For Spring Break, we decided to “invite” ourselves on “What about Bob’s?” family trip. It just so happens that they were headed to New York City to see the sights. Coach and I love cities and decided that New York City would be a great diversion. Whenever I travel I look for races to run in the area. Fortunately, the New York Road Runners had scheduled the 15k Colon Cancer Run in Central Park. I was very excited about the opportunity to actually race in Central Park…another cool goal in my life.
Only in New York City would the race be scheduled for a very mature start time of 10:15am. This gave us time to sleep in (after a long night of fun) and fuel with a banana and a double tall cappuccino! Bob, Coach and I arrived to the “expo” for the race where the organizers had thoughtfully set up a human colon to walk through before the race. If only I had a picture!
After we got our race packet we headed over to the “Balto” statue to hide from the cold wind and pay our respects to the canine endurance athlete. Race time approached and I decided to hit the port a potty one more pathetic time. What is it about guys not locking the door. Nothing like getting a full view of a hairy ass before the race! I love when they get pissed at me for walking in because they failed to lock the door!
Finally race time! We got to see Mary Wittenberg start the pre-race welcome. The race was much bigger than I anticipated and we were unable to line up on the road with our corresponding pace per mile. After the race started, we just waited to step over the small fence and get in the street to start running. At that point we were behind some slower people and just had to try and pick our way through. I finally gave up and decided to save my energy for the actual running.
My plan was to try and average 8:30 per mile pace for the first five miles. I anticipated the wind and the hills would slow me down. The last 4.3 miles I would have a gel (I found a double espresso Clif packed into my bag) and try to “race” in to the end. The bad news…I started out way too fast. We clipped along with a 7:42 first mile. To say I was surprised was a mild understatement. I “tapered” the day before the race by not running and trying to keep up with Coach who had me walk at least 10 miles around NYC. To say my calves were trashed was an understatement.
I decided to slow down the pace a bit. I had my Garmin 305 on and focused on keeping my pace under 8:30 and my heart rate about 170. What about Bob stayed with me…a first. Periodically he would run ahead and take some photos. The little bastard would then take off and pass me. Sometimes he would shoot video!
At mile 5 we surprised Coach by arriving early at the end of the first loop. Bob and I had decided it was time to shed our coats and threw them at Coach as we passed. The last four miles was time to race. We both started to pick up the pace and Bob picked it up a bit more. My goal was to keep my heart rate below 180 and do the work.
Between the sun, the park and the energy of the runners, I was amazed to be actually racing in Central Park. I felt grateful to be a part of it all. I was also grateful to experience a very well run race…plenty of water, every mile marked with a clock and excellent direction.
Overall I had an excellent race…my fastest ever: Why? Two things. First, my biking "injury." I really focused on my running. A minimum of 30 minutes per day in December and an hour a day in January. Second, I implemented quality workouts. I had signed up for an excellent off season program at endurancenation.us. Even though I could not complete the program (a first for me), I totally implemented the principles of doing the work. I also reread Jack Daniels new edition of his revered book and implemented his principles with my new Garmin 305.
The only rough spot? The week before I had biked three hours and then had a 30 minute brick run. I ran through a construction area and did not see an exposed root. I tripped, tried to use my hands as a break (much to the glee of the band aid company) and flipped over to avoid further injury. I knocked the wind out of myself and landed in construction mud from the shoulders down. My family greeted me at the end of my run with laughter and no pity whatsoever. No wonder I love them. That night I realized I had bruised my back rib. Coughing, sneezing and laughing became painful.
During the race deep breaths up the hill (or the attractive but necessary habit of blowing snot) added to my pain! Having my heart rate strap wrapped around my ribs seemed to help “support” them.
Again, Bob amazed me (he finished 23rd in out of 93 men) and I loved sharing this experience with him and Coach. Another great adventure! The details...did I mention my PR????
Run, Bike, Swim, Live, Laugh, Love
