Tag Archive | ny racing

Do you “like” to run hard?

I really don’t.

I always knew I run my easy runs too slow, my long runs too too slow and I do my tempos and intervals with very little enthusiasm. I realized this morning, when a friend was dragging me through a fast half mile (which was probably at 9mm) that I just don’t like pushing! Ever!!!

Two weeks ago, when I was in Florida, I run with two coworkers that were, as they said, slower than me. Compared recent times, and I felt safe, it’d be a fun easy run… and then they took off at a “can’t talk” pace for what was an easy run for them. I run with Kettia often, and even years before when there was a gap in our race times, she’d make me cry in training runs. Even this past winter, I run with her group in training for the NYC Half, and even though I ended up racing faster than them, I was crying and dragging during the long runs… Kettia says I show up for race day. I know I don’t like pushing hard, so I limit myself to the races for that.

I DO NO LIKE RUNNING HARD.

I DO LIKE WHEN MY “EASY” IS “FAST”, that’s what I would call a good performance. But that, obviously, takes a lot of work to achieve… I’d even say that my fastest times were easy, and I was completely relaxed. It felt nice.

Right now I am at SLOW AND EASY, meh. And I know that I need to run hard to get fast… it’s gonna be tough. Or slow.

I know some of you go hard (at “can’t chit chat” pace) even for easy runs. My husband, for example, doesn’t even know what slow or easy mean. He goes all out in every run. I call him “one-speed-Juan”. He’d go out at the same hard pace whether he was doing 7 miles or 18, to end up just walking back (suicide pace works?). I’d measure my effort by heart rate, or by the talk test… I can go fast, only when it feels easy… Most of the people I know are the opposite though, they take off, always, like it’s a race. Ugh.

Am I alone here? Or do you also prefer to go out hard, have a better workout, train like an animal, get stronger/faster; if so, did you always enjoyed it or is it something that you learned to like over time?

I just like to do a running tour and watch people and birds and trees and bop to my music! I wonder if there is a way to wake up the beast in me or the competitive in me? I have ZERO of that!

Race Report: 2014 NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon

May20

As I had declared last week, I am done with running for now, I needed a mental break after 10 years and I wasn’t going to run anymore. But… I was signed up for the Brooklyn Half and the Mini 10K (in 3 weeks)… what to do? Well, I’m gonna pick the bib and tshirt and decide later. Maybe I would feel like running by Saturday…?

Pre-Race Party/ Bib Pick Up Bib Pick Up is more like a party, hence the renaming… It’s a nice place, by the water, with a GREAT view of the city, many food and drink options, a lot of space to hang out and see your friends, and the truth is we were running into people we knew every inch we walked. It was bit crowded, there was music, things to shop for, fun atmosphere. Too bad the weather didn’t help much but we got there, got our bibs, took some pictures, looked at the new balance stuff (nice!), went outside, got some food (there was a truck with melted cheese deliciousnesses) and stayed on the “lawn” to hear the band, then it started raining so we left soon. The trek from the Upper East Side where we live took about 1 hour each way, mostly because the 4/5 leaves you like almost a mile away. It’s a super nice walk though, and that street Lululemon or something off the Borough Hall stop is so super super nice!! I am planning to go back to the area.. on a nicer day. It’s a really nice park and you can’t top the views (says the Manhattan girl: if there is no view of the city, there’s no reason to leave the city!!!). Now, if you want to get in and out fast like this was midtown, won’t happen! I liked this place, though I liked the place they had last year too…

Walking to the expo on the Promenade or whatever that’s called

We have been bibbed!

Something I like about leaving the city, the perspective when you look at the city…

Friday: D (decision) day So, come Friday I hadn’t made a decision yet (Title should be more like INdecision day). Should I eat some carbs? Should I prep running clothes or should I just find something to do? If this was just a race in Central Park, it’d be easy to decide to skip it. But… the Brooklyn Half is more like an event… or a trip out of town with hot dogs and beach… AY, I couldn’t make up my mind, and by 4 pm I was stressing a bit. Juan was going to race it, so I’d be up at 3:30 am no matter what. If I could stay and sleep it’d be a different thing. BUT, if I had to get up and get out anyway (I am not just not going to not go cheer or meet him at the finish, can’t just stay home, what type of wife would Ii be??) then I might as well put some running clothes on…? So, staying in bed and sleep through it was not an option. I determined I’d go, try to run and enjoy it and if I didn’t, I’d just take the train… I had two exit strategies, my friend Tessa at mile 1.5 and my friend Flor at the 5 mile water stop. I’d just go with them to the finish and whatever! Flor even had a shirt for me. Then… I had the idea to wear the tutu to amuse myself: tutu power ON! You know my tutu, right? The BIG ONE!!!!

Then… I had the idea to ask on Facebook… because it seemed everyone I knew would be running Brooklyn to see if anyone would want company at my slow chatty pace! I wanted to make sure I had fun, and I was not going to do it alone for sure! I was looking for someone to chat through 13.1 in around 1:50 to 2 hours… I got offers to pace people but, pacing wouldn’t work, the other person would be working hard and who was I was going to have fun with?? Still a few people offered and we planned to meet in the corral! If all else failed and I got bored, I had my metrocard with me and would hop on the train to the finish! I had no issues giving up fast if I am not having fun. No guilt!

RACE MORNING!!! It was cruel how early we got up, and we went to sleep late because we got sucked into watching the Barbara Walters special…beeeeep beeeeep beeeeep 3:40 am alarm!!!! We figured we’d leave by 4:20 to get to the start by 5:40. It’s a long way from the Upper East side and I didn’t want to stress being late. I was going to be miserably sleepy and tired anyway! Luckily, it had just stopped raining, wohooo. We got ready, bundled up and got on the 4 to switch to the 2 in Fulton with another 10 thousand other runners. It was quite simple but I am always scared some train might not be running, we got there quite early. And sleepy. As it would turn out, we were quite right to get there early…

Look AWAKE!!

Bagagge and Start As soon as we got out of the 2 in Franklin Avenue, wow, there were high fences all over the place and only one way to go. Note: always check the NYRR website and use the train exit they tell you to use (if you go with the one you think is closest you might end up walking miles because of the fences!). That way then security and metal detectors then security again and IN! We then walked towards the corrals (starting from the back), where we saw the portapotties inside!! Wohooo, we rushed into those, as they were all empty, took care of business, then kept walking to drop our bags and back to the corrals. It must have been like a half mile walk, we got to the trucks and deadline was 6:20 am, we had 10 minutes! We had to rush and change as they were NOT waiting one second!!!! We dropped our stuff quickly (it seemed like a liiiitle bit chaotic) and headed back to the corral. Yey, portapotties in the corral again!! For a change, the first wave started late, this is never the case in NYRR races. I was a 4 corrals back so I am not sure what was going on in the front, but the first runners were 7 or 8 minutes late to start. Wave 2 seems to have started on time.

Race Atmosphere This race was huge, you could tell right away. I wasn’t sure how many people would be there… 20,000? 30,000? It seemed super ultra mega organized: like they were expecting Obama… there was a LOT of people, but still I never felt more crowded than usual. I saw so many people… many from out of town (sometimes you can tell by their t-shirts!). It really felt like something big was about to happen. By the afternoon, it’d be confirmed that this was to be the biggest half marathon in the US with over 25K finishers… craziness.

Weather. It was coldish waiting at the start, glad I had brought an old turtleneck I wanted to get rid of. It was 58 at the start, but with the little clothes and wind, we were freezing! Of course as soon as it started, it was perfect (and I was wearing as little as I could!) but then the sun hits you on Ocean Parkway, and oh uh, hottish! It was totally fine though.

The Corrals I was corral 3, Juan was 4, so we had told everyone to meet us at 4. We got there early and met up with Patricia, a lot of my team mates, Elyssa, Lara, and so many more people. Apparently Blaise was right there too and I missed him. It gets crowded quickly so if you’re going to meet someone in the corral, always pick a corner!

Elyssa, from this Bridges Runner blog, orange shirt, had volunteered the day before to run with me. I shyly asked “I like to talk when I run, is that ok? do you like to chat when you run?” I know some people hate it but as I said, I needed to have fun, and I needed help! But also, I don’t want to ruin anyone’s day! She said YES. I was so happy. Now let’s see if we’re both comfortable and happy at the same speed…! The Course is…GREAT! There are a couple of little hills in the first 10K, and then flat or downhill past mile 6. You REALLY have to negative split here or you did something wrong. Good course to PR in, though for some reason, I never seemed to PR here… There is the one hill in prospect park, which is not that steep but seems to last foreeeever (elevation profile is here) because it bends so much you have no idea where it ends. There can be way too much sun after you leave the park, but luckily there’s a few trees. MY RACE Well, I really I had no idea what to expect. Having felt so slow and tired lately and with my crappy attitude… we started slow, we chatted… we cheered, we screamed, we talked about how we both didn’t feel like running but we were still running because, by talking, it didn’t feel like running. We stayed on the side and made sure we didn’t bother anyone, mostly in the first couple of minutes when it seemed like all 20 corrals were passing us. Soon, everybody’s speed matched our non-speed and we were seriously cheering people around us. I am sure we bothered some people, as the people who talk sometimes bother ME when I am racing hard and unable to focus, sorry. We tried to not be obnoxious but most people were happy to have us cheer for them. We checked on each other and made sure we were going slow enough to not push ourselves, to make sure we were relaxed and having fun. We somehow managed to have a lot of fun the whole way!

Picture by Ben Ko – thanks BEN!!
Still had my start turtleneck as a scarf on the first half mile, just because even if it doesn’t match, I need to make a fashion statement!!!!!

I got hot soon, even though I wasn’t racing and I was wearing less clothes than EVERYONE around me. The tutu was great though… it got SO many cheers and shoutouts that all I was doing sometimes was say thank-yous nonstop!! I love my tutu! The park was bit more crowded than the rest of the race but it really wasn’t so bad. We were having fluids every 2 miles, and one gel as we left the park. I saw so many people cheering, at the water stations, passing me in the race, really you felt like everyone was there! Pace-wise, I have to admit, I barely looked at my watch once or twice… I had no idea. Elyssa shouted mile splits sometimes, just because our only thing was to check not to go over 2 hours, but as I can’t do any math, I figured I’d look at mile 10… I like to hit the pedal when I leave the park but Elyssa had an irish soccer game -or something- to play that afternoon and wanted to save some energy, and I was comfortably having a good time that I was not chancing it by taking off! By mile 9 we decided we’d finish together and we did just that! Easy peasy, half done! We got to Coney Island, we put our hands together and crossed the finish line. 1:57 and something.

