Race Recap: NYRR Queens 10K

After looking at the training plan Abby created for me and seeing my long run of 6 miles this weekend, I decided to sign up for the NYRR Queens 10K.  Six hot, lonely miles vs. six miles with a few thousand motivators, ample water supply and an awesome neon green tee shirt?  Simple decision.  I just had to remember that this was a long run for me...not a race.



Super bright tech tee. Thanks, NYRR.



I love running races in my borough.  I live about 10 minutes away from Flushing Meadows park, so there was no need for a crazy early alarm.   Which was especially nice as I was running on 5 hours of sleep and sore feet from waitressing the night before.  All the more reason to follow my training plan and not "race" this race.

Beth (who is currently rocking her own marathon training) texted me bright and early to wish me luck and reinforce the importance of just running this as my long run.  My goal pace for long runs is somewhere around 10:30 min/miles and having Beth's voice in my head during the run definitely helped me slow it down to that.  Thanks, Beth! :)

So...the race!

I've run several races in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which mostly all follow the same route, but this one was different!  It almost went in the opposite direction as I was used to running the park, which was a welcome change! Mile 5-6ish included an out-and-back section by Citi Field, which usually I hate, but as there were so many runners, I found myself easily distracted with "people watching".  NYRR made sure there were plenty of fluid stations and sprinklers along the course to help manage the heat.  There was also a good amount of music, DJs and spectators. 

Mile splits (based on Garmin):
1-10:02
2-10:08
3-10:10
4-10:38
5-10:30
6-10:06
0.3-9:32

I have to admit that I sort of hated having to constantly look at my new Garmin to see what pace I was running.  I don't know how some people are so dependant on it!  It did end up being helpful to keep my pace in check, but I definitely don't love it.  Hopefully as I get more used to running with it, I'll get better at feeling out my pace and not have to look at it so much.

My official time was 1:04:43 (10:26 pace).  This is my slowest 10K time ever, but I'm okay with it because I know it's all part of "the plan".  All in all, a nice easy 6 mile run! Oh, and I'm one race closer to guaranteed entry to the 2014 NYC Marathon!

Did you run the Queens 10K?  Are you doing the 5-Borough Challenge?  Training for a race? Let's talk about it!

Rugged Maniac NYC 2013

Okay, so I'm a little behind on my race recaps...and blogging in general! 

Last year, I ran my first Rugged Maniac race with my dad and friend Kim!  We absolutely loved it, so this year we got an even bigger team together for the obstacle race.

So fresh and so clean!

The day started out warm and cloudy with a chance of rain, but quickly cleared for hot and sunny skies.  The course covered just over 3 miles at the Brooklyn Aviator Sports Complex.  There were around 20ish obstacles, including hurdles, walls, mud pits, rope nets, balance beams and a giant (terrifying) waterslide at the finish!

Here are just a few photos of our rugged race:

Climbing walls

More wall climbs



Mud pits!



Muddy smiles!

post-mud pit, pre-waterslide

Trapped in a rope net!

Way too tall waterslide!

We. Are. Rugged!

As you can tell, we had an absolute blast and will definitely be returning next year for more ruggedness!

Race Recap: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler 2013

I spent this past weekend in our nation's capital...eating, drinking and running the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race. 

See?  Pretty Cherry Blossoms!

Saturday morning, I met up with some amazing runner/blogger friends: Steph, Beth, Abby and Jen.  We loaded ourselves, our many snacks and foam roller(s) into Abby's car and headed to D.C.  After we arrived, we quickly checked into our fabulous hotel room (big thanks to Beth's dad!) and headed to the expo.  The expo was less than a mile from the hotel and not too crowded so we were able to grab our bibs, shop around and get out in no time!  

Saturday night, we had an amazing Mediterranean dinner at Zaytinya.  Complete with hummus, falafel and the most incredible pita!  

Delicious carbs.
(Photo courtesy of Steph)

Kudos to Jen for the great choice of restaurant!  When we were finished fueling up on pita, we headed back to the hotel for our 9pm curfew/bedtime.  The majority of our crew has recently been injured and/or sick, so even without the 7am race start we weren't in any shape to be party animals.  Those of us who were running got our race day outfits together, Abby (AKA cheerleader extraordinaire) got her cowbells ready, and we fell asleep listening to Beth still debating whether or not to run at all.  

