it. With one of those taps I felt a sharp pain in my foot and recoiled - I must have stepped on the shell.

When I got to a shallow enough point in the water, I decided to try the latest tip I had read regarding wetsuits - take it off before you get out of the water. Every time i have to take off my wetsuit I struggled with it, so I figured I may as well give it a go. Worst case I would be flopping on the sand in front of spectators trying to take it off, rather than waiting until the transition area and trying to get it off there. But my gamble paid off, and the wetsuit came off easier than ever! I was all smiles as I left the water, and started the run over to the transition area, where I would move on to the bike portion of the race. It was a long run over to the bikes, across a parking lot and passed a glimpse of the finish line. I even spotted Jennie cheering with her fiance PG as I ran by.

I dropped my wetsuit into the bucket that I had brought along, and plopped down onto the towel that I had setup and tried to dry off my feet a little bit before putting on my ProCompression lows - I had wanted to wear the over-the-calf socks, but there was a ankle timing chip, and I wasn’t sure how the socks would fit with it.There were still plenty of bikes in the transition area, as I was in one of the earlier waves, but more people were coming in by the second. Once I was dry enough to get socks on I slipped into my bike shoes, threw on my helmet, and attempted to get my garmin swapped over to bike mode. I also slipped on my apple watch, so that Dad could track my progress from home. As soon as I crossed the line that indicated where we were allowed to hop on our bikes I got myself clipped in, and focused on getting moving. Mentally I tried to spot bikers that were just a little ahead of me, and reeling them in. There was one biker that I yo-yoed back and fourth with for the first 2/3 of the bike, and we even engaged in conversation from time to time, pushing each other to keep going. I felt stronger than I had expected to, and was riding faster than I had on any of my training runs. Plenty of faster bikers were passing me, but I still felt strong. I even managed to drink some water while riding, and spent most of the 16 mile bike ride in aero position, which my wrists very much appreciated. I tried to give all I could on the bike portion, knowing that my body would know what to do when it got to the run portion, that is my strong suit, and I wasn’t worried about saving energy for it. There were some hills at the end of the course, and I pushed myself to leave it all on the table as I biked up them, and to accept the speed that came with the downhill.

As I rode towards the transition area, I slowed down coming into the final turn. I could feel that there was another biker right behind me, and was worried about getting in his way, but he called out in support letting me know that he wasn’t going to cut around, and even shouting some encouragement. I felt, as always, so supported by this community. I also spotted Dennis with PG and Jennie, and was so happy to see my people. I swapped My shoes, clipped on my SPI belt, which had my race bib attached to it, and headed for the last leg of my journey - the run. I had trouble getting my Garmin started again - the race brain was in full effect at this point.

The course took us back towards the water, before looping out to the neighborhood that surrounded the beach. I spotted the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team cheer squad, and got entirely caught up in their energy as I ran by. While my watch was working now, I wasn’t looking at my pace, I was just putting one foot in front of the other. My legs were a little heavy but I felt good. I was reminded that running is my strong sport, as I started passing other runners on the course. Familiar faces who had zipped by me on the bike I was now catching up with, and hardly being passed myself. When my watch buzzed to indicate that I had finished the first mile of the 5k course, I saw that I was somehow pulling off a sub 8 minute mile. I was a little shocked, but I just kept pushing onward. There were only 2.1 miles left between me and the finish line. The first section of the course was an out and back, and I was relieved when i reached the turn around. There were water stations along the side during mile two, and I made sure to grab some water, as I could feel how salty I was. I had thrown some skratch gummies into my running belt, and made sure to take a few with the water.

I kept pushing, and cheering on my team mates every time I spotted a Merrick Bicycles jersey. We turned off of the main road we had been on and to some side roads, where there was a little more shade, which was a relief. The pace was hard, but I could handle it. The finish line was fast approaching. As I ran by the transition area bike entrance I spotted the Tri team on one side, still cheering at the top of their lungs, and Jennie on the other side, cheering me on with the biggest smile plastered across her face. Then there was one final turn to the course, and it would be over.

Finally, the finish line was in sight. I mustered the last bit of strength I had, and pushed forward. 1:42:09 - I was proud. Honestly, I don’t know enough about triathlons to be able to gauge if that is considered “fast” or “slow” or anything in the middle for a sprint tri, but I didn’t care in the lease - it was MY finish time. I had finished, and I was officially a triathlete. Only took three years after joining the tri team. I collected my medal and was handed a water, and Den was waiting for me at the end of the finishers chute. He was trying to talk to me, but I really couldn’t process anything. My brain was fried, and I just needed a minute to talk in circles to collect myself. Eventually my heart rate came down, and I began to return to “normal human” status. I grabbed some watermelon, and Den walked with me back over to the transition area, so I could start packing up my gear. I also changed into some dry clothes, and Den was nice enough to cart all of my stuff back to the car, which I took some time to stretch.

The Tri Team had a tent set up in a field near by, with BBQ supplies that we had all brought along. I spent some time unwinding with the team, and stayed for the award ceremony - our coach, Jackie, had WON the race in the women’s division. Like, overall first woman. She seriously amazes me, and inspires me to always reach for goals that feel impossible.

