Bronx Half-Marathon - Feb 10, 2008

Below is the story of the Bronx half marathon from Feb 10. I've become lazy at posting, so I'm going to post a bunch of things all at once now. Enjoy...

Feb 10, 2008

The Bronx Half Marathon (2:14:49)

It’s cold, wet but not raining, biting winds invite you to stay in bed instead of running 13.1 miles.

Alas, I am committed. I’m up. I’m running another half-marathon.

I’m wearing 2 shirts, a fleece pullover, a windbreaker, 2 pairs of underwear, running tights, and windproof pants. I brought 2 pairs of gloves, a head-n-neck warmer, skullcap, and ear warmies. I am prepared.

Today, we travel to the Bronx. The “Boogie-Down,” as it is known. Today, almost 4,000 runners have come to run through some of the least scenic parts of New York City. How many “unisex hair braiding and salon” businesses can you cram onto one thoroughfare?

Anyway, I was generously driven to the starting line by Loretta, a friend of Sue’s father. I figured a ride from a nun beats out the 4 train any day. And, hey, a nun…. I needed all the help I could get.

The race began easily enough. I’d taken it pretty easy this week since I’d just run a half marathon two weeks prior. Maybe I took it too easy.

Weird. I expected all the cars to be gone, “No Parking” on the day of the race, but this was not the case. Only the area around the start/finish line was carless.

I started out at the back of the pack, but still found myself running ahead of my pace. I started flagging around mile 8 again, same as last time. Low energy, high heart rate. I found myself walking a couple of times just to let my heart rate go down.

There was a headwind for two solid miles of Grand Concourse. That was the 8-10 mile area of the race. Reports indicate a 20 mph wind with gusts up to 29 mph. Rough…

This course had a lot of “doubling back,” so I was running the same roads more than once. Not the most scenic views of the Bronx, but at least I’ve seen parts of the city I’ve never seen, and that’s part of the adventure.

After the finish (2:14:49), I changed into some dry clothes and headed out.

The subway ride home was even a little adventure. I was seated and a woman asked me to slide over and make some room. No problem. But as she sat down, she CRUSHED my toes with her huge, fat feet. I winced and she apologized immediately. BUT, the douchebag she was with proceeded to yell at me because he though I was wincing at having to move over. She told him she had stepped on me and he shut up, WITHOUT APOLOGIZING TO ME. “Um, I just ran 13 miles, so it hurts when people step on my feet.” He acted like he didn’t even hear me, like I suddenly didn’t exist. Dick.