Runner's Break

I hate to say it, but for the first time since I started running in 2018, I’m finally on a break. I finished my 7th NYRR race last weekend. I ran two races back to back last weekend and they were both only 4 miles but for some reason lately my runs have been feeling difficult and I haven’t enjoyed a good run in a while. I’m not quite sure if it’s because of the heat or because I’ve been burning myself out doing so many back to back, despite them being short distances. I realized I really don’t enjoy these races either as much as Disney races. The Central Park ones are the same route almost every time and the hills there are killer. The Brooklyn Half route I wasn’t crazy about either. I just can’t seem to get into them. And I feel like my regular workout/maintenance runs at home have been suffering too. I find myself going slower and it feels really discouraging. It makes me feel weak. But I know I’m not. I’ve been doing this for a while so I should be getting stronger and faster but I’m not. And I haven’t been having as much fun as I normally do with my runs. The post run endorphins and feeling of accomplishment are lacking and the motivation isn’t there. So for once, I think I am ready to admit, I am suffering from burnout.

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So for the summer I’m going to slow down a little and take a break. I feel like my body needs it to fully recover from the burnout I think I inflicted on myself going too aggressive the first half of this year. I never really allowed myself to take a break after Dopey, it was just back to back races since then. I suppose this is what happens sometimes when you climb way too many mountains at once trying to do it all. I really do enjoy this hobby and I don’t want to hate it so I feel the best decision right now is to back off a little so I can enjoy it again. I only need 2 more to qualify for next year’s NYC Marathon to secure my spot -should I choose next April to go through with it since that’s a different issue I’ve been grappling with (do I really want to run the NYC Marathon? I’ve been feeling conflicted with this lately and my heart is honestly not 100% in it so I’m giving myself time to decide but I’ll continue with qualifiers for now so the option will be there)- and I have plenty of time in the remaining 6 months of the year to get it done.

I also successfully registered and signed up to do the runDisney Princess Half weekend again next year so I would rather dedicate my energy and time into that. I want to recover and regain my love of running back in time before training starts for that event. I’m excited because 2 of my coworkers are participating in this weekend with me! I’ve infected parts of my pharmacy with the run bug, with different coworkers looking at different race goals and reasons to run, hahaha! It does feel good to share your different passions and reasons to run with a community. The girls run for the beautiful Disney medals and the fun of a runcation during Princess weekend, while my other coworker who did the Brooklyn Half with me, is working on a bigger goal to run his first ever marathon. I’m excited for each and every one of them to conquer their goals. I’m also excited because I signed up for Princess Yoga again as well. I’ve already started brainstorming race costumes and can’t wait to put some of them together. I haven’t finalized them yet but these were some ideas I was tinkering with.

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Until then, I’m looking forward to this break and slowing down. I’ll still do some runs here and there whenever the mood arises, but nothing crazy, just 5-10ks if anything. I’m going to walk more to get steps in at least to maintain activity but I look forward to getting back to more Blogilates to help tone and a more consistent schedule again with the gym and lifting. Sometimes your body needs a break and sometimes you need to listen. This is one of those times. Rest and recovery is part of the process.

RBC Brooklyn Half

This Saturday May 21 was my 3rd NYRR race and my first time running the RBC Brooklyn Half.

Man, all I have to say is that shit was REALLY HARD. Those Prospect Park hills are no joke. We got lucky with the morning starting with a thick layer of fog so no sun, but the humidity was INTENSE. You were drenched within minutes. The sun staved off for a few hours before we finally got onto Ocean Parkway.

I've done this distance so many times before but this particular day felt really hard. I couldn’t pinpoint whether it was just an off day for me, or the temperatures really affecting me more than I could consciously feel or whatever, but I definitely felt it during the race, after when I went to work, and the next morning when I woke up. All day today I felt like I got ran over. It’s insane. Some days are good run days and some days you're just not feeling it. Usually I can get myself in the zone and focus but this race was the first time in a while I just couldn’t click into it. I started out ok but somewhere along the line after mile 3, when we entered the park and the course started to go physically uphill, I personally went downhill and downhill fast, lol. It may be because I started out faster than my usual running pace and I got too tired too fast trying to keep up with my friends. At Disney, I’m able to run my own race but in a race with a bunch of friends, it may be harder if you’re not all the same pace. One runner will have it harder because they’re having to slow down to keep up with you and for a faster runner, it hurts to slow down and have to spend more time than expected to finish since you’re on your feet longer/more. For the other runner, they’ll have it harder because they’re trying really hard to keep up with their friends and thus exhausting themselves quicker as they try to catch their breath and maintain pace.

I thought maybe after we exited the park and we reached Ocean Parkway, where it gradually goes downhill and then is a much flatter course, I could make up for it. But at a certain point though, I couldn’t continue on anymore due to this same midfoot pain that I keep developing lately on my left foot every time I do a long distance run. It happened to me in January during the WDW races during both the half and the full and always around mile 11. I don’t know what it is but it's been my weakness at all the past races I've done. Maybe my body is telling me this is it, this is all I can handle, bitch, please stop. 😅 My friend Kevin was running with me the whole time and it was around this point I told him I couldn’t keep running and we slowed down and walked for a mile til we got to the next water station, refueled and then tried our best to run the last 2 miles to the finish line, albeit slower. I said this a lot during the full marathon back in January, but during this race, I really thought about quitting a few times. I kept going because Kevin was right next to me still going. One part of me was like what’s wrong with you? You’ve done this before, you can finish this! You can’t quit. And then the other part of me was like girl this is ridiculously hard, we are TIRED, we want to wave the white flag. It was a mind game back and forth trying to convince myself to keep going while the other self wanted to stop. This is why they say this is really more mental than anything. You really have to train your mind to be strong for this.

