Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

[Sleepless Knight]

Well that sounds not fun. I'm glad your toe eventually got better!

The toe looks bad but really only hurts when I land a lot of weight on it (happened by accident during barre class) or apparently when I put on my boots so hopefully that means it won't be a big deal. Plan is to run tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

While I could run on mine, it certainly hurt a lot more when I did. I spent a couple of weeks arguing with myself about when I should run and for how long.

 

[SarahDisney]

Toe Update:
I can definitely run on it. It hurt when I put on the shoes and that was the worst it got. I think the problem is shoes because something is pushing against it. It's probably surface-level bruise (is that a thing?). It seems less purple than it was yesterday, so on the road to recovery.
I'm going into the office today, so I'm trying to figure out what shoes to bring to wear in-office (I'm gonna wear my snow boots for the commute but those are pretty narrow so there's no way I can wear them all day with the toe issue, so I'm bringing something to change into).

 

[SarahDisney]

Race Plans I Need to Think Through/Write Up:
- Expo (I have a slot for Friday but I need to plan my day out and make sure its a good slot)
- Race outfit
- Transportation
- Post-Race Plans

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Training: Week Seven
3/7/2022 - 3/13/2022​

The Plan:
2 runs (7 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 2 walks (5-7 miles)

The Actual:
2 runs (7.03 miles), 2 barre3 classes (both in-person), 3 walks (6.21 mi)

The Details:
Monday:
4.21 mile walk. Did a longer walk to see how my legs felt post-Sunday's long run. All good. Overall, just a really nice walk. I think I want to do more long walks after I retire from running.
Banged my toe a few hours after the walk.

Tuesday:
barre3 In-Studio with Ashley E + 0.59 mile walk to work. Toe only hurt if I was moving my foot and accidentally landed on the toe (it happened during class once) but I also had given the instructor a heads up on it so she checked on me at one point. Walk to work was okay other than when I first started walking (the toe didn’t like my boots). But the timing worked out really nicely.

Wednesday:
3.00 mile run, 41:31 minutes, 13:51 min/mi avg pace. Rain started to pick up when I was two blocks from home, so I may have gone a drop too far. Also, I started the run before the GPS was ready so the distance is probably wrong. Toe only hurt because of the shoes – running didn’t make it any worse.

Thursday:
Rest Day! Woke up planning to go for a walk, got dressed, and just never actually made it out. Not a problem. It was just more of a chill on the couch than exercise day, which is a nice thing sometimes.
Also found out that I have a friend in my corral for the half next week so that’s exciting.

Friday:
4.03 mile run, 52:31 minutes, 13:01 min/mi avg pace. I had a long night the night before and wasn't sure how it was gonna go but the run actually went pretty well. And it was nice to know that I could get in that long of a run and still be at my desk at 8:30am.

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
barre3 In-Studio with Vicky. Good class, but I was definitely feeling a bit sleep deprived (also I got called out by Vicky for laughing and I honestly didn't even notice I was until she said something).
1.41 mile walk as part of my grocery shopping trip. Because I figured once I was getting my rear end off the couch, it should be for more than just a trip to TJ's.

Next Week Plan:
????
Hopefully 2 barre3 classes. Hopefully one last run (+ race, of course). Maybe a walk? But we'll see. It's kind of a weird week life-wise (which is par for the course for me before halfs) so not sure what's gonna happen.

I'm very much ready for this race to be over.

 

[garneska]

I had to share this with you because I thought you would appreciate it. On Saturday night I watched a Marvel movie. Like you i don't love every Marvel movie. In fact quite a few i can't get through and have not seen. I try but i am just not a super fan. I had time on Saturday to actually watch a movie (one of my problems with movies especially Marvel is you need 2.5 hours, i liked it when a movie was 1.75 hours). I decided to go with Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings. To my surprise I loved the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that I like it so much. I am not saying you will like it or even recommending it because i know movie preferences are different, I was just happy that i actually enjoyed it.

I thought you could relate

 

[SarahDisney]

I had to share this with you because I thought you would appreciate it. On Saturday night I watched a Marvel movie. Like you i don't love every Marvel movie. In fact quite a few i can't get through and have not seen. I try but i am just not a super fan. I had time on Saturday to actually watch a movie (one of my problems with movies especially Marvel is you need 2.5 hours, i liked it when a movie was 1.75 hours). I decided to go with Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings. To my surprise I loved the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that I like it so much. I am not saying you will like it or even recommending it because i know movie preferences are different, I was just happy that i actually enjoyed it.