I hadn't really put in much mileage following the NYC Half, so I didn't have any expectations for this race.  I was mostly looking forward to running a race somewhere other than NY and taking in the sights.  Relative to most other runners, I'm pretty laid back and don't like to stress about paces and finish times.  I'm still competitive with myself and love seeing improvement, but my ultimate goal is to run injury-free and happy for as long as I can! That being said, my "goal" for this particular race was sub 1:40 (10 min miles).



We arrived at the start around 7:15 and snapped a few pictures!

Jen, Me, Beth, Steph and Abby

Beth, Jen and I squeezed through a fence (literally) to line up between the orange and green corrals, while Steph went up ahead to her speedy red corral.  Shortly after we started, I told the girls I was going to go ahead, so we split up.  The first few miles were pretty crowded (as expected with a race of this size) and it was hard to get into a comfortable pace.  I did a lot of weaving and even had to hop up onto the sidewalk a few times.  Maybe for this reason, around mile 2 I started feeling twinges in my left knee.  Although I've never had major issues with it before, I knew it was my IT band.  I immediately slowed my pace but that didn't seem to help.  A sharp pain came and went a few times and I started thinking I would be the one of our motley crew who had to DNF!  I knew the course looped back in on itself a few times, so I gave it some time to see if the pain got worse.  Luckily, it eased up and I decided to keep running.  The early parts of the course had a lot of spectators, which was awesome.  I somehow missed seeing Abby along the course but just knowing she was there motivated me!   

Thumbs up for not DNFing!

After the 10K point, we ran into an incredible headwind for about a mile and a half.  It was beautiful running along the water, but the wind was not my friend.  I definitely felt like I was working harder and not keeping my pace.  Not to mention I had tears just streaming down my face from the wind.  Good thing the Marathon Foto photogs tend to skip over me, because I definitely would've looked like I was crying.   

At the final turnaround point, the wind was gone and the Washington Monument (aka Finish Line) was in sight.  I knew I was going to come in under my 1:40 goal, so I wanted to push it and see just how much under I could get.  About a quarter mile from the finish, Abby and Steph (who had an amazing PR and continues to amaze me with her speed) spotted me and gave me that much needed motivation to finish strong.  It was a short uphill followed by an easy downhill to the finish line.  

Splits:

1-10:08

2-9:38

5K-10:20 (I missed the 3rd mile marker somehow?)

4-8:43

5-9:23

6-9:29

7-9:38

8-9:53

9-9:22

10-9:05

My official finish time was 1:35:43 (9:34 pace).  Since this was my first 10-mile race, that's an automatic PR! Woo! This is also my pace-PR for a longer distance race, which is awesome.

Also awesome?  This RunPix graphic with info on my places based on gender and division and the number of people I passed and who passed me.  Love that! 

My only real criticism of this race would be how crowded it was.  Parts of the course were pretty narrow, so it might be better if there were more corrals or the waves were more spread out. 

 I was definitely hurting after the race and woke up feeling super sore Monday.  I've taken a few rest days and have been stretching and foam rolling like crazy to prevent further ITB issues.  Overall, I had a great race and an amazing weekend with some awesome runner ladies.  I think it's safe to say we'll be back next year!  Who's in?

Race Recap: NYC Half Marathon 2013

This past Sunday, March 17th I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by running the NYC Half Marathon.  I was pretty excited about this race, mostly because it's a fantastic course through my beloved city.  Also, aside from the lottery requirement and fairly steep race fee, I knew it'd be a great race because NYRR (almost) always has their stuff together.  The volunteers are AMAZING and the races are always well organized with plenty of water/Gatorade and port-o-pottys!

The 7:30am start time meant Dad and I were up and at 'em by 4:30!  We bundled up in our throwaways and met Steph and Lauren (who both ran for Team in Training--way to go, girls!) at the subway.  It was low-mid 30s, but windy and felt like in the 20s!!! We had to be in our corrals, which were supposed to (but never did) collapse by 7:00am.  We dropped our bags and outermost layer and spent the next hour freezing our butts off waiting in the corral! 

