Hi all,
Race number 10 (8th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the adidas Run for the Parks 4-miler. We started just south of the 72nd Street Transverse and ran the middle loop, finishing on the Transverse itself. This race started the new corral system, for which all runners are seeded based on previous races. I’m in the 4th corral with an 8:20 pace on my bib. I’m going to have to pick that up this year, because my bibs are orange and we all know how I feel about that! I’ll be going for the green this year!!
Goals: to run between water stations and to average between 9 and 9:30 miles. This may seem like a soft goal, but, having just spent 18 hours traveling back to New York, I was extremely jet-lagged and didn’t want to push myself. My “A” race is the Brooklyn Half.
Despite the fact that the construction was supposed to have been completed while I was away, we had yet another weekend of subway changes, so I had to take a bus to get to my subway. There was a little expo/fair at the race and I wandered around a bit. I wasn’t early enough to get a massage (there was a long line) and I have a superstition about eating dairy before a race, so I skipped the Cabot Cheese booth. I stopped at the Port-a-Potty on my way to the start and the guy in front of me in line asked why I wasn’t on my treadmill at Bally’s. Yes, I have a favorite treadmill and, yes, I am irritated if someone else is on it before I get there. I don’t remember seeing him there before, so he must come in after I do and leave before (I’m there for about 2 hours every morning). Anyway, I headed off to my corral and checked out the bibs to see if everyone was obeying the new rules. At the official corral entrances, volunteers were making sure the bibs matched, but, at the last minute, a number of people jumped into the corral who should have been farther back, but no-one stopped them. I heard afterwards that runners in other corrals had pushed people out of the corrals or blocked them from coming in. At the beginning of the race, it seemed as if the seeded corrals were actually minimizing congestion, but then I noticed that we had also been given an additional traffic lane, so there’s no way of telling whether it was the corrals or the additional room or both that made the difference.
Anyway, I kept it loose and easy all the way around. I made myself stop at each water station, even though I didn’t really feel like I needed to. The only real difficulty I had was breathing. It was extremely humid, which is always a problem for me. I tried to just relax and take in the new flowers blooming like crazy all over the Park. When I got to the third mile marker, I realized that I was running much faster than I’d expected, so I decided to push it to see if I could get close to my PR (while I was running, it was in my mind that my 4-mile PR was 34:49). I still took my walk break at the water station, though. As I passed the puppet theater, I picked it a bit more for the last half and came in at 35:12. It wasn’t until I got home and looked up the numbers that I discovered that my PR was only 34:59. I really think that if I’d known the correct number, I might have picked it up a little more a little earlier in the race and set a new PR. Or, maybe, I’m just in a plateau phase and can’t really expect to see any PRs this year.
After the race, I stood in a very long line and got my massage. Then I headed over to drop my raffle ticket in the bin and check my results. They weren’t up yet, but I did run into Lou, who had done very well for himself. I headed off to grab my bag (stopping for cheddar cheese on my way). As I was getting my bag, I heard the raffle winner’s number announced; it wasn’t mine and I was freezing, so I headed home.
Official stats: my official time was 35:12 for an average pace of 8:48. My splits were 9:18, 8:32, 9:11, and 8:13. I was 3032 out of 5863 runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 50°F, 89% humidity, and 12 mph winds.
Consolation treats: I stopped at the Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle and had a hot chocolate on the way home. When I got home, I had a slushy Dr Pepper, a brown sugar pecan macaroon, and a chocolate bouchon.
Next up: Brooklyn Half Marathon (5/3) and the Wall Street Run 5k (5/20)
Race pictures (and some pictures from the Park and Columbus Circle) are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604645931134/.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
More Half Marathon 4.6.08
Hi all,
Race number 9 (7th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the More Half Marathon, which took us around the big loop of Central Park twice plus a little over a mile more to complete the half marathon. The marathoners had to complete the half marathon course, then run the middle loop twice and then the lower 5-mile loop to finish the 26.2.
Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 2:02:42. I had worked out a specific race strategy, but I’m not good at pacing, so I wasn’t sure I could make it work. I wanted to run the first 3 miles at 9:30, the next 3 miles at 9:15 and the last 7 miles at 9 or so.
Despite yet another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running local, not express) I got to the Park early. I was hungry (I’d forgotten to eat breakfast), so I drank a cup of Gatorade, which was not the smartest idea. I wandered around the festival and lined up for a pre-race massage. I got really ticked when two volunteers cut the line for massages (one of them was male). The massage was supposed to be for the participants and they could have waited until 8, when we’d all be off running the race. Luckily, I made it through the line and had a really nice massage. I dropped my bag, used the port-a-potty one last time then headed over to the 9-minute-mile marker. I’d told Roxy I’d see her there and found her just after the National Anthem. She had Mike Hayden with her and we posed for a couple of pictures before Roxy and I got down to business.
It was a very crowded race and we had a very slow start. It’s only two more races before the walkers will be forced to start at the back by the new corral system and I can’t wait. Roxy and I ran together (she’s faster than I am, but ran a half marathon last weekend, so we were staying together pretty easily) for the first few miles. Our first mile was a 10:10, which immediately put my strategy out the window. I didn’t want to try to catch up to my plan too quickly, but I did decide to skip water stations. After all, I’d had that cup of Gatorade right before the race. Unfortunately, the walk breaks in the water stations are as much about a break for my lungs as a break for my legs and I had to stop in the 5th mile. Roxy shot on ahead and I felt a little badly about having held her back. I walked for about 2 minutes, then started running again. I’d successfully passed the first water stations and was just a minute behind my pace at this point, so I decided to skip the water stations until I’d passed the start again, just after the 7-mile marker. I decided to take my gel and take a bathroom break, just to see what kind of time it would take. My goal time was out of the question by now, so it didn’t matter that much. Except that it wasn’t. I was confusing my PR time with a sub-2 time, so I gave up a little too early. When I came out of the port-a-potty, I looked around to see if Roxy was around and she was just coming up, so I waited for her and we fell back into step again, seeing Mike at the 72nd Transverse. It was so nice of him to come watch us run, especially because it wasn’t the nicest weather and he must have been freezing!
Back around the Park again, I made pretty good time on the hills. I felt strong, anyway. I lost Roxy again, but must have been in the zone, because I didn’t even realize it had happened until she wasn’t there all of a sudden. We’d chatted off and on, but had also enjoyed companionable silences. It was really nice running with her and I hope to get faster so we can do it again. On this loop, I stopped at each water station, but tried to keep the walk breaks brief. It got a little crowded again as we started to lap the walkers. I think it’s great that they’re out there participating, but when they’re walking 3 or 4 (and sometimes more) abreast, it’s difficult to run at your own pace, because we were still limited to a portion of the road (as always). As I came around to the 12-mile marker, I realized that I’d confused my goals and that a PR was still possible, but had miscalculated again. I put on as much speed as I could, but in the last half mile lost a lot of energy yelling at walkers to get out of the half marathon finishing lane. We were supposed to be split into 3 lanes: marathoners on the left, walkers in the middle, and half marathon finishers on the right. I was running in the proper lane, but walkers kept drifting back into the right lane, blocking the way. Even though it was frustrating and I lost some time dodging them, I didn’t miss the half marathon solely because of them. There were several points along the course where I took more time than I needed and the combination of delays lost the PR for me.
After the race, Mike found me and then we found Roxy. We got some pictures taken and then we headed back to the train together. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join them for breakfast, because I’d already made plans to go to the opening of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, which my friend, Andrea, contributed to, and I had to get home, shower and change, in order to get back down to the World Financial Center in time.
Official stats: my official time was 2:04:10 for a 9:28 pace. My splits were 10:11, 9:31, 9:10, 9:11, 9:44, 9:00, 9:00, 11:51, 8:56, 9:22, 9:11, 9:32, 8:31, and 1:03 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1352 out of 5948 total half marathon runners (plus 146 marathoners), putting me in the 77th percentile, and 368 out of 1378 in my age group, putting me in the 73rd percentile. It was 45°F, 71% humidity, and 12 mph winds.
Consolation treats: I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home Brownies and cookies were served at the opening and I had some of each. Yum!
Next up: Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20), Brooklyn Half Marathon (5/3)
Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604464489559/.
Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604465052035/ (I’m sorry for the poor quality, but my good camera was being repaired, so I had to use my crappy old starter camera.)
Race number 9 (7th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the More Half Marathon, which took us around the big loop of Central Park twice plus a little over a mile more to complete the half marathon. The marathoners had to complete the half marathon course, then run the middle loop twice and then the lower 5-mile loop to finish the 26.2.
Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 2:02:42. I had worked out a specific race strategy, but I’m not good at pacing, so I wasn’t sure I could make it work. I wanted to run the first 3 miles at 9:30, the next 3 miles at 9:15 and the last 7 miles at 9 or so.
Despite yet another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running local, not express) I got to the Park early. I was hungry (I’d forgotten to eat breakfast), so I drank a cup of Gatorade, which was not the smartest idea. I wandered around the festival and lined up for a pre-race massage. I got really ticked when two volunteers cut the line for massages (one of them was male). The massage was supposed to be for the participants and they could have waited until 8, when we’d all be off running the race. Luckily, I made it through the line and had a really nice massage. I dropped my bag, used the port-a-potty one last time then headed over to the 9-minute-mile marker. I’d told Roxy I’d see her there and found her just after the National Anthem. She had Mike Hayden with her and we posed for a couple of pictures before Roxy and I got down to business.
