Here we go again! This was my 7th Fifth Avenue Mile and I was so excited! I had been invited to participate in the Media Heat, which starts at 11:45 am so I had all morning to get stressed out ready and not rush out. I had a little coffee, then did a little 4 mile warm up in the reservoir, I was so lucky to find Liysa to run at what we call Elizabeth-pace, a pace SO SLOW it’ll make you look the other way… We then run around the course, and pretty much met 1 million people around the race start and on 5th Ave.

By the time I was ready to run, everybody else was done and hanging out around the course to watch the pros go. Juan was there too while I did a few strides to warm up!

Eventually, I walked up to the corral, and there were about 20-30 people, a very small crowd. That could make you panic really fast. I knew a couple of the people there so I just started asking to see who I could pace with. Quita and I thought we’d be around the same pace (but who knows at the start of a race right?). I told her I’d was looking for anything between 6:05 and 6:20, though really I was hoping I could go sub-6, but that’d be too awesome to be expected. 6:05 is my PR but that’s from 2012.  In the 5K the week before, my last mile was 6:20 so I knew I could maybe PR… I was hoping on that. I also knew I wanted to blast out off the gates. I tend to start too slow and that’s just a bad idea in the Mile. the Mile was to: Start Fast, Hold it (the second quarter is all uphill), Get Faster, Kill it.

We had Amy Freeze from ABC and Tiki Barber (from the NY Giants) in the corral so it was bopping! We also had Chris Lotsbom from LetsRun.com,who won the men’s race last year. The official photographers took some pictures and I was just pretending to not be nervous. Why was I so nervous? I really wanted to PR and I knew how much that would hurt…

Then, I get moved to the front of the corral because NO ONE IS LINING UP, just like last year… UGH. OK! No pressure. Not like I wasn’t freaking out already. THIRTY SECONDS! I got this I got this. Remember that year you did an awesome mile and you felt like you were flying and it was so beautiful?Do that. I got this. I kept telling myself like a crazy person. 15 SECONDS. Crap! this is gonna hurt and omg what am I doing up here?!?!? 

the gun goes off. All hell breaks loose inside my chest. I was on overdrive. Don’t start too slow!!! All of a sudden, I was in front and there were no women in front of me! WHAT! CRAP! What do I do? Can I hold this pace? And where is Quita???Did I blast off too fast?

1st quarter: 1:34. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even look at the splits then, not even once. I wanted to run as fast as possible and that meant shutting everything else down.I do remember passing Tiki Barber in the first quarter. Then the hill showed up. 74th to 71st are uphill so I knew I’d slow down there, though I was still leading. WEIRD.

2nd quarter: 1:44 well, we knew that was coming. Then it happens, a girl passes me. Then another one. Then soon enough, a third one. I was a bit upset because I was running all by myself and then it seemed like I was standing still… That was it though, 3 ladies passed me, no one else (not even a man) passed me in the whole race. That I remember, because I now know I was a mess.

I see Juan ahead! YEY

3rd quarter: 1:32 I am still speeding up so that’s good. I didn’t feel like I was speeding up. The rest is a blur. It’s just me forcing my legs to go faster and feeling like nothing was happening. I HEARD SO MANY PEOPLE yelling my name. I did. I had no idea what was happening.

4th quarter: 1:20. That seems to fast. Still, NO PR.

I checked out the finish line clock’s “5:15” and remember thinking, wow, I’ll be like 5:30s or 5:40s. Those clocks always get my tired brain. Apparently, I can’t run 300 meters in 20 seconds. There is something in your brain that tricks you into thinking that it’s closer than it really is. Oh well.

Stats Time!

Post race, we hung out for a bit at the finish line tent, then we headed back to the finish line to watch the Pros have some awesome races. Which is so exciting… plus you meet everyone

Eventually we had to rush. Walking down Fifth Ave even after all the Pros have finished is like having a party at home: you say hello to everyone and can’t get to the kitchen!! We were trying to head back into the park to meet up with some friends who were visiting!

After that, we had some celebrating to do! It was our 3rd year anniversary after all!

This was 3 years ago… we got married and then we run the 5th Avenue Mile in those outfits!

 

So after the race, and the picnic, we went to the Boathouse, and we ate EVERYTHING (and we passed out shortly after that!)

—– Oh and the GUESS MY FINISH TIME WINNER IS….

ViBe, email me and pick a gift from that post!!!

Who raced this weekend????

Can’t wait to hear from you all!!!