Today’s run: 4.97 miles, 52:04. YT: 200.72. Rain, rain, rain. Cold, cold rain. Hundreds of dripping runners. 10% pleasure in our hard-core devotion; 90% WTF am I doing standing in the freezing rain preparing to run 5 miles with a bunch of crazy people? I’m calling it the Race of 8000 Tears.

What I liked about this race:

• Experiencing the camaraderie of the craziness of the whole endeavor with fellow runners.
• Knowing that I was capable and prepared – obviously not to win, but to run “my race.”
• Running in a pack, when I’m used to solitary runs.
• Finally having a race T-shirt, and with my favorite color.

What I didn’t like:

• Having to pick up my bib at 6:30 a.m.
• Being numb and soaked by the time the race started.
• Being numb again two minutes after the race had ended.
• The fact that my Nike Plus was totally inaccurate, so that I ran a much slower race than I thought I had, despite what felt like maximum effort.

Despite being so short, this was a very hard race for me, and not a very fun one. But I guess it was the race I was meant to run.

My job, which brought me to NY, is challenging right now. And getting up on a morning of howling wind and rain, and doing what I set out to do, to the best of my ability, is the rule of the day.

I did it, and survived to tell the tale. I’ll go to sleep, and wake up to work again tomorrow. This time, inside, at my laptop, with a different kind of challenge.

At least I know I can do it – and stay dry, too.