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 . . .
What was your best running experience? If you’re not a runner, what do you hope to accomplish?
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.
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
What was your best running experience? If you’re not a runner, what do you hope to accomplish?