Above all though, remember to listen to your body! I didn’t stop but at that mile 11 when I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to speak up and tell Kevin I couldn’t keep running. I had to slow down and walk for a bit. It sucks because you’ll see everyone around you still trudging along and some are still going full speed, but you have to remember, everyone is different and it's more important to run safe than anything and slow down when needed. When I got to work later, my coworker told me she read one of the runners collapsed near the finish line, was rushed to the hospital and unfortunately didn't make it. 16 others were also taken to the hospital, 5 with serious injuries. Please remember it's ok to slow down! And it IS ok to stop if it's too much. There will always be other races, tomorrow is another day and your well-being are more important than any race. I thought about pushing through and keeping up the pace but I knew it wouldn't be worth the injury in the end and I'm glad we slowed down because my body is still feeling it even today. Usually I’m not this badly beat so I can tell this took a toll on me.

This race was very challenging and to be quite honest, the whole time I thought about how the NYC Marathon may not be for me. One borough was hard for me, I can't imagine traversing all 5, especially since NYC is very, very hilly. These race courses also don’t inspire me the same way running through Disney does. I didn’t care for the views on this course and I realized I might not really care for the NYC marathon views. I can do this on a regular NYC outing I do with my friends and family for good views and better photos. I might just strictly enjoy Disney running. There’s something about running to the castle that gets me every time. I’ve done it 4 times now and I still never tire of it. But the Brooklyn half felt like a one and one for me. Also the full marathon distance feels like a one and done for me, honestly. I don’t have the drive in me to do 26.2 miles a second time. I feel like personally for me, once may be enough. Le sigh. But I’m already currently 3 races in, already signed up for 4 more, with just 2 more needed on top of that to qualify. I already paid for the yearly membership at NYRR for these races. I guess I’ll finish out the qualifiers and then decide next year when the NYC marathon opens up if I want to do this. At least I’ll have the option. I’ll keep the door open for now, but to those of you who aspire to those 26.2 concrete jungle miles, seriously I applaud you all. This takes A LOT.

Baby's First NYRR Run

I ran the Shape+Health 5.8 mile Central Park loop yesterday for my first NYRR race as part of my 9+1 qualifying races for the 2023 NYC Marathon. I'd never thought I would take on this goal but here I am, performing at the circus like the clown I am.

I'm not a morning person so waking up and getting into the city early was brutal. It was even more annoying because I couldn’t really sleep the night before either for some reason. I don’t even know why because it wasn’t even a race I was excited for or really cared about; to me it was just a qualifier and a short distance I knew I could do so there was no race jitters to it other than it being my first NYRR race. I did have a nightmare that night though where I thought I was running late to the race and it started before I got there so maybe that’s what caused it. Sleep anxiety. 😅 I ended up calling it quits trying to sleep and got up at 5am to get ready. Luckily I had my stuff picked out and laid out beforehand so it made getting ready easier. I just had to get ready and go. Traffic wasn’t too bad at least for it being so early on a weekend morning. I got in, found an easy parking spot and ran over to the bib pickup in the park. That run helped as my warmup, as well as keeping warm since it was freezing at 7am. 45 degrees as we waited to start.

And when we finally did start, I was a little disappointed. The start launch was not as fun or eventful as runDisney. The first mile was rough simply because it felt like I was running forever before I reached that first mile marker for some reason. And then having to run them Harlem hills after the Loeb Boathouse turn. Miles 2-4 was no joke, thank the gods I only signed up to do one loop and not an entire half marathon. Hills are the absolute worst for running and the Central Park loop on the North side is all hills. I felt like I wanted to die. On top of my ankle still killing me after last week's 10 miler despite my taking it easy all week since I got home. I'm hoping this injury is minor and heals soon.

After the hills ended though, the leg of the course was much easier to get through. It’s funny because the first half was running up the East side of the park which is in full bloom of cherry blossoms. The West side, however, is all bare. It’s funny how mother nature is fickle like that, even in the same park. I’m hoping the West side blooms this weekend so I can shoot some pretty blossoms when I visit so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, the delayed blooms between the two sides.

The finish line was just ask lackluster as the starting line. RunDisney definitely has spoiled me and now I feel like I can never go back. Do I even want to finish these qualifiers and continue on with the NYC marathon goal? LOL. All in all, though, it was a fairly decent run for my first NYRR run. It was an easy, doable distance and a cool morning. They did provide a nice goody bag, bagel, apple, pretzels, those weird foil blankets, and water after you finish. All the volunteers were excellent and everyone was great at cheering on the runners along the course. No medal for this one but at least running through cherry blossoms makes for a beautiful backdrop against the city.

Afterwards, I grabbed brunch with my sister and best friend for a quick second before racing back home to get to work after. Now to repeat this 8 more times. My next one is in 2 weeks. UGH. These early wake up calls at the crack of dawn are going to be the death of me but once I get them done, I can finally go into hibernation mode and take it easy for the rest of the 2022 race season. I swear these early wake-ups are so much easier at Disney for some reason. It only reminded me why I prefer RunDisney in Florida lol. That’s the funny thing about this race and last week’s DC race. All I could do is keep comparing them to Disney runs and now I know why people would rather pay the premium to run in Disney. You actually have to get up earlier but it’s honestly not as bad and all worth it. I would rather do a Disney run in a heartbeat over these nonDisney ones, honestly.