running on emotions

yesterday was quite an emotional day for me. i'll start from the beginning.

i woke up at 5:30AM to my cell phone alarm. i laid in bed for a few mins and jumped up to start my breakfast. i cut my bagel in half, popped into the toaster, and started doing the dishes. the bagels were toasted so i spread some trader joe's tapenada on it. this time, i wore a running shirt with a pocket. since there was no bag watch, i had to bring my metro card, money, and keys with me.

i stepped out of my apartment at 7:15, ready to take on this run. it was chilly. the wind almost toppled my hat off my head. i made a quick stop at the deli for some gatorade (mango flavored) and started walking towards 6th Avenue. i caught the 2 train to 72nd street. i sat on the subway without any reading material, so i watched other passengers. it felt a bit odd, voyeuristic really, to be looking at people who were riding the same subway car as you at 7:35 in the morning.

i made it to riverside park on time. everyone had goosebumps. not only was it cold (a mere 55F), but there was a lot of wind. we listened to our coach who gave us directions for our run. we started running. my teammate, lori, and i kept pace with one another.

we ran from 72nd and west to chambers. from chambers we ran to the brooklyn bridge. from brooklyn bridge we took a left, then a right on to flatbush. from flatbush, we ran up to prospect park. while in prospect park, we did one big loop, a hill run, and then a small loop. in total, we ran about 15 miles [check the route here].

running across brooklyn bridge was probably the most emotional event i have ever done. i said to lori, "i can't believe i'm in new york, running across the brooklyn bridge, raising money to fight cancer." if you would have told me, last year, that this is what i would be doing, i would not have believed you. i'm a bit in shock. fine, i'm really in shock. the BROOKLYN BRIDGE!

egads.

it was the toughest run as of yet. the hills, the mental game, the anguish of just wanting the run to be over. but i did it! next week, i'm supposed to be running 16.