Since we pretty much know that TCS NYC Marathon is not happening due to COVID-19, I still want to do something to commemorate what would have been the 50th anniversary of NYC Marathon. A couple of weeks ago, NYRR (the running organization that sponsors the NYC Marathon) posted ten reasons why running a virtual marathon would be great on Instagram.
Honestly, none of these reasons look fun. Maybe the one about no stress is probably the only reason that I would ever consider running a virtual marathon. I think for NYC Marathon 2018, I had to wake up around 3:30 am to get ready and make it to the Staten Island Ferry for a 9:30 am start.
Speaking about TCS NYCMarathon 2018, here’s a trip down memory lane.
Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to run last year’s NYC Marathon. Looking back, I wish that I forced myself to run last year’s marathon. I did register and was somewhat prepared to run last year’s marathon. However, I flew back from Hawai’i after a work trip the day before the marathon and was very jet-lagged and decided to sit out the marathon. Had I know a freaking pandemic was going to screw up 2020, I probably would have forced myself to run, walk, and/or crawl 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of New York City.
Instead of running a virtual NYC Marathon, I think that I’m going to run the last 13.1 miles of the marathon route.
Although the full marathon gives you an opportunity to visit various neighborhoods in NYC, the first half only takes you through Brooklyn. For the last half of the marathon, you get to run through a little bit of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Manhattan again. We are about 55 days from what would have been Marathon Sunday (Nov. 1) so running my fake half marathon will give me a chance to up my daily running activities. Going forward with my training/daily workouts, I plan to add more speed, hill, and long runs to my runs around Randall’s Island.
Here goes and ain’t nothing to it but to do it.