Done, we had fun, and now we have some more fun. In Coney Island!!!

The Finish Line The best part! You have around 300 meters to run on the boardwalk and it gets loud and crowded, even before 9 am! They had medals, bagels, powerbars (chocolate and mint, yuk!!!) and gatorade+water. It is just such a happy place and by 9 am you are free to just go do whatever you want!!! I had told Juan to wait there for me so I caught him as soon as I got my medal! There were a few blocks walk until we got to baggage but it was super organized and easy. Really nice medal too. And we got more pictures of course! The Post Race/Getting my bag back fiasco! Well.. we had to walk a bit to get our bags and holy molly it was a MESS. Seems like just a few bags where there, there was no line, everyone was against the fence holding their number and shouting their number and if the volunteers found it, they’d bring over the bag. My bib was on my skirt and I just didn’t feel like unpinning it so I asked someone (taller!) ahead of me to shout my number and SOMEHOW I got my bag super fast… Everyone else was just standing there… Apparently, I was one of the lucky few people who got to bag check in time! I learned a LOT of people didn’t get to the bag deadline early on, so they dropped their bags in the “late” truck, so those bags where being brought there in bunches… and/or there were not enough volunteers. I offered to jump in to help to organize the bags by numbers but they didn’t let me. It really was a mess all around. Stats time Oy, this might be painful… or whatever! Finish time: 1:57:32. Average Pace: 8:59. 20 minutes off my PR, ha.

Previous PR: 1:37:35. From: March, 2013 Age Grading: 57.55% Ouch Overall Place: 10,758 of 25,587 Gender Place: 3,831 of 13, 678 Age Place: 523 of 2,105 (still top 25% which is fine… I guess!) To note looking at the stats, not only this is now the biggest half marathon in the US, but also, there were more women finishers (13,678 ) than men (11,909), insane! Total was 25,587 . Also sad, one runner died at the finish. This always makes me so sad.

Splitsville!

splits elevation course nyrr brooklyn half marathon 2014

Seems like I lost satellite in the last mile I think. I kept looking and it said 12.47 for a whiiiile for a long time.

The Result I am VERY HAPPY with the race I run. I was not in shape, I wasn’t into it, actually, I had no interest in even showing up, but I managed my goal, to have fun, to not suffer… This doesn’t mean that I am back. I am not feeling like running still and for what I see, I probably won’t for a while. I am back to not running. But I managed to get to my beach party, the way everyone did: by running 13.1 first.

The Post Race Well, I skipped the MCU park as I had already been there last year for a NYC Runs 5k and my team, the Dashing Whippets, always has a beach party!!! YEY, beach weather. FINALLY! So we scooted over to the beach after we got our bearings and omg, the FUN

I am done running. I am HAPPY.

Happy Birthday Whippets (5 years!!) and Matthew Wong (a few more!)

Cute Speech by Rich. Everybody cry, not really. Then there was a chase to plaster a cupcake on Matt's face but I think Matt had been training to avoid that...

Cute Speech by Rich. Everybody cried, no, not really. Then there was a chase to plaster a cupcake on Matt’s face but I think Matt had been training to avoid that…

cupcake boy (I am donut girl)

Boys will be boys??

My girl Kirby and I showing off or matching shorts!

He’s not normal. (It was the Gatorade!!!)

So Many Whippets!! (Apparently I am menopausal as I am the only one without a shirt..!?!??!)

It’s done. I am not sure when I’ll post again, if I have anything else to say… but, my parents are coming to visit (after 5 years!) and they’re too excited to see me race, and the Mini10k happens, so, we shall see.

Brooklyn Half Marathon, official page, with loads of pictures

– Brooklyn Half Marathon, official race results

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Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Fun Run, by New Balance

May8

Straight from New Balance!

The Brooklyn Half Marathon is already next weekend and I wanted to let you all know about the Brooklyn ½ Pre-Party Fun Run, Presented By New Balance taking place on Thursday, May 15^th at 10:30am. This free event gives runners an opportunity to get in a fun 4 miles and pick up their race packets before the big day!

Wondering how to get to the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance? Why not run? Join New Balance for a 4 mile fun run and you’ll gain early access to the Pre-Party so you can skip the lines to packet pickup, shirt pickup and the official merchandise. The run will start from the New Balance Experience Store @ 150 5th Avenue at 10:30am. They’ll even take your dry gear over from the store to the party for you and give you a subway card so you can get back home after the party. RSVPs are limited.

Runners can sign up on the NBNY Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NBNYC.

More information on Pre-Party, check out this link: Brooklyn 1/2 Pre-Party Presented By New Balance

More on the Pre-Party and the race itself on my post about the 2013 NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon

the expo last year: FUN STUFF

2013-05-16 22.29.24

One YEAR and two days since my last PR…

May7

So my running lately has been ~~lame~~ almost crappy. It’s been a year since my last PR!!! Given, the last one was pretty sweet: Third Woman and won my AG

but it was… A YEAR AGO!

I had had a great string of PRs in every distance and felt wonderful and been injury free for years… then… I got sick with an ulcer, got lazy, got married, kept falling around (or more sometimes) than once a month, pulled a pectoral muscle, got lazy again, got really cold, had leg spams… you name it. I DON’T HAVE A REAL REASON. And I know it.

It is still just so sad. Mostly because I don’t have a reason. Still, I prefer to have a lazy season than an injured 0ff-season!!!

Things are changing now. Though, post Boston, I still feel really really tired. My runs have been slow, like 3 minutes over marathon pace, painful, and pretty forced.

I am starting to feel like I a non-runner. I really don’t know how they do it. It sucks quite a lot. Ugh.

When was your last PR or what was your longest dry spell??

Race Report: Scotland Run 10K (more like two 5Ks!)

Apr7

Any other time, I would have hated the results. But I am happy.

There I went, into my race #95, knowing I wouldn’t PR and I was still happy. The weather was finally nice to run and race in and it’d be a great way to do some speedwork. Even if I am two weeks away from Boston with just one long run. Whatever, right? So I went in relaxed, looking for a training run, to get in below 50 minutes (so far from my last 10K at 44 mins last year) and I came back with a lot of happy

THE RACE

Getting there. Juan and I jogged to the start, a simple 1.5 miles Start. Super organized as always. I met my training partner Patricia in the corralqu she said she was shooting for 49, perfect, I though.

Weather. 45! Can it be any better? NO. I always say: over 42 is singlet weather. Booty shorts and singlet does it!

The Course. Is… OY. This is Central Park. A whole loop! CLOCKWISE. Rolling hills 75% of the time. And Harlem hill is WORSE in this direction. Not a PR-friendly course, barely any flat, but nothing also that you can’t do.

The Post Race. I saw everyone I know there, so fun…! Plus the raffle excitement. I love this race! Oh oh and the main thing: BAGPIPES AND KILTS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY RACE

Weather was nice, all was calm… but I was a mess… 15 minutes before the gun I felt like I had to go #2… TMI right? But if you’re reading this you quite probably are a runner!!! Well, I didn’t have time to get out of the corral, go to the portapotty and start in my corral, so I decided I’d do my best to hold on to it (somehow..?). Is this too gross? Well, I really didn’t think I’d make it. But I had the same gut feeling in Berlin and it lasted 11 miles… I only had to do 6 here! I hoped it’d go away and lined up.

My goal was to be under 50, which is quite far from my PR but oh well, this is where I am now. Patricia and I started together and literally switched leads for about 3 miles. I was feeling ok but she had a lot more than me and I felt I was starting to burn gas so I decided to let her go early on (smart move!! she’d go on to finish a minute before me!). The whole race went well as usual, I had nothing crazy to say about it, more than my stomach held up, YEY. Going up the hill in the last .1 is always hard but had to get done:

The race ended fine… I never run out of steam but I don’t I run the best I could have, I just really wasn’t sure how to read my body with whatever was going on in my tummy..! If you look at my laps it looks like I was running two 5Ks instead of a 10k…! Ugh.

Stats Time!

Finish time: 47:41. Average Pace: 7:42

Previous PR: 44:32. From: May, 2013

Age Grading: 65.37%

Overall Place: 1559 of 8067

Gender Place: 280 of 3899 (wow, I really can’t complain, can I?)

Age Place: 41 of xx?

NYRR Race Results, Photos, and Recap here.

Anyway, we had some fun after with my friends, team mates, the guys in kilts, the bagpipers, the raffle and the band there (who were they??? so osom!)

Juan and I, both of us around 3 or 4 minutes off our PRs and for the first time at the same AG!

nyc scotland parade 2014 (2) dashing whippets

With some more Dashing Whippets wagging our tails after dropping many hammers!

Soon after we headed home, showered, complained about how tired we went and headed out before noon to walk through the park (again) to go watch some of the Scotland Parade. I really do LOVE bagpipes!!! Here’s a couple of pics!

And then… we were DESTROYED… seriously, a 10K can drain the LIFE out of you! Hot chocolate, gnocchi and bed!

And with my official time of 47:41, the WINNER of my Guess My Finish time contest is…

Elaine, pick a prize from the list and lmk!

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Race Report: NYC Half 2014 – training starts here!

Mar18

Well, the NYC Half happened. Again. For the 6th time for me. And I am VERY happy about it. I hadn’t trained, I was 13 minutes slower than last year, but this was such a different story from the NYC Marathon a few months ago…!

The truth is, since July my training has been a disaster for one reason or another (and there were many!!), and I knew I wasn’t going to PR, so I just wanted to use it as a training run, maybe to see if I can muster Boston in a month, maybe to see if I had lost all my running mojo. But it was horrible going into it, I had done so well last year in this race so coming back with no expectations was hard. And the NYC Marathon 5 months ago was just so painful on my untrained legs that I was really dreading this. I had assumed I was going to suffer for 13.1 and there was no way around it, turns out, there was one.

Race Morning: It was really cold, and I was getting to the start 1 hour early. Brrrr. Walked into a brand new clean portapotty with no line and I just wanted to stay warm in there… I had extra clothes on, two mylar blankets, hand warmers, you name it, I could barely move with that many layers on, but my feet were not having it: they froze! They had security checking our checked-bags and then we all went through metal detectors going into the park (yey!), and then a walk to the corral where I met up with a few friends (Rose, Ilana, Julie, Marie, Jason!). We huddled and waited. Rose and I determined we’d take it easy and to try to go together. We talked about how we both had so gotten off the wagon, I said training starts here. This would be a long run, and I would take if from there. Soon enough we were moving…

Race ON: The first miles felt ok. My feet were still frozen but we were determined to take it easy, have fun, run it as a longish run and that’s what we did. We held our horses.

