So, on the day before the NYC Marathon, I was up a little early to run in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K. I was pretty excited for this race from the moment I first heard about it. This run would serve as my final run before the big marathon. I took it light and easy. I planned on using my marathon run/walk intervals with occasional stops for pics. There was no need to burn up all my energy on the 5K. The whole reason I signed up for this race was to get to the finish line feeling good. Since both this 5K and the NYC Marathon finish at the same place, I thought this race would be good because I’d get to that finish line at least once with a huge smile on my face and feeling good.

The New York Road Runners don’t mess around with their races. Everything about this race felt first class. Not only was this a good shake out run, but it was also the 5K USTAF championship race. So, there was an amazing field of elite runners.

One of the highlights for me about this race is how many land marks we’d pass along the way. This race began at the United Nations building!

The scene before heading into the corrals was much like any other race I’ve done before. Lots of runners milling around.

Eventually, I made my way into my corral. Unfortunately, the sun was right in my face as I waited.

For a 5K race, we had quite a large group. I believe they said that there were over 10,000 runners for this 5K!

I’ve seen folks who planned to dribble a basketball for a race before. However, since we were in New York, the guy was dressed in Harlem Globetrotter gear! Loving it!

Once we turned the corner to head towards the start line, I was happy to be out of the sun!

The race MC’s kept the energy going for all the corrals.

Since I didn’t see any Marathonfoto people, I took a selfie on the way to the starting line with the UN in the background.

And we’re off!

One of the nice things about running in a big-city race is the tall buildings gave us some really good shade.

Here I am running by Grand Central Station (I think). Seriously, I had a lot of fun with this run. The weather was absolutely perfect for running and I felt great!

As we ran by the New York Public Library, I thought about how I’d be back early the next morning for my bus to the start line of the NYC Marathon!

A little further up the street, we passed by Radio City Music Hall!

Since the Marathonfoto person wasn’t paying attention when I ran by, I got a selfie instead.

Continuing on, we ran by the “Love Sculpture.”

Central Park was to the left!

As we passed The Plaza, I had to stop for a quick selfie. So many films have filmed here. However, all I could think about was “Home Alone 2.”

Just past The Plaza, we made the turn to head into Central Park.

We entered Central Park around the end of mile 2.

This looked like something we might be running over again the next day. Although, I don’t remember actually running over it again.

Running through Central Park was amazing! I absolutely loved running around all those trees with the big skyscrapers in the background. Running through Central Park, though isn’t super easy. There’s plenty of rolling hills along the way. Now, those hills aren’t horrible. But, it was something I took note of as I made my way through the park.

Before I knew it, were getting close to the finish line and started seeing the signage that would be used for the marathon.

I thought to myself…how will I feel when I get back here tomorrow? Hmmmm.

Well, now was the time to enjoy these final moments because I had no idea what would happen the next day.

Down the finishing straight, the course is lined with flags from all over the world! I loved it!

Wen I found the Mexican flag, I headed over to grab a quick pic. This one was for my boy and his biological parents. My boy’s ancestry is largely Mexican. So, this pic was for him.

After the pic, it was time to finish off this 5K.

Finished! It was everything I had thought it would be. I finished the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K feeling strong and amazing! Plus, I got this great finish line pic!

After hanging out a little bit, I got my refueling bag and headed back to the subway. I must say…EVERY single race organization needs to pay attention. This is how you give your runners their post-race snacks. You give them everything in an easy to carry bag! This was pure genius! Bravo NYRR! Every other race needs to follow suit.

Sadly, there was no finishers medal for this 5K. However, above is my official finish time. In a 5K race, there is only 1 official split… the end. At 41:28, this was a slow 5K for me. But, I had so much fun that it didn’t really matter. If not for the stops for pics along the way, I could have finished this race faster. Since I wasn’t in NYC to run a fast 5K, this was perfectly fine. I got in some good running and had a blast. If you ever run in the NYC Marathon and they are still running this 5K, I highly recommend running in this race. It’s not only a good shake out run, but one that you could include your family. So, yeah, this race gets two thumbs waaaaaaaaaaay up from me!