It was a very crowded race and we had a very slow start. It’s only two more races before the walkers will be forced to start at the back by the new corral system and I can’t wait. Roxy and I ran together (she’s faster than I am, but ran a half marathon last weekend, so we were staying together pretty easily) for the first few miles. Our first mile was a 10:10, which immediately put my strategy out the window. I didn’t want to try to catch up to my plan too quickly, but I did decide to skip water stations. After all, I’d had that cup of Gatorade right before the race. Unfortunately, the walk breaks in the water stations are as much about a break for my lungs as a break for my legs and I had to stop in the 5th mile. Roxy shot on ahead and I felt a little badly about having held her back. I walked for about 2 minutes, then started running again. I’d successfully passed the first water stations and was just a minute behind my pace at this point, so I decided to skip the water stations until I’d passed the start again, just after the 7-mile marker. I decided to take my gel and take a bathroom break, just to see what kind of time it would take. My goal time was out of the question by now, so it didn’t matter that much. Except that it wasn’t. I was confusing my PR time with a sub-2 time, so I gave up a little too early. When I came out of the port-a-potty, I looked around to see if Roxy was around and she was just coming up, so I waited for her and we fell back into step again, seeing Mike at the 72nd Transverse. It was so nice of him to come watch us run, especially because it wasn’t the nicest weather and he must have been freezing!
Back around the Park again, I made pretty good time on the hills. I felt strong, anyway. I lost Roxy again, but must have been in the zone, because I didn’t even realize it had happened until she wasn’t there all of a sudden. We’d chatted off and on, but had also enjoyed companionable silences. It was really nice running with her and I hope to get faster so we can do it again. On this loop, I stopped at each water station, but tried to keep the walk breaks brief. It got a little crowded again as we started to lap the walkers. I think it’s great that they’re out there participating, but when they’re walking 3 or 4 (and sometimes more) abreast, it’s difficult to run at your own pace, because we were still limited to a portion of the road (as always). As I came around to the 12-mile marker, I realized that I’d confused my goals and that a PR was still possible, but had miscalculated again. I put on as much speed as I could, but in the last half mile lost a lot of energy yelling at walkers to get out of the half marathon finishing lane. We were supposed to be split into 3 lanes: marathoners on the left, walkers in the middle, and half marathon finishers on the right. I was running in the proper lane, but walkers kept drifting back into the right lane, blocking the way. Even though it was frustrating and I lost some time dodging them, I didn’t miss the half marathon solely because of them. There were several points along the course where I took more time than I needed and the combination of delays lost the PR for me.
After the race, Mike found me and then we found Roxy. We got some pictures taken and then we headed back to the train together. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join them for breakfast, because I’d already made plans to go to the opening of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, which my friend, Andrea, contributed to, and I had to get home, shower and change, in order to get back down to the World Financial Center in time.
Official stats: my official time was 2:04:10 for a 9:28 pace. My splits were 10:11, 9:31, 9:10, 9:11, 9:44, 9:00, 9:00, 11:51, 8:56, 9:22, 9:11, 9:32, 8:31, and 1:03 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1352 out of 5948 total half marathon runners (plus 146 marathoners), putting me in the 77th percentile, and 368 out of 1378 in my age group, putting me in the 73rd percentile. It was 45°F, 71% humidity, and 12 mph winds.
Consolation treats: I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home Brownies and cookies were served at the opening and I had some of each. Yum!
Next up: Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20), Brooklyn Half Marathon (5/3)
Race pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604464489559/.
Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef pictures are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604465052035/ (I’m sorry for the poor quality, but my good camera was being repaired, so I had to use my crappy old starter camera.)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Scotland 10k 3.30.08
Hi all,
Race number 8 (6th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Scotland 10k, which took us around the big loop of Central Park and then some to complete the 10k distance.
Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 54:49.
Despite another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running) I got to the Park early enough for a warm-up. I wandered around the festival a bit first and got my face painted with the flag of Scotland before committing to removing my coat (it was only 28°F when I woke up). I took off up the West Side of the Park, intending to run to the first mile marker and back. On my way back to the start, I noticed two fading contrails that crossed to form Scotland’s flag in the sky. I thought it was a really cool effect, but I don’t think very many people noticed it. As I was passing the festival area, I was hailed by Fabian, who was volunteering at the finish line water station (Go, Fabian!!). We chatted until it was time for me to run to the start, a quarter-mile farther along. I got to the 9-minute-mile marker and found Rachel and Lana, but Lana was too far back for me to get to her. The race was incredibly packed! The announcer said there were over 8000 entrants and there turned out to be just under 7000 finishers, about 1200 more than last year. Can you guess what happened next? Well, the race started and it took Rachel and I about 6 ½ minutes to cross the start line. We were completely boxed in and spent quite a bit of energy trying to maneuver around walkers and slower runners (only one more race, for me, until they’re no longer a problem.). I was aiming for 8:50 miles and the first mile was much slower, so I decided to pick it up. I lost Rachel somewhere along the rolling hills up the West Side, but I also killed my PR chance. My pace dropped by over a half a minute, which was way too much on those hills. I tried to maintain, but the north hills did me in. I maintained a fairly good pace around the rest of the Park, but had to take an extra walk break (to use my inhaler) before running down Cat Hill. I just hope I can keep my pace better at the More Half Marathon. I finished a minute off of my goal and then waited in the finishing chute to cheer in Rachel and Lana.