Miles 1, 2, and 3 were quite conservative.

On my post where everyone guessed my finish time, I had assumed I’d do around 1:50, which is 8:30 pace, so I started thinking that maybe I am more in shape for a 2 hour marathon, which I haven’t done in a looong time. Oh well, it is what it is. I felt GOOD, and that is all that mattered, I was not going to push it.

At Mile 2 I saw Juan and his phone froze so he got no pictures. I am sure he was as frozen as the phone… I always feel so bad for the spectators! Then I just started seeing everyone pass me, everyone. People I know did slower than me in the NYC Marathon. I knew I hadn’t trained since so I know I was in way worse shape but it made me feel good that I could hold my pace back as much as I wanted. You can all go!!! I felt so relaxed and in control. Being in control in the early miles of a race is tots HARD people!

Soon we were up in the Harlem out and back and hello Harlem Hill x2. I love out and backs! You get to see everyone! It was wild to be out of the park and everyone sped up a little. Rose and I held it in place.

Miles 4 and 5: a bit faster and settling up in a rhythm.

After we crested the hill and went to the 90s, I saw Juan again. I stopped for a roadside kiss. I was feeling good now that I was feeling my feet again (it really took 4 miles!!) and was warming up. Then I started losing Rose, she told me to go, I told her I’d get Gatorade and wait for her there but never saw her (I’d end up losing her and she’d come in a few minutes behind me). But, I just wanted to hit the gas. I wanted to get to Times Square, make that turn and see what I had. I turns out, I didn’t wait until Times Square…

Miles 6 and 7: need for speed already!!!

Going through Times Square is ALWAYS exhilarating, even the 6th time you do this race. And it widens up SO much, you feel like you can fly… I spotted a Team Up runner and we introduced! It was pretty cool!!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww: F U N!!!! Then we turn onto 42nd st, the street narrows a bit and the wind….!!!!!! well, we pushed through and kept rolling down. Luckily, my Dashing Whippets team was there to cheer us all up, handing out gels and water. I got so excited, I grabbed a 2X caffeine gel which would probably kill me if I tried it, so I put it right back. And forgot the water. Cheering stations can really make you lose it.

Seems like I was having a fun time, right? I was. I have a slow time to prove it 😉 (don’t scream, slow compared to last year’s!!!) But… with fun comes responsibility and since mile 5 I was feeling good: I was on a roll and kept tearing at it little by little.

As soon as I hit the westside highway and found NO WIND (WTF?!???! It was colder in the park!!! I was dreading the wind and cold here for no reason!?!), I opened my lungs, I let the Hudson nasty air sip in, and sped up. UP UP. From there on, I was picking up runners 10 at a time. You know, if you were there, this is quite probably where 9 out of ten people started to slow down: I WAS FLYING!

Miles 8 and on: Time to Fly!

I lapped the tunnel part up there (“mile 12”) as there’d be no GPS there, and the last bit (“mile 13”) I am sure is wrong because in the seconds it took to locate satellite it made it look quite slow. I know I was sprinting for my donuts…!!!

Did you see how I sped up after mile 6, as I had recommended to do in my post? If you didn’t notice, here it all goes again:

Yes, I probably did start too slow, but whatever. What matters is that I was strong at the end and had a lot too push. Quite a difference from last year‘s pace, but still another great pacing example.

The last mile includes over a half a mile in the tunnel, which I didn’t hate as much as last year (because I knew there was an exit somewhere!!) but then you get out, you make a left and OMG, I was SOOOOO EXCITED to be there. I had to hold the tears back (yes, I cry all the time when I race) and all the flags and the finish and it felt SO GOOD to be back, and to be on the road again and to feel strong and to be able to finish with a kick and to know that even if unprepared it doesn’t have to be as bad as the NYC Marathon was if you can pace yourself… It was amazing.

Then it was over. I was so happy. I wanted to hug all those sweaty runners. Then I wanted to punch a few of them who stopped right at the finish for a selfie (seriously people!!! there’s 15K runners behind you!!!! WTF!). I was back to happy in two seconds. I am moody like that 😉

Got a few pics and with two steps I found friends and team mates… I was just back to frozen in a few seconds!!!

I love this race.

Now I know that, not only I can set the tone for a race and pace as I please (without pushing myself into pain for no reason!) but that I can also enjoy a race and finish it without ANY training… in a decent time too, plus have fun, AND not FALL!! I felt very happy about the results…

see how happy I was???

Juan knew I wanted donuts. Juan got me donuts. Juan is a keeper. I ate almost all of that.

Right after the race ended we got on the 1 train uptown to Finish Line, we had some food, chatted, celebrated, all that. The platform and the train was crowded… and a bit smelly ;-P

Finish Line was fun, but soon I couldn’t wait any longer for the 3 hour shower I was looking to do at home… plus the nap. Then burgers… ah, I love how doing a 13.1 makes me think I can go on some sort of food bender. I do have 5 weeks until the Boston Marathon and I know I am not in shape to run 26.2 comfortably, but I can’t seem to be able to make a decision about going or skipping it… I just counted the weeks back. If I manage a long run the next two weekends, I’ll let myself participate in the marathon. If not, then I am not going to Boston.

One week until my birthday, the next craziness. One thing at a time here.

2013 the NYCM aftermath (plus Sarah Reinersten)

Nov12

Before this one:

New York City Marathon Media and Elite Runners, and the Winners!
New York City Marathon Expo — lots of pictures!
My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, PART 1!

My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, part 2

Well, so I woke up Monday morning early, sore, and tired. I am sure by now you know that your body needs SO much more sleep the week after the marathon… but somehow, you can’t sleep for a few nights. You’re sore, you can’t get comfortable, you’re hyper, the sheets hurt, turning hurts, your toes are swollen…

Monday, early, I ALWAYS go to the NYRR Charity Breakfast. I seem to always be there with a different charity but I am always there. After all, I can’t sleep, the clocks have changed I and I wake up early, there’s food, friends, a walk in Central Park to clear some lactic acid, and always some celebrity.

Juan came with me, and the walk to the park was slow but comforting. As well as the cold weather. I met a lot friends, colleagues, ex-coworkers, and more friends. A friend told me to sit at his table, right there, and we ended up sitting by Ethan Zhon, american soccer player, Survivor winner and he also has his own charity! We are chit-chatting with everyone and two seconds later, I look up and Ed Norton was sitting on my table. Crazy world.

I figured he’d be the guest speaker, as he had done it once before, but no… it was someone I didn’t know, Sarah Reinertsen, and all of a sudden Juan is flapping and flipping “she’s the reason I got into Triathlon!!!“, “Sorry honey, I love you but I have huge crush on HER!!“… unstoppable stuff like that… so funny. And I was like… who??? I admit I don’t know much about triathletes… he set me straight right away. Wikipedia: She’s an American triathlete and former Paralympic track athlete. Reinertsen was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Reinertsen has broken the women’s above-knee amputee marathon record several times.

Plus these:

I doubt you’ll forget now…

Anyway, I had no idea. And OMG she has a story… it was so amazing to hear her talk. You might have to get her book but this girl is INCREDIBLE. I was so moved, in seconds, I suddenly had a crush on her too! Instantly! Once it was all said and done, Juan and I went to say hello. emmmm, she also speaks Spanish. She’s amazing, period!!!

Well, he was giddy for a bit. An hour. Or two. I loved hearing her story and meeting. Inspiration Maximus Activated!

We took a little nice stroll to the park…

and we went to the Monday Marathon store… and soon to the elites conference, which I’ve blogged about -I met both winners!!!: New York City Marathon Media and Elite Runners, and the Winners!

And by 12 I had met some other friends (all marathon finishers) for some pizza and what would make me forget the mess I made of my marathon…

My first drink in years. I earned this. Sorry everyone around me!

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My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, part 2

Nov11

Before this one:

New York City Marathon Media and Elite Runners, and the Winners!
New York City Marathon Expo — lots of pictures!
My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, PART 1!

Blue text is from Part 1, so you know where we left off…. My friend Helen was in the subelite corral, which was right on top. She took the picture below… What a bunch of weirdos we all are…

I was starting to get a bit nervous. I kept telling myself “I am a runner, I know how to do this with my eyes closed” but being around all these fast people was a little intimidating. I KNEW (I would have bet money right there) Tessa was going to go onto have a fantastic race. I saw it in her face. She was quiet but relaxed, like a ticking bomb ready to explode, about to unleash the beast she had been nurturing for a while. In a few seconds, we’d hear the national anthem, Mary Wittenberg, Bloomberg, the gun, Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, the excited footsteps on the lower deck and I knew I would helplessly lose her. But I knew she wouldn’t let her (and mine) dream go. I shouted a few Go Tessa, You Got this as she run away from me. She’d go onto a 3:16, a 7 minute PR, insanely-precise run race, and I knew, as soon as the race started, within 10 steps, before she even left me, that I had nothing in me. Nothing. That I had no business being there. That I wasn’t prepared for what was ahead and I was going to be taught a lesson. I tried to relax and do my best to salvage the carnage but I couldn’t relax. Everyone was passing me at 5, 6, and 7 pace and it was crowded and we were going uphill and the bibs were being shaken by the wind and I could feel the footsteps above and thought about the many hours I still had until the finish and I was so scared of tripping and falling and my legs were so dead, and I was cold but I was hot and it was so crowded and fast… I couldn’t relax. I did my best to settle and find my rhythm… but I couldn’t. The race was stronger than me and I wasn’t prepared, I wasn’t trained mentally or physically to control it, or to control myself. I just did my best to not despair...

A lot of friends passed me. Lots and lots of people. And still, I was going way too fast. I couldn’t control my speed, my heart rate, my head was spinning with fear and panic… I felt like someone who is trying not to drown so they patter around frantically wasting all their energy helplessly. I knew I was making things worse. I just couldn’t stop it.

I had brought a 3:40 pace bracelet for kicks (far from my last marathon at 3:27 but still a good point reference for me). I figured that, if I was doing anything slower than that, I would not need a pace bracelet. Average pace for 3:40 is 8:25. So the first mile with the uphill and all was a bit INSANE at 8:35. Seriously. I KNEW I had already ruined the race because I was going bonkers. I had already also started crying a bit early. I missed running. I hadn’t run in two weeks. I hadn’t done this marathon in two years, and 2011 was so different doing the Footlocker Five Boro Challenge. I was nervous and crying hysterically this early, no good.

