Race Report: New York City Runs Ice Cream Social 10K

I've been in New York for over a week now, but this is the first chance I've really had to post, as my days have been spent in the archives and my evenings have been spent either catching up with NYC friends or working on a few odds and ends related to a service project. I also didn't have internet access in the apartment where I was staying last week so I am behind on reading and commenting. I'll try to do some catching up in the next few days. Yesterday I ran a 10K over on Roosevelt Island, which was super quaint. After a week of thunderstorms and deluges, we had a day of blue skies and relatively low humidity, so the conditions were pretty much perfect for a day in late May.

View from the tram

A friend and I had both signed up for this race so we met on the Upper East Side and took the tram over to the island together. Due to being a failure at being organized, I had to pick up my packet before the race, and my one complaint about the race and/or its organization was the packet pick-up line was probably the slowest moving line I've ever been in, and, since the 5K started 30 minutes before the 10K race, about 20 minutes before the start of the 5K, the organizer let all the 5K runners jump to the front of the line. Eventually I got my bib. My friend and I headed over to use the portapotties and then to the race start, where we agreed to run our own races and meet at the end.

Before the start

The course was a no-frills double loop around the island and was the flattest course I've run in a while. I didn't really have any goals going into this race. I hadn't done any speed work for the past five weeks, as I had tapered for Vancouver, taken a zero week, and had gently eased back into running over the past couple of weeks. I thought that it might be possible for me to break 62 minutes if everything went perfectly, and for awhile I thought I might have it. Unfortunately, my lack of conditioning and the relative heat of the day (I have only run in temperatures above 40F four times since March) caught up to me in the final couple of miles. My splits were 9:31, 9:43, 10:13, 10:17, 11:02, 11:23, and 1:40. After a couple of cups of water and a popsicle and cheering for the award winners, including a 9 year old who had torn the course up, we made our way back to the tram and then headed back to our respective sides of the park.

It was my friend's first 10K and she smoked it. Her goal was to finish in under an hour, and she finished in under 56 minutes. I was impressed! I might even be a little jealous, as just last summer I ran at a faster pace than she typically did. Have you ever been envious of a friend's running improvement? U.S. friends, did you race on Memorial Day?

Race Report: Run For Beans 10K

This week's regular training Monday post schedule has been interrupted to bring you a race report. On Saturday I ran the Run For Beans 10K. I went into this local race with modest goals; they were to run the entire race without walking and to beat my most recent 10K time (1:04:27). I figured that beating this time would help to give me some confidence, as that 10K time was what I posted last fall in Mankato when I was in better cardiovascular shape than I am now but ran conservatively due to an ITB injury.

When I got up on Saturday morning, I almost just turned around and went back to bed. Followers of my 365 blog might guess that the reason for this was that it was snowing. I was a little bit concerned about the trails being slick and uncertain about going forward because I haven't run in wintry conditions  since last February. I ultimately decided, though, that I really wanted to do the race. M. dropped me off at the race location headquarters, and I picked up my bib, drank a little coffee, chatted with a couple of other runners, and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone.

Before long, it was time to head down to the trail and race. The start was a bit chaotic and it was hard to hear the announcement to start and for a little bit I wasn't sure if I had started with the other 10K runners or with the 5K. Fortunately, I started at the right time. The snow flurries had more or less stopped and the ground was warm enough that the trail was clear with the exception of some puddles and some slippery muck on the bridges. My plan was to try to maintain about a 10:00/mile for the first 3 miles and then evaluate. I hoped that I might be able to negative split, but I didn't quite get there. The course was an out and back on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which I've run on a couple of times. It was absolutely beautiful with all of the colorful foliage and the occasional vistas of the estuaries that were especially nice as the sky started to clear up. I wish I had photos, but I didn't want to stop running in order to take them. There were a few gradual hills, but only one at the end that was really annoying.

View from the Coastal Trail at a Different Spot on a Different Day

I settled more or less into a groove, where I felt like I was pushing myself but not so hard that I wouldn't be able to maintain the effort. I passed a number of people and got passed by some others. I felt strong and in the zone for almost the entire race. I ran the entire time. I allowed myself to take in the views and appreciate running my first local race here on a somewhat bizarre but beautiful September morning. Near the finish, I heard Bailey barking behind me and realized that M. and Bailey were running up behind me. M. tried to pass me so that he could get to the finish ahead of me to take pictures, but then a hill happened and he gave up on that plan. After I crested the last (and only incredibly annoying) hill, I tried to turn the speed on and finish strong, and I did pass another runner right at the finish. My chip time was 1:03:02 -- almost 90 seconds faster than my last 10K and only about 20 seconds over my 10K PR! According to my Garmin, my splits for 6.3 miles were: 9:49, 10:02, 10:01, 10:16, 10:07, 10:02, and 2:47.

M. and Bailey met back up with me at the finish. I went back into the local restaurant where registration had been held to pick up my jacket and my swag and grabbed a couple of pastries for later. The hard effort had made me feel like food might not be a good idea right away, so I didn't take advantage of the wider spread of foodstuffs. About an hour later, though, I was ravenous and ate a multi-course lunch.

