If you live in NYC, you've probably already heard.... The
NYC 1/2 Marathon is this weekend!
It's pretty hard to miss the mass quantity of posters everywhere along the city.
Cheer New York is so excited to have been invited to be in the cheering zone at mile 11 to encourage all the runners.
We are especially excited to cheer at this race because our very own
Rachael G. is running the race this year! This is Rachael's very first 1/2 marathon and we could not be more proud to be there to support her in this endeavor.
I sat down with Rachael last week and picked her brain a little bit about what she thinks this race is going to be like for her, enjoy our interview!
Abbey C.: How long have you been a runner?
Rachael G.: I just started running last spring! I took a beginners class with the NYRR that was super basic. The goal was just to run for 20 minutes.
AC: Wow, so you just caught the running bug then hu?
RG: Yeah, then I started doing a bunch of 5K's
AC: So what made you want to do a 1/2 marathon?
RG: Well I heard about the lottery and I figured, I'd just enter. If I made it in, it would be a sign it was meant to be. Then my name was picked....
AC: What is the farthest distance you have ever run?
RG: 8 miles; I need to tackle 10 miles later this week though.
AC: What is your pace like and what is your goal for finishing on March 18th?
RG: I'm currently running about 10 minutes per mile. Really I just want to finish the race, but I'm hoping to run it in 2 hours 30 minutes. Just finishing is such a mental challenge. There's a lot of pain involved. My goal is to not stop running. If I feel like I need to, then I'll allow myself little 30 second rests, and that's OK.
AC: Have you had any injuries since you started training?
RG: Nothing major. I have bad knees, so that's always an issue; but I also think my toe nails might be bruised.
AC: Bruised toe nails?! I didn't even know there was such a thing. That sounds painful!
RG: Yeah, I have polish on them right now, so I can't see if that's actually what's happening but that's what it feels like.
AC: Do you have anyone coming to watch you from the sidelines?
RG: Not a lot, just a few friends at the finish line.
AC: How do you feel about Cheer NY being there at the 11th mile?
RG: It's going to be so cool that I'll know people along the way. I'm totally running this alone, so that will be comforting. I've cheered the race in years past and it was always so much fun to watch.
AC: What do you think finishing is going to feel like?
RG: Ohmigosh! I don't even know, I just hope I make it there. No, I know I will. But I know I'm going to be crying at the end; like full on snot ball. I cry at the end of every long run I do like "I can't believe I just did that!". I'm going to be a mess.
I know I speak for the rest of Cheer New York when I say a huuuuge
GOOD LUCK to Rachael this weekend! Run like the wind girl!
Labels: 1/2 marathon, Cheer, Cheer New York, Cheer NY, cheerleader, cheerleading, new york road runners, NYC, NYC 1/2 Marathon, NYRR