Still going so fast… but, in EVERY SINGLE OTHER RACE I ever did, I ALWAYS thought I started too fast and got scared. And I always thought there was no way I could sustain that speed and I always did maintain it. I always know how to pace. It’s my thing. I pace well. I start easy and finish super strong. What if this time it would be the same thing as every single other race? I really wanted to believe it but my legs felt dead, my heart rate was insanely high at 184 average for the first mile… I knew I had to slow down, but my brain wasn’t trained to have any control over my untrained legs. I was like a drunk person or a child that had too much candy and there was nothing I could do from the control room.

We could hear and feel the wind. It was on our side so it wasn’t that much trouble in the lower deck, but I wondered how long should I keep my layers on… and what would happen when we left the Verrazano… Mile 2 was 6:46, ridiculously fast, but I was on the same uncontrollable panic mode. And my legs were dead going downhill… that’s never a good sign. My legs usually LOVE downhills!

Pretending to know what I am doing. good, right?

We left the bridge, I started getting really warm and finished shedding my layers. We run through the back streets of Bay Ridge and I noticed how many people were out there. SO MANY. I have done every NYC Marathon since 2008 and I had never seen soooo many spectators. It was exciting and I could barely enjoy it. Soon enough, we turned onto Fourth Avenue, and, still crowded I clock Mile 3 at 8, so my first 5K was at 8:01 average. I knew it was unsustainable, but there was nothing I could do at this point. It was a mess already.

I knew though, that I’d see Juan in a couple of minutes, and that was my first out. I decided I would keep going, my leg wasn’t hurting and, though slow, I could keep going. Soon, I spotted him in our prearranged corner, exchanged kisses, told him how I felt and kept at it. Trying to reign it in. To no avail of course.

Brooklyn turned into a blur. I realized I was tired and I couldn’t keep myself interested in the crowds, the fun, the city, the course. Pretty much, I was not enjoying it. I mostly put the music up, went to the middle of the road, looked down, and tried to focus on just one more step. One. More. Step.

Mile 4: 7:45, Mile 5: 7:43, Mile 6: 8:00, Mile 7: 7:53, Mile 8: 8:02, Mile 9: 8:06, Mile 10: 8:11. My 15K was average 8:06. Somehow I was keeping a REALLY fast PACE. According to my pace bracelet I was 2 minutes and a half sub 3:40. Emm, am I capable of a 3:37? NO WAY. But my legs were doing whatever they wanted. I’d later realize they didn’t know we were doing a marathon, they though it was a half marathon….

I kept at it, one step at a time. I cried a lot. I was just feeling slow, tired… and things started to get worse. The thought of Michelle waiting in her PJs on Bedford kept me going for a while. I was just SO thankful she was there, just like she does every year! Mile 11: 8:30, Mile 12: 8:09, Mile 13: 8:25, Mile 14: 8:44. Going up the Queensboro I didn’t stop to walk like so many people but I FELT like I was walking… Mile 15: 9:52, Mile 16: 10:23, getting off the Queensboro was not the high I always experienced. I had to make a decision. If I was to end the race, I was seeing Juan at Mile 18, I could just stay with him. I was getting slower and slower… I decided that I was NOT GOING TO WALK. AT ALL. And that as soon as I started walking, I was going to walk straight home. NO WALKING. HANG IN THERE and finish this thing. My 5K splits were dropping like crazy. Pace at 20K was 8:22, at 30K I was at 8:28 and it just kept getting worse and worse. I was past my 3:40 pace bracelet pace now.

Around 80th Street I saw my friends Katy and Mikhail who made me feel so good and around 117th I knew I’d see Juan and my team mates! That kept me going for a while. But I kept going: Mile 17: 9:49, Mile 18: 8:49, Mile 19: 8:56. BAD going towards Fifth Avenue WORSE and Central Park Worst.

I knew Juan was coming ready in tights to run if needed, and I debated whether I wanted company for the 3 miles into the Bronx. I decided to go at it alone. If he was with me, I’d start complaining, he’d tell me how great I was doing and I’d start hating him. I’d rather shut it all down and just haul to the finish as dissociated from what was happening as possible.

I spotted the Dashing Whippets, did the continuous high-five as best as I could (see how low/tired my arm is?) but I was really happy to see them all!

One thing I had started doing was to stop crying when I knew I would see Juan. I didn’t want him to worry or try to come with me. Then, before getting into the Bronx, I spotted Ben, who always makes me smile!!!

Thanks Ben!!! Photo Credit: Ben Ko

The Willis bridge into the Bronx felt like I was climbing the Empire State Building. I am not exaggerating. I have climbed the ESB!

See how miserable I look? If you have seen ONE of my race reports, you know I know how to look good in race photos, marathons or whatever they are. These are just my worst pictures ever. But… the BRONX was bopping!!! It was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it!!!! It was so much fun. There were funny signs and somehow I noticed! Plus I saw two team-mates and shouted around a lot.

Through the Bronx!! Photo Credit: Luciano Rezende

Photo Credit: Luciano Rezende. Can you figure out what’s on my shirt?

And when you don’t think it can get worse, it does: Mile 20: 9:14, Mile 21: 9:47, Mile 22: 8:58... I saw Mary Arnold there, just because she was shouting my name like I was drowning. Everything was a blur. I just focused on getting to Fifth and 109 where I’d see Juan again, and then Patricia at 98… I just kept looking at the street numbers but they took SO long to get to me. I really felt like I was walking and if I had looked at my watch I would have noticed why… Mile 23: 9:07, Mile 24: 9:26.

Couldn’t even stop crying at this point

Somehow I managed to get to the park. And I just didn’t want to keep going. I would have given anything to convince myself to turn left at 90th and go home. The park wasn’t as crowded as other years, so I managed to see a few friends there (Marvin, you almost made me stop with that sign!). Counting my steps to the finish line. Those were the longest three miles of my life. I was completely demoralized, depressed, upset. I felt like an idiot. How could I ruin this day?? I knew I would finish but I didn’t want my marathon to be this type of experience… I was really upset with myself. I knew I should NOT have run it. I had done 10 marathons and ultra and I never felt this bad. I’d run injured before, I had run slower times, but this was just a horrible idea. I started heaving and crying again. So much that runners around me tried to calm me down and tell me I was so close and I was doing great. I wasn’t. I just wanted it to be over.

Faking happiness for the camera!!!

When I turned on Central Park West, I thought I was almost done. Wow, those blocks felt like 10 miles. I felt like I was walking and I couldn’t finish soon enough. I was still crying all my way up to the finish line. Mile 25: 9: 07, Mile 26: 8:56.

I finished. There was no happiness. There was no glory. I was still/already crying when I crossed the line.

It took about 3:49:34. The time was fine, not my slowest (still within my 4 hour forever limit), far from my fastest. The time wasn’t the issue. My problem was that I was so way over my head about what I could do that I ruined the day. I ruined the most precious day of the year. I don’t blame myself for not training, I didn’t have a choice there. But I should have skipped the race. And I should have started 2 corrals back with someone shooting for 4 hours to help me pace right. I let my untrained brain trick me, and I don’t like acting stooopid.

And now I know what happens when I DON’T TRAIN FOR A MARATHON. I am just a miserable person, who wants to go home, has no fun whatsoever in the best race ever, can’t control the pace, and positive splitted like a maniac. I don’t want to be that person ever again. Please smack me in the head if I ever attempt to do something this stooopid again.

My pace represents exactly what I did and how I felt:

Worst possible race splits in the history of racing.

I ended #10908 of 50,304. Overall Gender Place: 2,076 of 19,579.

These are the worst ever too. Can someone be this dumb???

Once I stopped running I started crying more. I cried the 500 blocks to my UPS truck, all the way from 67th street to 85th, that’s a LONG walk. Then I cried some more. As soon as I put one foot outside the park, Juan caught me and we both cried for like 10 minutes. 10 minutes later I was at Shake Shack, this man is a keeper.

What else other than Shake Shack could anyone possible want?

I kept crying. I was upset. I skipped all the parties and reunions because I couldn’t ruin everybody else’s day… I kept telling Juan I needed to get off my sweaty bra because I was sure I was as chafed as raw meat. Went in the shower with no issues. Turns out, my diaphragm was hurting from so much crying, or heaving, or breathing hard. My ribs hurt for two days.

I want to pretend I learned the lesson. But I am way too stubborn. And I love running too much. I just hope I am smarter next time.

From Monday’s New York Times:

And just like that, it was over.

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My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, part 1

Nov8

The 2013 New York City Marathon was going to be my 4th NYC Marathon in a row (or 5th if it wasn’t for a hurricane), and my 91st race ever.

I’ve shared some in this blog: there was a bunch of medical things that happened to me in the last months, including an ulcer, two falls, wild leg spams/pain, a labral tear and a couple of other things I don’t even want to talk about. As you can assume, I barely trained. The ulcer was the worst: for two months, I was eating so little I could barely walk or stay awake, so no running. I got really weak, lost a lot of muscle mass, and all hope. But the truth is, the marathon was so far removed from my day-to-day, with all I had going on, that I barely thought of it. I even got proposed to and married in the middle of it all, traveled for work, etc. Running was secondary.

The week of the marathon was tough. I was working a lot and, mostly, trying to figure out if I could actually run or not. Or if it was wise. Or if I’d make my leg pain worse. I didn’t run one step the two weeks before the marathon, had an MRI that week, saw another doctor on Thursday, had pain constantly. Waiting until the last 3 days was driving me crazy. Plus I was working at the expo and with a million commitments to even rest.

Thursday, the second doctor of the week said Go. I said OK.

Panic and Doubt settled in. I am not ready. I haven’t trained. How long is this gonna take? I knew I could finish it but I had no idea what kind of pain I’d have to face. I’d had pain in half my marathons. This, my tenth marathon, would be a different monster. I kept telling myself that when I run the 2011 NYC Marathon I was in way worse shape, as I had sat on my butt for 3 month with a foot stress fracture. I didn’t even walk for 3 months! And I did the marathon, finished strong and had no pain during or the day after. This one would be easier. Telling myself I’d be ok, and I knew how to push through anything, I headed into race day.