I thought you could relate

Nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it, that's cool. Always a fun surprise to enjoy a movie you didn't expect to enjoy.

Also, yes, Marvel movies are way too long.

 

[SarahDisney]

United Airlines NYC Half Marathon: Race Plans Part 1​

It's been a hot minute since I did one of these posts. More to come later, but since I'm about to leave for work and then not be near this computer for another 2 days or so, I figured I'd post some of my plans. So here we go.

Getting My Race Stuff:
I’m signed up for a Friday 1-2 PM expo pickup slot. I’m also signed up for a 12PM barre class. Figure 45 minute class + 20 minutes to walk to the expo gets me there a little after 1, figure I leave there around 2ish, then I can do my grocery shopping and cooking. Only question mark is going to be how much time I have at my apartment in between when I get back from Queens and when I have to leave for barre. Hopefully it will be enough time to chill for a bit, but depending on when I actually leave Queens it might just be a quick change + go.

Race Outfit:
Honestly, it’ll be whatever I pull out of the closet Saturday night. I bought a new top and leggings but the leggings are a little big and don’t really match the top. So I may wear the new top (pink and white stripes – original costume idea was Piglet) with black capris and my black skirt. Or I may just wear whatever I grab.

Its gonna be 50ish at the start so I should probably have some throwaway clothes - I'll see what I have at the house, and if I don't have anything, I'll run out to TJMaxx on Friday and grab something cheap.

I’m still trying to figure out what to do about masking. I definitely will be masked on the way to/from the race because subway (I gotta remember to stuff a mask in with my water bottle). Probably also in the corrals. Not sure yet about during the race. I may start with the mask and then just ditch it when it starts to get too disgusting. Or I could bring extra masks and just keep swapping. I do still have a few of the disposable masks I like (although I should probably buy more). But still thinking about this.

Getting To The Race:
Um … unclear. Still figuring this out. Last time I did the 2/3 to the Q, which I could do again, but that lets me off near the bag check entrance. The non-bag entrance is by the F/G, which is not super easy for me to get to. Unless I take the C to West 4th and transfer for the F … gotta see what the F is doing this weekend (its been running on t he E the last few weekends). So TBD.

More plans coming hopefully Friday.

 

[SarahDisney]

United Airlines NYC Half Marathon: Race Plans Part 2
​

Expo Update:
Spent like 20 minutes at the expo. Nothing exciting doing there. Took some pictures but it didn’t occur to me to change from barre clothes to adult clothes so I can’t post them because I refuse to post pictures of myself dressed like that. Really annoyed at myself for that. I blame Friday brain.

Race Goals:
1. Finish
2. Sub-3:00 (probs not likely based on how slow I’ve been going lately but maybe race excitement will help)
3. Go out on a high note (this is my last half, at least for the foreseeable future, and I wish I felt like I could end this journey on a good note and not feeling resentful about ever having started running in the first place. We’ll see if the race gives me that feeling, but I’m not expecting much).

Race Plan:
60 second run/30 second walk intervals the whole time, all at easy effort.
If that feels impossible, then 30 second run/60 second walk.
If that feels impossible, then walk.

Post-Race:
I think there’s a bit of a long walk to the park exit at Columbus Circle. From there I will hop on a bus (subway is running express) and go home. Gonna stop at Starbucks somewhere – the one on 60th and Broadway closed (like 3 years ago) but I’ll see if there’s another one near the race exit (I think there might be one on the other side of Central Park South); if not, I’ll get off the bus closer to my usual Starbucks and stop off there. It’s gonna be a venti iced latte, not sure what flavor yet. Post-race meal is probably gonna be an english muffin because that’s what I have in the apartment.
Or actually … I can take the 1, that should be running normally. But it doesn’t get me any closer to a Starbucks. Hmm.

And then the rest of the day will be spent drinking beer, watching TV (I’m thinking maybe binge-watch season 1 of Daredevil since I loved that season and it’s on Disney+ now), and maybe doing a little work or stuff around the apartment. I should do my grocery shopping and bulk cooking for the week but I think I’m just gonna do that on Monday morning.


