Friday 4/27
It would seem that I have gotten into a bit of a routine. After work and dinner, I gassed up the car and headed over to LAX. I learned from my mistake last weekend, so this time I trusted the Waze app and exited the 105 freeway at Aviation Blvd. I was able to find a parking spot in Parking Lot C after driving up and down several rows. The horseshoe was super packed again, but it felt so much better to get to the gate with plenty of time to spare. My red eye flight was an Alaska Air flight, but the plane was a Virgin America plane. I always had good experiences flying with both airlines. This was no different. I had a window seat in the emergency row which was nice since there was plenty of leg space where I could get up and use the lavatory without having to be let out by those in my row.
Saturday 4/28
After landing at JFK airport, I made my way over to Jamaica Station via the AirTrain to catch the E train into Manhattan. I got off at the 7th Ave station and walked over to the NYRR RunCenter to pick up my bib and shirt. The pick-up process took maybe 5 minutes tops. I decided to check out the Brooklyn Half Marathon merchandise before leaving to get some breakfast. There were a couple of items that I might consider buying. I'll decide when the race comes around in a few weeks.
Race shirt
I went to my usual spot, the Connolly's on W 45th St, to get breakfast. As a creature of habit, I ordered the usual full Irish breakfast and some coffee. The meal definitely hit the spot as did the coffee.
Full Irish breakfast
After I settled my bill, I decided to walk over to my hotel to see if I could check in early. For this trip, I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Lexington Ave between E 51st St and E 50th St. It was no dice on getting to my room early. The lady at the front desk took my credit card info to take care of the checking-in process and told me to come back closer to 3 pm as my room was not yet ready. I hung out in the hotel lobby taking the time to charge up my phone.
A little bit after 3 pm, I went back up to the front desk and got my room keys. I was also given the usual chocolate chip cookie which was the norm for a DoubleTree hotel. I got settled in, took a shower, and relaxed a bit in my room until it was time to go out for some food.
I placed an order on my McDonald's app before heading out. It was sprinkling a little bit outside. Not enough to warrant carrying an umbrella. I first stopped in at the Duane Reade across the street to buy a bottle of water. Next it was on to the McDonald's just around the corner. The app has further fueled my fondness for their food. I used the BOGO deal for their large french fries. I ordered the usual Quarter Pounder with cheese to go with the fries. After finishing my meal, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's race.
10k flat runner
Sunday 4/29
I got ready, left for Central Park, and timed it so that I arrived at the starting area at about 8:00 am. I used one of the nearby portapotties and was waiting in the empty corrals at about 8:15 am. It would seem as if no one else likes to be there early as the corrals didn't start filling up until about 10-15 minutes before the 9 am start time.
Start line
My goal was to run just under an 8 min per mile pace. I made sure to maintain the same effort and not to over do it on both the uphills and the downhills. One of the things that I noticed was that there were some runners around me that I totally misjudged because of their body type or what they were wearing. I didn't think they would be able to maintain the same pace for the entire race.
Finish line
Finish: 48:25
Click here for my Garmin data.
Completed NYRR race #2 of 9.
I ended up finishing with a 7:47 average pace. I must say that I'm starting to really like running through Central Park! I like that the loop isn't entirely flat. The elevation profile has a good mixture of uphills, downhills, and flat sections. My legs are still not quite where they used to be, but they're definitely starting to get faster despite the hamstring and foot issues with my left leg.
After receiving my medal and some post race food, I made my way over to the post race festival to check things out. There was Sidney the kidney walking around for photos. I put my bib number in for the raffle for some prizes which included round trip airfare to Abu Dhabi. There were also a couple of booths giving out free swag. I ended up only taking the New York City FC soccer ball and wristband since I've been getting more and more into soccer. Eventually I got in a long line to get a photo taken with a green screen background. I guess I didn't hear the guy when he asked me which background I wanted, so he randomly picked one for me. I'm covering most of it, but I think it's the United Arab Emirates Sharjah Waterfront. If I had picked, I would've gone with the Burj Al Arab building. After the photo, I made my way closer to the stage. Flo Rida even made an appearance before they started picking winners for the raffle prizes.
Finisher medal
Post race snacks
Sidney the kidney
Raffle drawing
New York City FC
It got a bit chilly just standing around waiting for the winners to be picked. Everyone dispersed once the final prize was given out. I took a quick picture of the medal before exiting the park. I had to walk briskly back to my hotel in order to generate enough body heat to stay warm.
For a late lunch, I stopped by the nearby Go! Go! Curry over on E 53rd St. It was my first time at this location. As I entered the restaurant, the only employee working there informed me that if I choose to dine-in, the food would be served in a to-go container since the sink was clogged preventing them from being able to wash any dishes. I ordered the usual Grand Slam and added fukuzinzuke. Originally I was going to eat it there, but once my food was ready, I changed my mind and took it back to my room since it was already in a to-go container.
Grand Slam
Since I ate late and it was a pretty big meal, I ended up skipping dinner and just relaxed in my room for the rest of the evening. I did go back out to get some more drinks.
Monday 4/30
My flight home was later in the day, so I was able to sleep in and take my time packing up my stuff for the trip home. Once it came time to check out of the hotel, I grabbed my bags and walked all the way over to Penn Station to catch a train to Newark Liberty International Airport. I normally take an Amtrak train to EWR, but this time I decided to buy a ticket for the NJ Transit. It was a few bucks cheaper and they had more trains running, so I found it to be much more convenient. Also the turnstiles at the Newark Liberty International Airport Station used to only read NJ Transit tickets. I wonder if they had changed them so that they would read the Amtrak tickets. The turnstiles did look different and new.
As was my normal routine, I finished off my liquids before going through TSA security check. I then stopped by the Dunkin' Donuts to get something to eat. I got their Big n' Toasted sandwich. It smelled pretty dang good when they were making it. I found a small table at the nearby food court to eat my sandwich.
Big n' Toasted
I then went over to my gate where I would wait for the next several hours for my flight. I used my tablet to keep myself entertained while I passed the time. I also used the time to charge up my phone. About an hour or so before the time to board my flight, I got a table at the nearby Phillips Seafood and ordered their lobster roll. I'm not sure why I got it because I don't remember it being very good the last time that I had one here. It was also quite pricey at just over $25 including tax.
Lobster roll
The flight home was again an Alaska Air flight, but the plane was a Virgin America plane. The plane landed at LAX at about 9:30 pm and was about 10 pm by the time I got back to my car at Parking Lot C. It was time to head home and get a quick shuteye before it's time to go back to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment