Hello! Welcome to Summer...when I am forget to write blog posts because I am too busy doing summery things like going to the beach running in the rain.
This weekend brought my blog's namesake to full force as Saturday involved running shoes, trains and planes on my way from New York City to Toronto.
First up, the NYRR Mini 10k. I had crashed at my friend Emily's the night before and after some proper carb loading with salads and 16 Handles, was up early to make my way to Central Park for my first NYRR event of the year.
Yes, I said first. I'd be perfectly content if the only other NYRR race I run this year is the NYC Marathon. After running 9 of them last year, I need a break from paying to run in Central Park.
The race...sucked. It did last year too. I think I'm hanging my hat and officially retiring from the 10k distance...or maybe I should run a flat 10k rather than the 3 I've done which have all been notoriously hilly and plagued by heat and humidity.
I didn't really sleep well the night before and was absolutely exhausted at the start. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good in the first few miles and pushed through. I didn't have a goal for this race but I thought a PR would be easy, given that I was much more in shape for this year's race than I was for last year's.
The Harlem Hills were much more difficult than usual. The humidity at the top of those hills was pretty brutal and I found myself out of breath on the descent. The tough part of Central Park's northernmost hills is that while, after the first hill, there's a pretty significant descent but after the second, the terrain just kind of evens out. Mile 4 was my slowest mile but I was happy to have been able to keep the pace sub-9.
When we got to the last mile and a half or so, it was so humid, I just wanted to be done. I knew that my 10k PR from last year's Mini was in the 53 range and I was coming up on that. I crossed in 53:50...14 seconds off my PR. What bummed me out about it was that my Garmin measured 6.32...which would have given me that PR, but unfortunately Garmin distance doesn't count and running the tangents in Central Park is almost impossible.
But hey, at least I got a sweet medal out of the deal...and some popsicles...and the chance to hang out with some sweet runner girls.
Post-race, after hanging out in the park with the lovely running/blogging ladies of New York City, we made out way over to Whym for brunch. I had just enough time to down a Bloody Mary and some fruit before making my way to Penn Station to catch a train to the airport before boarding my flight to Toronto. Brunch was short and sweet but it was great to see everyone and rehash all of our race stories.
Next up on the blog: Adventures in Toronto.
Have you ever raced a 10k? How do you feel about the distance? Am I the only one who would rather run a Half than a 10k any day of the week?
This weekend brought my blog's namesake to full force as Saturday involved running shoes, trains and planes on my way from New York City to Toronto.
First up, the NYRR Mini 10k. I had crashed at my friend Emily's the night before and after some proper carb loading with salads and 16 Handles, was up early to make my way to Central Park for my first NYRR event of the year.
Yes, I said first. I'd be perfectly content if the only other NYRR race I run this year is the NYC Marathon. After running 9 of them last year, I need a break from paying to run in Central Park.
The race...sucked. It did last year too. I think I'm hanging my hat and officially retiring from the 10k distance...or maybe I should run a flat 10k rather than the 3 I've done which have all been notoriously hilly and plagued by heat and humidity.
I didn't really sleep well the night before and was absolutely exhausted at the start. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good in the first few miles and pushed through. I didn't have a goal for this race but I thought a PR would be easy, given that I was much more in shape for this year's race than I was for last year's.
The Harlem Hills were much more difficult than usual. The humidity at the top of those hills was pretty brutal and I found myself out of breath on the descent. The tough part of Central Park's northernmost hills is that while, after the first hill, there's a pretty significant descent but after the second, the terrain just kind of evens out. Mile 4 was my slowest mile but I was happy to have been able to keep the pace sub-9.
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| Let's talk about a little thing called consistency, shall we? This is probably the most consistent run I've ever done. Well except for Madrid...which doesn't count since I bonked at Mile 20. |
But hey, at least I got a sweet medal out of the deal...and some popsicles...and the chance to hang out with some sweet runner girls.
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| I'm loving the "RUN FOR LIFE" motto on on the back |
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| Jocelyn, Celia, Susan and Christine Photo courtesy of Christine, taken by Kevin |
Next up on the blog: Adventures in Toronto.
Have you ever raced a 10k? How do you feel about the distance? Am I the only one who would rather run a Half than a 10k any day of the week?
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Awesome job! I love the 10K distance but it is tiring trying to push yourself to go a little faster over a shorter distance. The half is my favorite though :)
ReplyDelete10K is my favorite race distance since my "default" workout when I'm not training for something is 6 miles.
ReplyDeleteNice medals! I ran the Mini in 2009 and my medal is so cheap-looking in comparison.
I used to really hate 10Ks and while they still aren't my favorite, I've learned to kind of love them. It takes a discipline and mental fortitude to race a 10K well, as well as loving yourself some pain :) The 10K is a hard distance, I think, because its sort of "in between" - not short and not long. And, hey, it's the only time I do something of that length running faster without stopping (ie I never do on tempos) so it's good for something :)
ReplyDeleteI am racing a 10K (well, in my case, "running") next week, and I am not looking forward to it whatsoever. Oy.
ReplyDeleteOh no, so close! I;m definitively better with half and full than I am with the shorter distances. My worse race distance are 5ks, they just plain hurt!
ReplyDeleteI ran my first 10K this year and it wasn't too bad--I want to run a Half next year!! I think being consistent with your running is so great, that's where I'm really lacking. But I haven't gotten to the point of running everyday like I used to and I really need to change that so I can get my time better.
ReplyDeleteStill, you did a great job and should be proud of the time!!!! Congrats!!!
I hate 10k so much. We ran a similar race actually. I hated the entire thing as well if it is any consolation!
ReplyDeleteI hate 10ks. Seeing as I run the same pace in a half as a 10k I figure I might as well take the half because its better to go farther at the same pace. Interestingly for 5ks I can then go faster. The 10k is just evil basically. I don't really have anything intelligent to say on this matter so I will stop rambling...Just know you are not alone :)
ReplyDeleteyou did an awesome job on the race! I don't think you should hang your head on this 10K. You were 14 secconds off your PR...if you weaved through lots of people it might have been different! So don't worry about it!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I was actually going strong until the last mile, and I really started to lose my edge. I do not do well with humidity and heat, so this was tough from the get go...I even took a gel because my blood sugar was getting low since my toast with pb! Alas, I was two minutes off the pr...which begs the question...how did I get my pr 3 years ago when I was NOT as trained?!
ReplyDeleteI actually really like the 10K distance! I don`t know what it is. Maybe it`s because I love to run the Toronto 10K`s where you run down Yonge Street and it is pretty much a downhill race.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Toronto! I can`t wait to see what you get upto!