After the race, I skipped my cool-down so I could not win anything in the raffle. The Red Hot Chili Pipers were really good, though, and I did run into Lou, so I didn’t mind not winning. I was sorry to have missed Stephen, Mark and Paul (Congratulations on your PR, Paul!), though.
Official stats: my official time was 55:55 for a 9:01 pace. My splits were 9:23, 8:47, 8:51, 9:25, 8:56, 8:46, and 1:50 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3590 out of 6928 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 37°F, 25% humidity, and 8 mph winds.
Consolation treats: I went to the Orchid Show as soon as I’d showered and changed, so I only stopped for a Cheesy Beany Melt at Taco Bell. There aren’t many pictures, because my camera malfunctioned while I was at the Botanical Gardens. I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home and an Alfajor straight from Argentina (thanks, Mom and Dad!).
Next up: More Half Marathon (4/6), Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20)
Pictures from the race are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604318709780/
Pictures from the Orchid Show are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604323029373/
Videos from the race are available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ0Ru-07l8M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e556p-m_-Q
I’ve also updated the tea brewer video (it’s no longer sideways) and you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5h93dvKb9c
Race number 8 (6th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Scotland 10k, which took us around the big loop of Central Park and then some to complete the 10k distance.
Goals: to run between water stations and to set a PR, which would have meant breaking 54:49.
Despite another weekend of subway changes (including having to take a bus to get to where the train was running) I got to the Park early enough for a warm-up. I wandered around the festival a bit first and got my face painted with the flag of Scotland before committing to removing my coat (it was only 28°F when I woke up). I took off up the West Side of the Park, intending to run to the first mile marker and back. On my way back to the start, I noticed two fading contrails that crossed to form Scotland’s flag in the sky. I thought it was a really cool effect, but I don’t think very many people noticed it. As I was passing the festival area, I was hailed by Fabian, who was volunteering at the finish line water station (Go, Fabian!!). We chatted until it was time for me to run to the start, a quarter-mile farther along. I got to the 9-minute-mile marker and found Rachel and Lana, but Lana was too far back for me to get to her. The race was incredibly packed! The announcer said there were over 8000 entrants and there turned out to be just under 7000 finishers, about 1200 more than last year. Can you guess what happened next? Well, the race started and it took Rachel and I about 6 ½ minutes to cross the start line. We were completely boxed in and spent quite a bit of energy trying to maneuver around walkers and slower runners (only one more race, for me, until they’re no longer a problem.). I was aiming for 8:50 miles and the first mile was much slower, so I decided to pick it up. I lost Rachel somewhere along the rolling hills up the West Side, but I also killed my PR chance. My pace dropped by over a half a minute, which was way too much on those hills. I tried to maintain, but the north hills did me in. I maintained a fairly good pace around the rest of the Park, but had to take an extra walk break (to use my inhaler) before running down Cat Hill. I just hope I can keep my pace better at the More Half Marathon. I finished a minute off of my goal and then waited in the finishing chute to cheer in Rachel and Lana.
After the race, I skipped my cool-down so I could not win anything in the raffle. The Red Hot Chili Pipers were really good, though, and I did run into Lou, so I didn’t mind not winning. I was sorry to have missed Stephen, Mark and Paul (Congratulations on your PR, Paul!), though.
Official stats: my official time was 55:55 for a 9:01 pace. My splits were 9:23, 8:47, 8:51, 9:25, 8:56, 8:46, and 1:50 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 3590 out of 6928 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 37°F, 25% humidity, and 8 mph winds.
Consolation treats: I went to the Orchid Show as soon as I’d showered and changed, so I only stopped for a Cheesy Beany Melt at Taco Bell. There aren’t many pictures, because my camera malfunctioned while I was at the Botanical Gardens. I had a slushy Dr Pepper when I got home and an Alfajor straight from Argentina (thanks, Mom and Dad!).
Next up: More Half Marathon (4/6), Adidas Run for the Parks (4/20)
Pictures from the race are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604318709780/
Pictures from the Orchid Show are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604323029373/
Videos from the race are available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ0Ru-07l8M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e556p-m_-Q
I’ve also updated the tea brewer video (it’s no longer sideways) and you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5h93dvKb9c
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Missed Race - NYRR 8k Challenge
Last night, I was sitting here with my race clothes laid out on the bed and my race bag packed. I had checked the weather and had a back-up plan for the extra 11 miles I was supposed to run.
Unfortunately, the race was yesterday morning. I planned for a Sunday race all week. I don't know what happened, but I suspect I got mixed up because I'd attempted to run Shamrock and had Sunday in my head.
