Cross it off my bucket list! NYC Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap

I have wanted to run the NYC Half Marathon since I started running half marathons.  I was very happy to get in this year and even more excited that my husband encouraged me to fly across the country by myself to run it while he stayed home to be mister mom. (I nominate him for the husband of the year award)

I decided to wear my INKnBURN Sugar Skull pullover.  I always feel like kickin some asphalt when I wear it.  I also wore my INKnBURN performance denim tech tube to help keep my ears from falling off from the cold.

It was 29 degrees when I left my hotel room in Downtown NYC and headed to the subway.  I took the Metro uptown to Central Park.

It was COLD.

They had metal detectors and cops with metal detector wands that all the runners had to go through to get to the starting corrals.  This was my first experience with this at a race.

The race started in Central Park.  The ponds were partially frozen and it was beautiful.  By the time we started most of my body was pretty numb from the cold.  It took me until mile 3 to be able to feel my toes again.  After I warmed up a little I felt great though and enjoyed the run so much.

The course had us run a loop around Central Park and we first headed North passing the Guggenheim Museum.

Then as we ran south out of the park and exited on to 7th Avenue.

We made our way through Times Square.  It was AWESOME running on the closed city streets and the crowd support was so amazing.

The way the light was coming though the buildings I couldn’t get my face and the 2014 “ball” both in focus. hehe

After running through Times Square we cut over to the West Side Highway.  We ran passed the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

The Freedom Tower was glistening in the sun and was inspiring as we got closer and closer to it.

We ran downtown and could see the Brooklyn Bridge as we approached Wall Street.

We looped around and the finish line was on Wall Street.

I loved every minute of it.

It was a whirlwind trip because I went straight back to the hotel, showered and headed to the airport to fly home California.  It was one of the best 24 hours I have ever spent in NYC.

My fingers are still crossed to get into the NYC Marathon this November and that I can cross that one off my bucket list as well.  The lottery happens next week and it would be amazing to get the news that I got in after  having a little taste this past weekend.

Do you have a race bucket list?