The Flying Beetroot was given the day off today and the Flying Thistle ran in her place.
Today was the 12th annual New York City Scotland Run in Central Park to launch a week of Scottish activities during Scotland Week. Ten kilometres, more than 8,000 runners, bagpipers, highland dancers and the blue and white of St Andrew’s cross everywhere you looked (even the bagels handed out at the end of the race were blue and white).
I didn’t have an official previous race time so I was in the last (slowest) group. This had the advantage of giving me lots of people to pass which can only be good for your ego.
Certainly an experience for a fun run newbie from a provincial city in Australia.
I loved it. And ran a pretty good time given I wasn’t busting myself to break any records. It was technically my Sunday training run and I was just there to have fun.
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- Results
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- Statistics
There were all sorts of runners:
- The This Could Be Fun Non-Trainers who were walking by the first hill half a mile into the race.
- The Weaving All Over The Road Slow Runners who drove me up the wall.
- The I Didn’t Think I’d Get This Hot In A Winter Jacket Strippers. Really?
- The Let’s Get Into It Scots in their kilts, hats and scarves. That would be me. I wore my father’s Buchanan clan glengarry with great (and somewhat emotional) pride.
Most definitely one of my favourite memories to take home from our visit to the Big Apple.
The Flying Thistle is now retired and the Flying Beetroot is back on track to meet that Half Marathon challenge next weekend.
Master of Something I'm Yet To Discover 
That’s great! Glad you had a good run.
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Thanks, Trent. 🙂 It was great fun and a good learning experience (particularly the start!) before the big race next weekend.
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Good luck on the big race!
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Wow! And here I am thinking I’m doing well building up to a 2 km walk every morning (admittedly, with a very steep hill included) …
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Did you know that if a very steep hill is included, you automatically double the distance? So, I’d call it 4km, if I were you. 🙂
Too many darn hills on that Central Park track, let me tell you… Not very steep ones but loooong.
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Oh, that’s excellent news, H — I’ll definitely start calling it a 4 km walk from now on 😀
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Congratulations on your run and you look fabulous in that hat! I admire anyone who can run a race and finish as that would never be me.
PS: I would like to know if there were any walking weavers wearing a winter coat and a kilt.
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Thank you! Hm. I think I can give you a 3 out of 4 but I can’t recall a quadrella.
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Close enough! LOL!
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Good run for everyone who wants fun. We walk more than run but with a Jack Russell it is often more of a run.
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Ah yes. My mother has a Jack Russell. He must wear a special harness so that he does not a) choke himself to death and/or b) leave the walker splayed on the path.
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Yes, we tried a harness but like some latter day Houdini, he always managed to turn around and pull himself free.and chase a motorbike in the hope of biting the ankle of its rider.
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Awesome! And I’m so happy to see a pic of you finally. You look TOTALLY different than I thought you would! How strange the pictures we create in our mind, huh? Am glad for the return of the Flying Beetroot, but was nice to meet the Flying Thistle this time too!
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Whenever I see myself in a photo, I think I look totally different than I thought I would. For example, I don’t normally look as demented as I appear in that first photograph. At least, I don’t think I do…..
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Congrats!! Good luck next weekend!
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Thanks, Sue! 🙂
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Bloody well done, my red-haired friend ! ( ? )
Are you stuffed ? No, you won’t be, because you didn’t push yourself to ridiculous lengths.
Your father’s glengarry … how simply wonderful to have it. I have nothing of my father’s. Maybe you should wear it always when running, as a talisman. Why not ? – how he would love the idea !
I send you love.
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I love your thinking. But it is a bit of a fragile thing so may not take the rigour. Perhaps I’ll save it for a race in Scotland one day. 😉
It’s only red with help from the hairdresser but it did used to be a different red all on its own before I got old and grey.
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It’s FUN. That’s all that matters.
XO
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Well done. Now you can look forward to the next race!
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Oh, I am! And yesterday I bought trail runners for the race after that!
Oh, dear. I may be beginning a disturbing pattern….
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You are addicted!
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What a great experience running in New York! Lovely photos and great to see you looking so fit!
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When I started training for the half marathon all those months ago, who would have thought I would have been able to add this experience in the mix?! Not me! Such a happy happenstance. 🙂
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Love it! Your father would have been tickled pink! I am too.
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Thank you for letting me bring it. It just added so much to the experience. 🙂
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Congratulations! I love racing in other cities … it is such a great way to experience someplace new 🙂 Glad to hear your New York run was a highlight!! I’m still trying to picture blue and white bagels though.
Safe trip home, rest well and best of luck next weekend!
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To be honest, they looked a bit green, like mouldy bagels. Yum! 😀
I could get used to this running in other cities lark, you know. Shhhh. Don’t tell the Husband….
Thanks, Joanne! (Can I tell you, I was most relieved that I had a fantastic 18km run around the park last Sunday afternoon. Could have easily run further. Having flown in late on Thursday night, it gave me hope that arriving home Friday lunchtime and running the half marathon on Sunday morning may not be that bad. It’s a shorter time gap but I think the jet lag is supposed to be less going West, yes? Please say yes….)
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hmmm – mouldy looking bagels and *yum* in the same breath …. if you insist 🙂
I can never remember which direction the jet lag is supposed to be ‘easier’. Let’s say it’s going west!!
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Yes, if you and I say it is so, then it will be so. The universe listens to us.
Oh boy, I must still be high on endorphins…. I’m completely delusional now…
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oooo – endorphin highs are the BEST!! Ride that wave for all it’s worth 🙂
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🙂 Oh, I intend to!
And I just checked and Google is on our side. Google has much more power in the universe so we’re all good for the jet lag.
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Yay – Mr Google pulls through for the win!!
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Well done you! Love the hair and love the hat 🙂 But what fascinated me the most were the statistics – so many runners over 70 yrs!! OMG! I just hope that I can still WALK when I am that age.
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I loved the five over 80. I told the Husband that’s going to be me and he just rolled his eyes. 😀
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Yes. I can see he has a lot to put up with 😀
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Very impressed by you running and finishing, impressed by the hat, impressed by the stats!
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I am very impressed that you are impressed, Hilary!
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Sorry I am so late to the party, but I am equally impressed by you, the hat, the run, and this post. And you could eat tons of New York slices and never worry about gaining an ounce with all that running. Good on yer!
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Whenever I start to feel a bit over all the running, I remind myself of all the chocolate and wine consumption it lets me get away with and then I go and strap on the runners again.
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