Den and I headed home, both pooped from a early morning, and me from a long race. All in all, it was an awesome, but difficult experience. I was really proud of myself for putting myself out there though. When we finally got home I stepped out of the car, and was greeted with a shooting pain in my foot - remember the shell I mentioned earlier? It had apparently lodged itself into my foot, and was now VERY unhappy. I was okay all in all, and once I removed the surprisingly tiny shell fragment, the swelling in my foot went down. I did an epsom salt bath with hot water just to be safe, and took it easy for the rest of the day.

In the days following the race I was totally wiped out, and much sorer than I had expected to be after the race - but I suppose that comes with the territory of your first triathlon.

Race Recap: NYRR Retro Run

Well internet, I did it again – I neglected to consult my calender when signing up for races, and got myself into another two-race weekend, this time with a particularly early morning. My weekend of racing started with another “weekly” race with the New York Road runners, the 4-mile Retro Run.

This particular road runners event has been on my “to do” list for the last two years, as I love an excuse to dress up for a race. I had signed up for it in 2017 but then had a family obligation, and was similarly out of town for the 2018 rendition of the event. But this year I was finally able to don the vintage 1987 road runners event shirt that Dad had surprised me with in 2017, before we realized I wouldn’t be able to participate.

The morning started with a 5:50 alarm, and by 6:15 one of my teammates from the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team, Michal, had arrived at my apartment. Her, Mike and I were car pooling to the city, and we hopped into my car and headed to pick up Mike. The weather was nice for July running, with temps in the 70’s and a slightly overcast sky. I managed to navigate us to the city without any tolls, which sounds simple, and ultimately is simple, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t messed it up in the past. I again opted to pre-purchase parking through the spot hero app, and got a garage spot on 67th street, just outside of central park. When participating in Road Runner events it is easy to find street parking if the event occurs on a Sunday, as parking regulations are more relaxed, but on Saturdays there are more rules, and street parking can be hard to come by. The $20 charge that the three of us split was worth not feeling rushed before the race.

We all needed to pick up our bibs, so we headed to race day central to grab them. After a quick scan of our QR codes, we were good to go. We found Carson near bib pickup, and she joined our group of runners. As a chronic over-packer, I of course had a bag I wanted to check, so our next stop was the drop-off location. On the way there we ran into another MBTT teammate, and stopped for a quick pre-race selfie. The final start before it was time to run? The porter potties, of course!

We climbed into the corrals just before 8 am, when the race was scheduled to begin. I wasn’t planning on racing, so I dropped back so that I could run with everyone else. As we waited in the corrals we sang along to the “retro” tunes that they were pumping into the corrals, really breaking it down to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” As the corrals ahead of us were released, we shuffled closer to the start line.

Eventually it was our turn to start running, and this time the four of us managed to stay together through the crowded start. Admittedly, it was a smaller field than the pride run had been, so it was less congested. We pushed the pace a little as we weaved through the crowd, looking for a area big enough for the four of us. Some of the runners that we spotted had great costumes, and we even spotted a few wigs that had us wondering if they were real or not.

When we got to the first mile marker, in lieu of the standard timing clock there was a man on a raised chair yelling out the race clock time – they had really committed to this retro thing! As we approached the north end of the park Mike and I began to wonder aloud if we were going to have to face Harlem hill that day – neither of us had checked the course map. But just before mile two the course turned, avoiding it. Instead, we headed into the rolling hills known as the three sisters, and it was during the third mile of the race that in these hills our group of four split in half to pairs. Carson wasn’t feeling great, and wanted to incorporate some walk breaks, and Mike decided to stay with her as Michal and I kept running. We chatted our way through the final mile, and after crossing the finish line we pulled to the side and asked a volunteer to take our photo. As we posed, Mike and Carson hopped in, having finished just a moment later.

We were happy to have water at the finish line, and accepted our post race bagels and apples from volunteers. Carson was a little run-drunk, and was very concerned that she couldn’t spot any raisins in her cinnamon-raisin bagel, but thankfully they were discovered once she started eating it.

We picked up our event shirts, which were teal and made of a more “retro” looking material than the standard shirt that the road runners gives out. I was a fan of them, as they were soft and the logo looked good on the front of the shirt. There was a band playing, and roller skaters putting on a show near the bandshell, and a vintage good humor truck was giving out popsicles to runners. I went and picked up my checked bag while my friends waited in line. Our last stop before heading home was the photo booth, which was setup in a old Volkswagen van. We climbed into the back of it and posed together, sweaty post-run faces and all. If you’d like to see the video from the race, you it is posted on my youtube page, or you can click the photo of us with the race shirts.

It was a fun event, made better by running it with friends. We hit some traffic going home, but it at least gave Mike some time to try my r-8 recovery roller, or as he called it, the Bear Trap. When I did get home, I spent most of Saturday preparing for Sunday’s event: My first Triathlon.

