2015 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon Race Recap

I ran the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on Sunday, March 15th and what an amazing experience it was! I had been wanting to run in New York City for a while and was so happy when I got in through the lottery. Not only did I get in, but my twin sister, stayhealthynfit4you, also got in which made it even more awesome. She made the trip all the way from Portland, Oregon and we had a fun weekend in NYC. To get an idea of the fun activities we did in the City, you can check out her Weekend Update post here.

RACE EXPO: We went to the expo on Friday with some friends that were also doing the race. The expo was located at the Skylight at Moynihan Station. It was smaller than I thought it would be in regards to the vendors, but it was decent. It was fairly easy to get our race bibs and shirt. I really like the shirt because it's my favorite color!

We browsed the booths and I even purchased a couple tubes of Nuun. I got some new yummy flavors, watermelon and fruit punch. 

It wasn't too crowded when we got there. The only time we had to wait for something was for the picture taking at the United Airlines booth. It was pretty neat as you could take your picture in front of a blue screen and during the race if you opted to, it would post to your Facebook once you crossed the specified place. They said we would get an email of the pics and I was disappointed that I never got my pics. My sister however opted to post the pics on her Facebook and she got them. This is one of the pics.

RACE DAY: We left the hotel around 6:00am to take the PATH train at 6:07am. From the Path train we took the Subway to 57th street. We got to Central Park before 7am so we had a little over 45 minutes before the start of our race. We had lots of time. It was interesting having to go through metal detectors and through security, but I totally understand why and it went smoothly.

It was nice getting there when we did as the lines to the porta potties weren't bad at all. The weather wasn't too bad as well. It was around 41 degrees but felt like 36 degrees. It was still a lot warmer to me than what I had been running my long runs in previous weeks. I did have my throwaway sweatshirt and hand warmers that helped (thank you Dana!). 

Before we knew it they were announcing the start of the professional women and then the professional men. I thought it was pretty cool when they announced Meb. Many cheered when they said his name. I thought it was neat that he was running the same race we all were, although of course he is just way ahead of us along with the rest of the elite runners. 

The race pretty much started on time and I finally crossed the start line. I knew I wasn't going to run with my sister throughout the race because she's so much faster than me. That and she was chasing a PR. I had made a point that all I wanted was to finish under 2 hours. I wanted to enjoy the race. I probably should have made a goal, but it being my first race of the year, I didn't. 

I started out pretty good, not too fast and not too slow. I knew that Central Park was the hilliest part of the race and I was surprised that the first hill wasn't so bad, but when we got to the second major hill at around mile 3, that one was tougher for me. Below is the second major hill we came across. Miles 3-5 were hilly and after mile 5 it got better. I knew that once we were out of Central Park at around mile 6 the hills would be over. 

By far, my favorite part of the race was when we exited Central Park onto Seventh Avenue into Times Square. When I first saw all the people and buildings I couldn't help but get emotional. Here I was running through Times Square. It is so amazing with the lights and the crowds...such an awesome experience. I couldn't believe I was running through Times Square.

I'm so happy if you can't tell. :)

I got the adrenaline rush right down 7th avenue from all the excitement and crowd support. It was fantastic! However once we got onto the West Side Highway, I think miles 8-12, I started to get tired. Maybe because it wasn't as exciting and there weren't the big crowds. 

What pushed me through this part was when I saw the Freedom Tower. I knew that was the general area of the finish, so I put in my mind the closer we got to that, the closer the finish.

So I kept at it and tried to maintain a steady pace. I got closer to the Freedom Tower and then passed right by it. I remember going through a tunnel that seemed to never end and it was pretty warm and stuffy. I was so happy when I ran out of the tunnel into fresh air. I kept on running and remember turning onto Wall Street and seeing the finish. I tried as hard as I could to sprint to the finish. I did and was so happy when I crossed the line. I ended up finishing in 1:56:39. A time I am totally happy with.

Here is a pic with my sister and friend Min. I'm so proud of my sister as she got her goal and PR'd with a time of 1:50:52!!

All I have to say is that the NYC Half Marathon is an awesome race! I definitely recommend it. Running in the big City is something I will never forget.

Have you ever run in NYC?

I’m linking this post up with this week’s Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up! Brought to you by hostesses Diatta Harris | Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons | The Frugal Exerciser and co-hostesses: Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Heather | Divas Run For Bling.