Team Arnicare Crosses the Finish Line at More/Fitness Half Marathon

After overcoming weeks of snow, ice and polar vortexes, illnesses and injuries, busy schedules, and internal struggles, the members of Team Arnicare were among the  7,550 women who crossed the finish line at the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon in Central Park this past Sunday. In their last blog post, Nancy, Nathalie, Kay and Heather recap their race day experiences and their plans for future runs. Congratulations on a great race! Time to get ready for next year!

We did it! Race day was amazing! Over 7,000 individual stories united in the achievement of one shared objective–crossing the finish line! On a personal note, I started on this journey with a set of mini-goals, and although they were revised and edited along the way, the essence remained the same, and I feel confident I did my best and achieved what I set out to achieve. Well, for this race anyway, because the journey doesn’t stop here–the plotting and planning on what to do next has begun. Every step we take leads us to where we are going–enjoy the stride! And yes, I did wear my finisher’s medal to work on Monday–didn’t you?  – Nancy

“You finished–that’s all that matters.” That’s what all my friends have told me in hopes to cheer me up. The truth is, I had two goals and didn’t meet either of them. I must be really competitive deep down because finishing is just not good enough for me. But I guess you have to be competitive for this sport, otherwise you would stop the second your legs started cramping. For me, that was mile five, so it was a pretty long way to go! I wish I had more positive words for this final post, but at least I have this–“There’s always next time!”  – Nathalie

I finished the race as expected, running and walking the whole time and running across the finish line. I was happy to finish feeling strong with minor aches and pains in my old bones. I was unprepared for the hills and took them slow, most of the walking was on the uphill stretches. The tag line on the back of our team shirts was “Less Pain, Same Gain, Team Arnicare,” and I got some comments from fellow runners around me that were part of the “slow and steady” crowd. The ones that approached me directly, I talked  to about Arnicare. I should probably have had a holster with samples to hand out on the spot. However, I got a few comments behind me too–” Oh, that’s good, she’s right,” and ” We’re all running this race at our pace and will get a medal just the same.” The goals of our group may not have been as time-sensitive as the faster runners, but they were no less about a shared experience.  Central Park was beautiful on Sunday, and I remember the dogwoods, the tourists, and the six-year-old boy who held up an encouraging sign, telling the walkers they better get running or he was coming to tickle them. (Thankfully, I was running as I passed him.) While I know our tagline wasn’t meant for me directly, as I finished the race and was handed a medal, I felt it was the perfect one for my win.  – Kay

When I passed my parents for the second time around the six-mile mark, I remember giving them both a high-five and saying, “I feel good!” Five miles later, I was eating my words as I climbed the last of the rolling hills,becoming more and more anxious to finally hit flat land for the final time. But I made it. And I’m so glad I did. It was such an incredible feeling to cross the finish line. When I saw that blue and hot pink banner less than a half mile in front of me, I forgot about my rubbery legs, sore feet, hollow stomach and sweat everywhere (my apologies for the terrible mental image I probably just gave you) and gave it everything I had, finishing three minutes past my goal of two hours. Sure, I’m slightly disappointed with my final time, but I promise I’ll be back next year to shave off that 180 seconds. Thank you to my husband, my parents and my colleagues for your support over the last three months. And thank you to Nancy, Nathalie and Kay (and Sam!)–we overcame setbacks, we offered each other support, and we definitely earned our medals! (P.S. When’s our next race?)  – Heather