And that's it for the plans. This is such a weird race situation because it's one of my favorite races but the training was so rough and I'm not as excited as I should be. But ... I am starting to feel a little excited, and that's a good thing. Hopefully it'll be fun.

 

[FFigawi]

United Airlines NYC Half Marathon: Race Plans Part 2
​

Expo Update:
Spent like 20 minutes at the expo. Nothing exciting doing there. Took some pictures but it didn’t occur to me to change from barre clothes to adult clothes so I can’t post them because I refuse to post pictures of myself dressed like that. Really annoyed at myself for that. I blame Friday brain.

Why not post the pictures? We're all athletes here; we know what we look like in workout gear.

Hope the race goes well.

 

[SarahDisney]

Why not post the pictures? We're all athletes here; we know what we look like in workout gear.

Because it's not something I would wear normally and I don't want to be seen that way. I'll post race pictures (if I have any) because that's when I would normally wear workout gear. But for everyday pictures, it's not how I want to be seen.

Hope the race goes well.

Thanks!

 

[SarahDisney]

There will be a full update/race recap later, but for now ...
I hit all three of my goals. Official time was 2:54:29. So under my goal with a cushion. And I kinda fizzled out at the end, but I also let myself fizzle out because I knew I would come in under 3 even if I walked the last mile. So that's pretty good, honestly. I'm impressed with myself. Definitely a good last half.

 

[Naomeri]

Well done!!

 

[jmasgat]

Congratulations!

 

[SarahDisney]

The Perfect Last Half: United Airlines NYC Half 2022 Recap​

Warning: I've been drinking. And I haven't been drinking water, which is bad. So I take no responsibility for this recap.
Good news is, I'm usually a fairly coherent drunk so we should be okay.
Also, no pictures in this because I don't feel like transferring them from my phone but maybe I'll post some when I post my weekly recap tomorrow.

Packet Pickup:
The timing of this expo (and the race, actually) was not the best. I was in Queens on Thursday (had it not been for the race I would have stayed for the weekend), so that wasn't an option for the expo. So I decided to take the day off from work Friday so that I wasn't driving myself crazy trying to squeeze everything in. I left Queens around 8:45ish, got back to Manhattan a little before 10, and then had a 45-minute barre3 class at 12. I walked from barre3 to the expo (it was about a 1.6 mile walk).

The expo itself was nothing too exciting. I had to show proof of vaccination to get in (but that was the only place they asked for it). There was a row of bib pickup spots and I went to the first one because I wanted an early bib number (except for the marathon, NYRR assigns bib numbers at pickup). I got 25447, which I think was pretty close to the start of Wave 4. Bib pickup then dumped into the New Balance shop, where I browsed a bit but knew I wouldn't buy anything. Down the stairs was the Jackrabbit x Fleet Feet area, where I also didn't buy anything. I picked up a free water, found myself on the wall of names, and then left. All in all, I spent about 20 minutes at the expo. Then I went home.

Race Morning:
Morning Prep:
I woke up at 6, which was a little earlier than I really needed to be up but I figured it was better to give myself the extra time rather than rush. I had packed my stuff the night before, so all that was left was getting dressed and filling up my water bottle. I was ready to leave a little before 7, but didn't actually get out until 7:05 because I didn't want to have to wait too long for a train.

Getting There:
The commute was actually pretty easy! I took the train from near me down to West 4th (which is the stop closest to my barre studio) and then switched for the F, which was right by the entrance to the no-bag zone. I think it took like 50 minutes door-to-door? Something like that? So really not a bad commute at all - better than when I used to commute from Queens to the Central Park races.

Start Area/Corrals:
So they changed the corrals a bit since 2019 and this time I was in the last wave, not the second to last wave. The start area was still uber muddy (let me tell ya ... my throwaway pants were a mess after I took them off), but at least it wasn't crazy crowded. Reminded me a bit of the marathon corrals - we had to wait before we could get into our corral (they were finishing loading up wave 3 when I got there) but there was plenty of space to wait.
Wave 4 was supposed to start loading corrals at 8:30 (with corrals closing at 8:40) but my corral didn't open until about 8:39. Which was less then great but I made it in pretty quick, ditched my throwaway pants and top (the top was something I bought on Friday for $10 ... owned it for less than 48 hours and wore it for about 2), and was ready to go.

