*Toots Her Own Horn*

I knew before I woke up this morning that today's run would be difficult and therefore already lowered my expectations. My goal was purely to get in 22 miles entirely and forget about my time. Why? New York City has been blessed with a Nor'Easter bringing 40-50 mph winds and temperatures in the mid 50's. Quite possibly the worst running weather, unless you add rain to the mix. I would rather run in snow and 20 degrees than gusty winds. Think I am being pessimistic? Even my stellar runner husband, who completed his 22 mile run before 8am this morning, remarked as he came in battered from the weather "forget about your time today, just get in your 22 miles". I took his advice to heart.

I am fortunate that I in fact have this supportive husband who, on these recent longer runs, has biked along my route with my son for frequent power gel and water stops. It is so encouraging to see my son's smiling face and hear my husband's cheers...plus my son gets a really cool ride and a plethora of play places along the way. Everybody wins. Especially me. Today was no different, we had planned out my route (carefully this time!), bundled up the kiddo, and packed all the supplies. Expectations in check, I embarked on my longest run of the season.

Things started out well, it was indeed windy but the sun was shining. The hubs and kiddo went ahead of me to play at a dog park while I ran my first 4 miles. I felt good and the wind was not too bothersome. I was in Central Park for this portion, but the remainder would be run on the Hudson River Greenway (yes, right by the Hudson River where invariably the winds will be worse). I didn't have clear mile marks, but I knew in general how far I was, and by the time I reached the support crew I was definitely at a 9:30 pace or better (I don't take the time to do the math in my head as I run, I just memorize splits). Unbeknown to me, I said farewell to the "feel good" miles and headed into what can only be described as what felt like the worst run I have ever done. Brutal, frustrating, infuriating. Pure hell.

I hit the Greenway around mile 4 and immediately was struck by the whipping wind. Never have I felt so assaulted on a run. I knew immediately that we would be forced to resort to a yet to be determined Plan B. My son could not be out in this weather, but I had no way to carry water or gels. I decided to run less than half way out than originally planned, get a last pit stop with the crew, then send in my son and finish the run solo. 

I fought the wind and chilly temperatures the whole way down to the turnaround point. Little did I know this was how it felt with the wind at my back...it was about to get worse. Much worse. I grabbed a gel and some water, kissed my two favorite people and headed back uptown to finish my run.

As soon as I turned around it felt like somebody punched me in the face. I am a pretty petite person and was literally having trouble running a straight line. My nostrils were burning the wind was so brutal. I felt incredibly vulnerable as I was pummeled with nowhere to go or hide. The Hudson River was white-capping, the sail boats were rocking and clanging at the Boat Basin, and when I looked up in the sky, the clouds were skipping overhead as if in fast forward; I just had to keep running.

I didn't know what to think about my pace. I was using so much energy just to propel myself forward that I could not gauge my pace, and of course I was unsure of my mileage as well since I had to turn around early. One thing I was sure of, I was furious. Really, on the day of one of the most important runs of the season this is what I have to deal with, really?! Everything in me was screaming to quit and go home, this isn't worth it. I was tired of fighting. Truly, I have never had to literally fight my way through a run.

Finally, Mother Nature gave me a bit of a reprieve when I left the Greenway to head back to Central Park to finish up my last 6 miles; the weather was still ridiculous, but slightly more manageable. I tried my hardest to push through, envisioning race day, fighting for every step. I used my fury to fuel my pace. All I kept thinking about was that this was my last chance to achieve gains in my training, it's all about maintenance from here on out. My scale of perceived exertion was all out of whack, but I needed to finish this run. And I did, all 22 miles in 3:25:00.

What do you know? Despite the relentless assault, I was feeling...okay! Shouldn't I be crawling? Don't get me wrong, I was wiped out, but something felt good about that awful run. Maybe I felt like I had won against Mother Nature, or maybe it's because I knew I left it all out there. To my pleasant surprise, when I mapped out my Plan B course with my memorized splits, here is what I discovered I can do in the face of adversity:

CPW @ 90th St, 3 miles: 27:44 (9:14 pace)

Start Hudson River Greenway, 4.3 miles: 38:35 (8:58 pace)

HRG @ 34th St, 6.8 miles: 64:00 (9:24 pace)

HRG @ 17th St, 7.7 miles: 1:12:34 (9:25 pace)

HRG @ 34th St, 8.6 miles: 1:21:00 (9:25 pace)

Back to Start HRG, 11 miles: 1:44:22 (9:29 pace)

123rd St @ HRG, 13 miles: 2:03:00 (9:27 pace)

104th Exit HRG, 14.3 miles: 2:13:12 (9:18 pace)

CPW @ 90th St, 15.7 miles: 2:26:31 (9:20 pace)

90th St @ West Dr in Central Park, 18.7 miles: 2:55:01 (9:21 pace)

Engineer's Gate Central Park, 19.7 miles: 3:04:00 (9:20 pace)

102nd St @ West Dr, 21 miles: 3:13:18 (9:12 pace)

CPW @ 87th St, 22 miles: 3:25:00 (9:19 pace)


Toot, toot!!