On Saturday night, my friend Jen and I made a delicious pre-race dinner and ate while watching “The Spirit of the Marathon” (watch out–this movie will make you want to run one!!!)
Garlic bread, spinach/romaine/avocado/red pepper salad, balsamic tomatoes, whole-wheat spinach noodles with homemade pesto
Then, we went to bed in preparation for a 4 AM wakeup call and drive out to Jamesport, Long Island . . .
crazy clouds on the Long Island Expressway
Jamesport
Race start (by the water)
The 10K started on the Long Island sound, wound through farms and countryside and ended at the Peconic Bay. I stayed at a steady, comfortable pace of around 10:40/mi. and finished in 1 hr. 6 minutes. I didn’t really have a goal time, and had a bit of a realization in the middle of the run: even though I knew I could go faster if I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, I had little desire to. What I LOVE about running, the thing that brings me back to it, is the happy, fuzzy mental place you hit in the middle of a longer run — there’s no past, no future, and no worries, just your breath, surroundings, and feet hitting the ground. THIS is why I run — not because I want to achieve a fast time or push myself to my physical breaking point. Maintaining that mental (and physical!) focus over a period of 6 miles is enough of a challenge!
So, I’m happy to say that this run felt GREAT. Yes, it was challenging, and yes, there were moments in the beginning (when I wasn’t yet warmed up) when I asked myself “why the heck am I doing this again?!” but I was happy to finish and finish strong.
- Pre-race
Jen and I, though we train together, have very different running philosophies. She is a competitive biker, and doesn’t feel like she’s done her best at a physical activity unless she’s totally wasted at the end. So we ran together for 4 miles, and she pulled ahead for the last 2. I thought about trying to catch up with her, but realized I wanted to run the race for ME and nobody else.
One of the perks of this race (besides the watermelon and sorbet afterward!) was the free access to Jamesport beach on Peconic Bay. Jen and I went for a lovely swim and stretched our legs after the run. It was absolutely gorgeous . . .
I ate a well-deserved (and humungous) Greek salad from Duffy's Deli
- Jen and I have signed up for a 15K (~9.3 miles) in the Bronx in December, and depending on how that goes, we may or may not register for the Brooklyn half marathon in May. It feels SO GOOD to be pushing my boundaries and the mental focus I’ve been getting from running has helped me feel more centered and strong despite everything that’s been going on this summer. I am very thankful for it
What was your best running experience? If you’re not a runner, what do you hope to accomplish?
August 25, 2009 at 5:46 am
YAY! Congrats on the amazing race! I really like your running philosophy, to run for YOU and no one else
See you soon!
August 25, 2009 at 12:26 pm
CONGRATS on the race! you did amazing, and i love where you got to run!
August 25, 2009 at 1:24 pm
congrats to you two!!! I totally agree with your philosophy – I do eventually want to be faster and have more stamina, but I love being IN the run and just being in my thoughts, hearing my feet hit the ground and my breath keeping me going. I used to run with music, but now that I’ve stopped, I don’t know that I want to anymore. It’s just one more distraction, and I feel like I’m distracted ALL day long with the computer, tv, books, work, etc….running is the time where I can be silent and focused.
August 25, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Congrats on the race. You look radiant in the picture before the race. So proud of you!
August 25, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Congrats!!!
August 26, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Congrats on the race! I have heard a lot about this fabled “runner’s high,” though I have yet to achieve it, what with my not running and all… Looks like you had some awesome scenery!
August 28, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Congratulations on the race!! Isn’t it amazing to run one? I know the sinking feeling as well, but once you’re finished it feels sooo good! I have a 10 miler on sept 20th, so that’s my goal
Have to finish in under 2 hrs, so it will be challenging!
August 28, 2009 at 7:07 pm
as you know, i totally agree with you on the running pace situation. so not into rushing myself — i want running to stay something i enjoy! the half was definitely my best running experience, injury and all
these are beautiful pics, by the way. what a scenic race!
August 31, 2009 at 2:36 am
BEAUTIFUL pictures! Thank you for this post…I felt like I was RIGHT there with you enjoying the same (well, maybe not as intense) exhilaration as you!
I right now can only run about 4-6 miles per day…bt I aspire to finish a marathon someday!
August 31, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Glad you made it through the race! I’m not a runner (it hurts my knees) but I would love to do a bike race sometime . . . I just learned how to ride a bike last month, so it might be a while till I get there though!
September 2, 2009 at 12:27 am
That was a great post, I ran the Sound to Bay that day also and finished 1:06:08, I must have been right next to you!! What a great experience, you captured it in your post perfectly and I couldn’t agree more w/your reason for running. Thanks for sharing – great read!
-Maryellen
September 7, 2009 at 8:45 pm
You didn’t tell me about this! And to think just 3 years ago we stumbled our way through a 5K. You’ve made Hal (and me) proud.
September 30, 2009 at 5:22 pm
[...] had some of these whole-wheat spinach noodles left over from when Jen and I had our pre-10K pasta dinner. Pasta is not a normal dinner for me — I see it more as pre-exercise fuel than [...]