This year, CHRC was represented by 42 finishers at this popular event. Despite the rain forecast, the weather held up like perfection and our members ran like Royalty all the way from our backyard to the beaches in the company of 26,000 incredible participants. It was the perfect capstone to the winter and spring training seasons.
Airbnb made it possible for 2 of our members to join in! Here are some thoughts and images from Marina and Peter who won the CHRC drawing for entry! Congratulations #CHRC #RunningRoyalty on an amazing run!
MARINA
I never thought I’d run a marathon. Even a half marathon. I didn’t even consider it when the Brooklyn Half Marathon went on sale. ‘That’s not for me.’ I mostly run with the club for the good company. And now, I guess, to be pushed beyond my perceived limitations. When the draw was posted on the CHRC page for a position in the race I was compelled to enter. Mostly because I needed a distraction (that would keep me out of trouble), but also because I wanted to be a part of the excitement that was brewing amongst everyone.
Fate determined that it shall be so! And, my training began the very next day. Three weeks. Three weeks to get in long-distance-running shape. Up to this point, I may have made it to the seven or eight-mile mark but I certainly didn’t enjoy it. So, the challenge: how do I run this thing and not hate it? My first training run was ten miles. I hated the last three. But I ran again the next day (trails!), and the day after that too. Oh, I was in pain. Emergency yoga was in order. I hadn’t cleared week one and I was already broken. But then I ran again and something started to change. The next long run we did was a bit easier, dare I say fun? My reward, a Nagle’s breakfast sandwich.
My confidence was growing. With CHRC support and the promise of brunch, I could do anything. The week of the race I was feeling pretty good. I found someone to run with, and the weather promised to be great. I was going to do this! Then, the nerves set in. When I picked up my bib I realized that I was in the second wave—alone. What? I didn’t train alone. I need a running buddy. Let’s face it, I was getting through the long distances by being distracted by the lot of you, talking about our lives, loves, and idiosyncrasies.
Race day. We’re up early. I’m mixed up with nerves, excitement, and impatience. Let’s run already! It took a while to get the second wave going. It was a moving wall of people. Probably, a good thing. It forced me to keep a relaxed pace for the first part of the run. Weaving through the crowds became a kind of game. I wasn’t wearing a watch so I had no idea at what pace I was going. After we left the park, I plugged into my Run 1 track on Spotify and pushed passed the crowds of people and up the ramp. Finally, space. I think I felt every moment of the last three miles, keeping my eye on the horizon, searching for the mile markers. I believed that I’d get a second (third) wind when I made it to the final mile. I didn’t. I was tired. I thought of stopping. I slowed down. It seemed to take so much energy to keep one foot in front of the other even in the last 200m. Then it was done. I love that giddy feeling when you finish a race. Where’s my brunch?
PETER