Steph, Dad & I freezing pre-race!

I wore a long sleeve, RRS shorts, ProCompression socks and as always, a Sparkly Soul headband.  Although I've never been colder waiting for a race than I was on Sunday, I knew I'd warm up within a mile or two and be so thankful I wasn't overdressed.  Just before 8:00am our corral crossed the start line and we were off!

Mile 1 (10:14)-I couldn't feel anything from my waist down and was so excited to be moving that I didn't even notice this mile go by!

Mile 2 (10:30)-We began to thaw out a bit and I started taking in the beautiful sights of the  Central Park loop.  Cat Hill came and went and we tried to stay conservative with our pace being that we were so early into the race.

Mile 3 (10:02)-I was started to defrost so I used this mile (and sweet downhill) to take inventory.  I'd been experiencing some calf/shin pain two weeks prior to the race (shin splints,maybe?), so I had skipped my last long training run and rested more than usual.  Luckily, my legs felt fantastic.  I wasn't in any pain and I was totally ready for the beastly Harlem Hill.

Mile 4 (10:48)-Right after the 5K point, we started the uphill.  I tend to do pretty well on hills, but this one is always a struggle.  I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other until we reached the crest.  There were a lot of people cheering along this mile, which was awesome! Just before the 5-mile mark, I took half a pack of Gu Chomps.
Mile 5 (12:06)-I usually don't mind the rolling hills along the West side, but Sunday they seemed to go on forever.  I also started feeling like I had overhydrated, which meant I had to stop at the Port-o-Potty.  Hence the extra 1:30-2:00 added to this mile. 

Mile 6 (10:10)-At this point, I still hadn't turned my music on and just past the mile marker I heard someone yell "You're halfway there! Keep going!".  I wanted to scream.  We were NOT halfway...and by the way 7.1 miles is still a LONG way to go!  But I was so happy my leg was cooperating as we headed South and out to the most exciting part of the course!  My stomach started feeling iffy, but I just ignored it. 

Mile 7 (10:12)-Turning out of the park and onto 7th Avenue was awesome!  We were able to spread out a little and the energy along the course was amazing.  Somewhere in the 50s I saw (and heard) Beth, Abby, Liz and Allison cheering!  It was a perfect little boost and definitely put a smile on my face!  As we headed into the heart of Times Square, I knew we'd be seeing our family cheerleaders.  They grabbed a great spot at 42nd and 7th and we were able to stop for some high fives! 



Dad and I on 42nd Street

Mile 8 (10:11)-We hit the West Side Highway and as the crowds and excitement died down a bit, I started noticing that stomach pain again.  I am lucky to normally have a super solid stomach, especially during exercise.  This was not the case on Sunday.  The stomach upset was all I could focus on.

Mile 9 (10:00)-At this point, the course turned Southeast and the Freedom Tower came into view.  It was so incredible to see and I got a little emotional.  I was reminded how lucky I am to be alive, living in this amazing city and physically capable of running through it!  This was a temporary distraction from my stomach issues.  Mile 9 is usually when I take the rest of my Gu chomps, but I was scared that would lead to another bathroom trip and there weren't any port-o-pottys in sight!  Instead, I held the pack in my hand for a few miles, debating whether or not to take it and hoping the pain would dissipate.  I couldn't keep pace with Dad who was feeling great, so he started creeping ahead of me. 

Miles 10 (9:54), 11 (10:01) and 12 (9:33)-I felt fantastic during these miles, except the nagging stomach issue.  I eventually gave up on the Gu chomps and tossed them, knowing I only had a few miles left and they wouldn't help me anyway.  My legs were feeling so good and I was keeping Dad in my sights.  I knew this race wasn't going to be a PR, but I still wanted to finish strong.

Mile 13 (10:41)-This mile included that very short but killer hill coming out of the Battery Tunnel.  Luckily, Beth warned me about this little hill, so I was mentally prepared but it still wasn't fun! I was ready to be done and hit the bathroom.  Sorry if that's TMI, but I discuss this stuff all day everyday so I'm used to it!  The last 400 meters of the race was jam packed with people cheering and I fed off that energy to power through to the finish. 

