BLOOD, SWEAT AND CHEERS
I declared Saturday: my fun race. There will be no talk of a personal best (PB). Just 13.1 miles of blood, sweat and cheers. My goal, this season, was to build a stronger foundation. A leaner, stronger, smarter runner. Along the way I lost a pound a week for 20 weeks. For now, speed took a backseat.
Thankfully the rain stopped hours before the race began. Unfortunately the humidity was high. Over 90%. Not great running weather. Before the sun rose, 10,000 runners gathered in front of the Brooklyn Museum. We were ready to run the 2017 Brooklyn Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. It was my 7th half marathon. Under an ominous gray sky we took off down the closed streets of Brooklyn.
At Mile 2, I already was having a difficult time getting enough oxygen to my muscles. The humidity was still high. The air heavy. I had to concentrate on every single breath. Side-stitches drifted in and out. I kept running.
At Mile 3, I developed a large blister on the ball of my left foot. I ignored the pain and kept running.
At Mile 7, both legs ached. At Mile 10, a muscle in my leg began to vibrate. It felt like my leg was about to fail. I slowed my pace a little. The quivering subsided. I kept running.
At Mile 11, I reached Battle Creek Hill. Running uphill requires a change in the muscles used. I did a lot of Hill Work. My legs were ready. The only downside was pushing uphill put extra pressure on the balls of the feet. My blister was now on fire! I kept running.
At Mile 13.1, the crowd cheered as I raced around the last bend and crossed the finish line. I held my finishing metal tightly in my hand as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced one last time at my GPS watch. No PB today. And no PW (personal worse).
Somebody once said, a race is a celebration of the past 20 weeks of training. I celebrated this moment with my family and friends. My whole body was in pain and I never felt better.
Statistics
Overall: 4701 / 8501
Age Division: 77 / 160
Gender: 2334 / 3494
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