About 2 weeks ago I ran my longest distance yet, 20 miles! Now this was no ordinary 20 mile long run, it was a journey of sorts, a very wet one! During the week before, the forecast called for some heavy rain that Saturday morning, but I had planned on getting my 20 miles in that day no matter what! So when I woke up that morning and seen the gray skies I was facing, I knew it was going to be a long day! I could have waited til the following morning to do my run, where the weather called for blue skies, and beautiful fall weather, but on the day of the marathon will I really have a choice?
I headed to the Niketown store in Manhattan to meet up with the Nike NYC group for their long run, I decided I would at least start my run with them to get my momentum going, then leave and finish the run on my own. When we departed and headed to the West Side Highway, the weather wasn’t too bad, it was warm, and seemed like the weather might hold off for awhile. I was running with the slowest pace group which was 10:00+, but the pacer we had was pretty fast, I ran one of the miles in 8:39, which is ridiculously fast for a 20 mile long run, when my goal pace is around 12:00 min/mile. I knew I was going to have to leave them sooner than I wanted to, otherwise I’d be burned out toward the end of the run. We took a water break 5 miles in, and after some water, and a few bites of a Cliff bar, I left the group and headed for Central Park.
Upon my departure, the rain started coming down! First a drizzle, but then just heavy rain, with wind, and no signs of it clearing up! I felt defeated at first, like these 20 miles I had set forth to do really weren’t going to happen! By the time I made it to the park, I was drenched, nothing on me was dry, and it was really messing with my concentration. I kept thinking, “ there’s no way I’m really doing this!”, “ these conditions are too crazy!”, and “maybe I’ll cut the run short and save the 20 for next weekend!” But I kept going, squeezing the water out of my sleeves to my jacket, and looking for cover under a tree every so often to find some relief from the rain pelting at my face! 9 miles in and it was really coming down, worse than before, just sheets of water pounding at me from every angle, my fingers becoming prune like, and my feet, soaked, and heavy!
Originally I was going to run the park, and head to the 59th street bridge, and run my way home, but I never expected this kind of downpour it was incredible! And the runners I did see in the park looked just as miserable, but just as determined as me to get their runs in. I took cover under a tree, and called my boyfriend, I needed to hear him tell me I was crazy, and to go home! Minus the crazy part, he did tell me I should consider ending the run and head home, and save the miles for next week, and I agreed and said I was going to run at least 14 miles, and head home. But once I started running again, I knew that if left the park, I’d slow down with the traffic and really go home. Deep inside I really needed the satisfaction of completing those 20 miles. I needed to not give up on myself, even in those conditions. When I reached the west end by Columbus Circle, I needed to go to the bathroom and wring the water from my clothes, my jacket in particular was weighing heavily on me, and causing me to slow down. In the bathroom I must’ve wrung at least a gallon of water from my jacket and socks, I even left a puddle behind in the stall! Oops! And girl problems reared its ugly head at the same time! As if this run wasn’t hard enough already!
But then something cool happened, I headed back to the park, and saw a banner for the marathon on a street lamp, and it was the motivation I needed to get through the rest of the run! I headed back to the park to finish 10 more miles, and as hard as it felt, I was doing it, and I felt pretty bad ass! I’ve run Central Park so many times, that it can be a bit boring for me, but that day there was something about the rain that made it go by without feeling like torture. And there’s also something beautiful about the rain, and the calm, quiet, peaceful atmosphere it creates.
18 miles, in I was very ready for the run to be over with, it was still raining but it was a lighter rain, but at that point I was so soaked, I couldn’t tell. My legs were looking for relief but my pace was still very consistent and I was pleased with that! When my watch finally beeped and showed 20 miles on the screen, I stopped, and I cried. I wasn’t expecting to cry, but it happened, and I was filled with pride, and such a great satisfaction for finishing in that weather! I felt like I was really going to be able to finish 26.2 miles, and nothing could stop me, not even the horrible rain!
Of course, shortly after I finished the rain stopped, and the sun started to come out!! But I was proud, and I felt like it was radiating off of me, even though I felt like a wet dog! I went into the nearest Dunkin Donuts, and got a bagel, and a cup of hot chocolate, it was heaven! I knew being wet I’d freeze on the subway on the way home, but that hot chocolate actually saved me from that cold feeling!
Running 20 miles in the rain, was special, even though the conditions were very less than ideal, but I feel so strong because I did it! I never could imagine that I’d be so close to finish line, but I really am that close, and on November 2nd, I’ll make it there!
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