8 weeks down, 8 to go!
It’s really hard to believe that I am halfway through NYC Marathon training! I just keep thinking back to the beginning of the year sitting on the couch dreaming of NYC and saying I had a lot of work to do in the next 8 MONTHS… now we are down to 8 WEEKS!
Monday was Labor Day and I worked all day but took my normal rest day from all physical activities which was nice after last week’s 16 miler.
I had to open on Wednesday but was done for the day at noon! I was so happy to head home and get caught up on cleaning and laundry. I also ran 6 miles that afternoon - a nice, longer mid-week run. It was so hot and humid so I was trying to conserve energy and run easy but at times I felt like I was running in slow motion.
Thursday was double aerobics class day and the *feels like* temperature was 90+ degrees out on the pool deck. That continued into Friday. I opened in the morning again. It was hopefully my last opening shift for awhile with more new staff starting next week! On my way home from work I ran into my friend Matt at the grocery store. He was getting more water for the Zooma Half Marathon on Sunday morning in preparation of the predicted heat and humidity.
While I was out on my run later that evening, I had a thought that I should sign up for Matt’s race as I had 12-14 on the schedule this weekend anyways. By the way, that run was nasty. I was dripping from the start. But when I got home I texted Matt then signed up. I mean, why not? My last race was Boston 2019 so even though I would use the half as a training run, I thought it would be beneficial to go through the whole race morning routine and experience the pre-race jitters again.
I taught my 2 classes on Saturday morning, picked up my bib number, closed up at work then visited Craig at Naukabout for a Pina Colada sloshie. I was starting to question if running a half marathon the next morning would be a good idea with how humid it would going to be but I knew it would be better to have water out on the course and other runners around me than running alone. When I got home I laid out all my clothes and gear for race morning, drank lots of water and went to bed super early.
Sunday morning I was up before my alarm. I was definitely feeling nervous even though I knew it was a training run. The race started at 7:30 so I left the house around 6:20, got to the Old Silver Beach parking lot at about 6:40 and hung out for a little bit as I finished up my pre-run drink. I walked over to the Seacrest - where the race started and ended - and chatted with Matt for a little bit. I got in line for the bathrooms and by the time I was done there, the race was just about to start!
I made my way to the front of the line. I asked a girl at the start which direction we turned out of the parking lot because I hadn’t even really looked at the course map! The gun went off and we started running. Temperatures were in the low 70s. It was 100% humidity at the start and later learned 99% at the finish. The wind was pretty much non-existent. It was ew.
I tried to keep my pace around 8:00 however I kept looking down at my watch seeing 7:40 and 7:45. It’s so hard not to want to race and pick off other runners in front. It’s a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a few years. I saw my parents around mile 2. Mike from run club was directing runners soon after. Matt was at a turnaround somewhere. His wife Eilis was out on the course too. I saw my parents again around mile 5 and then 8. I stopped both times for a dry towel to wipe off my face. That was HUGE.
The course itself was nice. A little hilly. I found myself running alone almost the whole way with the exception of a few miles on the bike path where I started passing all the 10k walkers and runners. A girl came out of nowhere and sprinted by me at the finish. I ended up in 5th place. I guess that’s not bad for a training run.
My parents and Craig met me at the finish line. I sat on the curb for awhile and ate an orange before hopping on the front of one of our paddle boards while Craig paddled around Old Silver Beach as I relaxed.
That afternoon Craig and I adventured to Harwich. I’ve been dying to try a mudslide at Chapin’s Fish and Chips but of course we show up and they were closed for a private event. From there we went to the Ocean House Beach Bar. Our luck continued as their mudslide machine was turned off for the season so instead I sipped on a refreshing strawberry mojito with views of the ocean and Week 1 of NFL football games on the TV. We decided we would go to the Sand Bar for food but when we pulled into the parking lot at 4:05pm there was a sign out front with “closing at 4:00 today.” From there we went to the Port for dollar oysters - we had a dozen each - and I tried the peanut butter mudslide.
I don’t remember much about the drive home LOL other than it was down pouring and we were in Craig’s convertible. Craig dropped me off at home and went to Naukabout for a while. I was in bed asleep at 7:45pm.
Monday 9.4.23
REST
Tuesday 9.5.23
3 miles (23:30)
Low Impact Aerobics
Wednesday 9.6.23
6 miles (47:30)
30 min Mat CORE
Thursday 9.7.23
Low Impact Aerobics
Water Aerobics (from the deck)
Friday 9.8.23
4.08 miles (32:17)
30 min Mat CORE
Saturday 9.9.23
Water Aerobics (from the deck)
Saturday Strength
Sunday 9.10.23
Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon 1:46:37
This week’s mileage: 26 miles
This week’s Reggie mileage: 0 miles
Training totals: 197 miles
ICYMI
If you would like to support me and donate to the MEB Foundation, visit my fundraising page: https://www.givengain.com/ap/jen-skiba-raising-funds-for-meb-foundation
