I know I am a little late in getting this post up and I really have no excuse other than laziness! Let's get right to it, shall we?
The More | Fitness Women's Half Marathon was held on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 8:00 AM in Central Park, NYC. The weather was perfect for running - slightly overcast and temps in the low 50s. This was my third time running this race, but it had been five years since I had last run it, so it almost felt new again. Also, the course was a bit different than the last time I had run - I think it was reversed (which saves you from going up a BIG hill... twice!).
The morning of the race, I woke up at 6:30, made a cup of coffee and got ready. A little after 7:00, I headed downstairs to catch a cab in front of my hotel. I was too lazy to walk and figured I'd spring for the $6 cab. I'm glad I did since my driver was quite the comedian and joked (I think) that he wanted to run the race since it was all women!
After a quick cab ride, I arrived at Central Park. Since I forgot to grab safety pins at the expo, I needed to find some nice stranger willing to donate a couple. Luckily, the first person I asked had extras (thank you, complete stranger!). I pinned my bib to my shirt and headed to my corral. After the opening remarks by the editor of More Magazine and our host for the day, Hoda Kotb, we were off and running.
Though there were around 10,000 runners, I never felt too crowded. I started off the run too fast, as usual. I ended up having to walk sooner than I'd wanted, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing this for fun (I knew I wouldn't come close to a PR) and not to worry about time. Those thoughts stuck with me for maybe two or three miles then all I could think about was quitting. At mile four, I almost walked off the course because I just didn't have it in me that day - at least mentally. I wasn't enjoying myself and I really wanted to quit. But, my family had come to support me and I didn't want to let them down.
At around mile six (maybe a bit before?), you begin your second loop of the race. It's also about the time where the race really thins out and you can see the lead runners head off for their final loop. To me, so much of this race was a mental game. I had to ignore the fact that while many people were almost finished with their race, I still had about halfway to go. It was really tough for me to keep going at this point, but I decided I'd just suck it up and do whatever I needed to finish. I tried not to get down on myself because I knew I had trained for this, but it just wasn't my day. The best part of the race was seeing my family right before the 13 mile mark. My niece, Sydney gave me the biggest smile and I was so happy I hadn't bailed.
Right after the finish, I vowed to never do this race again because having to do a little over two hilly loops of the park is tough both mentally and physically. But, after about 30 minutes, I decided I'd be back next year! Funny how that happens, huh? I decided to not let a bad race deter me from running the race again.
Overall, I enjoyed this race. I like how it's all women, but it's not super girly (if that makes any sense). It's a large field, so you're never alone on the course. There was always plenty of water and/or Gatorade at the aid stations. And, hello! The race is held in Central Park in the spring. Need I say more?
There's really nothing negative I can say about the race. The only con I can think of is about packet pickup, primarily that the pins were not included in the swag bag. There were boxes of pins at the shirt pickup booth, but I wish they'd either had them at the bib pickup (unless they were there and I missed them) or in your swag bag. Other than that, I had no issues with this race and I'm looking forward to running it again next year!
Labels: half marathon, More Women's Half, NYC, races, running
