On Race Romances
Day 77- Race- 19.28 Miles
Central Park is a naturally romantic place. On a pretty day, you are surrounded by grass, sunshine, reservoirs, quiet shaded paths and so many other things that are unique in New York City. Running in New York forces you to have a special relationship in Central Park. Aside from the zoo, museum, playgrounds and other amenities, we have a variety of different running routes. The primary one is the one big paved six-mile look surrounds the park. It is highlighted by various degrees of hills. There is Harlem Hill that greets you on West Side that seems never-ending as it wraps around these dense trees. Next are the west side rolling hills down to 68th street. On the East Side, you get Cat Hill that leads you up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I say all this because I have run Central Park a lot in the last five years. I am completely aware of how amazing it is and what a visual treat it can be here in New York. That being said, during race season you can’t help but get bored with the scenery and get distracted by the complete strangers who are in front or next to you.
Six miles around the park, so New York Road Runners plans the “18 Mile Tune Up” to help marathon runners get ready for the big day in November. That is three loops around the park. Loops can be a little tiresome and annoying, especially in a place where I have run countless times. Today, I was a little distracted by a pretty lady. I didn’t know who she was, but she became my race companion. This type relationship happens a lot at races because you spend some time with those people who have similar pacing to you. 18 miles takes me around two hours and twenty minutes (a little less). Two plus hours is a long time. Almost like a first date and in many cases much better than most first dates.
She popped in front of me between mile 4 and 5. She had her chestnut hair that had been highlighted by the sun and was pulled back into a tight bun, and she was wearing a royal blue singlet, belonging to her team, and black running shorts. Her shoulders were browned from the sun. I glanced at her face a couple of times, which is tough because you can’t really be a creep and try to stare at another runner’s face. She had light eyes and some small freckles. We were running together for a while, and I decided to pace with her. It was working well for me. Unfortunately, my Garmin wasn’t as into it. I had set some pacing limits, and at a certain point, my watch started complaining that I needed to speed up. Like a bad wing-man, I wanted to ignore it — “Garmin, you asshole, just chill out.”. But after the third or fourth bleep I foolishly took off, and she was no longer with me. By then we finished the first loop and started the second loop. I spent some time thinking about my new pacing friend. I wondered if she had been trying to pace with me and then I left her. Now because of my stupid watch, I would never see her again.
But was I wrong? Just like with so many things in life I always need to keep in mind that women do things better than me. So of course midway through the second loop. At around mile 10, my royal blue date came storming back and pulled up even with me. Royal Blue Lady looked so much fresher than I did and she had a spring in her step. I knew I was in trouble. We stayed near to each other, but she started pulling away from me. I tried to keep her close, wanting to extend our fleeting time together, even though my legs started feeling rubbery, I pushed. The East Side is relatively flat, and despite complaints about Cat Hill, I prefer tackling that one over Harlem Hill. I figured I would push on the hill to pull even with her or pass her. Then she did something that made me swoon, which doesn’t happen that often during an 18-mile race.
Right before Cat Hill, the Japanese Samurai guy was down on the ground trying to gather his things and use a cane to lift himself up. A quick sidebar, the Japanese Samurai guy, is a staple at Road Runner races in Central Park. Every year they do a Japanese themed race, and he is prominently featured. He has to be in his early seventies, with a long gray beard and matching hair that is held up by an ornamental bandana. He is a remarkable athlete and someone everyone recognizes. I saw him from about 10 yards away, countless people passing him until Royal Blue Lady saw him. She slowed down and leaned in towards him, offering to help him. I saw her mouth the words “Are you okay.” He waved her off, but she hesitated for a moment as she watched him lift himself up. Once he was up, she burst out again. I caught up to her momentarily, but she left me as we hit mile 13. It didn’t matter; she had stolen my race heart.
By the time I crossed the finish line, I had assumed she would be long gone, but I was wrong again. After I gulped down my Gatorade and water and made my way beyond the hordes of volunteers, sitting on the lawn that I usually head to, was the Royal Blue Lady. Flush with sweat and smiles, she was stretching out there. A random guy started speaking to me about the humidity, so we exchanged a couple of words. She began walking in front of us, so in the midst of that conversation, I tapped her and said “Great race. You paced that perfectly.” She responded with a smile and giggled and said “Thanks, but it didn’t feel like it.” I smiled back and said, “You turned it up for that third loop, nice job.”
And with that, it was over. I will likely never know Royal Blue Lady’s name, so this doesn’t have some kind of rom-com ending. I probably will never speak to her again, but at least we had these 18 miles. Her speed and her random act of kindness in Central Park will stick…at least until next Sunday when I run a race in the Bronx, and I find my new race date.
Postscript-
The race went well overall considering the miles I logged this week. I finished in 2:19:35, which is identical to what I did in 2014. But this year my legs weren’t as fresh and I stuck well with that pace. Even had some juice for the end despite all the humidity and the resulting extra water stops.
