As you might have read, I lost most of my running mojo some time back and I have been quite off. But, I had signed up for the mini… and my parents were in town and wanted to see me race. Also, the mini is like THE quintessential race… I have done it every single year since I started running, in 2007, so that’s EIGHT in a row. I love this race.

Okay, why you say? There’s not cute boys to look at, you say! Yes, no boys, but can I just tell you a secret?? This is, shhhh, OUR race… We just race with our girl, we bond, we all support each other, we do it for us. Yes, it’s sexist to have our own race and to keep the race going shows that we’re still not equal to men, or exagerates that we need special treatment, but you know, let’s take it while we have it! Plus, this race smells better in general. And… we all know it, we women pace BETTER. Yes, it’s true, men are just too emotional to pace off. I know I can just click behind another girl with my pace and sleep to this finish here. That doesn’t happen in the other races…  You KNOW what I am talking about… you know.

As my parents were visiting, Saturday morning we all woke up around 6:30 and walked to the start. It was hot and humid already and got this sight:

The day before my friend Florencia had called me to see if I was around NYRR as I live super close. I had forgotten she was running!!!!! We decided we’d run together. Made me SO happy to know I could run with her!!!!! We’re besties, and what else could a mojo-ed out runner than a friend to chill with at a race? EH> well, maybe frozen pops all the way but Flor would be good enough! I then heard from Sole: “I want to have a fun race too!!” yeah then!! The three argentinians would be pacing and lolling up and down the park at a festive pace. Plans UP!

Headed to my corral, blue, and the great thing is that the stage is right there… many pics were taken!

Then the NYRR photographer snapped a picture of a few of us there for the site, link here.

full size craziness:

Soon enough the speeches start!

Soon it was 8 am, muggy as hell, and Peter Ciaccia was giving us clearance on the roads. We were just a few minutes late, 3 or 4, which is unusual for NYRR races but I was getting hypernervous. Why? Oh WHY? My heart was pumping scared.

Em, I hadn’t run in over a month and I was towards the front of a crazy fast 10K full of olympians. Of course I moved back like 4 corrals; I moved towards the back of the stage and let everyone go while I waited for Sole and flor, I was NOT about to get trampled at one of the fastest women road races!! but… wow, my heart was ready to jump out!

Two-three-4minutes later or something, Flor, Sole and I get moving, while we chatted. I knew Juan and my parents would be on 72nd, on the west and then the east sides. So my first goal was to run 5 blocks to see them.

 

 

Sooo, I love that stretch we run in Central Park West. We NEVER run outside the park and it’s so nice and historic and amazing and museumy, ah, love it. But that’s when I usually go out too fast (because, hey, no men means I get places up high in the first corral with the ultra fast women, SHIZZZZ ensuing pace!) and then it’s sooo painful going into the park at 90th to climb that stooopid Harlem hill. This time, it was breeze. Only, there was no breeze, so I was overheating (also probably because I have no muscle and I am made of nutella and wafers and cookies these days. It was like I couldn’t breathe, doing a 10 minute mile pace. KindaRIDIC. Still: FUN.

So, I caught up with Meghan, from my previous job at TNT and we run and chatted for like half a mile. That’s what I miss about running the most, not that it shapes me into a perfect 10 (hahahhaha!!!!) but the social aspect of it. I get to see all my friends (plus all the other people I know) in the funnest environment. I don’t drink so I am not the bar type and you really can’t eat with everyone (not the way I eat!) or have time to hang out with everyone, but you CAN see eveyrone, at the same place, doing something fun: RUN A RACE. Heck, I miss THAT. A LOT.

When I tell people I hate racing they don’t understand why I do it so much. Because THAT.

See?

Even Flor (on my right) looks happy and we were both looking for a frozen pool by then!

Miles went by easily, mostly chatting in Spanish (the three of us are Argentinians, go figure!), laboring up the hills a bit with the humidity (note: when you’re out of shape, you feel it a LOT MORE! thousands of kudos to the people who are just starting to run, it’s HARD work!! Please do stick with it, it gets a LOT LOT easier) –I need to get back to “easier” please!).

We had two cups of water at miles 3 and 4, we were melting. Then, back at 72nd, now on the east side, we saw the Dashing Whippets, plus Juan and my parents. Spot the flag!

 

We finished, so hot and ready to be in a cold shower, and went straight to drink 4 cups of water. YUM.

We had to ship out of town soon so we didn’t hang out for too long at the post race, which is my favorite to hang-out at! We headed straight to brunch at EJ’s which by then was pretty empty, yey for a fast table!!!! but first we scored a few pictures of the winners/record breakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now… this was my SLOWEST 10K EVER at 1:03. Even in my slowest times when I was starting up I never even went over the hour… Pace was even slower than the Brooklyn Half a month ago (which was my last run!). Nothing surprising how things are turning here.

My 10ks:

Look at the last 3 for this year, emmmm. No excuses, as the Mini bibs read:

There is no excuses. It is what it is and I am who I want to be. Pace usually represents something. Sometimes your body can’t cope with the brains demands for speed and gives up. I am in a period where my brain has given up and the body has no reason to push at all. Could my body have gone a bit faster? Possibly. But my brain is not in it.

Now I have no other races up ahead in the close future, like I had Scotland, Brooklyn and the Mini to force myself to go do. I didn’t run in between them. This was my SLOWEST RACE EVER with a 49% age grading. A 10K. Insanity… We shall see now. But I did go out for a slow-short 3 mile run last night… Who knows.