Harlem Run

I can't say I was excited about this morning's race in Harlem when I woke up this morning. The rain was pouring down and the radio was predicting morning thunderstorms. Plus, instead of my usual jaunt over to Central Park, I would be traveling quite a bit uptown and way west. (I'm guessing that the round trip walk to pick up my bib and chip yesterday was about six miles.)

I even reviewed the annual race schedule for the NYRRC to see what my other alternatives were. But since there aren't that many more this year that work with my schedule, I decided I better head out the door. Unfortunately, as I checked the start location one more time, I realized that I had the start time wrong - I had mistaken the walk-a-thon time for the road race time and had a half hour less than expected. So I hurried out the door and into a cab. We hit a inordinate number of red lights (of course) and the driver had trouble finding a place close to the race where the streets weren't blocked off. But finally, he found a spot and I ran the last few blocks to the start (down a number of staircases, complicating things even further).

I've never started a race late before. But I wasn't the only one - I was behind two other latecomers, and as we ran over the first tape, quite a few others joined us. The first mile was largely uphill and I labored to catch up to the end of the pack. But by the end, I was glad I was there: the neighborhood is lovely and the sponsors and spectators were enthusiastic. And since it was a smaller race than many of the Central Park runs, there was a real spirit of camaraderie. And the cause - a healthier Harlem - couldn't be better!