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.