Official finish time: 2:14:58 (10:18 pace)

I couldn't have expected a better time, given the bathroom break and the annoying stomach issue.  Not to mention I wasn't the greatest at getting in speedwork this training cycle.  But I ran an absolutely awesome race with my Dad through my city and I loved it.  

More than anything, I have to say I'm SO unbelievably proud of my cousin Steph, for finishing her first half-marathon (in a fantastic time btw) and raising over $2,000 for Team in Training/LLS.  She ran and finished the race with a huge smile on her face!  I can't wait to see what she does next! :)

Congratulations to all the finishers, many of who had amazing PRs at this race (and in DC)! And a HUGE thank you to all my cheerleaders, who braved the cold and wind!  Spectating is not easy by any means and you're all amazing! 

Up next...NYC Marathon?  ;)

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Race Recap

Walt Disney World is the Most Magical Place on Earth!  However, the WDW Half Marathon was (for me) less than magical.  For this reason, I've been struggling to write this recap. It has taken me over a week to sit down and write this post because I didn't want to be whiny and negative.  Ultimately I decided to take some advice from the amazing Mrs. Miller and just being honest with my race experience.  Let me just say I did have a great time, especially running with my dad...but the race just didn't go as I had anticipated.  Be prepared for a lengthy and photo-filled post!

When I arrived in Orlando at 9pm Thursday night, I could already feel the humidity in the air and knew we would be in for a hot, sticky race weekend.  First thing Friday morning, my Goofy Dad and I headed to the Race Expo to pick up our bibs.  

After getting our bibs (and some fun new running gear at the expo), we spent a few hours at Disney's Hollywood Studios before retiring to the resort and getting ready for our 2am wake-up call.  I laid out my race day outfit before going to sleep- Moving Comfort Fiona Bra, Raw Threads Evil Queen shirt, RRS compression shorts, Asics and Sparkly Soul charcoal headband.

A very annoying 2am wake-up call startled me out of bed Saturday morning and it was time to get pumped!  Goofy and I went through our pre-race morning routines and were ready to get on the bus at 3:30am.  

It's 3am, we're ready to run 13.1 miles, and we're smiling!

I have nothing but good things to say about the race day transportation.  The buses arrived on time and the since we left early, we hit no traffic getting to the drop-off point.  We got off the bus and found ourselves in a sea of runners headed toward the corrals.  There was a ridiculous amount of congestion and we basically crawled for the ~1 mile walk to our corral.   

Our trouble came with our corral assignments.  The 23,000 runners were organized into eight corrals (A-H).  I was in Corral C, but Dad was assigned to G.  Admittedly, he should have submitted a recent race time to have his Corral switched, but since we planned to run this race just for fun we didn't bother.  I thought maybe he could sneak into my corral, but that plan fell through as soon as we saw they were checking bibs at the corral entrances.  So we headed back to Corral G.  We chatted with runners around us and learned that there were SO many first time half-marathoners!  It's not surprising that people would pick Disney as a beginner race, as it has a long cut-off time (3:30 for the half, 7:00 for the full).

Our plan for the race was to just run and have fun.  I didn't care about pace or finish time and was hoping to stop for a few pictures along the way.  The heat and humidity combined with the fact that Dad still had to run 26.2 miles on Sunday meant we were definitely taking it slow.

Disney doesn't mess around when it comes to entertainment, so right from the start they had DJ music, celebrities and fireworks.  Not to mention Donald Duck!  Just shortly after 6am, Corral G was off and running!