I started the race around 8:54, which makes sense considering my wave start time and corral.

The Race:
The First 5K
So remember how I said I was going to run with my mask on? It didn't even make it out of Prospect Park. I had some breathing issues in the first mile or so, and I took off the mask to see if that helped (it didn't, but once it was off I didn't put it back on until the post-race area).
Other than that ... nothing much doing in this part. I think I knew I was going faster than expected but it felt easy so I was okay with it. I had a moment where I realized that the corral area from my first year doing the race is now part of the course (they changed the course a drop between 2018 and 2019), which I don't know why I didn't realize last time I ran this but okay. Overall, a decent start.
Official Split: 38:37

5K to 10K
This segment included the Manhattan Bridge, so I knew it was going to be slow. Going in I expected to walk the whole bridge and that's pretty much what happened (might have done 1 or 2 run intervals but mostly walk). But I took a lot of pictures and it was great. Also, someone had a "halfway there" sign when we got off the bridge and we were not even at 10K yet so ... no. People suck.
Official Split: 1:21:32 (42:55)

10K to 15K
This segment is mostly the FDR drive, which is a somewhat quiet part of the course but I still like it. The sun was kinda beating down on me (and I may have forgotten to put on sunscreen) which was rough and I did struggle, but nothing too bad. At one pointed I swapped my intervals to 30 seconds running/60 seconds, but that only lasted a few minutes because it just didn't feel right.
Nothing too exceptional about this segment, just kept moving forward.
Official Split: 2:03:23 (41:51)

15K to 20K
This part of the race has been pretty hard for me in the past, since I normally struggle on 42nd Street, but this year it wasn't too bad. Times Square didn't excite me as much as it normally does, but it was still fun.
Once I got into Central Park I switched my intervals to 30 seconds running/60 seconds walking. I looked at my watch and saw that I was nowhere near 3 hours (I think I was around 2:39 when I got into the park) and could probably finish under 3 even if I walked most of the park (which was something I had been considering), but decided to try the switched up intervals and it worked for me. So that was a good gameday call. I probably could have stuck with the 60/30 but I think I wouldn't have felt as good about it.
Official Split: 2:45:31 (42:08)

The Home Stretch
I tried to go back to the 60/30 intervals for the last 1.1km but it just didn't feel right. So I stuck with 30/60, but made sure to cross the finish line running. And I felt good when I crossed the finish line. A good victory lap for a bad training cycle.

Official Finish Time: 2:54:29

I really wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this race, since I didn't really want to do it and the training cycle sucked. But being out there reminded me why I love this race so much. NYC knows how to put together a good race. I'm so glad I did this race. I don't feel a need to do it again, three times was enough for me, but I think it was the perfect end to my running days.

Post-Race:
I got my medal, took some pictures, and then got my mylar blanket and recovery bag (which had a lot of gatorade, an apple, pretzels, and a mask). I didn't really feel a need to stick around in the post-race area so I made my way out of the park. I went to the Starbucks across the street, which was crowded, but I actually didn't have to wait that long, which was good (yay mobile order). The subway is right outside Starbucks so I just took the 1 train home. And got some congratulations from people on my walk home from the subway, which was fun.

Once I got home, things went a little downhill. I had to email my brother some stuff before I ran into the shower, so that put me behind schedule. Then I just didn't really eat, which threw me off. I did a little baking and then mustered up the energy for a quick grocery run before I started my drinking, but even that didn't go as planned. I was very excited to go home and have all three types of beer that I have in my fridge (I've done it once before but it's rare because I usually only have one type of beer in the fridge) but I was feeling pretty sick after #2 (I think more related to the not eating than the drinking) so it didn't so much happen and I'm probably gonna conk out earlyish.

Goal Check-In:

1. Finish

Yep!

2. Sub-3:00 (probs not likely based on how slow I’ve been going lately but maybe race excitement will help)

Yes! I think race excitement definitely helped, as did the weather.

3. Go out on a high note (this is my last half, at least for the foreseeable future, and I wish I felt like I could end this journey on a good note and not feeling resentful about ever having started running in the first place. We’ll see if the race gives me that feeling, but I’m not expecting much).