Even worse, this race was a crucial component of a longer-term goal, which is virtually impossible for me to attain now. At this point, there is nothing that I personally can do to achieve that goal and I can't hope for the necesssary changes, because that will impact thousands of other runners' plans.
My first DNS - but I'm marking it with an asterisk, because I didn't DNS on purpose.
Unfortunately, the race was yesterday morning. I planned for a Sunday race all week. I don't know what happened, but I suspect I got mixed up because I'd attempted to run Shamrock and had Sunday in my head.
Even worse, this race was a crucial component of a longer-term goal, which is virtually impossible for me to attain now. At this point, there is nothing that I personally can do to achieve that goal and I can't hope for the necesssary changes, because that will impact thousands of other runners' plans.
My first DNS - but I'm marking it with an asterisk, because I didn't DNS on purpose.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Colon Cancer Challenge 15k 3.9.08
Hi all,
Race number 7 (5th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Colon Cancer Challenge 15k. The course takes us around the lower 5-mile loop and then the middle 4-mile loop in Central Park. I had 15 miles on my training schedule, so I planned to run the 4-mile loop before the 15k, then the lower 1.7-mile loop after the race.
Goals: to run between water stations, to run under 1:30, and to run each mile under 10-minute/mile pace. I knew it wasn’t likely, given the 4-mile “warm-up,” but I was secretly hoping to run a PR. In order to avoid a foolish attempt that might cause injury, though, I did not look up my 15k PR until I got home from the race (1:26:25).
I got to the Park a little early (the MTA is screwing around with my train-line again, so I left extra time), so I checked out the Colon Cancer booths. There was a giant inflatable colon in one of the booths. You could walk through it, if you wanted (I didn’t). I dropped my bag, then ran the 4-mile warm-up in about 38 minutes (about 9:30 pace). That was probably a little too fast, but it felt comfortable. I only stopped once on the 102nd Street Transverse, for water and a walk break.
I headed to the 15k start line, looking for Roxy and Mark, but didn’t find them. I did see Paul and he crossed over so we could start the race together. Paul is a faster runner than I am, but he hadn’t warmed up yet and I was 4 miles in, so we stayed together for about 3 ½ miles. Mile 2 was pretty comfortable, but turned out to be way too fast (8:22), so I put the brakes on a bit and tried to slow down so I could complete the 15 miles without bonking. At the 3rd water station, I had to stop to walk off some stiffness in my knee, so I told Paul to go on ahead. Throughout the race, I tried to keep an eye on him, but lost him after a couple of water stations. I started feeling tired in the 5th mile (9th overall). I had planned to take a gel after the first loop, but ended up running 6 miles before I could take it. I also needed another hit from my inhaler – it was freezing out! I was wearing 4 shirts (3 of them long-sleeved), but still felt cold. I took a very long walk break there, resulting in a 10+-minute mile. I tried to pick up the pace a bit, but my calf started cramping up and so I had to hold to a steady pace. I made it back around the 102nd Street Transverse and, after hitting the 8-mile marker, I decided to just go for it. Even if I ended up walking part of the final 1.7 mile-loop, I wanted to finish strong. There was no finishing kick, but I got myself across the finish line at 1:27:43, having stopped only at the water stations. Two out of three goals isn’t too bad.
After the race, I picked up my bag and jogged the lower loop in about 20 minutes. I stopped to take a couple of pictures, which slowed me down some. My total mileage for the day is 15 and the total running time was 2:25:43. I did have a couple of breaks in the running (waiting for the race to start and then getting my bag after the finish), but, except for the 5 minutes that I was standing at the start line, I was in constant motion the rest of the time.
Official stats: my official time was 1:27:43 for a 9:25 pace. My splits were 9:27, 8:22, 9:55, 9:09, 9:28, 9:21, 10:14, 9:59, 9:08 and 2:46 for the last three-tenths of a mile. I was 2217 out of 3280 total runners, putting me in the 32nd percentile. It was 30°F, wind-chill of about 20°F, and 20-30 mph winds (gusting to 40 mph).
Consolation treats: Merengue soda, Kopali dried organic pineapple, and Van den Berg Cinnamon Stick cookies.
Next up: Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604084744091/
Race number 7 (5th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Colon Cancer Challenge 15k. The course takes us around the lower 5-mile loop and then the middle 4-mile loop in Central Park. I had 15 miles on my training schedule, so I planned to run the 4-mile loop before the 15k, then the lower 1.7-mile loop after the race.
Goals: to run between water stations, to run under 1:30, and to run each mile under 10-minute/mile pace. I knew it wasn’t likely, given the 4-mile “warm-up,” but I was secretly hoping to run a PR. In order to avoid a foolish attempt that might cause injury, though, I did not look up my 15k PR until I got home from the race (1:26:25).
