Lake Effect Half Marathon
Going to Syracuse, NY in February 2017 – this was my first trip to NY State. An activity I enjoy in my free time is running. I run a few times per week to maintain my fitness, and enjoy races throughout the year. The 1/2 marathon is my favorite distance to race. A lifetime goal I have is to run a race in as many states as possible. Since I was going to be in Syracuse over the weekend, I did some searching and found there was going to be a 1/2 marathon that weekend in Syracuse! The Lake Effect Half Marathon! So I thought about it and decided to sign up! The name of the race sounded cold…I have never run in freezing temps before…why not the weekend I am there? #audittraveladventures
Usually races start early – 6am to 8am time frame. This one didn’t start until 9:00. As I sat in the rental car (this time a minivan to accommodate our large audit team) I realized that as a group, we runners are a little psycho…the temperature is in the 20s, there are snow flakes falling…needless to say, it’s cold. What do we do? We have a race, next to a lake, so it will be colder. Normal people are inside where it’s warm. I was a little apprehensive going into the race because of 1) ice (I have nothing to add to my shoes to add traction…i.e. crampons…I live in So Cal…I never need them to run outside), and 2) the freezing temperatures – how my lungs would feel running 13.1 miles in 20 degree weather.
As it turned out, I loved running in the cold! I actually felt like I had too many layers and was a little hot. I took off my gloves and carried them most of the race. I was able to run the pace I wanted without overheating. While I didn’t break the 2 hour mark, I did run a PR (Personal Record) that morning. My Garmin registered 28 degrees by the lake and anywhere there had been snow, the race volunteers had sprinkled salt so it melted. While there was a cold breeze blowing in off the lake, it felt good, and the water was very peaceful to run next to. This was one of my favorite races. Thanks Syracuse for the opportunity!!
