Sometimes Running Just Sucks: My Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Review

Yeah I said it and I’ll say it again, sometimes running sucks.

Yesterday was one such day. My first 13.1 of the year (the 6th anniversary of my first) plus the height of the second Polar Vortex of 2014 does not make for a fun day of running.

I woke up skeptical that I would actually get to the starting line. I’ve be plagued with this awful weather-related lack of motivation. So what got me out the door? Checking off four boxes, that’s what.

Box 1: As nerdy as this sounds, I’m part of a running group on Facebook and most of us had never met in person. Tell me how was I going justify not showing up when it would only take me 15 minutes from couch to starting line when they were all coming in from out of town?? I couldn’t reconcile it in my head.

Boxes 2 – 4 included completing another of my 9+1 requirements for the 2015 NYC Marathon; completing the first NYRR Borough races for guaranteed entry into the 2015 NYC Half Marathon and completing the Strava January 13.1 Challenge.

So as you can see, there was a lot riding on this one little race (I say just a little tongue-in-cheek).

It was mostly the wind gusts on my mind when choosing what to wear. I was worried that it would blow right through my top and I’d be chilled to the bone, so I wanted to wear something that would block the wind.While motivation was my first challenge, dressing for the occasion was my second. I was a little freaked out by the weather forecast, 12 degrees with 20 MPH wind gusts. But if you read this space, you know that I have a prescription for what to wear when the temps drop. That said, I went against my own recommendations yesterday and I’m glad I did.

Rather than my usual cold running gear, I put a medium-weight, long sleeve base layer under a long sleeve tech shirt and threw on the jacket I earned running the Boston Marathon two years ago. Turned out to the almost perfect combination for the day.

The race was pretty standard, I’ve done this one five times in the past and it’s in my backyard (Central Park) but yesterday just seemed different.

Now, one of the things that I love about running in Central Park in the winter is that the loop is a snow emergency route and there is rarely snow or ice on the road – yesterday was no exception. That said, there seemed to be an excess of puddles along the course and an over abundance of salt – a preference to having to slow for ice or a runner who fell due to lost footing, but an annoyance none-the-less.

I hooked up with one of the guys that recently joined my loosely organized running group and we plodded along together for most of the race. I didn’t plan this one well and wasn’t really trained for a 13.1 and I started feeling it by mile 10. I did everything I usually do, I was hydrated, carbed up, had on-course nutrition with me, but on the second lap around 9.5 miles in, I started getting in my head. That, and the wind kicked up.

From 9.5 to the finish line I struggled. I lost my running mate (who was feeling good and took off) and I was so close to the finish that I didn’t want to stop or break my stride to put in my earphones and then the wind got to me. I watched snow blowing across the road at one point and almost bailed. It took me a bit, but I blocked out the negativity and just concentrated on the finish line.