Source

Or so we thought we'd be running.  We didn't even get to the first mile marker before people were walking.  And walking three or four people abreast.  Note--this is the whiny, frustrated part of my recap.  It was a serious struggle to settle into any kind of pace due to the insane number of people around us.  And not just for the first few miles.  We were bobbing and weaving through mile 8 or 9!!! Now I understand that for many people (especially in our corral) this was their first race (maybe ever) and they were excited and only concerned with what THEY were doing.  I have absolutely nothing against walkers or run-walkers.  I also know that I'm not the fastest runner ever and I certainly wasn't winning the race.  But I would have liked to be able to run at a comfortable pace and not worry about people stopping dead in their tracks right in front of me.  Or about someone dodging sideways in front of me at the water stops.  I believe there are a few solutions to these issues and I fully intend on sending my feedback to RunDisney for future races.  First, I think there should be an entire corral devoted to walkers.  I also think Disney should provide some basic running etiquette information.  RunDisney provided training plans, sent out e-mail/twitter updates on proper hydration and nutrition in hot temperatures and even played videos with running tips on the buses to the start line.  I'm hoping in the future one of the topics covered will be proper race etiquette.  I'm talking basics here...Look behind/around you before slowing down or stopping, don't form a human roadblock for people trying to pass, etc.  Unfortunately, because of these two "small" issues, I did not have the magical race experience I was hoping for.  But enough with the complaining!  Let's get the recap going and see some pictures from my 13.1 miles through Disney World!

The race was too crazy for me to remember to catch any of my split times on my watch, but I at least have the official splits from RunDisney.  The first 5K (39:11, 12:37 pace) led us away from Epcot and past the Disney Speedway.  The lines for photos were long and we were still trying to settle into a steady pace so we didn't stop, but we passed Jack Sparrow and a pirate ship and Chip & Dale with some cars at the speedway.  Mile 4 and 5 led us into the Magic Kingdom and it was so cool to run through the entrance!

Before I knew it we were turning a corner onto Main Street USA and headed toward Cinderella's Castle.  The street was jam packed with people cheering which was awesome motivation.  

The course took a right at the end of Main Street into Tomorrowland, through part of Fantasyland and then back through Cinderella's Castle, one of the highlights of the race.  I had been really looking forward to this amazing snapshot of me running through the castle, flashing my best princess smile.  This did not happen.  If you can believe it, by the time we got to the castle entrance, it was a bit of a bottleneck and everyone was walking.  WALKING. THROUGH THE CASTLE.  I was super disappointed, but I knew there would be a photographer, so I smiled.  Dad decided to show his true emotions...

Moving on, it was over to Liberty Square and Frontierland.  We screwed up here with poor communication during a bathroom stop.  I thought Dad had taken off without me, so I left hoping to catch up.  We had no way to communicate with each other, but I realized very quickly that I would get an alert when both he & I crossed the mat at the 10K point.  So I crossed, got my alert and did not get his.  Oops.  He hadn't left without me and was still waiting back at the bathroom.  He waited for awhile until he realized I DID leave without him.  Thankfully I saw him at the 10K marker.  I would've been really upset if I screwed it up and had to finish the race separately.  So after that debacle, our 10K split was 1:25:17 (13:43 pace).

Miles 7-11 were just along World Drive back toward Epcot.  There was fantastic entertainment along the course with bands, characters, DJs and more!  Since the sun was now out and we were running on open roads, it was getting HOT.  Dad and I decided not to stop and wait for character photos and just finish the race.  I was ready for post-race pictures with the characters and Dad didn't need to be spending any excess time on his feet.  Despite the fact that we were taking 45-60 minutes longer than we normally would to run a half marathon, the race never felt long.  I felt like it flew by, especially after we left Magic Kingdom and things spread out (a little).  

I called our cheerleader at Mile 11 to give her a heads up we were coming into Epcot.  We ran through the bus stop area, into a "Cast Member only" entrance and right by Spaceship Earth.  It was a quick little run around Epcot (excluding World Showcase) and back out to the finish line.  As expected, there were a lot of people cheering at the finish.  It was awesome!  With about 200 yards to go, we saw (and heard) my aunt!  I really appreciate her coming out because spectating is not an easy task! Thanks, Auntie M! :)

Think I'll still be doing this in 30 years too?

Dad and I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:56:20 (13:27 pace).  Although that time didn't even include any photo stops, I'm not disappointed with it.  I clearly had some frustrations, but I still felt fantastic and ran a great race.  With my dad.  In Disney World.  All amazing things.

Donald bling!

We grabbed our post-race snacks and took pictures with Scrooge McDuck before heading back to the resort.  Then it was off to Epcot for the day, where we got many more character photos!

