Soggy 18 mile NYRRC marathon tune-up -

Frank and Rob survived my erratic driving and parking plan this a.m. (in the dark!)and we made it to the 7 a.m. marathon tune-up (Central Park) with 15 minutes to spare...we arrived in the city at 6:32 ad had time to park --we went across 102nd street and Frank said 'go down 5th' and Rob said 'go down Park' and they wee both right --however, I stubbornly went back to third, and then did a loop back --after we finally parked on 106th street (I learned my lesson to listen to them) we ran to the baggage area (plus bathroom for me)and lined up -I lost Frank but lined up with Rob --it was 93 percent humidity!! This was the third NYRRc race in sept with bad humidity...my first mile was 7:45 -up the Northern end of the park, and I lost Rob but he stayed behind me ---in theory I knew that if I wanted to do the 24 hour should probably not be racing this a.m. but then again, one never can tell how you will feel from weekend to weekend as I felt so miserable lat weekend with god weather:( --we had run 60K the week before Umstead..although I could have moved at a faster pace, 7:30s seemed comfortable and that was promising -my toes hurt (from wearing smallish shoes this week)but I finished 2 loops in 1:30 - the last loop lost a minute and a half but that was Ok as had to dodge a zillion slower runners on lap 2!! I passed friends Ana and Hiro, and ran with Corrina and Patrice...thank goodness it was over, and then as I was talking to a Greenwich friend, Frank and Rob finished --we changed, and hopped a luxury shuttle bus (let me back up and say that Frank and I signed up for a retirement series brunch after the race, for free, where we got lots of goodies)
down to Tavern on the green ---what a treat to be in this Tiffany -decked restaurant with the views of the park, and we were treated to some good speakers (Mary wittenberg, espn exec, and Katherine switzer). They nicely allowed Rob to come in and we met my friend Neil Cook. When we left it was pouring --I kept thinking 'wonder what it was doing at the Vermont 50??'. Rob's plantar was bothering him but Frank was feeling much, much stronger, so my hopes are that they both do well this weekend...