Running and NF Update:
2/18/2015
|
5.1
mi
|
46:08
|
2/20/2015
|
3.2
mi
|
29:50
|
2/21/2015
|
13.1
mi
|
2:10:05
|
2/25/2015
|
5.0
mi
|
46:30
|
2/27/2015
|
5.0
mi
|
47:30
|
3/1/2015
|
9.9
mi
|
1:37:41
|
3/4/2015
|
5.0
mi
|
46:14
|
3/6/2015
|
5.2
mi
|
46:51
|
3/8/2015
|
7.6
mi
|
1:13:01
|
3/15/2015
|
13.1
mi
|
1:59:17
|
Another race done for the Children’s Tumor
Foundation!
This past weekend I ran the NYC Half
Marathon—what a fantastic race! Big, spirited crowds and great fun to be able to run
through Central Park, Times Square, and by the World Trade Center.
We
arrived the day beforehand so as to attend the Expo and to do a bit of sight-seeing. We were thwarted somewhat by heavy rain, but
still managed to show the kids a bit of midtown Manhattan.
 |
| Times Square Selfie |
 |
| Skating at Rockefeller Plaza |
 |
| At the Expo with Neil and Angela |
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| Jane's ready to cheer! |
The NYC Half Marathon starts in Central Park and nearly all the
first half of the race is run within it. I'd never run in Central Park, the
quintessential running destination for so many New Yorkers. It is just lovely,
even on a dark, late-winter morning. The
park contains the only hills of the race—it was nice to get them over with
early on.
The route then exits the bottom of the park at Mile
6, straight onto 7th Avenue and into Times Square. Just imagine—a
road race running right through Times Square!
We were surrounded by enormous illuminated signs and crowds of cheering spectators. I learned that Times Square is closed only two times a
year—once on New Year’s Eve and once for the NYC Half Marathon. Todd and the kids were
watching in Times Square, but I missed them by just a few minutes when they
ducked indoors to warm up (I was faster than they thought, and it was colder
than they thought...)
 |
| A Chilly Breakfast |
After Times Square we ran due west on 42nd
street, then turned south onto the West Side Highway. I found lots of motivation on the West Side: a rocking drum corps, an actual cheer-leading
squad, complete with pom-poms and human pyramids. Great sights, too: we ran past the new One World Trade Center
and had a view of Statue of Liberty. I also happened to notice Jane Street
just above 12th Street :)
In the final stretch of the race we entered the Battery
Park Underpass—half a mile running through a tunnel! It offered much
welcomed protection from the wind, inspired lots of whooping and hollering from
the runners which echoed the length of the tunnel, and prompted many apt
comments about seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel” :)
Right before
the final turns of the course I spotted Angela Dumadag, the manager for the NF Endurance Team in New York and the woman who made it possible
for me to run the NYC Half. She was very
inspiring in her green wig and tutu!
 |
| A shot of Angela that made it onto the New York Road Runners website |
The
cherry on top of a wonderful experience—I was faster than I thought I would be! I didn't think I would be able to run the
half marathon in under 2 hours, but I finished in 1:59:17. In case you were
wondering, I was 201st out of 889 females aged 45-49 :)
 |
| Jane scored another medal, too! |
Thank you to Angela, the NF Endurance Team, and
the Children’s Tumor Foundation, to my running partner, Neil, and our one-woman
support crew, Marcia, and huge thanks and love to Todd and the kids for tolerating another crazy marathoning
trek for me <3
And finally, thank you, New York! You're
the best!
