So I have been on vacation and I took a little break from blogging.
Went hiking at Taughannock Falls near Ithica
Last Sunday I ran the Empire State Half marathon. It was my first race in New York State and the first race I have run with family. I left for my trip over a week before the race, so as I looked ahead at the weather I had to bring a variety of running gear because it’s October and the weather can change quickly. Guess the time to wear tanks and skirts is over for a while! As I checked the weather all week it was supposed to rain on Sunday morning, I was not happy, it was also super windy most of the week so that didn’t make me happy either. I only ran once the week before the race and it was ok, but not as long of a run as I should have done. My endurance has been really low latly, I am taking it easy so my leg heals, which means less running, so I knew this race would not be my best, it was also my first race since my DNF 3 weeks before. My nerves were high and I hoped I would do well.
not sure what to wear… time for the cold weather running gear!
RUN!!!!
The expo was small, just a few vendors set up, I grabbed our packets, walked around for a min and headed out. This was a smaller race, less than 2,000 people. It also was a half marathon, a full marathon and a marathon relay. The race was along Onondaga Lake, and started in an area of Syracuse that I had been to a lot.
Expo, small but very fast packet pickup
We got to the race site just less than an hour before the race, we went early to get parking, my cousin had done the race before so she knew the ins and outs of where to park which was perfect. We waited until 30 min before the race to get out of the car, it was a chilly 40 degrees with 15 mile an hour winds, the temp wasn’t bad, but the wind sucked.
Jen and I freezing before the race
The race started and I felt pretty good, way better than I did when I started my race three weeks ago. I held back my pace and fought the wind but I felt good. The first couple miles were pretty boring, but as soon as I got onto the Onondaga parkway, the scenery was beautiful, the lake was to my left and the path was very wide and pretty. They are also starting to set up all of the holiday decorations so there was a lot to look at, the holiday light displays went on for over 2 miles. Just before I hit mile 6 I saw my cousin Jen, she had already turned around and was looking strong, I was smiling and felt really good. I was on pace to finish in 2:15ish or less, if only I could keep the pace from the first half of the race for the whole race. I was fine until about mile 8, then I began walk running and my lack of training really set in. but I still felt great, just a little sore, my leg wasn’t bothering my too much and I knew if I fought the wind I would make it back feeling strong.
not too bad of a race photo
As I got closer to the finish I couldn’t believe that my 11th half marathon was almost done, I really set a lofty goal of 13 half marathons in 1 year and still have 2 more in the next 3 weeks to complete, but what a sense of accomplishment this will be. I rounded a couple of corners and then I saw my family, My cousin Scott and Jen were there with their sons Adam and Jonathan cheering me on, it was so nice to have familiar faces at the end of the race. Just wish it had been a bit warmer at the end, we left pretty quickly.
almost to the finish
I did it!
Pretty medal
Skirt On The Run 