Pictures of the expo, elite athletes at the media tent, here:

New York City Marathon Media and Elite Runners, and the Winners!
New York City Marathon Expo — lots of pictures!
NYCM 2013 winners (minus me!) #INGNYM #nycmarathon

Sights of the marathon VIII #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon VII #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon VI #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon V #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon IV #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon III #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon II #INGNYCM #nycmarathon
Sights of the marathon I #INGNYCM #nycmarathon

Saturday I worked at the expo until 5 and then attended our Autism Speaks athletes dinner (for work) at the Hard Rock Cafe. I got home around 10 and went to sleep!

Sunday Morning

I got up around 5 and by 6:15 I was at the terminal. There was a LOT of security everywhere this weekend. And I mean EVERYWHERE. In the terminal, at the expo, in the ferry, getting off the bus, in each corner on the course, on the rooftops. EVERYWHERE. You felt safe (or watched!) no matter what!

Run into Lisa as soon as I walked in and Blaise two minutes later!

Blaise and I sat on the 6:30 ferry just because we got there so early. Our plan was to catch the 6:45 or 7 am ferry, YES, for the first wave at 9:40… we saw so many people who were in wave 3 or 4 there. I am not sure why people head there so early. And not sure why they like to freeze out there in the cold for hours… oy. Once we got to Staten Island, my corral buddies Tessa and Tree and Shawn were there, hanging out in the warm terminal. We sat for another half hour catching up and talking race.

Back in the Staten Island side of the terminal, we head for the bathrooms… See anything strange in this picture??? LINES in the men’s bathrooms but not one person in the WOMEN’s… how is this possible???

See??? ALL MEN. what are they doing in there??? SO strange!

Around 7:30 we left the SI terminal for the buses, they’re right outside on a short two block walk.

View from the bus. See those buildings all the way over there??? That’s where we have to run and a bit more.

Tree and I catching up in the train!

Tessa and an instant friend we made in the terminal

As soon as we got to the Athletes’ Village we went straight for the UPS trucks as we assumed they closed at 8:30 or something and it was that time. We left our bags and proceed to our tent. Somehow, I had a qualifying time for the Local Competitive Corral. What is that? Well, there’s the elite runners, then the subelite, then my group, and then the rest of the runners. As we were supposed to be fast, we get to line up right at the head of the Green wave (elite are in the blue), but we get our own tent with food, with our own portapotties, and a lot of local friends! JACKPOT!

NO ONE IN THE PORTAPOTTIES. they were clean and empty. AMAZING.

Tessa and I bundled up and cozied up for the 20 minutes we waited (we really did time it perfectly!!!). I love this girl. Had some gatorade, went to the portapotties and in 10 minutes we’d be right at the green line. CRAZY.

Me, Xavi, Tree and Tessa.

We waited there for 30 minutes, 5 minutes before the gun we undressed. We had a tall wall on the right so we were protected from the wind (yey to being in the GREEN corral). We had piles and piles of clothes on the sides. It was nervewracking for me to be that far high up and close to the start, but I had great company…

See the Start up ahead? How STRANGE is it that we’re so close. They eventually moved us up to the Start sign…

My friend Helen was in the subelite corral, which was right on top. She took the picture below… What a bunch of weirdos we all are…

more soon.

Edited- Part 2 is here: My 2013 New York City Marathon Race, part 2

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New York City Marathon Media and Elite Runners, and the Winners!

Nov7

As the whole marathon week is over, I am putting everything here! Scroll down for the post-marathon elite photos.

Pre-Marathon, at the Media Events!

Armed with this puppy I headed to the Media Tent to meet up with the elite runners and see what their heads were going through, just because I can never figure out my own…

I am so sorry for this picture Kim. I am never this stooopid. she’s SO sweet. Somehow she always remembers me, congratulated me, and asked me to see my ring… We chatted for a bit about how strange it all felt after last year’s cancellation and how ready she was feeling.

Wesley Korir had us all with our mouths open… Read about him and you won’t believe the man. He works in the parliament and was discussing how he trained and worked as a politicians as well. He said not so nice things about his kenyan colleagues (mostly about how greedy and corrupt they are!) and how much he gets paid and all that. It was pretty amazing. Read more in always amazing Peter Gambaccini’s story: http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/wesley-korir-the-politician-as-elite-marathoner

Kebede talked mostly about his training and how he tried to mimic the hill. He seemed to be ready to tackle anything. More video and story here http://www.runnersworld.com/new-york-city-marathon/kebede-ready-for-the-new-york-city-marathons-last-miles

Ah, I had been really rooting for Stephen, his last year has been amazing and to see someone from Uganda win the gold at the Olympics, in such a fantastic race… I was excited to hear him talk! He was telling us about his family, how he trained in Kenya, and the politics that brings into racing…

Carrie Tollefson and Karla Brunning doing On The Run. Have you seen the show? well, get to it! http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/on-the-run

The Media Tent is right by the finish. This is what we had going on Thursday morning…

FRED!!! WE miss you at Engineers Gate! Hello!

Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter were around being interviewed informally. They were being inducted to the NYRR Hall of Fame this year! Congrats! Plus, Frank Shorter was turning 66 right that day… Amazingness in one room!

too many cool people to name: Scott Douglas, Peter Gambaccini and… ooops. Peter, you know Peter… he writes the first thing I read every morning, the RW news! http://www.runnersworld.com/person/peter-gambaccini Check his blogs out. it’s ALL you need to know as a runner. Scott… amazing stuff too!!!!!! He is the RW Editor and writes great pieces too, check them out (and ADD to your RSS NOW) http://www.runnersworld.com/person/scott-douglas

Post-Marathon, on Monday at the Winner’s Conference!

Now, as soon as the winners get their medals and crowns on, they become the busiest people on earth… The attended a NYRR Youth event that Sunday, go to the Empire State Building for a shoot, they ring the bell at the Stock Exchange, lots of stuff like that (ha, at least we mortals get to go home and put our feet up for 10 hours if we so please!!!!) and at some point they meet press. Here is all 4 of them!

On race morning and after that, the media events get moved to the Mandarin Oriental, right on Columbus Circle. quite convenient.

I am blurry because this is post marathon and I was tired.

From left to right: Mary Wittenberg, Geoffrey Mutai, Priscah Jeptoo, Marcel Hug and Tayana McFadden

Answering questions, mostly about tactics, the wind, what they’d done after the race, goals, the world majors, etc.

Notice the “little” Tiffany box for Tatyana for winning the Grand Slam!

Geoffrey Mutai and I, no big deal.

Priscah Jepto signing a LOT of things… among their many duties as winners… this.

and this.

Tatyana and Juan had an interesting convo about the sidewind and why the thick profile of the bike cause it’s carbon and something like that. Anyway, she eats candy like the rest of us (only AFTER the race…) so we also had things in common to discuss. PS: she had to leave as she had an exam to do. She’s a full time student WHILE she wins every single race she enters. Just because.

my race report next… oy

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New York City Marathon Expo — lots of pictures!

Nov6

You might have seen a lot of these pictures in previous posts but here is a lot. Just so you can feel like you were there…

The Expo on the first day… before the 50K runners and friends came to visit, so quier and nice…

Ryan Hall just happened to walk past me. What a coincidence!!!

I know you can’t tell but these stiff guys where running. CONSTANTLY.

PLEASE please please read the sign…

Pete Jacobs, as told by the sign and my delirious husband…

Ryan Hall going over the course…

All my pants are tear-away pants!!! Yours aren’t?

Pete Jacobs, Ironman Extraordinaire –and Juan, Husband/Ironman Extraordinaire

the line was INSANE

you HAVE to do these shots, or they don’t give you your bib… sure.

I shouldn’t have done that

With added security comes… crazy lines… but they went by fast I heard..?

You could end up putting on 10 pounds by the time you leave the expo if you’re not careful…

Or you could end up carrying 10 pounds in your bag from the free stuff (PLUS THE SHOPPING!!!)

free gloves (which I wore Sunday morning) plus my masterpiece.

Coolest pup ever loving the free greek yogurt. It was delish (the yogurt, I don’t eat dogs for now)

Matt Long signing his books!

Bart doing his thing 😉

Bart said “My girlfriend got married on me”. He was my boyfriend earlier this year. And I said he wasn’t fast enough… Apparently, he said that has always been his problem… YEAH RIGHT BART!
PS: I love you! Both!

Gene, from Charity Miles, with an osom poster everyone signed! If you haven’t checked Charity Miles, do it now! http://www.charitymiles.org/

So… that’s most of it… fun right? The expo is worth a trip for everyone! Did you like it? Was it too busy? Overwhelming? you walked in and out? Would love to get there someday?

I got to see SO many friends (thanks to all who came to say hello at our Autism Speaks booth!!!!) that I had a great time! Now… onto the race report…. 😉

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Race Report: NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop (13.1)

Oct8

Any other year, I would have hated this race.
But things change so much…so fast.

There I went, into my race #90, undertrained and not ready for anything. With the NYC Marathon less than a month away, I figured this half marathon could be a great training run. It’s hard, there’s hills, it’s loopy, a tough run on any day. This past Sunday, it was 65 degrees with 94% humidity, though I have to say the weather was fine for me (in my under-preparedness!). My problem was the two months I sat out because of my ulcer, losing all speed and any chance to train for the fast Hudson-Mohawk marathon I was drooling over, and a fun NYCM three weeks after. Instead, I tried to do some catch-up/lame/slow few weeks of training, plus this half, plus one 18 miler. And be happy with that.

So I went in relaxed, looking for a training run, to get in around 1:50 or 1:55, possibly some soreness, and I came back with a lot of happiness. Who knew?

For official pictures and recap: NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop (13.1), official page

THE RACE

Bib Pick Up/Registration. Loved the tech shirt and the race’s motto all over the back “Imagine a world without Cancer”. I do. Getting there. I live super close, so it took me just 1.5 walking miles! Start. Super organized. Lots of security. Just like any other NYRR in Central Park. Safety. There was security all over the place. Baggage was inspected at tons of tables before you could drop it (no lines!).

Race Atmosphere. This is a special race for Central Park/NY runners… we have all met Grete at some point and we know how amazing and inspiring she was. Her husband Jack is always at the race. It’s just sad that she isn’t, but somehow, you feel like she is. ❤

Weather. 65 and really humid (95%!). Luckily there was no sun and a constant drizzle that kept me happy and somehow lowered my core temperature.

The Course. Is… OY. This is Central Park. Twice. Rolling hills 75% of the time. And I think Harlem hill is WORSE in this direction, clockwise. Not a PR-friendly course, barely any flat, but nothing also that you can’t do. Here is the course map.