This was such a stretch goal but I absolutely hit it. What a wonderful way to end my distance running days. As weird as it is, I think this was even better than having a runDisney half as my last would have been. Such a good last race. I'm happy with this.

What's Next:
No more halfs. But more running? That's TBD. Stay tuned for a post on that within the next few weeks, hopefully.

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Training: Week Eight (Race Week)
3/14/2022 - 3/20/2022​

The Plan:
????

The Actual:
2 runs (15.31 miles), 2 barre3 classes (both in-person), 3 walks (??? mi)

The Details:
Monday:
barre3 In-Studio with Bond. First time taking Bond in a while (she mentioned that and was excited to see me). Good class. Got my first hands-on corrections in a while which was helpful.

Tuesday:
2.21 mile run, 29:31 minutes, 13:20 min/mi avg pace. I didn’t really want to run but I knew it was my last chance before the race so I forced myself out for a short one.

Wednesday:
0.77 mile walk. This was originally planned as a rest day but I was antsy at work and needed fresh air so I went for a short walk.

Thursday:
Rest Day!

Friday:
barre3 In-Studio with Jenna (45-minute class) + ~1.6 mile walk to expo. Good class, nothing too complicated, never had that “is it almost over?” feeling I sometimes get in the hour classes. Walk was fine but my watch was dying so I couldn’t track it.

Saturday:
Unmeasured walk. It's been a bit since I got in a Shabbos afternoon walk. Probably shouldn't have walked in heels the day before a race but I survived.

Sunday:
Race Day! Recap above.

Marvel Side Note:
I just (yesterday) realized that Daredevil takes place after The Avengers. The Marvel universe is weird. Also I love this show. It’s extremely violent but also straight-up incredible. Seriously I forgot how amazing this show is (well, the first season at least, some of the later seasons were meh). I only got through 2 episodes but maybe this will be my new Saturday night thing now that I'm done with Avengers movies.

 

[SarahDisney]

Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Running?​

Is this picture from my last ever race?


I’ve known for a while that running doesn’t feel quite the same as it used to for me. Getting out and running has been harder. Getting in long runs (which were always my favorite runs) has been harder. The runs themselves have felt a lot harder sometimes, even when I feel like I’m taking it easy. So I know I need to make a change. But what change should that be?

The way I see it, there are three options:

1. Quit cold turkey. No more running.
2. Keep running and try to figure out how to make it feel right again.
3. Run less, but still run. Either only once a week or only when I feel like running … but nothing with any amount of pressure to it.

Obviously option 3 is the most sensible option. I thought about option 1 for a long time but I don’t know that it’s the right move. Right now I’m thinking run 3-4 miles once a week, but that’s still up in the air.

I have run once since my race, a 2.5 miler, and it felt alright but I didn’t get anything from it that I don’t also get from walking. It’s just a little easier to get out and run when the weather is rough than it is to get out and walk (which is weird because I wear my coat when walking and my winter coat is warmer than my running clothing).

So … where does this leave me? I’m still figuring it out. I’ve been thinking a bit about Princess 2023 – either 5K only or 5K + Yoga, but definitely not the half. I have time to figure that out, though.

For now … I’m just going to keep trying to figure it out. Walk a lot. Run a little. barre3 a few times a week. Just see what feels right and make sure I feel good about whatever exercise I’m getting.

 

[garneska]

Good luck!

edit: not meant to be snarky but in the way of I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[SarahDisney]

Good luck!

edit: not meant to be snarky but in the way of I hope you find what you are looking for.

Don't worry, that's exactly how I read it! I appreciate the good thoughts.

 

[SarahDisney]

I thought I was done with this thing but also I signed up for an Orangetheory membership (the lowest tier one, 4 classes per month, but with the thought that I may eventually upgrade) so now I feel like I should update but I have nothing to say other than the Orangetheory thing.

Oh and also I'm not running at all outside of Orangetheory and that's totally cool with me.

 

[SarahDisney]

TCS NYC Marathon: Volunteer Experience Recap (Finish Line VIP, Shift 1)​

I realized that I've never actually written a recap of my marathon volunteering, so I figured I'd do that now. Mostly so that if I volunteer again next year I can look back and find this post so that I know what to expect.