I got to the Park a little early (the MTA is screwing around with my train-line again, so I left extra time), so I checked out the Colon Cancer booths. There was a giant inflatable colon in one of the booths. You could walk through it, if you wanted (I didn’t). I dropped my bag, then ran the 4-mile warm-up in about 38 minutes (about 9:30 pace). That was probably a little too fast, but it felt comfortable. I only stopped once on the 102nd Street Transverse, for water and a walk break.
I headed to the 15k start line, looking for Roxy and Mark, but didn’t find them. I did see Paul and he crossed over so we could start the race together. Paul is a faster runner than I am, but he hadn’t warmed up yet and I was 4 miles in, so we stayed together for about 3 ½ miles. Mile 2 was pretty comfortable, but turned out to be way too fast (8:22), so I put the brakes on a bit and tried to slow down so I could complete the 15 miles without bonking. At the 3rd water station, I had to stop to walk off some stiffness in my knee, so I told Paul to go on ahead. Throughout the race, I tried to keep an eye on him, but lost him after a couple of water stations. I started feeling tired in the 5th mile (9th overall). I had planned to take a gel after the first loop, but ended up running 6 miles before I could take it. I also needed another hit from my inhaler – it was freezing out! I was wearing 4 shirts (3 of them long-sleeved), but still felt cold. I took a very long walk break there, resulting in a 10+-minute mile. I tried to pick up the pace a bit, but my calf started cramping up and so I had to hold to a steady pace. I made it back around the 102nd Street Transverse and, after hitting the 8-mile marker, I decided to just go for it. Even if I ended up walking part of the final 1.7 mile-loop, I wanted to finish strong. There was no finishing kick, but I got myself across the finish line at 1:27:43, having stopped only at the water stations. Two out of three goals isn’t too bad.
After the race, I picked up my bag and jogged the lower loop in about 20 minutes. I stopped to take a couple of pictures, which slowed me down some. My total mileage for the day is 15 and the total running time was 2:25:43. I did have a couple of breaks in the running (waiting for the race to start and then getting my bag after the finish), but, except for the 5 minutes that I was standing at the start line, I was in constant motion the rest of the time.
Official stats: my official time was 1:27:43 for a 9:25 pace. My splits were 9:27, 8:22, 9:55, 9:09, 9:28, 9:21, 10:14, 9:59, 9:08 and 2:46 for the last three-tenths of a mile. I was 2217 out of 3280 total runners, putting me in the 32nd percentile. It was 30°F, wind-chill of about 20°F, and 20-30 mph winds (gusting to 40 mph).
Consolation treats: Merengue soda, Kopali dried organic pineapple, and Van den Berg Cinnamon Stick cookies.
Next up: Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604084744091/
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k 3.2.08
Hi all,
Race number 6 (4th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k. This race is in my neighborhood, so I got to sleep in this morning! Well, I woke up early, but stayed in bed longer. We run along Fort Washington Avenue from 168th Street until we enter Fort Tryon Park, skirting a big rock formation until we are in the open again and can see not only the Cloisters, but also the Hudson River and the Palisades on the New Jersey side of the river. The turnaround is in the park and then we run the first half in reverse. This is generally a fun course to run – it’s close to home, there are usually a lot of spectators, and bands and cheerleaders are there to cheer us on.
Goals: to run between water stations, to set a course PR (sub 26:37) and to set a distance PR (sub 25:51).
I prepared for a PR for this race, to the extent I could. When I walked outside, though, I knew the PR was in jeopardy – it was really cold and really windy. The MTA pulled a last minute schedule change, running only a shuttle train at my end of the line (resulting in only 2 trains per hour) so I took the bus down instead. A girl and her mother were going to the bus, too, because the girl’s band (she plays electric bass) was playing at the start/finish of the race. Her mom told me that she used to run, too, and I tried to encourage her to start again. When I got to 168th Street, I was a little early, so I wandered around the Armory until it was time for my two-mile warm-up, which took me about 21 minutes. I had spent the entire week visualizing how I was going to run a PR, but, suddenly, when I was on the start line, I started thinking that I couldn’t remember how to run. Luckily the horn sounded and I had to get going or be run over. I lost the distance PR opportunity in the first quarter mile. First, there was the usual jockeying for position, not to mention dodging the walkers,* and then, suddenly, we’re all veering to the right. Three cars somehow got past the cops and were trying to drive down the course towards the start. I don’t know how they got them off the course, but they were gone when I finished.
It seemed to get colder and windier as we ran and I was struggling to breathe. I hit the first mile marker 20 seconds off pace and hoped I could make up the difference. We’d already hit one hill and had another to tackle before hitting that first one on the way to the finish. I stopped for water at the water station, but tried to keep it short. I felt great running down the hill into the park and then chugged back up, passing Rachel (we’ve run a couple of other races together) and then stopping at the water station when I got to the top of the hill again. I kept losing ground as I headed back to the start, but I did manage a good finishing sprint.
