Heat Craze

So what does one do with themselves when a heatwave has come through the city? You run!?!? Many have called me crazy, but I've got a huge race coming up this weekend. This Sunday at 7am I will be joining thousands of runners here in NYC to run the 3rd Annual NYC Half Marathon. This is a huge race because we have the professionals coming to join us wee ones.

Two years ago when they first created this race, it sold out in 2 days. Who would have thought then that this was going to be a hot one to run? Well it is the only race here, besides the marathon, that gives you the opportunity to race through Manhattan. Anyway, that year was the last time it was a first-come-first-serve race. Last year they made it a lottery race and I didn't make it. So to my surprise, and happiness, my name got selected this year! Woo Hoo.

I've been training but as you all know I've had some setbacks lately with it. Being sick so close to the race has not helped. I completed a long-run this past weekend and only pumped out 7.5 miles as compared to the 10 I wanted to get in. Now I have run out of time and can only believe in myself to do the best that I can.

My first ever half marathon (13.1 miles for those non-runners out there) was completed in 2.5 hrs. My best ever time was 2 hours and 1 minute. That was my first long race right after the NYC marathon in 2006. I was so in shape and in great running form. I don't expect to beat my personal best this Sunday. My goal is just to finish within the 3 hour time limit.

I have studied the coarse map this past weekend. The toughest part of the race is at the beginning in Central Park. We will be running 1 and a quarter full loops of the park (the first seven miles) and then exiting the south end down 7th Avenue through Times Square (awesome to be able to run through there with no traffic) and then heading to West Side Highway to a finish at Battery Park. If I can get through the park portion (even those Harlem Hills we all dread running), I will not have a problem finishing (unless of course the heat issues strike again). While I was training for the NYC Marathon in 2006 I did all my long training runs along the Battery Park/West Side Highway area and I know this portion of the coarse is flat. Smooth sailing. It's just gonna be getting to that part. LOL

So my non-running knitting friends, I ask this of you all. Pray for cooler weather here in NYC on Sunday and even rain would be welcome like it did last year.

I'll be training for this race the rest of the week up through Friday, so the only knitting I will be doing is what I get accomplished at work. I did start my fourth pair of SOS08 socks last week while I was sick. I am almost done with the second sock and will report on it soon. With the heat though, it's been really hard to knit at home. Way too hot.