March was a fun one. I’d managed to keep my running 100% outdoors through the winter months, and there was no stopping me now, especially since the thermometer hit SIXTY degrees. Yeahhhh buddy!
March 2024 Running Overview
Gee… I wonder which year I started training for Spring races?
- Ran the most March mileage I ever have
- Got to bust out the shorts!
- Brooks Ghost Max still reigns supreme in the mileage department
Running on the Road: United NYC Half Marathon – New York, NY
LOOK, MOM! RACE PHOTOS! After being drawn in November of 2022 (!!!) for the United NYC Half, I was finally able to get the time off from work and toe the line in Brooklyn. It seemed like this race was hanging over my head for years… because it kind of was.
PROS: Bib pickup was easy, some of the course reminded me of the marathon itself. Brooklyn knows how to support runners. Very well organized from a Race Operations perspective, as expected of NYRR.
CONS: The subway to the start line was CROWDED, and I picked it up at 42nd street. Because the train platform at the park only had one exit point for a train that was standing room only, it got scary once we got there. It took 10 minutes to get off the platform in an absolute sea of people. Had there been a true emergency, it could have been an awful situation.
The 3rd quarter of any race is already physically and mentally taxing on its own, and unfortunately the long stretch along FDR on this portion of the race didn’t help. Minimal crowd support and not much variation. Felt like it took FOREVER to get to 42nd street.
Central Park. WHY YOU GOTTA BE SO HILLY? The finish line is in the exact spot as the Marathon’s but you approach from the other direction. Surely if the marathon finishes uphill, then this means we finish down? Somehow, no. NYRR is going to make your ass work for it no matter what.
What else? The biggest selling point of this race is that it’s the only other day of the year (aside from NYE) that Times Square is shut down to traffic. It was a fleeting few blocks that came very late in the race. While the place really is chock full of people on either side, you look around and realize that the crowd’s not really cheering for you (like they are on marathon day), it’s just a bunch of incredibly confused tourists.
Note to self: be less tired and in better shape if/when you run this race again so you can appreciate this portion of the course more.
Would I run it again? Yes, but only if I got in via lottery (~50% chance). I wouldn’t fundraise for it.
Running on the Road: Toronto, ON 🇨🇦
The last time I was in Toronto in the fall of 2023, I was just days away from the NYC Marathon and in full taper mode. It was cold, and I did my workout indoors. This time, I was determined to get out and run along the water that I could see from the hotel room window. Shout out to flight delays for allowing me the time to get this one in.