On Sunday morning my aunt and I cheered on Dad as he completed the WDW Marathon (his 8th marathon) and his third Goofy Challenge!  This time he snuck into Corral C and said it was so much less congested than the previous day.  We had a blast cheering and "high-fouring" runners with our giant Mickey hands.  Dad ran an amazing race and got his own high-four from the Mick himself at the finish!  Congrats, Dad! 

While it wasn't the magical race as I was hoping for, I'm so glad I ran the WDW Half.  And I will definitely be back for more RunDisney events!  Perhaps I'll be joining Dad for the marathon in 2014?  And getting Goofy in a few years?!  Stay tuned! :)

Race Recap: NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K

This past Saturday I kicked off the 2013 running season with the Joe Kleinerman 10K race in Central Park.  Despite the chilly 32 degree windy weather, I was excited to run my first race of the year with a few thousand of my fellow runners.  Best of all, my cousin Steph and some of her TNT members were doing the race and I was able to cheer them on as well!  Steph is training for the NYC Half with Team in Training and this was her PDR and her first 10K race ever!


Steph & I pre-race

Shortly after arriving in Central Park, I parted ways with Steph so she could meet up with her TNT group and I could do a quick warmup.  As we got settled into the corrals, listening to Mary Wittenberg talk about Joe Kleinerman and all of the people behind-the-scenes that help make NYRR events happen, it felt cold and windy and I couldn't wait to get moving! 

The course was one counter-clockwise loop of the park, starting on East Drive and ending on the 72nd Street Transverse.  I tried not to let the cold get to me and kept my pace slow for the first miles, knowing those Harlem Hills were in the near future.  I had forgotten my watch and my Nike+ app GPS is always inaccurate, so I wasn't really sure what pace I was keeping during the race.  Mile 1 & 2 ended up being around 9:45 pace.  I felt super strong going into the Harlem Hills and pushed through knowing I'd be rewarded with some sweet downhills in the second half of the race.  I stopped paying attention to what my intended pace was and just really enjoyed running.  I once again found myself in awe of the beauty of Central Park and got lost in my head.  I started thinking about how thankful I am to be a runner.  I just love running races surrounded by people who appreciate and love this sport as much as I do.  It wasn't until about Mile 5 that I snapped back to reality and remembered I was "racing".  I wasn't trying to PR but started thinking it was a possibility, given how strong I was feeling.  When I hit the 6 mile mark I sprinted my little heart out and had some terrible photos taken of me in the process.  Okay, there was one decent one:

My official finish time was 59:28 (9:36 pace), but I have to admit that my time does not reflect how I felt during the race at all.  I felt strong and definitely thought I had run faster!  As I said earlier, I wasn't trying to PR, so I'm not disappointed.  I'm just happy to have 1 race down for 9+1.  Eight more to go! :)

After I finished, I grabbed my apple and jogged backwards to find Steph and her teammates.  They clearly had been keeping a good pace because it didn't take long for me to find them just before the 6-mile marker. 

I am so impressed by their performance and so inspired by their training and fundraising progress.   If you can, please visit Steph's Team in Training page to cheer her on and donate!  GO TEAM!

Race Recap: NYC Runs Hot Chocolate 10K

This past Sunday, almost 1500 runners including myself took part in the NYC Runs Hot Chocolate 5K and 10K races on Roosevelt Island.  Running followed by hot chocolate might sound strange, but it's actually a fantastic combination!  This was my 4th NYC Runs event and I'm a big fan. The races are always very well organized and have a small-town race feel...although the popularity of their events is definitely growing!

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!

One major plus to this race is the proximity of Roosevelt Island to my home base of Astoria!  After a super quick drive and fairly easy parking, we strolled over to the 5K starting area to find a lot of fellow runners!  The weather was crappy, 40ish and drizzling, but it never full out rained on us which was great.  NYC Runs event do not yet have assigned corrals, so runners organized themselves by pace as able.  I spotted Beth in the crowd with her neon shirt and only had time for a quick "hi" before the 5K runners were off!  The 10K didn't start until 10am so I was able to dart across the island and cheer for everyone during the first mile before I started.


