Last Saturday, May 21 I ran the NYRR AirBnB Brooklyn Half. This was my 8th (I think) half, and my 2nd time running NYRR’s Bklyn Half, and my first half of 2016. Woah… actually the first time I ran 13 miles since the Philadelphia Marathon.
Before I even got to race day, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about my running or how this race would go. For the past few months I have really been expanding my yoga teaching schedule, while also trying to diversify my workouts to not be just yoga and running. That said, my typical 4 day a week run training schedule was cut to 3 days, and probably not in the most efficient way – it lacked some rhyme and reason. But, I thought that maybe the added cross training might make up for it.
My finishing time was 2:06:17 – way off my PR for sub-2 during the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half, and on the high end of my recent race/pace times. Was it the 3-day run training schedule? Was it an attitude going in that it wouldn’t be my best? Was it my poor planning for an eating and drinking schedule race day? Was it poor pacing on my part? Was it not enough time for recovery between workouts? Was it my left knee that has a tweak? Was it none of these things and this will be the new norm as I age? I just don’t know. While I was racing I could tell it wouldn’t be my best, and at times I questioned why I was running and did I really think I had it in me to run the NYC Marathon this November?
So while I don’t know for sure what it was, and am now ready to get back to running after a nice week-long break (I’ll hit the road Sunday, so it will even be more than a week), I do know that I will go back to what works for me for my NYC Marathon training: 4 runs and some yoga – with a cross training/barre class in the mix here and there. And maybe most importantly – a better, non-defeatist attitude. I am excited to start running again, I was a little worried my body was done, or that I burned out. I know there will be times that I drag myself out of bed, or bitch about the heat and humidity, but down to my core I’ll be excited about my marathon training journey – and running 26.2 through NYC.
Aside from my personal issues, the Brooklyn Half was good. The crowds were great – loved seeing my hubby at mile 8, and then OMG people at mile 10 you know how to cheer and party! Finishing up on the Coney Island boardwalk is always a treat (Coney Island is a special place to me). But I think the race is getting too big, there’s a runner scrum after the finish, and it seemed like a pretty long walk to even get a cup of water, and then a lifetime to get my food bag and mild chaos trying to find family at the end (bad AT&T cell service or overwrought systems because everyone is posting post-race selfies – a perfect storm of the two?!). So I don’t think that next year I’ll have a calendar alert set to register as the clock strikes noon, but I’m glad to have done it – and I’m really happy about the lessons learned.
Time for feedback: how have you come back from a running set-back or not picture finish?
Here I am probably around mile 8, photo thanks to the hubby.
A Journey from the Mat, through the Miles (and Beyond) 
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