The Finish Line. Is great to see… because you run past it two times before your finish, eeeek. The second time around I just really thought it was cruel ;-(

The Post Race. OMG, cheering fun and kids races! Really, a great day in the park to celebrate our runners legacy dedicated to Grete and Fred!

MY RACE

Well, I went in thinking, ugh, this is gonna hurt, the park loop gets old soon, expecting the worse. What happened? Well, as I had no pressure or expectations, I run super relaxed and I run a lot better that way… I actually had fun, felt fast and really enjoyed myself.

Weirdest part? I actually enjoyed RACING IN CENTRAL PARK. Seriously. I do this all the time so you’d think I love it. I don’t. It’s hard, it hurts and I always have some goal that will put me through hell. I think having been out of the races for 3 months made me appreciate it and enjoy it. It was amazing.

There were a couple of miles of adaptation though. I went out as relaxed as I could in the narrow and crowded first mile. Mile 1: 744 felt very easy and relaxed but I instantly thought I went out too fast. Or not? Maybe I can do this faster than 8:30 pace?? It was still crowded and I was trying to find my rhythm. I felt a little crowded at times and tried not panic, found some slow song and slowly I started loosening up and feeling chill. Mile 2: 7:51 Really? Still feels easy but looks fast. My left foot (which has never given my trouble!) was hurting like it was gonna snap. I decided that if I saw Juan soon I might drop! Mile 3: 7:43, Okay something is up here, how on earth am I keeping up this speed in Central Park? I had just gone over all the west side hills… Mile 4: 7:53 there’s both climbs in the Harlem hill loop. I started believing a bit. I also told myself who cares I fade out in the second half? At least I got a good 10k workout in!! Low expectations are my thing! Mile 5: 8:36 this is always the fastest one, but I stopped to have a gel because I was completely out of energy. Yes, I do stop to eat. oh well. Mile 6: 7:32, oh hello gel! Mile 7: 7:40 wow, the gel didn’t make sick! Hallelujah! Mile 8: 8:04. Uh, where did my gel go?? I felt like I was empty again and walking. Resorted fast to gel #2. Whatever. Mile 9: 8:25 I felt so slow and tired, and out of energy going up the hills. Mile 10: 7:45, back to gel crack flat zone! Like I could smell the finish line… this is when I started passing every single woman I could spot ahead. Mile 11: 8:14. Not sure, will try to ignore it. Mile 12: 7:42. I latched behind this tall dude who was passing people left and right and ALSO running tangents (it still amazes me how many people do NOT run tangents.. in Central Park!!… in a club points race!!! PEOPLE!). He was pacing perfectly and we were at it together! Mile 13: 7:31. Just passing people left and right. Last bit, at 7:17 pace!

can I point out my beautiful cadence again? ah, I wonder if you can spot the two gels stops in there?

Stats Time!

Finish time: 1:44:33. Average Pace: 7:59

Previous PR: 1:37:35. From: March, 2013

Age Grading: 64.36%

Overall Place: 1006 of 5476

Gender Place: 199 of 2652

Age Place: 24 of 439

– NYRR Grete’s Great Gallop (13.1) race results

It felt easy. It was wonderfully fluid and I never felt like I was working hard (well, maybe I wasn’t!). I wore my Mizuno Wave Sayonara and it seems like I might be wearing them in the marathon next month. I am VERY HAPPY with the run. I never thought I could enjoy a two-loop in Central park marathon, so I guess I had to miss it enough…

Pictures!!!

hello, yes, it’s me, you spotted me!!!

best cheerers get kisses blown to them!

of course you get one too, you just have to be really LOUD

and I still have time to chit chat while I race after I blow kisses!

oh, I will also high five. Gotta cheer the crowds!

Well, if you’re thinking I am not taking this racing thing seriously, well, I was not. But these people topped me:

A couple of cool shots I got… 😉 Thanks Ben Ko, Brian Hsiah, and Juan Becerra, my favorites!

These are from my finish dash… uh, grab yourself (for the speed?!?)

And with my official time of 1:44:33, the WINNER of my Guess My Finish time contest is… RIGHT ON THE BULL’S EYE:

Dave, pick a prize from the list!! And maybe I can take you out for food or a drink when you come for the NYCM next month! ehem… and did you say I get a prize???

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how cool is this? – NYRR Giants Run of Champions 5K

Jul1

2013-06-27 16.55.43

The results from last weekend’s 5K at Giants Stadium. A First place is always pretty ridiculous, but a 1st at a NYRR race is INSANE for me. This one will live with the other 1st AG place award I got this year, so they can strategize (or motivate me?!?). Pretty cool, right?

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Race Report: NYRR Giants Run of Champions 5K

Jun24

As usual, I will be dividing this report in two: The Race (bib pick up, amenities, course, atmosphere, etc.) and My Race below

THE RACE

This was the second year of this 5K, which happens in the NY Giants MetLife Stadium, in NEW JERSEY (I originally signed up for this race because NY and Met sounds to me like the NY Mets Stadium in Queens, ay!). The race has a huge Health Fitness attached to it, and a very family oriented vibe, as there are kids races, and lots of fun activities for everyone to do, like rock climbing and playing on the actual field, so you see a lot of families and first timers. Which always means fun in my book! And it’s out of town… man, I need to get my sports team/geography in check!

2013-06-23 08.07.52

Lots of information on the race here, and lovely pictures: NYRR Giants Run of Champions 5K if you want to get a visual.

Bib Pick Up/Registration. Was a zip as usual. I gave my shirt away as usual, as it was a bit big for my taste, but it was kinda nice:

Transportation to the Race. Well, this is where things got messy for me, even if it was super organized and it went perfect. There were two shuttles from Secaucus Junction to the Stadium (a ten minute trip), one at 7:25 and one at 8:25. So, if I went for the 8:25, it’d get me there at 8:40, corrals close at 8:50 so that wouldn’t leave me enough time to drop my bag, go to the porta-potty, etc, and I do NOT like rushing on race morning. Can’t. So I decided I had to be on the 7:25, which meant leaving in the 7:07 train from Penn Station. Getting to Penn Station from my apartment, mostly at 6 am on a Sunday can be horrible, so I left at like 5:30 (woke up at 5 and was ready super soon) and for some weird reason, today, all was working on time and got there in like 25 minutes (unheard of!!!!). So at 6 am, I was sitting at Herald Square with nothing to do.

All trains and shuttles got everywhere in perfect time. I froze to death in all of them but that’s just my own fault!

Start. Was super organized as usual. I got a ridiculously low number for some weird reason

so I got a few looks and was feeling like such an impostor… but I found some team mates and we stood in the middle of the blue corral. Luckily, I was right in front of the ceremonies so I got to see all the speakers, which included Mary Wittenberg, some football players (Giants?!?!) I didn’t know, and we started to feel the heat… It was 86. Ouch. My skin was sizzling.

Race Atmosphere. Like I said, there was a lot of first timers, even in the blue corral which you never see in a NYRR race! It was so strange, because you’d see the usual familiar faces from the front of the races, and also runners with cameras and spibelts. Loved it. I looked around and there were a few women but not a lot. There were also a lot of the Giants players racing, and lots with the friends/families. Not a lot of support on the course, but enough for a smaller race, in such heat.

Weather. Well, it was HOT. As soon as I started running I felt it. weather.com says 86, feels like 88. I heard it was hotter last year.

The Course. It was good for a 5K, but I am not sure I’d love a 10k there. It was almost completely flat minus one little bump at around 2.5. There were enough turns that you wouldn’t get bored, but not one ounce of shade, we were COOKING! We were mostly running around the stadium through parking lots, so lots of cement

then you get into the stadium for

The Finish Line. And you drop a lap around the stadium, in the field, in the springy grass, with LOTS of people cheering while you try to figure out if you can actually finish or will die a meter from the finish, but then you turn and you see the finish arc, right there in the field… kinda really cool. It makes you sprint a little in heart when your legs can’t.

The Post Race. Lots of events!!! Lots where health related, lots were fun activities. Many many games for the kids. We stayed for a while (the first shuttle out to Secaucus was at 10:45) and I was trying to figure out when the awards ceremony was, turns out I had already missed it. We got some bananas and bagels, hung out for a bit and got some fun in.

MY RACE

I wasn’t sure if I was in sub21 shape but I thought I could do it. It had been over a year since my 21:09 PR and I really wanted to go sub 21… My pace would have to hover around 6:49 to PR and I just did a hilly Central Park 4 miler in 7:00 pace: sub 21 seemed doable…

When I got into the corral with a few of my team mates, I didn’t find anyone I could pace off, they’re all TOO fast. But, I know I can do this, and decided to take it easy on the first mile, because standing there I was already feeling the heat.

As soon the gun goes off, every one sprints for their life. I felt like I was standing and everyone was going so fast! Oy, people, there’s 3 more miles!! Waaait!

But I felt it right away: my race wasn’t there. I had been playing with muscle tension again and I was waaaay too tight: there was not enough springiness there. Oy. Legs felt like lead, even when I had warmed up a bit. Pffff. It is really hard for me to get this right!

Four women passed me on the first half mile. I knew there were more ahead but I kept an eye on the one I had closest, she had a white hat, bu let them all go. I am always conscious not to get sucked into someone else’s pace.

Soon enough, a mile goes by: Mile 1: 6:40. Okaaay, that seems fast, but who knows. Never give up in your head because then your body gives up. I kept telling myself. Also, it hurts but it’s just 20 minutes! You can hurt for four songs!

I got really really really hot after that. I was thirsty and burning. I wouldn’t stop for water, but I grabbed a cup at the first water stop and threw it in my hair and back. That helped… for like 5 seconds! I kept going, hoping to sustain the pace. Mile 2: 6:58. Ah, there we go then, that was it. I knew there was not much left for the last mile. By then I caught up to David and Otto, both way faster than me. Everyone was suffering, and I felt awful for them, as I could hear them trying to breathe. I also caught 3 of the 4 women who had passed me, somehow. Everyone was fading. I was too, but I think I went out a bit more conservative than everyone around me. And then I saw it, a little hill up ahead.. I was dreading it for some seconds, was over it it quick and soon and kept my head down. I didn’t have enough to speed up the last mile but I wasn’t slowing down as much as everyone else around me was. Mile 3: 6:54.