Go ladies! Sorry I'm not the best race photographer...

 Despite getting minimal sleep and having a few glasses of wine at a Christmas party Saturday night, they had an awesome race! I am loving watching them both get into running and supporting them along the way.  Definitely check out Steph's story at both her Team in Training page and here on PB&P and join me in supporting her!

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! :)

Race Recap: MHRRC Turkey Trot 2012

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you and yours!  Enjoying good food with family and friends makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite holidays.  Not to mention I'm a big fan of reflecting on all the things we're thankful for...so this is my kind of day!  Another reason I love Turkey Day is because it's becoming a holiday for running!  Turkey Trots are becoming a popular Thanksgiving tradition and I can't think of a better way to start a day of feasting than a few sweaty miles shared with family and friends.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has run our local Turkey Trot.  And my brothers and I would either be out there freezing cheering for him or joining in the kids races. The Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club offers a few distances so that runners of any level can participate in the Turkey Trot: Kids 1-mile, 2-mile fun run, 5-mile and 25K (AKA 15.5 miles).  The last few years I've run the 5-mile race and every time I struggled with the hilly course.  It's not like anything I'm used to running in NYC, but I can push through anything for 5 miles, right?  Sometime back in July, I was reassessing my 2012 goals and decided that this would be the year to take on the challenge of the 25K race.  It sounded like a great idea at the time...

Come Thursday morning the weather was perfect--Mid 40s and sunny for the 8:30 a.m. start.  I wore shorts, a thin long-sleeve tee, vest, compression socks and (of course) a Sparkly Soul headband.  As I've never run 15.5 miles before, let alone "raced" it, I had no idea how to plan for this race.  Dad had sent me the course map and elevation, so you'd think I knew what I was getting myself into, but nope!  My ultimate goal was to survive (and not cry) and I guess we could say 10:30 min/miles was goal pace (given the hills).  The 25K distance typically draws only about 75-80 runners, most being faster and more seasoned than me, so I also mentally prepared myself to come in last for this race.  

Dad and I at the start

Since I already established that there was no way I was racing 15.5 miles, Dad decided we would just "have fun" and run together.  That plan worked for awhile.  The hills were tough but the downhills helped.  Dad and I had driven the course prior to the race and strategically dropped Gatorade where we wanted it.  I also brought my fuel belt and my favorite Gu Chomps for fuel.  In sharp contrast to NYC races, there was not water at every mile and definitely not many cheerleaders out on this course. There were a few water stations staffed by running club members and volunteers, who were very friendly and encouraging.  And then there were the few families (not affiliated with the running club) who stood out on their lawns or at the ends of their driveways to clap, cheer and hand out additional water to runners!!!  Talk about thankful! That's some awesome "small town" spirit to push a girl through an otherwise tough course.   

My new favorite photo.  Check out our matching form!

I mentally broke the distance down to 5, 5, 3 and 2.5 miles.  I decided early on that if I was going to meet my goal of surviving, I would have to walk most of the hills.  The inclines were hurting my calves and my lower back pretty badly, but I fought through it and felt strong for the first 10 miles.  My Nike+ app GPS was really thrown off, so I have no clue what my pace or splits were, but I also didn't care.  Despite the walking on inclines, I was starting to lose my umph.

Seriously, hills?

After the 10-mile marker, I told Dad to go on his own because I knew he could run faster and I didn't want to hold him back.  I tried to keep him in my sight for as long as I could, but that man is a beast and took off.  He's currently training for another Goofy Challenge in January so this was a good long run for him to practice.

Go, Dad, Go!

As I watched him disappear up over a hill, I turned up my music and dug deep to finish out the last 5.5 miles solo.  I thought to myself, "you run 5 miles all the time, no big deal...you can do this."  But I felt super slow and just wanted to finish.  My feet hurt, I was hating the pitch of the road making me run on a slant and I kept feeling anxious that drivers were not paying attention and I would get run over.

Can you see the ridiculous hill wayyy in the distance?

