Nearing the end...

Nine of us started this great adventure to do nine NYRR races in 2007.

I am sorry to say that 3 in our group will not be able to complete the 9 races, but are going to hope for the best in the 2008 lottery (Nancy, Lauren, Brooke). Even though she won't get nine races in 2007, Nancy is still running a number of the fall NYRR races just for the fun of it. We all hope that Nancy, Lauren, and Brooke make it into the marathon so we can all race together as we originally planned.

That leaves 6 who are working to complete the nine races in 2007. Four of us plan to finish the nine races with the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff on October 28. Mel and Shirley have a couple of additional races to do...I'm trying to talk them into doing two races between now and Oct 28 so that we can all finish together. However, if they can't there are still some good races in December, and that gives us a good excuse to go to New York again for a celebratory 10th race!

Labrecque Classic 5K: Sep 16, 2007

Kathy, Mary, Mel, Shirley, Nancy, Alka, Lyle

Kathy and Nancy are holding their awards for placing in their age groups.

Women on the Run Win Washington

We decided to do something a little different this time and take in a NYRR race in Washington DC. We drove down in two cars and stayed the first night with Mary's friend, Pam, in Brunswick MD. We had a blast and her hospitality was wonderful. We drove into the city Saturday morning, dropped our cars and baggage at the Marriott Key Bridge, and then rented bicycles in Rosslyn. We crossed the Potomac and had lunch outdoors along the waterfront. We then hit the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Mall, and the Capitol before heading back to Rosslyn. They were having a big anti-war protest at the Capitol, and there were helicopters, police cars, and mounted police everywhere. We took a bike trail on the Arlington side of the Potomac which was very pleasant. We stopped to watch two bald eagles which were gliding in circles above the Potomac in front of the Lincoln Memorial. What an awesome sight. We later had dinner at the Peacock Cafe in Georgetown, which was a nice walk from our hotel.

Race morning, we took cabs to the start at Freedom Plaza (it was too early for the Metro) and picked up our packets. It was cool, with a bright rising sun. We found a warm sunny spot to hang out while we waited and chatted with other runners. There weren't nearly as many racers as we expected. In fact someone commented, "This is like an Ogdensburg race!" It was a welcome change to not be in a crowd of thousands.

The streets of Washington were deserted. What a contrast to the previous afternoon when we we dodging people and cars everywhere on our bicycles. We were very touched as we stood on Pennsylvania Avenue at the race start, with the Capitol ahead of us, American flags rippling on either side of us and listened to the National Anthem sung by an opera singer. It was beautiful.

And then we were off. It was a relatively flat course. Up Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol, then past the Capitol, a small loop just beyond the Capitol, and then we retraced our steps. Although an out and back course can be uninteresting, its fun to be able to see the race leaders as they head back for the finish.

We found each other easily after the race and sat on the curb of Pennsylvania Ave eating our bagels and enjoying the good vibes. Kathy went to check the posted times---and came back screaming in disbelief---she had come in second for her age group with a time of 26:58! We did some checking and found that Nancy had come in third for her age group! Congratulations Kathy and Nancy!!

We posed for the above photo, with the winners holding their awards before finding the Metro station and heading back.

It was a beautiful weekend, great race, lots of fun.

NYC Half Marathon: Aug 5, 2007

Before the NYC HM:

Nancy, Kathy, Brooke, Lauren, Mary, Alka, Lyle, Mel

Eight of us decided to enter the lottery for the NYC Half Marathon. I figured we wouldn't all get in, but it would be an awesome race for those that did. I could hardly believe my eyes as I checked the website the evening of the lottery--all eight of us had won the lottery!

We left in the dark Saturday morning and pulled into our Financial District hotel around noon. It was a warm sunny day, and the Hudson River was beautiful. We made a beeline for the subway to take us up to Niketown for the packet pickup. Afterwards, Lauren was on mission for some Tiffany's jewelry, so we stopped in there for awhile. I couldn't believe how crowded the place was. The elevator operator was a real comedian--the elevator ride is not to be missed.

We then made our way down to Little Italy via foot and bus. Mulberry street was closed to traffic and it was a wonderful festival-like atmosphere with outdoor dining, people everywhere, and a beautiful summer evening. We dined on the patio at Da Nico and enjoyed the Italian food and the attentiveness of our multiple Italian waiters. On the way back to the hotel, we couldn't resist checking out the "back room" of one of the shops on the edge of Chinatown. The back room is an interesting concept that I hadn't experienced before. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was totally wasted and went straight to bed, as we had a very early start the next morning.

We got cabs at 6 am to take us up to the race start on the west side of Central Park. It was still dark and the sun was just coming up. After taking a picture and visiting the portapotty it didn't seem like we had to wait too long for the 7 am start.

And then we were off! A lap around Central Park first, with which we were now quite familiar. It was cool, shady and pleasant. Somewhere along that loop a guy yelled, "Enjoy it now because mile 11 is going to suck!!" My favorite part of the whole race was turning out of Central Park and onto 7th Avenue. What a thrill running down 7th Avenue! I loved it. I just tried to enjoy the moment and take it all in. The run down 7th Avenue and then 42nd street seemed like a breeze. Then we entered the West Side Highway. It seemed like it would never end. I wouldn't say that mile 11 "sucked" but I was certainly ready to be done with this race by that time. That section of the race was hot and sunny. Fortunately the day was relatively cool for an August day in Manhattan. I drank LOTS of water along the way and did just fine. As usual I was so happy to see that finish line. They were out of the wet towels by the time I crossed the finish line--I could have really used one of those! My comrades were no where in sight, so I enjoyed some of the post-race festivities on my own. I was offered a free Jamba Juice which was delicious and watched the awards ceremony in Battery Park before heading back to the hotel for a shower.

We topped the day off with a departure via the George Washington Bridge (the top level of course) and lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in Paramus, NJ.

After the race we learned that Mary took 19th place for her age group with a time of 2:10:06. Very impressive considering the field she was competing against. Congratulations Mary!!