Brooklyn Half Marathon Recap
At the finish line, our minds are unstoppable
Where do I begin? The beginning of course.
On January 21, 2022, I signed up and bought my plane ticket to Brooklyn, NY for the Brooklyn half marathon. I texted my friend, Bobby O’Brien, and he was all in. The rest is history …
The race was on April 24, 2022. In the months leading up, I came up with a training plan that at times I was not able to follow as religiously as I would’ve liked. Work and other things got in the way sometimes so not every week was the same.
I logged 81.5 miles in February and 119.5 miles in March. I cracked just over 90 miles in April.
I flew in to Brooklyn on Friday, April 22. I actually was on the same flight as one of my friends from the Mad Miles Run Club! What a surprise.
The race expo was later that night and I got chills thinking about what race day would feel like 48 hours from now.
On Saturday, I did a shake-out run — 2.9 miles — with Dana Grey and we recorded a convo, which will be released at a later date. I spent the day with some friends and it was so refreshing to catch up with them. I was in bed by 9:30 p.m. ET, on a pull-out couch, deep in thought. All the preparation. Would it pay off? The beauty of the entire situation is there was no pressure. My goal was to run 13.1 miles at a sub 7:00 min/pace. If I failed, I failed. I wouldn’t be worried about people judging me one way or another.
And here is where I’ll draw a parallel to my sports broadcasting career. Right before I call a game, specifically the first several times in front of a new audience, I am afraid of messing up. I lack confidence. This is because it is my career. I have put countless of hours, days, and years into growing as an announcer. If I look nervous and stumble my words, I have this internal dialogue in my mind about whether or not people think I have what it takes. This is all channeled by my own self doubt. As I am sure is the case for others, when trying to make a good first impression, it is hard sometimes to showcase our true unique personality. Running has helped me turn a corner and battle self doubt. Mad Miles Run Club has also helped fuel my confidence.
In contrast, with running, I feel free and there are no expectations. There is no pressure to perform because it is not my full-time job. Sometimes I think, what if it was? Would that change anything?
I got my Broadcast & Digital Journalism Degree from Syracuse University, which is the equivalent to playing football at Alabama or women’s basketball at UConn. I was very fortunate to learn at school how to work harder than the person next to me. However, it took me much longer to develop confidence. This is still an ongoing struggle. When I discovered running in 2020, it opened pathways in my mind to approach broadcasting the same way I approach running. Be yourself. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Have fun. Push yourself and do not be afraid to fail or make a mistake.
Anyways, back to this race. I woke up around 5:15 a.m. ET. and ate a banana with some peanut butter. I walked to the start line by myself, which was only a mile or so away from my apartment. The sun started to rise.
I planned to think about different people in my life throughout the course of this race. This idea came about after a group run with Mad Miles. The people and their journeys helped me mentally push through this race.
I would like to give a special shoutout to one person who is not on this list, only because he happened to not be there after the run when this idea materialized. That’s Jayrunnin. I remember the first conversation we ever had on September 28, 2022. He approached me and told me he’d been following me from afar and felt like our relationship would grow from here. We’ve supported each other every step of the way since. Jay tracked my progress every mile during the Brooklyn Half Marathon. Appreciate you, my friend.
Alright, so here we go. I get to the start line and there are thousands of people. The weather could not have been better than what it was that Sunday morning. It was in the upper 50s. I did a light warmup, which included some scoops. Shoutout to Deon. If you know, you know.
I had HOKA Clifton 8s on my feet, lululemon pace breaker 9” LL shorts, lululemon fast and free hat, and Mad Miles shirt. Can’t forget about the lululemon power stride neon socks. I looked closely at my Garmin Forerunner 45s watch and gathered my thoughts. I was ready to go. Chills of energy were running from my feet to my skull. I was loose and relaxed, which isn’t always the case right before I start announcing on a broadcast.
The race started at approximately 7 a.m. It was time to go.
There was a palpable sense of energy in the air. I ran with no headphones. Just embraced the atmosphere. People were lined up alongside the roads cheering throughout the entire run. I felt great during the first 7 miles, only minor cramps, hovering around a 7:00 min/pace with basically zero discomfort. I was almost in shock. How? Why?
It’s a beautiful thing when you have a support system. I truly believe that the thoughts I had during this run channeled my comforting pace. Mile 9 was tricky though. It was basically an upwards incline the entire way. My mind drifted back to the runs I endured in 2020. Hills on hills on hills. I used that to get through mile 9. This is also where I had a couple Honey Stinger chews, which provided an energy boost.
The final few miles challenged me, but I managed to hold my pace. None of my miles were faster than 6:46. None of my miles were slower than 7:05. It was all in between. Consistent. Click HERE to view the run.
The crazy part is that this race felt like a step. A giant step, but still only a step. I crossed the finish line and my mind felt strong. It felt unstoppable. If I was nervous about asking a woman out on a date, I would face those nerves and do it in that moment. If I was hesitant to reach out to someone for career advice, I would do it then. Right at the finish line. If I got the chance to call a nationally televised sporting event seconds after finishing this race, I would have all the confidence in the world to showcase my true personality. Seconds after reaching the finish line I would have all the confidence in the world to introduce myself to someone at a networking event.
The fear of rejection or failure did not exist for me at the finish line in Brooklyn. However, you can’t live your entire life at the finish line. You have to keep working to get to the next finish line. But what you can do in between is channel the feeling of that finish line. That’s what I’ve tried to do when encountering obstacles, big or small, throughout the journey.
Another challenge always awaits and we have to be willing to go at it and embrace it. Only then will you find yourself back at a finish line and reminding yourself how powerful a feeling it is to be there.
GO …