Mile 12 was (gasp!) yet another hill.  I distracted myself by singing (okay, rapping) to myself and thinking about all of the yummy food I was planning to eat later.  Sweet potatoes, turnips, pumpkin pie, beer...oh my! I thought about how I was missing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I thought about how crazy those people are for sitting in the freezing cold for hours to watch that parade.  I thought about how people probably think I'm crazy for choosing to run 15.5 miles on Thanksgiving.  They're right. It is crazy, but in my opinion it's always a good idea to be active and moving and sweating! :)


I was so excited when I saw Mile marker 15 and my Dad cheering me on shortly after! That last stretch was the longest half mile of my life.  The course heads back into the high school parking lot where it started, but in order to make up the complete distance, you have to run a little loop of the parking lot before crossing the finish line.  So you can SEE the finish line, but have to run a loop to actually get there.  Awful!  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, but I felt like I going backward.

Almost there.

And finally....I crossed the finish line!  With a new PDR of 15.5 miles!

My official time was 2:48:27 (avg pace 10:52) which ended up being 89th of 96 total runners (not last!).  It could have been 3+ hours and I wouldn't have cared.  I was just happy to be done!  The first thing I said to my dad was "Okay, now I can say I've done that.  And I'm never doing it again."

Dad's offiical time was 2:41:01 (avg pace 10:23), which undoubtedly would have been much faster if he didn't stick with me in the early miles!  But I'm glad that he did (thanks, Dad!) because no matter how fast or slow...I love running with that guy!

In the end...I'm so THANKFUL that I survived my first (and most likely last) 25K Turkey Trot and was able to spend the rest of the holiday enjoying family and good food!

What are you Thankful for this Thanksgiving? Did you run a Turkey Trot this year?  Eat a lot of turkey & mashed potatoes? Tell me about it!

Race Recap: Billy Goat 5K 2012

The Billy Goat 5K, a fall trail race at James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley, NY is probably my favorite 3.1 miles ever.  It's hilly, rocky, sometimes muddy and definitely challenging.  Also, race registration includes a super comfy long-sleeved colored t-shirt.  This year it's maroon and I'm loving it.  This Sunday was a picture perfect fall day: sunny and a cool 60 degrees.  Dad and I arrived early and did a quick warm-up jog before lining up with the other 150ish runners.  The start line doesn't have corrals or signs...just a white line painted in the grass between two orange cones.  Hello, "small town" running.

The race starts out with a short flat stretch until you enter the woods, where the fairly narrow path follows a steady uphill, so it's tough to get past anyone.  Every year I've done this race, I've been frustrated when people take off fast from the start line only to slow down or WALK once the uphill climb starts. And this year was no different. UGH.  When will people learn?  I just want to shout "Move out of my way so I can dominate this crazy climb!"  As expected, this first mile killed me.  I kept my head down, which is smart on a trail run anyway so as to keep your footing and avoid twisting an ankle or tripping over a root.  I spent most of the race talking to myself, repeating "breathe" on the uphills and "slow down" on the downhills.  I also had the new Florida Georgia Line song "Cruise" stuck in my head, which I sang to myself during the few flat stretches. 

I didn't see the second mile marker and wasn't wearing my watch, so pretty much had no idea how fast (or slow) I was running.  I knew that last year I finished in 34:01 (a solid 10:57 pace!) so I guess the plan was to beat that.  I really didn't have super high hopes for a race PR for a few reasons.  First, my running has been lacking this month (especially for the last two weeks since the SI Half).  Also, I've done exactly no hill training.  But I gave it my best and really enjoyed pushing myself the whole race.  There's something so great about running in the (mostly) quiet woods, just focusing in on your own body, breath and heartbeat. 

At Mile 3, I exited the woods and gave it my all for the last tenth of a mile to the finish.  And my official finish time was 32:45!  Boom.  Not fast by any means, but I still feel great about it!

And Dad? 

He once again kicked my butt and finished in 27:00 flat.  What the heck?! He is just getting faster with every race this year.  I'd watch out though, Dad--one of these days I'm going to catch up!

The Billy Goat 5K had 165 finishers this year, and as always had great organization, volunteers and post-run snacks (the donuts won't get my seal of approval, but bagels & apples were great!).  See ya next year, Baird Park! :)