Race Recap: 2019 NYRR Pride Run

Another weekend, another race. This time the New York Road Runners Front runners of NY Pride run - If that’s not a mouthful, I’m not sure what is. This race would bring me one step closer to my 9+1 qualification for next year’s NYC marathon, and was sure to be full of LOVE! This would be my second time running this event, and we were slated for sunny skies.

When we registered for this race, I had Kasey, Mike, Sophie, and Sophie’s sister Janna planning to run with me. We all signed up, but only three of us made it to the start line. Mike wound up having a wedding in Connecticut that night, and the timing just wasn’t working out, and Kasey got put on the schedule for work. A bummer for sure on both fronts, but I was glad to at least have some good company as I headed into the city on race morning.

I picked up Sophie and Janna from my parent’s house, and they were in full rainbow mode and ready to run. I had opted for a neon pink shirt and neon ProCompression socks, as I just didn’t have anything rainbow that I really felt did the event justice.

I had decided to pre-purchase parking via the spot hero app, since every other time that we had headed into the city for a Saturday race this year we had wound up looping the streets surrounding central park looking for parking for so long that we had to kick one person out of the car to get the bibs which the other paid for a garage - and they’re expensive! Paying for parking day of in the city has cost us around $55, where as the spot hero app got me parking for $22 - a bargain in my opinion. We easily dropped the car off just a block outside of central park, and had a quick walk to bib pickup.

Once we had our bibs we moved over to bag check, and I sorted through the crap that I wanted to have with me, vs. the stuff I could leave behind. I had intended to run with my GoPro for this event, and carried it with me, but shortly after bag check discovered that the battery was dead. Once my stuff was dropped off we headed towards the corrals, with a quick stop at the porter potties along the way.

It was a big race, as NYRR was trying to set a world record for the largest charity pride run. They would have to net the most finishers, so there were over 10,000 runners in the field - much larger than the standard NYRR weekly race! We headed to the back of the corrals, as this was Janna’s first NYRR event, so she did not have a proper time-based corral placement yet. Shortly after we got to the corral, Carson spotted us as we waited to get moving, and joined us in the corrals. It was a long walk to the start, as they were releasing runners in waves that day.

When we did make it to the start, it was so crowded that I managed to loose sight of Sophie and Janna. I saw them right behind me, and Sophie waved me on. I planned to stay with them, but the next time I turned to check for them they were out of sight. So, Carson and I moved forward, figuring that we would find them by the finish line. We chatted as we made our way through the first mile, which brought us up Cat hill. Near the hill one of the members of MBTT spotted me, Michal, and we chatted for a moment until she decided to cut back her pace a little. It’s always fun to spot a familiar face on course.

We missed the first aid station simply because it was crowded, but pulled over to grab water at the second. it was a humid morning, and we needed to make sure to hydrate, even though it was only a 5 mile run. We continued making our way around central park, and as we approached Harlem Hill Carson and I parted ways, as she wanted to take a short walk break. I pressed forward, enjoying the challenge of the hill. I had needed to take a few days off that week, as my calf had been feeling a little strained, but it was feeling great during the race, and I was just happy to be moving. Did the hill suck? Yes. But there I was, running up it anyway, somehow happy about it as sweat dripped into my eyes. Running is emotionally weird, guys.

If you’ve run central park before, you probably know what comes after Harlem Hill - you finally make it to the top, praise the end of the uphill, have a moment of relief, and then head straight for the three sisters. Sigh. More hills. But I was still happy to be out there, happy to feel good running, even pushing the pace a little when I could. I wanted to play it smart with the heat, so I wasn’t going too crazy.

Once I made it through the ups and downs of the three sisters, it was smooth sailing to the finish line. A flat stretch, lines with spectators decked out in pride gear, cheering on the runners, a final turn, and the finish line chute. I almost crashed with another runner at the finish line, who came in HOT behind me, but crisis was averted. I moved through the finishers chute, being handed water, and apple, a rainbow bagel, and the real prize - a rainbow ice pop. Really, the ice pop alone would have been enough to convince me to run five miles.

I was very thankful for the many pockets on my shorts, as I crammed my apple and bagel into them as I enjoyed my ice pop. I waited in line to pick up my shirt, and once I had it I went to pick up my checked bag. Carson found me along the way, and walked over to get her bag as well. We then found a nice curb to enjoy our ice pops on.

Sophie texted me when she finished her race, and I walked back over to the shirt pickup area to meet her. Her and Janna briefly got separated - an issue as Janna had never been in central park before and had no cell phone on her - but Sophie found her surprisingly fast, and then they grabbed their shirts. By then we had all finished our ice pops, and made a group decision for another round - there were plenty of vendors in the park after all! Once we had our ice pops acquired, we walked towards the cherry hill fountain, where I knew some of the tri team had planned to meet up. I knew I was probably too late, but wanted to see if I could spot anyone.

I was indeed too late, but we snapped a few photos with the fountain anyway. We walked back up to race day central, posed with a few of the photo ops, then parted ways with Carson as we headed for the car and she headed for the subway.

It was another good week with the road runners, despite the warm temperatures. At the end of the race they announced that they had met their goal, and broke a Guinness world record for the largest pride run