So...last Thursday, I braved the frigid cold of Florida and headed to the airport, where I flew home to Boston to become an icicle. Seriously, one forgets how cold "below zero" is until you are waiting outside for your parents to come pick you up. Why is the passenger pick-up on the second median at Logan? Also, Floridians...you really don't know what cold is.
The race was Sunday morning, so my Dad drove us to Liverpool, NY on Saturday night (see above). It started snowing about an hour into the drive and stress was not at a low level. We saw three separate incidents of car-off-the-road on the other side on the way out there. A drive that should have taken us just about 5 hours, took us almost 6 1/2. There were plows out there and from time to time, we would slow down behind one until we could make our way around it. We saw a really cool truck that had an attached trailer-like plow, dragging behind it, plowing the lane next to it - a double lane plow! Luckily, my Dad is very calm and collected on the road and we made it. We went out to Santangelo's Restaurant for dinner where I had possibly the best (homemade) ravioli I've had. Back at the hotel, I laid everything out for the next morning.
I woke up around 7:30am to head down to the hotel's breakfast. I ate some eggs and a bagel with cream cheese. We headed to the Salt Museum (below, second from left) near Onandaga Lake for packet pick-up. Quite a few runners already there, huddled in the warming tent. Loud music was playing, merchandise was there, warm bathrooms were available in the Visitor's Center, and the guy at registration made a big deal that I was from Florida when he looked at my ID. I was told by the race director that there was another person from Florida - there was. I looked at the results after the race and she was from Wesley Chapel...only a few miles from where I live.
I woke up around 7:30am to head down to the hotel's breakfast. I ate some eggs and a bagel with cream cheese. We headed to the Salt Museum (below, second from left) near Onandaga Lake for packet pick-up. Quite a few runners already there, huddled in the warming tent. Loud music was playing, merchandise was there, warm bathrooms were available in the Visitor's Center, and the guy at registration made a big deal that I was from Florida when he looked at my ID. I was told by the race director that there was another person from Florida - there was. I looked at the results after the race and she was from Wesley Chapel...only a few miles from where I live.
Soon enough, it was 9:20am and I decided to head to the Start Line. I handed my Dad my winter jacket. It was cold. 24 degrees. A little colder than projected a few days earlier, but the next day it was around 0, so I was thankful for the "warmth." It was cloudy too, so no sun to warm us up. I didn't actually feel that cold since I was wearing the right stuff. My feet were the coldest part of my anatomy, and once the race started, my hands...but the focus became about the running and not the temperature. The director thanked the race sponsors and the 31 charity bib runners, of which I was one and started us off.
The race course was a double out-and-back, fairly scenic, but the course was challenging in that I was trying to avoid the slush, and when the pavement ran out, it was really hard to get a good footing on the snow. Miles 1 and 2 were relatively clear of snow. It wasn't until the third mile that the snow became a small issue. The turnaround was after mile 3, so for those keeping track, miles 3 and 4 were snow-covered, as well as miles 9 and 10. The other turnaround was after the finish line, so I actually ran by the finish during miles 6 and 7. In any case, all you need to know is that it was fun, it was cold, and I finished. During mile 8, I realized that if I ran at just about 10:30 per mile, I might get a PR, and I did get down to about 10:20, but as soon as I hit the snow again, that pace crashed, and I knew I wouldn't get it (see below).
Still, I finished strong, continuing to run. I tried walking once to give my muscles a break, but I could barely feel my feet (only noticed this when I started walking) and it felt better to run anyway. I ran past the finish line (again), around the loop by the playground, and headed back to the finish. I got my medal, met up with my Dad, got some water, tried the soup, talked to my Mom on the phone, texted my boyfriend, and we headed back to the hotel, so I could shower. One of the best showers ever, though my torso was tingling from the de-thawing process.
My finish time was 2:31:54, 11:36 pace. There were 555 runners. I finished 429, but it's not like this was a race for a beginner, these were experienced runners! Overall, I am happy with my performance. The conditions were hard. I was exactly 10 minutes from a PR, so if I ran 46 seconds faster per mile (or 10:50 pace), I would have tied my best time ever.
The winner was in my age group - 1:17:52, 5:57 pace. I was never lapped by the winner, but I did see him fly by in the opposite direction three times. To me, he seemed like he was sprinting. I'm not sure I'll ever condition myself to run that fast, but it would be nice. New goal? Nah! I'll just keep trucking on my 50 Halfs in 50 States challenge, reaching for a new PR, and entertaining the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge.
I've included some photos of our ride home including the awesome ice covering the granite walls through which the highway winds, as well as the bridges over the Hudson River.
The winner was in my age group - 1:17:52, 5:57 pace. I was never lapped by the winner, but I did see him fly by in the opposite direction three times. To me, he seemed like he was sprinting. I'm not sure I'll ever condition myself to run that fast, but it would be nice. New goal? Nah! I'll just keep trucking on my 50 Halfs in 50 States challenge, reaching for a new PR, and entertaining the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge.
I've included some photos of our ride home including the awesome ice covering the granite walls through which the highway winds, as well as the bridges over the Hudson River.
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