Checking In:
Check-in was at a public school on 63rd & Central Park West. Since CPW is closed off starting a couple of blocks south of me, the only way to get in is at 63rd and Broadway. I walked down there and didn't have any problems getting through security.

Once I got to the school, someone outside directed me to the check-in area for my shift. A volunteer leader took my name and checked me in, then I got a badge with my name on it (last year's didn't have my name but 2018's did) and I finally got a size Small jacket. Which is also too big on me. And they don't make extra small. Oh well.

Breakfast was in the subbasment, so I went down and got some coffee and water. They also had bagels and muffins but I didn't bother checking to see if I could have those. I went back to up my check-in room and waited a bit for them to give us our orientation and walk us to our spot.

Getting Set Up:
When it was time for us to head out, one of our volunteer leaders gave us a brief introduction to what we would be doing, then they walked us over to our spot. My shift was Finish Line VIP, which this year was just for TCS runners (TCS is the major sponsor for the marathon so their employees get a special VIP finish area).
We walked a few blocks and entered the park near Tavern on the Green, which was great because we got to see the area where they do the medal ceremony. We walked up into the park and stopped at the TCS VIP tent. Our leaders asked a group of people to hold signs, and then left a few people in the tent to distribute ponchos and recovery bags.

Once we had left people in the tent, the sign-holding teams and the rest of the volunteers went down to the finish area. I wasn't with a sign group, so I wasn't really sure what to do, but after just standing around for a bit, one of the volunteer leaders asked for a few people to join the sign group furthest from the finish line because we were the last guards against people ending up in the wrong place. We were also told that because we had so many volunteers and were only doing TCS runners (in previous years other groups also had VIP tents), we could escort the runners up to the tent (as opposed to just directing them to the VIP exit).

As we were getting set up, some of the wheelchair athletes were coming through, but we knew we wouldn't have much work for a few hours.

The Experience
Even though our runners were all in the "general" corrals, we were out there when the pro women and men finished. I didn't see the first few finishers, because I was farther back and they were funneled out earlier (either to medical or somewhere else). I think the first person who walked past me was Aliphine Tuliamuk (who was also the top US woman finisher, no big deal). I also saw Edna Kiplagat, Emma Bates, Nell Rojas, Lindsay Flanagan, and a few other pro women. I saw a few pro men as well. Jared Ward was giving out high fives and fist bumps to every volunteer - he looked so happy to be there.

After most of the pro and sub-elite athletes passed us, we finally started getting normal people. We had about 6 groups of people looking for TCS runners (there's a pink square on their bib that says "TCS") and pulling them out of the masses to take them to their VIP tent. Most of the volunteers took them all the way up to the tent, but one or two volunteers dropped runners near the exit, so if I was available, I would then grab the runner and take them all the way up. The runners were great and I loved being able to chat with them as we walked up, even though I felt terrible about making them go uphill.

We also had a lot of people thanking us for volunteering which I understand (I also do it) but makes me so uncomfortable because I don't know what to say.

One of my friends from my coding bootcamp was running and he saw me after he finished and came over to say hi. So that was nice.

As the race went on, we caught more and more runners. At one point we were told that we weren't allowed to walk them up to the tent but we mostly tried to do it anyway.

At about 3:30pm (my shift started at 9:30, we walked over a little after 10), our replacements came, and we went up to the tent, where one of the volunteer leaders gave out pins. I considered trying to find my friend who was cheering but I kinda just wanted to get off my feet. So I walked 1.3 miles home and then kinda sat down on the couch and did nothing.

Conclusions
Was it a good experience? Yes. It was exhausting, but I think this is my favorite volunteer shift that I've done (I feel like I say that every year). I got to see the pro runners, talk to runners 1:1, and clap for people as they walked past. It was a great experience overall.

Would I do it again? I don't know. I love volunteering, but it's so exhausting. I feel like I was less exhausted the year I ran it. I wanted to go back for Project Finish (aka the party that they have at the finish line for the final finishers) but I don't really have the energy. So I don't know that I'm not better off just going out and cheering. I also would maybe take the subway next time instead of walking just to save my energy.

I have time to think about it. I might register for this shift again (but next time try to be closer to the finish so that I can catch more runners) and then decide in a few months if I want to keep or cancel.