I knew no PR was happening, but at least I wasn’t bleeding speed out on the course. I held my ground tight, forcing myself not to get excited when we got in the stadium, did the last bit in 7:08 pace and finished with my head intact, though breathing like a fish out of water. Man, was I happy to be done. The finish line was amazing though, too bad I had nothing left to sprint with.

Stats:

Finish time: 21:39. Average Pace: 7:00

Previous PR: 21:09. From: July 2013

Age Grading: 69.87%

Overall Place: 162 of 2,993

Gender Place: 11 of 1,281

Age Place: 1 of 206

NYRR Giants Run of Champions 5K, official race results

Worth noting: Wow, I won my age group????!?! With THAT time?!?! See, when they say that half the win is showing up, this is what they are talking about. I guess nobody wanted to wake up at 5 for a 9 am 5K (because that makes no sense). Well, I will definitely take it! My time was super crappy and, besides the mess I made with the muscle tension, and bit of the heat, I am not sure why I didn’t do better. But anyway, just because I won my AG, I am happy!!!!

And the Erica Sara Designs winner to my Guess My Finish time contest is Smith2429 with the closest guess: 21:37!

I can’t believe no one got this one… Smith2429, email me at [email protected] and I will get you set up with ESD!

Next time I’ll be more predictable, I promise!

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Race Report: NYRR Oakley Mini 10K

Jun10

As usual, I will be dividing this report in two: The Race (bib pick up, amenities, course, atmosphere, etc.) and My Race below

THE RACE

The Mini10K is one of the most traditional women’s races in the world, as it was the first race to cater to women. It was the original girl power event, organized by Fred Lebow in 1972, and had Katheryn Switzer and Nina Kuscik, who you usually see invited to the festivities. Tough course, big names, and always running celebrities and traditions in place, it’s one of the nyc races you don’t want to miss! trust me, you don’t.

For more info and some great pictures, check the NYRR Oakley Mini 10K official page (And you can spot me in the photo gallery!)

Bib Pick Up/Registration. Was a zip as usual. I was excited about the shirt, as every year we get a fitted cotton shirt I can (sometimes) wear to work, but this time, given the new Oakley sponsorship, we got tent tank tops. I call them tents because I got the smallest size they had (an S) and it was enormous for me. It’s on the “give away” pile. Sad. I had liked it!!!!

Start. Was super organized. I always get stuck in lines in these big races but these one felt like a small race..?!?! I had no problems getting to my corral, to a portapotty, all super easy, even if my nerves were expecting all of the opposite. Luckily, my corral (blue) was right in front of the ceremonies so I got to see all the speakers, which included Mary Wittenberg, some triathlete I didn’t know (was just told by my Ironman boyfriend that it was Jenny Fletcher) Desi Davila and…

Who better to kick off the morning than running legend Nina Kuscsik, co-founder of the original “Mini” in 1972 (along with Kathrine Switzer and the late great Fred Lebow)? “Look how far we’ve come,” Kuscsik said into the mic. “It’s great to see you all out here.” Toshiko d’Elia, an 83-year-old masters age-group winner, joined Kuscsik and Mary Wittenberg to wish everyone good luck at the start; she had her 1978 Mini shirt with her.

Chilling. This race always gets to me: Girl Power!!!

Race Atmosphere.

Like I said… it’s so friendly in there, at least until the gun goes off and then it’s elbows up. Just kidding. or am? I am! I am!! I saw a lot of my team-mates there, Lora of LVrunsnyc.com, everyone was in there in the blue corral an we were all hugging! We chatted, got excited that all the race elites were a meter away (SO crazy)…

we were right behind that timing mat, yes, THAT close.

Also, it always smells better in the corral in a women’s race. I wonder…

The NYRR photographer got a pic of Michelle, Elke, and I (gallery here!) and soon, we’d be on our way!

nyrr oakley mini 10k dashing whippets front runners

Photo Credit: NYRR, from their gallery. And, of course I wear lipstick to a race!!

Weather. Well, I’ve done the Mini10K seven times and this was the best ever. By FAR. It’s usually in high 70s or even mid 80s with humidity. Always the humidity fro some reason. It must have been 62 or 64, that is usually hot for me, but for the Mini, that was the best weather in… ever. Sun came out and people said they felt the humidity in the last miles. I was just happy it wasn’t as bad usual 😉 Low expectations help!!

The Course. Well, I think it’s one of the roughest 10ks you can do. Seriously hurtful. Elevation profiles are here if you feel like reliving the pain or wonder if you dare. It’s such a tricky race… you start in a mile long straightaway where everyone usually takes out too fast. I promise you, 94% of the people, are going too fast and WILL fade. Never look around!! As soon as you get in the park, there’s a hill, there another climb, then a mountain, then everest. No, I don’t think I am exaggerating. For some reason, this race didn’t feel too crowded for me. I was running comfortable and usually around the same people. My only issue is that NO ONE around me was running tangents. Ahem girls, seriously? There was some serious cheering on CP West, on Engineer’s Gate and at 72nd tranverse, but most of the park was quiet. Loved it.

The Finish Line. Fun to go through and no crowding. We got medals, flowers, bananas, bagels and water. I was able to meet up with some friends right there and catch up.

The Post Race. There was a line, loooong line, for picture taking?? We spotted Desi Davila in the Oakleys tent!

Kirby, Desi Davila, and me

We stayed for the raffles and team pictures… I won nothing, how is that possible. It was such a gorgeous day to stay in the park so Kirby, Juan and I walked back to the UES. I love this race.

MY RACE

I wasn’t sure how I’d do but having done a 10K a month before in 44:32 I knew I would try to go sub 45. This course was harder so I was sure I wouldn’t PR. Actually, it’s not that this course is just harder, it’s that this race always leaves me weeping. It’s just hard. And hilly.

I woke up already serious and with a will kill you if you talk face so the boyfriend knew to stay out of the way and did a wonderfully supportive act. I had my coffee, nothing else, and took the bus downtown to 57th and walked west. By the time I got there, I found a portapotty, did my thing, had a cup of water, which was ALL the fuel I had in me (plus/minus the coffee I had and already got rid of), kissed him and went to the corral.

I found a lot of people on my way, it was cheery and fun and everyone was smiling and relaxed. Is this not the hardest 10K ever? I guess I was the only one dreading it… Well.

I wore my mizunos sayonaras, as usual, love those shoes. It was in the 60s so just booty shorts and bra, this is too hot for singlet and I really have no shame. I know, I am older and should hide some stuff/care but whatevers, this is me.

I got the the blue corral, got photographed, heard the opening speeches, and was ready to go. I think, for the first time ever, I knew what I had to do: Hold it!!!

Running on Central Park West (thanks Ben Ko for always taking amazing pictures!)

Mile 1 is always rough, people go out like CRAZY. Seriously. And I made that mistake in every of each Mini I did before. Focus, stay down: 7:09. Nice slow opening. As soon as we enter the park there is a hill, then another. It gets really tricky and a few of us kept pacing each other: 7:03, so I am starting to warm up. Then we climb and we climb and there is no one to cheer there (other than Helen, thanks for being there and the pictures!)

I was really sweating so I had to put the glassed and headband DOWN! (Thanks Helen!)

I was really sweating so I had to put the glasses and headband DOWN! (Thanks Helen!)

It starts to sink in: 7:09. This is all great but this is the part where the wheels come off. Always. This time, even if I couldn’t stop it, I held my ground: 7:38. It really could have been worse, I thought.

Now: 1, it starts hurting, and 2, I start pushing. Both, of course.

Mile 5 is 6:58, I got this. I start feeling ok but I know I can’t get excited and mess this up now: it’s too early! Mile 6: 7:03.

nyrr oakley mini 10k running central park ny

Going up on the last 50 meters! Can’t believe I blocked Mary Wittenberg with my hand!!!! Uffff (thanks Ben Ko for the fabo picture!)

And the last bit in 6:49 pace. I guess I had some in there, even up another hill!!!

Stats:

Finish time: 44:46. Average Pace: 7:13

Previous PR: 44:32. From: May, 2013

Age Grading: 69.25%

Overall/Gender Place: 207 of 5595

Age Place: 27 of 925

NYRR Oakley Mini 10K, official race results

Worth noting: I am getting this pacing thing right, I think. A 10k is Central Park is always brutal, in any direction, and I don’t think I messed this one up!

Fun at the finish line:

Pink Bling

Kettia and I!

Juan, who cheered from west to east to west, and caught me when I finished!

yes, those are my shorts: NO shame!

Whippets who Raced

So, get ready for this. Sit down. Because the Mini is a ladies race, the men in my team have nothing to do but cheer… so cheer they did… Are you sitting down?

One of us is wearing a skirt

Right? I love this race! ~~(as much as I hate the racing a 10k in Central Park part itself)~~. It’s always a riot. Glad we have nice weather and soooooo much fun on the course. And… get ready, ladies will be cheering this next weekend at this Sunday’s nyrr race… it’s on.

And the Garmin winner to my Guess My Finish time contest is MN Slow Runner, who guessed exactly 44:46, but there were SO many people who were super close!

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Race Report: NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon

May20

After having PRed like a maniac at the NYC Half two months ago, I set this one as my next goal, but.. I didn’t really train seriously… here’s what happened!

Brooklyn Half Marathon, official page

THE RACE

Bib Pick Up/Registration. It was amazing!!!! Best “expo” EVER, though they weren’t calling it an expo, it was more like a pre-race-party, like a fair, or outdoor sports party.. or something. There was live music, djays, food vendors, a bit of shopping, and nice views of the city. If I didn’t have scheduled just 2 hours for that, I would have stayed there all night!

2013-05-16 22.29.24

Getting there. Was a pretty easy on the 5:06 am 4 train, but it was running local so it took a bit longer than I planned. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded and we got there wit enough time (which meant we woke up at 4 am!). Then it was just a quick 5 minute walk to bagagge which looked like the airport. Corrals were just two blocks away. It was super clean and easy. Pretty much all runners in the train, minus this guy

Oy.

Start. Super organized. Lots of security. I love when we have the portapotties IN the corrals. No stress waiting in the lines, perfect.

2013-05-18 06.00.19

Race Atmosphere. The race is huge but still it felt like fun. You had everything, from Kim Smith, to runners on tutus. It was very relaxed and fun at the start. In a way, it felt like a small town race… I know, it makes no sense!

Safety. There was security all over the place. Baggage was inspected at tons of tables before you could drop it (no lines!).

