NYC Trip and Long Run Report

It's no secret that I love NYC. I mean LOVE IT. It's my favorite city and I was super excited to tag along with The KoB last week for his work trip. He was probably less excited... I mean, between the 2 weeks leading up to the trip and the actual trip with as much as I talked about OMG NYC, I am pretty sure he was OMG SICK-AS-HELL about hearing about NYC. Sorry.

Anyway, it was a short trip, but I still managed to fit in some of my favorite new york things: The Met and dinner at Blossom. I also ended up with a MUCH heavier suitcase on my way home thanks to some unexpected shopping. But, I couldn't help it... there were DEALS everywhere. I'm making a note to travel to NYC this particular weekend every year to shop. Seriously, it was ridiculous.

 That's 2 sweaters, 2 button up shirts, 2 pairs of pants and 2 dresses.

Grand total? $170. BOOM, BITCHES.

(best deal: $128 wool pants for $12!).

I win.

I also got to do something I've never done in NYC: Run in Central Park. I've never really stayed close enough to the park, so I usually run along the river. This time, our hotel was about a mile away. It was a good mix of city running and park running.

Friday morning, The KoB and I got up and met our friend Jeff in the lobby of the hotel at 6:30am to get a run in. It was cold and dark, but it was so fun to run through the park and see daylight start to sprinkle over us. My favorite thing about running in the park so early: The no leash time. There were dogs everywhere and they were hilarious to watch. 

I made the group detour to run by this fountain.

This picture is from 2010.

Saturday morning, I expected the same type of run. We met in the lobby again (this time at 7:30am, thank god) and I expected to get another 7-8 miles in. My long run for the week was supposed to be a 15 miler at a specific pace and I had just planned on doing it at home on Sunday morning. 

After we ran a loop in the park, Jeff asked if I just wanted to go ahead and get my long run done that morning. I didn't really think much about it and I just kinda rattled off a.. "yeah, sure." So, we started the 6 mile loop for a second time. By the time we had passed the reservoir I started to realize that I was supposed to run my long run at a specific pace and I wasn't wearing a watch and had no idea what pace were running.

Also, I realized that it was one of 3 last long runs left before the race and that I hadn't practiced fueling during any of my runs yet. And I couldn't get that thought out of my head... Last 3 long runs. Only 3 long runs left! OMFG there are only 3 more long runs and THIS IS NOW TURNING INTO ONE OF THEM. I started to freak the fuck out. Now, you may think, if you only know me from the blog, that my freak out would entail some sort of screaming and crying and flopping down on the ground and rolling around while I bang my fists on the ground. Surprisingly, that is not the case. My running freak outs mean I get VERY QUIET (very unusual for me) and I start expending a ton of energy in a fierce scowl.

But, what could I do? We were past the point of return. So, I just continued with the scowling and the freaking out and I guess The KoB must have thought that I had died or something with my silence for 2-3 miles straight, because he asked me how I was. And I kinda rattled off that I had realized that I was supposed to be running my long run at a specific pace, blah blah blah, whiny bitch, blah blah.

And by the time we finished, I had ended up with 14 miles (my fault I was a mile short, because I started heading back the hotel as quick as I could. I didn't know what the time was or what the mileage was and I was still hell-bent on getting my 15 miles in the next day on my own) at about the perfect pace.

It's funny how suddenly not feeling in control can totally fuck you up. In the end, it all worked out perfectly. I got my long run done in my favorite city and I'll just practice my fueling on the last long runs. But, in the moment, I was certain that that run in the park was going to be the DEATH of my Marathon goals. I can be such a drama queen, I swear.

Despite the freaking out, I still really enjoyed the run (except for the hills and the headwind that accompanied us on those hills). Running in Central Park was super fun and it was even more fun sharing it with the KoB and our friend Jeff. Good times.

 I scowl when I'm freaking out on a run.

The KoB scowls when he has to pose for a picture.