I have written and re-wrote this post several times and I
still feel that the words I am using to describe this experience are not
adequate enough.
Although my favorite experience of 2017 happened in the first half of the year, I knew at that moment that is was going to become my all time favorite regardless of what the rest of the year held for me (and it did hold some other really great experiences)!
My favorite moment of
2017 was Running the NYC Half Marathon! Actually it was just one of my favorite
experiences period!
I know that it is only the half and not the iconic full
marathon but let me tell you, it felt just as amazing! I don’t know if I can fully put into words
how I felt about this experience.
So what made this one of the best experiences ever?
First of all, it was something new to me so that
automatically makes it exciting at first. I couldn’t believe I was running in
such an iconic city. Of course I had been to NYC before but never saw it from
this perspective. Never saw the sun rise over central park, never saw the NYC
skyline the way I did that morning. Even though I was with several thousand
other runners, I was running this alone. No sister, no mom, no dad, no running
buddy. Alone in this huge city! Just
that alone made me feel like I conquered something.
The weather was not perfect that day. I panicked about what
to wear. I dressed in layers. I ended up being a tad over dressed and it turned
out that the weather was perfect for running.
This was the only half marathon that I can say that I ran
the entire thing with the exception of a brief walk as I crossed the street as
I left Central park and headed into Times Square. This was the half way
point. This is the only half marathon
that I can honestly say that I enjoyed every mile. The crowds were amazing.
This was not my first time in NYC. This was not my first
half marathon and it was not a PR (although it was actually pretty close and if
I would have been paying attention to my watch I might have been able to push a
little harder), my watch was buried under all my layers. but it was amazing none the less.
When I talk about the NYC Half and how much I enjoyed it I
am often asked the question “Will I run it again?” Of course if we had a great time and it was
a race we liked why wouldn’t we run the same race over (and maybe try to earn a
better finish time)? This again is
another thing I can’t really explain but at this point I don’t really have a
desire to run this race again (although I saw the course changes and they look
amazing). I feel like the stars really
aligned to make everything perfect for race day and I want to remember it for
what it was. A perfect day (where I was not injured) running in the most iconic
city in the world! I think of all the
things that could have went horribly wrong on this day, but they didn’t.
Maybe someday I will run this race again, who knows? But for
now I hold this race up on a pedestal and admire it for the perfect race it
was. In the meantime I will continue to
have fun checking new cities off my list. I do plan to return to the NYC area
to run another new to me race in
2018. So now I ask myself, When Will I take the plunge and run the NYC
Full Marathon?
Is there a race you
loved but have no desire to run again? If so, why would that be? -M
I feel like you just ran that racw. How fast the year went
ReplyDeleteI know right? It doesn't feel like it was that long ago!
DeleteSounds like you had a great experience doing this race! I know when I've had good race experiences I am hesitant to go back in case the second time around doesn't go as well. It would be great to do the NYC full one day!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly!
DeleteI was so excited to find out what your favorite moment of the year was and as soon as I saw the skyline I was like, HER HALF MARATHON!! :) The 50 miler I ran back in 2009 was PERFECT and it makes me not want to run a 50 miler ever again because, well, how will I be able to top a perfect day!?
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI well remember your panic over what to wear! That was an awesome race for you. Ferrying over to Staten Island for NYCM was one of those iconic moments for me. So was everything about Boston. That said I have no desire to run Boston again. Or to jump through the hoops required to run NYCM again. My cup runneth over with amazing running experiences.
ReplyDeleteYes, racing in NYC requires a lot of logistics to go "just right" and on that day it went perfectly. I don't know that I would want to attempt it again because I know how stressful it could potentially be!
DeleteNYC is always an awesome place for a race!
ReplyDeleteYes it is. I look forward to running other races there.
DeleteI've never run a race in NY before but I would love to some day. Seeing a city while running is such a different perspective
ReplyDeleteIt really is!
DeleteI would LOVE to run this race one day! NYC is such a neat place! I can see why this race is one of your top favorite moments of 2017!
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome!! I was thinking about your decision making process on the clothing, and how I was as worried for you being cold that day.
ReplyDeleteSeeing how much you enjoyed it, makes me want to run it... someday!
This sounds like such an amazing experience! I really would love to run a NYC race one day :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't repeated any races, but they've all be good races. I like doing new races and going to new places.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to run in NYC! I would say that the one race I enjoyed but don't want to run again is the Chris Christie Half in Champaign-Urbana. It was my BIL's first marathon and he gutted through ITB issues to finish even though he probably should have quit. It was really flat and boring though.
ReplyDeleteI have run in NYC, raced in it, and visited it many, many times. It used to be our annual Christmas day outing growing up -- you know, what all the Jewish people did on Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteBut you know what? I've never, ever been there all on my own. Oh, I've wandered through it on my own, but at the end of the day, I've met up with my husband (or family, or friends).
Since I'm trying for all the states, I've never repeated a half (with the exception of Vegas, which was before I started that goal).
I can't help but imagine that even though it's "just a half", it's got to be pretty terrific. Maybe I need to consider entering the lottery one of these years.
I totally get not wanting to risk ruining a perfect race day by repeating it. Race days can be so unpredictable! I lived in Brooklyn for about 9 months, but sadly, it was during a non-running period of my life. One day I would LOVE to run the NYC marathon. Or maybe even the half - except... was that snow in your picture?!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great race!!! It really would be amazing to run in NYC like that. I feel the same way about my Chicago Marathon.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, I really wanted to run this in 2018 but I completely forgot and missed the deadline for the lottery. Running in Central Park is great - I wish I could do it more often! I'm glad you had a great experience!
ReplyDeleteRunning through NYC sounds like nothing but an incredible experience. Its something on my own bucket list, and hopefully I can make it a reality sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteRunning in NYC is such a dream come true - I actually have on my bucket list to do a running weekend of NYC and do a long run through Central Park on day and then a run over the Brooklyn Bridge another.
ReplyDelete