Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K Race Recap
Even though the race was in Washington Heights (in between Harlem and the Bronx) I only had to wake up at about 6am for the 9am start. I was out of the house pretty quickly but unfortunately Sunday commuting bit me in the tail again and the commute ended up taking longer than expected. Grr!
I had layered up pretty well I think. I had a bottom layer of UNIQLO gear, another cold gear Under Armour Top and my Gaiam jacket. On the bottom I had leg warmers my UNIQLO and another sweatpants by Under Armour… I felt like a stuffed turkey (and looked a lot like one too!). But I was warm!
After the very long train ride I followed the intensely large crowd down to the New Balance Track and Field Center. It was absolute pandemonium. I wish I had made the decision to pick up my bib days before because all the crazy wasn’t even worth it!
I got my bib, and because I didn’t want to check a bag, I put the shirt on OVER everything I had on. Oh boy. At that time I met up with the Black Girls Run! sisters and chatted (and laughed a lot) until it was time to go.
The Hills were so real! It was pretty much non stop throughout the entire 5k! I’m not sure if it was the hills or the 20 degree weather but I had a hard time catching my breath whole run which has never been an issue before. I found myself coughing a lot and stopping to regain my breathing pattern. It was weird!
There were 3-4 bands along the course playing everything from salsa with live drums to the blues with harmonicas. It was pretty awesome. Also, with 5000 people on the route the streets were pretty congested but it didn’t bother me too much.
I finished strong, no PR but I felt good. This completes the first out of 9 NYRR races for guaranteed entry into the 2016 NYC Marathon.
After every race I will list 3 things that I wish I knew! Here are my 3 takeaways from the race:
1) Add hand warmers: everything was warm except my fingers. There were no gloves that could have kept these digits warm, I needed backup!
2) Pickup bib before hand: I wish I had done this to avoid the crazy of thousands of people who all had the same idea!
3) Bring a change of clothes: Wet run clothes made for a very long cold ride home. Especially when you didn’t bring a coat! I know better for next time!
Have you used hand warmers during races? Any fun plans for the weekend?
Author information
Nellie Mommy. Fitness Addict. Socialite.
Schnelle "Nellie" Acevedo is a busy mom of two young boys (2 and 5), she is a career woman by day and a self proclaimed fitness junkie by night. Brooklyn Active Mama is a positive community that focuses on demonstrating to all women that you can always find time for fitness. She features a Weekly Wednesday Workout and a Friday Fitness Check-in series where she encourages her readers to check in and remain accountable for their fitness and nutrition goals weekly. Nellie also is a co-founder of the annual A Healthy U Conference which is a conference dedicated to helping women improve their mental, spiritual and physical health. In addition to getting in the gym 5 times weekly, Nellie is a licensed Zumba instructor in Brooklyn. Since beginning to blog Nellie has lost 27lbs (and counting)! You can find Nellie on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, & Google Plus. TwitterFacebookGoogle
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