My cousins Sam and Steph (who in case you didn't know is training for the NYC Half through Team in Training) both ran the 5K race while I opted for the longer 10K distance, which makes sense as I'm supposed to be training for the WDW Half Marathon in a few weeks!
Go ladies! Sorry I'm not the best race photographer... |
Congrats Cousins! |
Not only did they run their 3.1 miles and get the well-deserved hot chocolate, but they stuck around in the chilly rain to cheer me on and watch me finish!
So...how did my race go? I guess well, considering I went into this race without any goals or expectations. I'm supposed to be training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon that I'm running with Dad on January 12th, 2013. But with my recent focus on strengthening, I really haven't been doing much running and have been taking CrossFit classes twice a week. I decided to run the first half of the race comfortably and see what my pace was like and how I felt.
After warming up in the first mile, I settled into a 9:30ish pace which felt hard. The course was basically two loops around Roosevelt Island, except for a small modification due to damages from Hurricane Sandy. There was a mix of pavement, sidewalk, dirt paths and puddles to navigate around which included a few small inclines. As I was finishing up the first loop I was so excited to see my cousins, Steph's boyfriend and their dog Kirra cheering me on! I checked my watch and realized I had finished the first half in just about 30 minutes and I was still feeling good. I decided to push through and was hoping to negative split. The second loop felt even more difficult, like I was pushing harder but not going any faster. From mile 4-6 I ended up next to a woman from my hood wearing a Hell Gate Running Club shirt and we pushed each other those last two miles. It wasn't exactly like fishing, but I made sure she did not pass me. I "sprinted" the last 0.2 miles and finished with an official time of 58:46 (9:29 pace).
Kirra's too cool for a finisher photo. |
This was definitely not my best race and certainly not a 10K PR for me, but I felt strong the entire time and got to enjoy some hot chocolate at the finish...so I'm happy. I'm so proud of my cousins for running the 5K and am looking forward to many more races with them in the future! :)
Congrats on pushing hard throughout the race! That's so much more important than a PR. I really enjoyed the race, despite the bad weather. Or maybe I just enjoyed finishing it...
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