The Target: 11 Miles

It was also the furthest I have ever run before. I was up by 6:30 am and out the door 15 minutes later. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and by 7:00 a.m. we were on the road heading to Queens .

The Final Destination: Forest Hills Park
To my surprise , many people came out to the practice . I would say about 50 , which makes the run a little easier to know that so many people are all doing 11 miles. We split up into groups and I , of course , stayed with my group of 9:00 to 10:00 minute miles and with my favorite coach Sid. I don’t think I have referred to Sid before but , like Brian, he is also an accomplished runner, and he is also 70 years old. Yes you read correctly. He is 70 and still running and competing in races and winning! As you can see, TFK has some of the very best coaches, so I have so many influential people in my running circle.
My friend Melissa was there and we usually stick together for the runs, so today was no different. Before we started we made a pack ... no matter how hard the run would be we would not walk!

The Race: Mission Accomplished!
We ran for a mile to get to the park and then it started! We hit the first hill and it was a killer. It was very steep and seemed to go on forever. We had to do the same course 4 times over, so yes , I had to encounter that hill another three times. On my 4th trip around on the hill I yelled out a profanity so loud, because I thought I would not be able to make it to the top. Once we hit the top it was such an awesome feeling. The best part was trying to avoid the horse that at one point seemed to have a B-line right for us, mind you he was going full speed ahead. This was a great run and I felt so awesome after we accomplished our goal. On our way back to the train Melissa and I decided to stop for a bagel because we were starving. It was so delicious!! Of course this time I had a full bagel flat with the Lox Cream cheese. YUM YUM YUM! The train ride back seemed to go on forever but I finally made it home.

Next Saturday we will be running 14 miles in Central Park, which means that I will be encountering my dear friend…..Harlem Hill ... twice!
Until then…MM