Weather. It was in the 60s and I thought it would be hot… It wasn’t. Actually, it was perfect. It was overcast so without the sun, we did pretty well. I did throw a bunch of water cups on me, which made me freeze after I finished, but the weather never really bothered me.

The Course. Is… interesting. There are a couple of hills in the first half, and then flat or downhill past mile 6. You REALLY have to negative split here or you did something wrong. Good course to PR in, though for some reason, I never seem PR here… There is the one hill in prospect park, which is not that steep but seems to last foreeeever (elevation profile is here). There can be way too much sun after you leave the park, but luckily it was overcast.

The Finish Line. the best part! You have around 400 meters to run on the boardwalk and it gets loud and crowded, even before 9 am! They had medals, pretzels, apples and gatorade+water. There were a few blocks walk until we got to baggage but it was super organized and easy. Really nice medal, just like last year too!

2013-05-18 10.28.54

The Post Race. Well, this was the first time I didn’t stay for long. I was freezing and Nathan’s was closed (and I really wanted a hot dog, damit!). My team had planned a beach day and I knew I’d froze if I sat in the sand.. so we just left, which is was most people did: trains were packed (and smelly!). PS: I met everyone in the train!

MY RACE

Well, I really I had no idea what to expect. Having PRed lately I knew I’d do okay but I wasn’t sure I was in the same shape I was in March when I PRed at the NYC Half… I had been training but, there was a ~~tiny~~ big fat issue… I’ve put on around 10 pounds since March. I have been having fun and eating and lot and enjoying life so I will not complain ~~a lot~~, but come race day, you totally feel it! After a few miles, it gets heavy… Yeah, but Oh well. LIFE IS SHORT! (and my shorts were tiiiiight!). On the other hand, I again wore my brand new Mizuno Wave Sayonara, LOVE them.

I did race super smart so I know I couldn’t have done better. I started slow and my last miles were a romp. I actually spotted Julie in my corral and we started together. I wasn’t sure we were the same pace but we run the first three miles together, and then she took off. I’d see her in the uphills or turns, 100 or 50 yards ahead of me, but that gap was way to big for me to even try to get to her. I decided to let her go, and forgot about it. The first two miles we run were quite smart and slow. The third one, a downhill, was deliciously fast, the we got in the park and got back to a regular modest pace. Then the climb, which I took really easy… Once I left the park, I really wanted to hit the gas but I wasn’t sure there was much there, so I kept it conservative for a while. At around mile 9 I spotted Julie ahead again, closer, when I was following a guy I had been chasing for the last mile. I run with her for a few seconds and kept going. I was already pushing and wasn’t sure I’d have enough but I knew I was close to my PR so I got hopeful and really tried!

can I point out my beautiful cadence again?

Stats!

Finish time: 1:38:29. Average Pace: 7:32

Previous PR: 1:37:35. From: March, 2013

Age Grading: 68.32%

Overall Place: 2,384 of 21,378

Gender Place: 356 of 10,563

Age Place: 33 of 1,567

– Brooklyn Half Marathon, official race results

I am VERY HAPPY with the race I run. I was not in shape to PR but I know I used all I had in the most efficient way. It was as close to perfect pacing as I could have done.

How do I know?

Well, I compared it to last year’s race, same course, which I did in 1:43, an avg pace of 7:55, still my first mile then was 7:30! this time, it was a SLOW 7:49 (for a 7:32 avg!). Last year, my last 3 miles were around my average pace. Here, they were 10 to 15 seconds faster than my average. See? A great improvement!!!!

ALSO, I compared it to the pacing of the women who finished around my same time… you should do this sometime!! Check out the difference in pacing (I am the one on top in italics). Check how most of them took a bit longer than me to finish, but crossed the 5K and/or 10K earlier than me (the first aka hardest part of the course). By 15K I was the last one of the five. Quite revealing, isn’t it?

Net Time	5K	10K	15K	20K	Pace Per Mile
1:38:29	0:23:31	0:47:45	1:10:57	1:33:34	7:32
1:38:40	0:22:54	0:46:35	1:09:53	1:33:16	7:32
1:38:46	0:23:33	0:47:25	1:10:49	1:33:55	7:33
1:38:59	0:23:06	0:46:47	1:09:54	1:34:09	7:34
1:39:02	0:22:45	0:46:13	1:09:47	1:33:56	7:34

So, eventually, after years and years… you start trusting yourself and you know how to pace efficiently and smart. Not an easy feat, at least for me, but I am feeling good about this one. Now, if I could ever get my need for fun and delicious food under control, I think could do great things and go faster, but.. WHO ARE WE KIDDING?

and here is the link to my 2014 Brooklyn Half Marathon Report and Pictures!

–

And the winner to my Guess My Finish time contest is Mr. Tim Emmet, just 3 seconds away, who said: 1:38:32 because it will be a little warm. Good luck! —Worth noting also, njpaleo said 1:38:25, FOUR secouds away… CRAZY.

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Race Report: Bronx Community College, 35th Annual Hall of Fame 10K & 5K Runs

May6

After I decided to run this race just two days before, I was on a quest for information about this race all over the web. Course had some hills, seemed easy to get to, and a “smaller” race. I am dividing this post into a race description first (in case someone wants to run it next year), and my own race after. Here is what happened.

Bronx Community College, 35th Annual Hall of Fame 10K & 5K Runs

THE RACE

Getting there. Was a zip. The 4 train got me there super fast. We were distracted so totally lost so I missed our stop but got right back on the train and it was fine. A 10 minute walk after the train would get us right on Registration! Also, I got to see the Bronx College campus which was pretty nice! Who knew?!?

Registration. Races were supposed to start at 10, registration would close at 9:30, and I still had go register, so I got there before 9. Day-off registration took two seconds. Preregistered people had a LONG line. I paid my $30, got a cotton tshirt and was set in a second!

Start. Ommm. It seems like they had a huge amount of people registering, or something, so they were waiting for them ALL to get to the start…. We were supposed to start at 10 and we were waiting and waiting by the start. It was starting to get hot too. We finally started at 10:42, I kid you not. I don’t like waiting.

Race Atmosphere. Lovely! It was a community run and walk so a lot of the local people were there, besides the College President, the local Representative, and all their families. They’ve been doing this race for (I heard!) 26 years (I hope I am close!) so it was a lot of local flavor, people in colorful outfits, lots of Van Cortland team runners, very much fun.

Safety. Something else I need to get used to. Police, safety course and NYPD Counterterrorism all over the place. Waiting for the starts, the bf and I sat down in a bench, there was a shopping bag there. A NYPD Counterterrorism officer asked us if that bag was ours, it wasn’t. He went through it, it had new balance shoes. He told the race officer to announce that people needed to check their bags at registration. My bf got looks while waiting for me, he does look like a mean guy though! 😉

The Course. Was rough for me. It starts with a huge downhill, which you have to climb on your last half mile again. There were a bunch of hills. You’re running mostly on the Grand Concourse, a wide-avenue/highway with no shade or spectators. It was hilly, quiet and HOT. It was around 55 and I was hot half mile in, and got a sunburn. It is also not a crowded race so there was not a lot of people to chase down. Very quiet, not what I am used to.

The Finish Line. Fabulous bagels, bananas and volunteers. There was a lot of space to hang out in the sun, fun people, not crazy crowded. We had a good time chatting people up!

The Post Race Ceremonies. Also late. Pfff. There was a lot of waiting around in this race. But it was a super nice ceremony. They were doing top three in AG and top 3 overall. For the 5K and 10K. And everybody spoke. It was really nice.

MY RACE

Well, I didn’t feel like I was in my best shape (and, ehem, weight) but felt like I could PR as my PR was a 45:30 from June 2011, the Mini10K I run with the tutu, at a 7:20 pace. I thought I could improve on that and do around 7:10 to 7:15. I looked at the course, looked okish, not super fast but not scary either. I was getting nervous with the looong wait (we started 42 minutes later!) and hot. Really wanted to ditch the singlet but I was too lazy to unpin the bib, so I kept it.

We finally go and I counted the women ahead of me on the first turn: 4.

The course starts with a brutal downhill, and being all upfront like that usually throws off my pace.

The red line is the elevation, look at the first and last half miles, yuk.

So, I know I am going too fast, but there is little I can do to stop it. There are a few turns and soon we’re on the Grand Concourse, along with the 5K runners and the walkers are behind us. As soon as I hit the first mile, I had passed one lady, and one girl passed me. Gutsy move, more power to you! I knew I was still fourth.

Soon enough, we hit the 5K turn and then the 10K turn. A lot of runners left us here so I knew now who I had ahead and who in the front. It was a tough 3.5 miles there though. It was lonely, quiet, and very very sunny. Really, very HOT. I really wanted to drink but I’d never dare drink on a 10k, I just can’t. But I hadn’t had a sip of water that morning, stooopid move. Mile 3 and 4 were tough, but I felt I was doing all I could.

Actually, at mile 1 I had turned the music off. After last week’s snafu race where I forgot my GPS/music watch, I decided it might be easier to monitor my effort without the music. Just turned it off. So weird to not miss it.

Really, after mile 3 I was gearing up and dreading the last half mile climb. Ugh.

Not the happiest face in the last 200 meters, but I think I managed to keep some momentum going. The last mile, when we merged back on the main course, got tough. The walkers were coming back and we had to go around a few of them. I didn’t have all the brain and leg power on me for that, but I had no choice. Though I think my heavy breathing scared a few of them out of the way, sorry!

I was done in, unofficially, 44:32. A one whole minute PR, 7:11 average pace (4:27 in kilometers), 69.60 Age Grading.

CRAZY. Official results are not up yet, so I’ll add those here when I get them. But, wow, still.

I was hot and thirsty and dry heaving for a bit, but it was done. I knew I was 4th overall (though some could have been 5K runners), but the AG I wasn’t sure… it’d be 30 to 39 age group and I am 38… right at the end of it. Still, even if I knew it’d run late, we decided to stick around!

Wow, was it a surprise when they called out he awards. I had the 1st place in the 30 to 39. CRAZY. CRAZY.

Well, that was one good morning (minus the racing part! ha!). Everybody was super happy and friendly, and I got a humongous trophy and a sunburn! My next 10K is in a month, in Central Park, we shall see… 😉

EDITED: official results for the Bronx Community College, 35th Annual Hall of Fame 10K & 5K Runs are here.

runningandthecity

and by "the city", I mean NYC.

Tag Archive | ny racing

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Sunday Morning

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Pre-Marathon, at the Media Events!

Post-Marathon, on Monday at the Winner’s Conference!

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