If you read my post last week, you already read my complaints about taking on long runs alone. By long runs I mean 16+ miles. Solo, the time drags and every mile feels like an eternity. Throw in a running buddy or two, and somehow time speeds up and the run is 10x more enjoyable.
I have a few friends who are currently in marathon training mode, but due to different training schedules, conflicting calendars, different locations and so on, I’d been doing all of my runs alone. On my solo 16 miler I kept passing Nike pacers and have seen tons of Nike-themed Instagram posts from sassyfitgirl and I was curious what it was all about. Last Saturday I took a leap and joined the Nike Run Club for a Saturday morning run.
You can read about the different training options HERE and you can sign up the weekly NYC workouts HERE. I kept an eye on the Saturday long run and it was full for days, but noted that you could show up and be on the wait list. I heard that they won’t really turn people away for an outdoor run so it’s best to show up. I checked the site one last time Friday evening and saw that it now had 19 open spots so I snagged one (clearly people realize they aren’t going to get up early and bail). Some workouts are indoors and those have an actual capacity so for those I’d sign up early and not depend on someone backing out.
For the Saturday run, we all met up at the Niketown store on East 57th, with a start time of 8:04. The site says come 30 minute early which isn’t necessary, I’d suggest getting there 10 minutes early to check in and use the bathroom. If you’re checking a bag, maybe give a bit more time. We were all hanging in the store, they had water and Gatorade and then we gathered for a pep talk.
It’s a huge group and people were there training for a variety of races (or just out to run) but the leader gave a talk about NYC marathon training and how people are probably feeling tired at this point in the training but that’s normal and explained a bit about the tapering process.
Next we broke into groups (4 miles, 8 miles, 14 miles) and then into paces (I joined the 14 miles, 9:30 pace group). We did a few quick stretches, reviewed our route and got running. We started around 8:20am.
When we started I was surprised to be only of the few runners with a water belt. For 14 miles I’d assume everyone would have one. I then learned that Nike offers special water and fuel stops. At 3 locations my group pulled over at a Nike-ran stop offering mini bottles of water, Gatorade, various Gu flavors and Kind bars. I was really impressed with these freebies along the way! Even if I had known this, I still would have worn my water belt because I had to go beyond the 14 miles to do a total of 19, and needed more water than what was provided (although had I only been doing 14 I would have been set with the stops).
My group ran over the Queensboro Bridge and then over the Roosevelt Island Bridge, making a full loop around Roosevelt Island, a new route to me! We then headed back over the Queensboro and into Central Park. Along the way we passed other pace groups and were passed by faster groups. I chatted it up with a few runners along the way. I met some people training for NYC and some training for Chicago. I didn’t talk that much during the run, but even so it was nice to be surrounded by a group. While not talking, I listened to other people’s conversations and enjoyed the company. Not having to worry about the mileage or the route made it so much easier than my solo runs.
[this pic is just the 9:30 14 mile group which gives you a good idea of just how many runners come out for these runs!]
Once in Central Park, the group did a lower loop and then headed back to the Nike store (where I believe they serve water+snacks) but I still had a few miles to go so I broke off from the group (but actually once in Central Park our group had mostly dispersed) and finished my 19 miles.
I chose the 9:30 pace but next time think I need to opt for the 9 minute pace. I was nervous with this being my first time running with Nike and wasn’t sure what to expect. My group started out around a 10 minute pace and worked our way down, running mostly negative splits. My average mile pace throughout the 19 ranged from a low of 9:07 to a high of 10:30.
And all these photos? Well Nike took them along the way! I love that they captured the photo and it was so fun going through all the pictures later that evening. A huge thanks goes out to Nike for hosting an awesome FREE training program. I’m absolutely going to join for another.
Aside from my wonderful run experience (no joke, my 19 miles felt easier with the group than one of my 4 mile runs last week, marathon training can be weird like that), I had a bit of a runners epiphany. In the past I’ve avoided group runs like these because I hate waiting around. First I had to get to the store, then wait 20 mins for the run to start, whereas if I ran alone I could walk out my front door and start immediately…meaning I’d be done sooner, the big goal of this all, right? Well no. My goal shouldn’t be to get my runs over with as quickly as possible, otherwise what’s the point? Shouldn’t I enjoy the entire run process? On Saturday as I was running I realized I needed to chill out and enjoy the experience. There is no reason to sign up for a marathon if every training run is a struggle and something I just want to get over with.
I have a few more long runs before it’s race day and for the weekends that I’m in the city, you can find me running with Nike. I’d also like to try some of their other workouts, leave a message below if you’d like to find a time to go together!
*all photos c/o Nike