Official stats: my official time was 28:18 for a 9:07 pace. My splits were 8:40, 9:26, 9:32 and :45 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1704 out of 3259 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 30°F with 48% humidity and 21 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).
Consolation treats: An Orangina and some Dale & Thomas Troy Aikman’s Halftime Chili & Sour Cream Popcorn (which isn’t as good as I expected – tastes too much like sour cream, which I don’t like)
Next up: Colon Cancer Challenge 15k (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604025144122/ and there’s a video of the cool tea brewer my sister gave me at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozT9awPvL8
*Starting with the Adidas Run for the Parks on April 20th, all runners will be corralled at the starts, according to their recorded pace times, so walkers will no longer be able to start forward of their estimated pace.
Race number 6 (4th 2009 marathon-qualifying race) was the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5k. This race is in my neighborhood, so I got to sleep in this morning! Well, I woke up early, but stayed in bed longer. We run along Fort Washington Avenue from 168th Street until we enter Fort Tryon Park, skirting a big rock formation until we are in the open again and can see not only the Cloisters, but also the Hudson River and the Palisades on the New Jersey side of the river. The turnaround is in the park and then we run the first half in reverse. This is generally a fun course to run – it’s close to home, there are usually a lot of spectators, and bands and cheerleaders are there to cheer us on.
Goals: to run between water stations, to set a course PR (sub 26:37) and to set a distance PR (sub 25:51).
I prepared for a PR for this race, to the extent I could. When I walked outside, though, I knew the PR was in jeopardy – it was really cold and really windy. The MTA pulled a last minute schedule change, running only a shuttle train at my end of the line (resulting in only 2 trains per hour) so I took the bus down instead. A girl and her mother were going to the bus, too, because the girl’s band (she plays electric bass) was playing at the start/finish of the race. Her mom told me that she used to run, too, and I tried to encourage her to start again. When I got to 168th Street, I was a little early, so I wandered around the Armory until it was time for my two-mile warm-up, which took me about 21 minutes. I had spent the entire week visualizing how I was going to run a PR, but, suddenly, when I was on the start line, I started thinking that I couldn’t remember how to run. Luckily the horn sounded and I had to get going or be run over. I lost the distance PR opportunity in the first quarter mile. First, there was the usual jockeying for position, not to mention dodging the walkers,* and then, suddenly, we’re all veering to the right. Three cars somehow got past the cops and were trying to drive down the course towards the start. I don’t know how they got them off the course, but they were gone when I finished.
It seemed to get colder and windier as we ran and I was struggling to breathe. I hit the first mile marker 20 seconds off pace and hoped I could make up the difference. We’d already hit one hill and had another to tackle before hitting that first one on the way to the finish. I stopped for water at the water station, but tried to keep it short. I felt great running down the hill into the park and then chugged back up, passing Rachel (we’ve run a couple of other races together) and then stopping at the water station when I got to the top of the hill again. I kept losing ground as I headed back to the start, but I did manage a good finishing sprint.
Official stats: my official time was 28:18 for a 9:07 pace. My splits were 8:40, 9:26, 9:32 and :45 for the last tenth of a mile. I was 1704 out of 3259 total runners, putting me in the 48th percentile. It was 30°F with 48% humidity and 21 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).
Consolation treats: An Orangina and some Dale & Thomas Troy Aikman’s Halftime Chili & Sour Cream Popcorn (which isn’t as good as I expected – tastes too much like sour cream, which I don’t like)
Next up: Colon Cancer Challenge 15k (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16), Scotland 10k (3/30)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157604025144122/ and there’s a video of the cool tea brewer my sister gave me at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozT9awPvL8
*Starting with the Adidas Run for the Parks on April 20th, all runners will be corralled at the starts, according to their recorded pace times, so walkers will no longer be able to start forward of their estimated pace.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Al Gordon Snowflake 4-miler 2.23.08
Hi all,
Race number 5 was the Al Gordon* Snowflake 4-miler. We ran the center loop of Central Park. Because of the snow and rain on Friday, the NYRR cancelled the race and made it a fun run instead. Saturday morning dawned clear and gorgeous and the roads were completely cleared. Mary Wittenberg admitted that the race probably could have been run and I suspect next year they’ll wait until morning before making such momentous calls. This is a club points race for the local running clubs and is so popular that the race is split by gender. Because it was just a fun run, we all ran together.
Goals: I had prepared for a PR for this race, but, because it was a fun run and had been changed because of bad weather, I decided to run it as a training run and aimed for 1 minute per mile slower than my PR pace (34:59), hoping to hold back so I would finish in under 39.
