Fitness Adventures: 5 Mile Run/Walk in Central Park

On Halloween Sunday, I was registered to do a 5 mile run/walk in Central Park. You likely know I wasn't doing too well emotionally leading up to that event - so when my leader picked up her bib the day before and saw mine was still there, she texted me to ask if I was still doing it.

I had every intention of doing it, I was just so preoccupied with everything else I was dealing with that I overlooked the fact I was supposed to pick it up before the event. I happened to be in Manhattan on my bike when she texted me, so I rode up to the New York Road Runners' Club and got my packet.

From there I went to a runners store to buy some of those super tight compression running tights she had told me about. They were a tad pricey, but considering I will rarely ever wear them and they actually hold me in and feel great, they were totally worth it. (Thank you for *all* your pre-race help, Melanie!)

Halloween morning I got up early and got ready - I wore the compression tights under last year's Catwoman costume. I wore the heels to ride my bike, but brought sneakers for the run-

And on a very chilly Halloween Sunday, I rode my bike up to Central Park.

I got checked in and waited for the run to begin. (Note: Those bleachers in the background were set up for the ING NYC Marathon, which would be finishing here a week from this day - I'm going to do a Marathon post next week...)

 

Mentally, I was a wreck. But physically I thought I was fine. However, when we finally started, I quickly realized I wasn't fine. Almost immediately, my ankle and shins were bothering me. I'm not sure if the mental stress I was under affected me physically, if it was the terrible sleep I got the night before (I was up for about 4 hours tossing and turning), if it was because I was dehydrated (I hadn't drank any water that day yet), or if it was because I'm not used to running outside. In retrospect, it was probably a combination of those things. But it just hurt too much. So after a light jog for about half a mile, I began walking. And cursing. And crying.

I was not happy at all. I was already upset about life in general and now I was upset I couldn't even run to distract myself from everything else I was upset about. I was so unhappy, I seriously considered not finishing. But since Central Park is set up in a loop, I didn't think there was a shortcut back to where my bike was parked. I figured it was just as quick to walk the route.

And I continued walking...

Passing mile 1 -

Past mile marker 2-

And mile marker 3-

At least it was a beautiful day in the park -

And eventually mile 4 -

Just before mile 4, someone ran up next to me. It was a friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while, JonScott. He's a runner now (and an Ironman! - super impressive!) - he just happened to be in Central Park for a run, doing some training for the NYC Marathon. I was in no mood to talk to anyone, so l barely looked at him and warned him I was 'not in a good place'. I was hoping he'd get the hint and just continue running past me because I didn't want to ruin his run and quite honestly, I didn't want to deal with anyone. But for some reason, he didn't. He stayed with me and patiently dealt with me and my mood. He even slowly coaxed me out of my own obsessive thoughts, asking me what was wrong (as far as running - I wouldn't talk about the other stuff) and offering me some suggestions.

Despite everything I was thinking about moments earlier, I took in everything he said. And with all of his suggestions in mind, he made me want to try to run again - I told him that if I could take a quick bathroom break, I'd see how my ankle felt and if I wasn't experiencing the same sharp pain, that I'd run the last mile with him.

As luck would have it, bathrooms appeared and I made it in and out of that bodysuit as fast as I could.

I emerged in a slightly better mood and kept my word - I told him "Let's go!" and we started running. My ankle wasn't bothering me as much, so we ran together that last mile. We talked more and he gave me other good tips I haven't forgotten. Shortly before the finish line he said something about this event being a big deal for me and I should be proud.

Sure, I didn't run the whole 5 miles like I wanted to but he was right - it was my longest event "on foot" to date and considering I was ready to quit pretty early on, but I didn't stop, it was an accomplishment. Thinking about all of that made me cry. I was really glad he appeared when he did, helped me through what I was going through and then reminded me of that. Thank you, Jon Scott.

Then he told me to give him my camera so he could get a shot of me crossing the finish line. That was so thoughtful of him, and I'm really thankful he suggested it. Here's the shot. I can't get over how great my right arm looks!

And as I was approaching the finish, who was cheering from the sidelines (and she got a photo of me as I approached the finish line -)

- but my amazing Weight Watchers leader, Melanie. I'm sure she had finished a long time ago and couldn't believe she was still there waiting for me. She congratulated, hugged & high-fived me, and also made me cry. It meant the world to have her there cheering for me. Thank you, Melanie!!!

I finished in 76 minutes (I started late and then paused my heart rate monitor for my bathroom break), a little longer than I wanted, but I am so glad I didn't give up. Here are my heart rate stats for the day:

Total Biking Time: 76 minutes
Minutes in Cardio Zone: 75
Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 98.68%
Average Heart Rate: 138
High Heart Rate: 180
Total Calories Burned: 551
Total Miles: 5

I finally took my event shirt pictures this week. It was not easy considering where they printed the event information. And this was the smallest shirt I could get - a medium - which is pretty much like a dress:

I have to thank both Jon Scott and Melanie again - for being there and reminding me of some pretty important things that I needed to hear at those moments. It would not have been the same without you both. Thank you so much.



(coming up I will write about the marathon and some other personal/exciting running related news. stay tuned!)