This Is Fine: 2020 Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K Race Recap

And now, for something completely normal.

If you read my last post, you’ll learn that there have been times during the past month I’ve wanted to write in this blog. One of those things was a recap of the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K that took place on Sunday, March 1, 2020, which was exactly seven and a half years ago (or does it just feel like that??). Now that every race is being cancelled in the coming months (and, I am predicting, for the remainder of 2020), I might as well write this recap because who knows when the next one will be (2021, if we’re lucky).

The Big Chase: 2019 Percy Sutton 5K Race Recap

The 2019 Percy Sutton 5K happened over a month ago but it might as well have been six years ago based on what has transpired in the past several weeks. Time is strange. What is time? Does it exist outside our minds? Did the Percy Sutton 5K even happen? And if it did, will it happen again after the universe has been destroyed, the Big Bang happens for the 14th trillion time, and we experience life as we know it all over again?

I’ll begin by telling you that the day I ran the 2019 Percy Sutton 5K was a very good day. I had a good race. It was a lovely morning. I felt on top of the world.

I’ve been struggling to regain that feeling lately, which is partly why the race feels like it happened so long ago.

Caution to the Wind: 2019 Run for the Health of It 5K Race Recap

I would not normally suggest racing a 5K only 13 days after one has run a marathon, unless the 5K is very special, and this one was, so I did. I wrote a whole post about why the 5K was important to me so I won’t rehash the whole thing here, only to say that it takes place in my hometown of Northport, Long Island and I had wanted to run it for the past two years but didn’t get to until this year.

Run the ‘Run for the Health of It’ 5K on 5.11.19

Hello! This morning I ran for the first time since Sunday’s NJ Marathon: 4.72 miles at an eeeasy pace. I’m back, baby! I’ve been feeling eager to get back into it since Wednesday but wanted to give myself a solid five days off.

Monday was the only day I was too sore to run – I spent most of the day limping and avoiding stairs. By Tuesday the limp was gone. I’ve had a bit of a tight left hamstring, but not much else to complain about. I’m kind of shocked at how good I feel.

Now that I’m done with the NJ Marathon, I’m putting my focus on my next race: the Run for the Health of It 5K in Northport, NY (my hometown!) on Saturday, May 11th. Northport is a lovely, quaint, nautical village on the north shore of Long Island. It is also where I spent much of my childhood. I lived there again from December 2016 to May 2018 to help take care of my mom at the end of her life.

I Am the Warrior: 2019 Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K Race Recap

It snowed like crazy on Saturday morning. At least, crazy for NYC. Several inches coated the ground. It was the good kind of snow: soft, light, and dry. As it turned to city slush, running on the sidewalks was impossible. I ran a comically slow two miles in Riverside Park on unplowed pathways, lifting up my feet up on every step, essentially doing high knees for 26 minutes. Yes, my pace was 13:05 minutes a mile, the slowest it has ever been.

The next morning was a complete reversal of the day before. The snow had mostly melted, the sun was shining, and I ran the fastest 5K of my life. Would you like more details about this? Great, here are too many of them.

On Thin Ice: Cupid’s Chase 5K Manhattan Race Recap

I signed up for this race back on November 11, which may as well have been 2016 considering how long ago it now feels. It was not a NYRR race but organized by Elite Feats, the same company that does the Huntington Thanksgiving Day 4 Miler and a bunch of other Long Island races I’ve run. I found the race through some site, I forget which, or maybe an email, it doesn’t matter. It was a 5K, it had a flat course, and the start and finish were literally a 5 minute jog from my front door.

Also, the race was to benefit Community Options, an organization that helps people with disabilities, which seemed like a good cause.

So of course I signed up. This was going to be great!!!

Run Like Hill: 2018 Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Race Recap

Saturday, August 25th marked my first 5K since moving back to NYC: the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run, only a stone’s throw from my new apartment! This would be my first 5K since the Marci Mazzola 5K on Long Island back in April, where I ran a personal best of 24:14. Would I be able to beat that today? Let’s find out!

Salute Your Shorts: YMCA 5K in Memory of Marcie Mazzola Race Recap

The YMCA 5K Run/Walk in Memory of Marcie Mazzola took place on Sunday in Huntington on a lovely, sunny, brisk morning. Not only was it a fun, well-organized, snack-plentiful race, I am proud to announce that I PR’d (aka personal record’d) with a time of 24:14!

Let Me Work It

This morning’s run had me once again in a hat and gloves. At least it’s light out at 6 am now. No more reflective straps or headlamp for the next few months, unless for some reason I need to run pre-dawn, but I can’t imagine why I would.

It’s All Elementary: Doug Wood 5K Trail Run Race Recap

My first 5K race since last fall took place yesterday, and what a day, and what a race! Beautiful weather, grueling course, and I got to see someone I hadn’t seen in over 25 years – but first, the race.