I got there early in hopes that they’d changed their minds, but they hadn’t. I even walked to the finish line to see if the chip mats were up. They weren’t, so I dropped of my chip with a volunteer. I wandered around a bit, happy to see so many runners there, despite the cancellation of the race. I dropped off my bag and walked to the start with Lou. I took it very easy going into the run, hoping to keep my pace down. This was fairly easy for the first 3 miles, especially when I stopped for a long walk at the only water station on the course. The last mile it was a bit more difficult to hold back, because I’m so used to pushing in the final mile. I didn’t do such a great job, but, at least I didn’t race it.
Unofficial stats: according to my watch, I finished in 38:37 for a 9:37 pace. My splits were 10:07, 9:24, 10:10, and 8:57. It was 31°F with 82% humidity and 23 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).
Celebratory treats: I tried to eat healthy snacks during the movies, but indulged in a TastyKake Butterscotch Crimpet today.
Next up: Coogan’s Salsa, Blues & Shamrock 5k Run (3/2), Colon Cancer Challenge (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603977478840/
*Al Gordon (now 106 years old) is a founding member of the NYRR. For more information about him, click here: http://www.nyrr.org/races/inspiration/roberts_interview.asp
Movie Madness: I scored a ticket to the AMC Best Picture Showcase and watched all 5 Best Picture Nominees back-to-back after the race. I enjoyed all of the movies, but am hoping that “Juno” gets award. We had about 20 minutes break between each movie (no previews!!) and just before each movie started, we were asked trivia questions and the people who guessed right received prizes. I hope they do this again next year! Twelve hours is a long time to sit in a movie theater, especially after a race, even just a fun run, but I got up between each movie and went up and down the stairs several times.
Long Run Sunday – I had expected to run a slower long run on Sunday, after racing on Saturday, but because Saturday ended up being a training run, I boosted it up and ended up running the 14 miles in 2:19:35 (9:58 pace). As always, I ran it as a ladder.
5-minute warm-up at 5.5 (10:30 pace)
55 minutes at 6 (10:00)
1 hour at 6.2 (9:40)
14:35 at 6.3 (9:30)
5-minute cool-down (1 minute at 4.5, 4 minutes at 4)
Race number 5 was the Al Gordon* Snowflake 4-miler. We ran the center loop of Central Park. Because of the snow and rain on Friday, the NYRR cancelled the race and made it a fun run instead. Saturday morning dawned clear and gorgeous and the roads were completely cleared. Mary Wittenberg admitted that the race probably could have been run and I suspect next year they’ll wait until morning before making such momentous calls. This is a club points race for the local running clubs and is so popular that the race is split by gender. Because it was just a fun run, we all ran together.
Goals: I had prepared for a PR for this race, but, because it was a fun run and had been changed because of bad weather, I decided to run it as a training run and aimed for 1 minute per mile slower than my PR pace (34:59), hoping to hold back so I would finish in under 39.
I got there early in hopes that they’d changed their minds, but they hadn’t. I even walked to the finish line to see if the chip mats were up. They weren’t, so I dropped of my chip with a volunteer. I wandered around a bit, happy to see so many runners there, despite the cancellation of the race. I dropped off my bag and walked to the start with Lou. I took it very easy going into the run, hoping to keep my pace down. This was fairly easy for the first 3 miles, especially when I stopped for a long walk at the only water station on the course. The last mile it was a bit more difficult to hold back, because I’m so used to pushing in the final mile. I didn’t do such a great job, but, at least I didn’t race it.
Unofficial stats: according to my watch, I finished in 38:37 for a 9:37 pace. My splits were 10:07, 9:24, 10:10, and 8:57. It was 31°F with 82% humidity and 23 mph winds (gusting to 38 mph).
Celebratory treats: I tried to eat healthy snacks during the movies, but indulged in a TastyKake Butterscotch Crimpet today.
Next up: Coogan’s Salsa, Blues & Shamrock 5k Run (3/2), Colon Cancer Challenge (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16)
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603977478840/
*Al Gordon (now 106 years old) is a founding member of the NYRR. For more information about him, click here: http://www.nyrr.org/races/inspiration/roberts_interview.asp
Movie Madness: I scored a ticket to the AMC Best Picture Showcase and watched all 5 Best Picture Nominees back-to-back after the race. I enjoyed all of the movies, but am hoping that “Juno” gets award. We had about 20 minutes break between each movie (no previews!!) and just before each movie started, we were asked trivia questions and the people who guessed right received prizes. I hope they do this again next year! Twelve hours is a long time to sit in a movie theater, especially after a race, even just a fun run, but I got up between each movie and went up and down the stairs several times.
Long Run Sunday – I had expected to run a slower long run on Sunday, after racing on Saturday, but because Saturday ended up being a training run, I boosted it up and ended up running the 14 miles in 2:19:35 (9:58 pace). As always, I ran it as a ladder.
5-minute warm-up at 5.5 (10:30 pace)
55 minutes at 6 (10:00)
1 hour at 6.2 (9:40)
14:35 at 6.3 (9:30)
5-minute cool-down (1 minute at 4.5, 4 minutes at 4)
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