The weather here has been unpredictable to say the least! Everyone was prepared for tons of rain on race day. Not just rain, but thunderstorms as well. NYRR was concerned as well. On Saturday evening we received word that the race had been pushed back an hour, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. due to the predicted heavy rain. NYRR made sure that all runners got this information. Not only did they post the information on all their social media outlets, but they also sent an email, text and voice messages to all runners. I was very impressed that they used a bunch of different communication tactics to reach the runners!

My 6:00 a.m. wake up call on Sunday morning came quickly. I checked my weather app on my phone - it was 75 degrees with 95% humidity. I already knew the race was going to be hard based on the humidity. Thankfully it was pretty overcast for most of the race so we didn't have to deal with the sun. Also, it was already pouring outside - bummer :( On the drive to Queens it rained a little but nothing too crazy. There was a LOT of traffic to get into the parking lot at Citi Field. I think if I did this race next year I would take the train. Driving is faster but the train is less of a headache (sometimes - more on that later).

I was able to pick up my bib and shirt within a few minutes which shocked me because I was expecting long lines since it was 8:20 a.m. and the bib pickup closed at 8:30 a.m.

Pretty soon it was time to get lined up and start. I ended up crossing the start line around 9:10 a.m. so it wasn't too long of a wait. The course is mainly flat so I was secretly hoping for a PR, but I was already drenched 5 minutes into the run. The humidity was already unbearable. We got some cool breezes here and there but it wasn't enough to help. It's funny because I was on track for a PR after the 5K mark but then the humidity just got to me. I took 3 walk breaks between miles 3-4 because I felt like my body was on fire and it was getting harder to breathe. It didn't help that my allergies were in full force as well. As I was approaching mile 4 I knew I didn't want to take any more walk breaks so I adjusted my running pace to about 1 minute slower than my "normal" pace. This helped a lot and I was able to run from mile 4 until the end.

During those last 2 miles I saw people get sick on the course. A lot of people were vomiting (sorry for the TMI) and I saw one runner that needed medical assistance. Then around mile 6 I heard an ambulance on the course behind me. All runners were asked to move to the right in order for the ambulance to get by. After I crossed the finish line I saw a runner in a wheelchair so I think the ambulance must have been for her. I felt so bad for her but she was awake and answering questions so that was a good sign.

Its always scary to see that stuff on the course and that's why I never push myself past my limits. Let's face facts - I'm not exactly a "speedy" runner and I'm surely not going to break any course records, so there is no need for me to put myself in a not-so-great situation. I try to make sure I am staying as safe as possible. I didn't want to slow down my pace but it was necessary. I did notice something strange after I finished the race. I felt fine - no dizziness or anything - but my vision was blurred and then I started seeing double. It didn't go away for about 20 minutes. It was really strange but everything was back to normal yesterday afternoon and today so hopefully that never happens again!

So back to the train issues. The 7 train lets you off right at Citi Field so its a great option for people that live in NYC and the neighboring boroughs. I didn't know this until I got home but there was a HUGE problem with this train. I'm not sure what exactly happened but tons of runners were stranded or late. Because of this, NYRR kept the start mat down for an additional hour to give these runners the opportunity to run the race. I'm not sure if all the runners actually ended up making it to the race (talk about stressful!!). As of today NYRR has a message on their website asking any of these runners to please contact them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE NYRR! They know that this is a very important race for many runners because it is part of the Five Borough Series so they are trying their best to accommodate all of these runners. Besides that, they had sprinklers on the course to try to combat some of horrible humidity, they gave us a pretty cool medal - I'm all about the bling-bling :) and a kick-ass race shirt.