Bronx Half Marathon 2010

Today was a great day! What a privilege to run in the 2010 Bronx Half Marathon! 13.1 miles.
The weather was humid but not too sunny. It was perfect. Thousands of runners participated.
We were assigned to various corals according to our number. I was 5787 so I was pretty far back from the starting line. So many different kinds of runners were there to give their best on the streets of the Bronx. The course was blocked off to all traffic and there were water stops every mile and a half or so. Some residents came out to watch and were very supportive. What an encouraging atmosphere! The New York Road Runners Club did a great job. This race was one of five half marathons in each of the 5 boroughs. The last is 10/10/10 in Staten Island which I will be sure to register for.
I started out strong and finished strong. All of that hill climbing in Summit, NJ really paid off. At mile 10 I started to feel winded but I manged to keep pace w/ the other runners around me. The course was a great urban landscape. It went around a huge reservoir and main thoroughfares and up and down hills, under bridges. At mile 12 I had some gas left in the tank. With encouragement from the crowd I had enough to bring the hammer down and finish the last 2/10ths of a mile at a sprint. What a relief to have finished my first race! And and w/ strength. But at the end of the day I realize it is well short of the final goal of the New York City Marathon. And that I need to raise a lot more money for a great cause.