Race Day: A Reflection

So today was the Half-Marathon! It was a great experience. Though we did have an early morning thunderstorm while waiting in the runner corrals, I managed to stay dry and the heavens were kind enough to let the sun come out for the entirety of the actual race. The race was a challenge but really really fun. The highlight was running down 7th avenue from 57th to Times Square, which is an area i walk around a lot, but in this instance,, i got to run in the middle of the street and disregard all traffic signals, which is normally what i feel inclined to do to avoid the tourists. At long last, a dream fulfilled! :) My overall time was 2:05:50 and my pace was 9:36/mile. That was a bit better than my anticipated pace of a 10 minute mile. And while I was extremely tired at the end, my body held up well and I felt like I still had a couple more miles left in me. :)

Before I sign off about the half-marathon, several thank-you's are in order. I would like to thank everyone who donated to my charity run to support the Organization for Autism Research. I managed to exceed my $1.000 fundraising goal, and I'm thrilled and amazed that I could raise that in just a few weeks' time. I'd also like to thank everyone that sent me messages of support - it was a huge motivator to keep me headed toward my goal. I need to thank my Dad for coming to see me at the finish line and for finally bringing me that air condition he promised me long ago, so I won't be sleeping in a puddle of my own sweat during the next heat wave. I also have to give a special shout out to Lin-Manuel for letting me stay at his place in Manhattan last night so the N train wouldn't have the opportunity to screw me over with shoddy service as it has done on several other early morning race days. A special mention must go to this very nice runner who offered me a lift in her cab across the park when it started to rain around 5:45 this morning. And a thank you to the two trees in Central Park I stood under during the thunderstorms. You kept me dry and you were not struck by lightning, so good work.

I'm sure I'll be extremely sore in the morning, but right now I feel really good.