So today was the cupid's chase 5k. Can I tell you how excited I was? I got up super early, iced my knees, had coffee and I was still an hour early for the race. So guess who had a 2 mile warm up before the 3 mile race? Yes, I ran to run. But hey, I got in half my miles I was supposed to be running and if I do it again tomorrow, I will be in the all clear. Although running 10 miles all at once would've been better, its better than nothing.

This is me trying to take a picture of myself at 7am. Clearly I was going to the “I’m a little teapot” look.

These are some of the views from my warm up run. It was right on riverside drive, so you could see over to Jersey.

The path was really pretty:

The finish line was even prettier:

After I "warmed up" I still had a good half an hour to wait until the start and that's when my bright idea didnt seem so bright anymore. I was getting cold and I was wearing cotton (just the outter layer, my runner friends. I know. I know. But everyone was running in their race shirts. I'll explain that later.) I also hadn't eaten but the good news was the start was where the finish was, so I drank one of the promotional vitamin waters and felt better.

While I was waiting, I made friends! Have you ever noticed how friendly runners are? It made this nervous southern belle feel right at home and they don't get annoyed when you talk runner stuff with them. I also met another New Orleanian, spotted by his fleur-de-lis beanie. That also made me happy.

This is me waiting for the start after the freezing weather hit me:

The starting line:

So the race started and I was pumped but nervous I would burn out half way through due to the "warm up". That was not the case. Instead I was motivated by the fact there were no water stations (which I guess you dont really need at a 5K but it wouldve been nice). At this point I was quite thirsty, so I ran the entire last mile just to get to the finish so I could have some water. I'd say it was pretty good motivation. It was definitely "run like you stole something" speed for me.

When I got to the finish they had tons of extra shirts and swag so that was an added bonus and it really helped out later because I changed my clothes 3 times before I got to brunch.

So an explanation about the shirts. Everyone wears them because they have 2 different ones, those for the single people and those for the in a relationship people. On the back of each shirt said either "available" or "taken". Seeing as it was a Valentine race, I'm sure there were many of cupid's arrows flying around. Cute idea, right? If you're interested, you should check it out because they happen all over the country.

After the race, I traveled up to my old neighborhood of Washington Heights to have brunch. I was starving and I haven’t stopped eating since.

Fred Lebow 5M

Let’s recap. Even though I got all my fancy new gear and I was active over the holidays, I still did not feel like I was where I should be training wise. I went to practice that week anyway and I found out the team was going to run the Fred Lebow race that Saturday in leu of practice. So, it was run 5 miles by myself on a treadmill or sign up for the race, practice with the team and get some race experience. The thought of running 5 miles in a race scared the life out of me. Let’s be honest, the last time I ran in a race was probably 4th grade and Im pretty sure we were walking. And before that night, I hadn’t run/walked or anything longer than 2 miles. ever.

I partnered up with a guy from the team and together we ran 3.4 miles in intervals of Effort level 1 and 4 (more runner speak. Just know I really wanted to die while doing Effort level 4.) When they told me how far we had run, I was in disbelief. 3.4 miles and I was still standing. In fact, I kind of felt great. I felt like I could do 5 miles.

That’s one of the many things I love about training with the team. They are so supportive and motivating. I could never do it alone. If I tried, I know the first sight of a subway station; I would have been on it back to my couch in Brooklyn. Everyone has been in the same place I am right now. They understand and want you to succeed. It’s an amazing group of ordinary people who want to run to help an extraordinary cause.

So, I signed up for the race. And I got a pretty cool t-shirt for doing so.

Then it snowed. And snowed. And snowed. But don’t you worry, it was rescheduled for a 26 degree cold Sunday morning. And guess who still got out of bed at 6:30am to run in it?

And the most amazing part? I FINISHED. I was fully convinced someone was going to have to come find me via GPS somewhere around mile 4. No such luck. I don’t know if it was the adrenaline of the race or the fact the park was beautiful in the snow but I did it. Not only did I finish, I actually threw caution (and my intervals) to the wind and ran the last quarter of a mile by myself. I was actually smiling as I crossed the finish line (I will spare you that picture. Although I am extremely photogenic, I need to work on looking better while running. Ha!) It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. I am fully addicted to the finish line and I can’t wait for the next one.

See yall then!