11/04/2024
Medal Monday! 🏅
I can't even begin to describe what a dream it was running the 5 Boros of NYC! There is no race I have ever done that could compare.
I spent this season working on a ton of things. Marathon training was really mostly in the background. Sure, I did the two marathons on the back end of Lake Placid and Chattanooga, but I did not fully run them. Besides those two long IM slogs, I never ended up training more than 16 miles for this race.
So, race day was coming and I wasn't sure I was even excited to run it. I had my nutrition plan set, and an idea where I wanted to try to finish time-wise, but it would only work if I ran the whole thing and did not stop.
The excitement picked up Friday going to the incredible expo to pick up my bib. Just being there in the crowds brought to life what I was really going to do! And race day???
There were people cheering every inch of this race!!! The energy was so insane, I never put in my earbuds. No podcasts. No music. No audiobook. I just soaked it all in. All the sights. All the sounds.
The weather was perfect and though it was chilly waiting to start, I had everything I needed to stay warm and get ready. It was the perfect long run day.
I had in my mind to follow the 10/10/10 strategy, which for a marathon ends up 10/10/6.2 but anyway, it's this: Run 10 miles with your head. Keep it easy and light. Stay in control. Run the next with your legs. Focus on how you trained to run: cadence, stride, breath, etc. Run the last 6.2 with your heart. Dig in and go for it.
It made for a consistent and focused experience, different than I've ever run a marathon before. Between the mindset strategy and my nutrition, I ran a perfect race this time. And that goal of less than 5 hours? How about 4:53:43? 😊
I'm a long way from my fastest, but I am at my strongest and just totally thrilled with the experience I had. I'll be back, NYC! And I just might have some other stars in my vision now! ⭐