Accomplishing my race goals for this local 10K gave me something good to say here -so huzzah for that! - and the race was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the Zombie half-marathon that's on the same trail here in a couple of weeks.

My plan for this next week is:

Monday - scheduled yoga.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles hills.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy

Thursday - scheduled 3 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled yoga.

What are your thoughts on racing in ice and snow? How do you feel about 10Ks?

Race Report: Mankato 10K

Yesterday morning I ran a 10K in Mankato. Because I haven't run much in the past few weeks and because I was sick earlier in the week, I really didn't have any expectations for this race. I just wanted to have a good time and make it across the finish line. While I didn't PR (or even really come that close to doing so), I had an amazing time, ran a progressive run with no hip pain, and felt my love for running rekindle during the second half of the race.

The 10K was one of several races put on in Mankato this weekend. The Mankato Marathon was in its second year and, having run the half-marathon last year, I could tell that a number of improvements had been made to the race, and the number of participants had at least doubled. On Friday there was a 5K and a Kids' 1K run that around 250 children participated in. The Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10K races all started at the Minnesota State University parking lots. Last year all three events started at the same time and the field was pretty crowded at the start. This year the 10K started a half hour earlier. The good thing about that was that opened up the field for running. The bad thing about it was that I didn't get to see many of my 13.1 and 26.2 peeps before the race started.

The weather was perfect for running - chilly and clear without any wind to speak of. I was freezing as I lined up and waited for the race to start, but fortunately I had timed it well and only had to wait for a few minutes. Before long the gun fired and we were off. My plan was to start out slowly and walk if I needed to. I hadn't run for a week because of illness, and I didn't want to overdo it and end up with a reinjured IT Band.  I was enjoying myself, smiling and thanking volunteers and occasionally chatting with other runners. This part of the course went from the university through some residential neighborhoods and there were some spectators out cheering. There were a few challenging inclines, but nothing as hilly as I know the marathoners faced.  Around mile 3 or so the course went downhill for about half a mile. I coasted down hill and chatted with a runner from Iowa who was running her first 10K for a few minutes.

Right before the mile 4 marker, a family in an SUV drove by twice, honking and cheering. This definitely put some pep into my step. I had already sped up a bit, but I realized then that my hip felt fine. My lungs felt pretty good, too. I decided to speed it up and see if I couldn't pick off some other runners. (This was less about being competitive with them than giving me little goals to shoot for.) Even though I was Garminless and watchless, I could tell by feel that I had dropped my pace from something close to an 11 min/mile to something closer to a 9 min/mile for the last two miles. The 10K, half, and full all ended in downtown Mankato and rather than rounding a corner into the finish this year, it was a straight shot. Runners could see the finish from quite a distance away. I thought this was an excellent change to the course because I could gauge exactly when I should gun it for my final kick. I finished in 1:04:27 -- like I said, not a PR, but a fun race and a progressive run for me. 

After making my way through the finishers' chute and getting some water and some post-race snacks, I met up with M. and Bailey (who had made some friends). I did some stretching, used a washroom, and got a cup of coffee.  Then I made my way back to the last stretch before the finish to wait for the half-marathoners to start finishing. I missed the first place male half-marathoner, but I got to see the second finisher and the first female half-marathoner speeding her way toward the finish. There were also some 10K runners still coming in, including a shampoo bottle. Happily, I got to see several of my half-marathon running friends. After about an hour, though, I decided I was getting too cold, and that we should get headed toward home.  I wish I had been able to stay for the marathoners to finish, as three of my friends finished their first marathons yesterday, but I am traveling this week and I need to try to stay healthy.

It was a fun time and a great event. The volunteers were plentiful and friendly. The swag was pretty good, and it seems like some of the first-time kinds of organizational kinks were worked out from last year. I'm not sure where my next fall marathon will be, but Mankato is a possibility.

How was your weekend? Any races? PRs? Autumn camping or hiking trips?

Injury Recovery Update and a Race Decision

This weekend I was able to do a 4 mile run.  I had more or less decided that if I could get through a 4 mile run without any pain that I would plan to go ahead and run the 10K that I am registered for next weekend. Going into the run I was cautiously optimistic.

I got up Saturday and met with my running group, which meets up with an even larger group of local runners on Saturdays. Most of them were doing 8 or 9 miles, as their last long run before the Mankato Marathon or Half-Marathon. I had decided that I would just do an out and back 4 milers. My plan was to keep it nice and easy, but I was apparently so excited that I started out a little bit too fast (around a 9 minute mile for the first mile) before I slowed it down for the other 3 miles. I chatted with a running friend on the 2 miles out and they just flew by, as we talked about work and buying running gear for cold weather. I turned back and took a couple of short walk breaks on the return just to be on the safe side with my hip. At the end of the run, my IT band felt tired but I didn't have any pain, so I decided that I'll run the 10K next Saturday and then continue another few weeks of keeping to low mileage and easy running.

The group this past Saturday

My running group got together at our coach's house for breakfast a little later that morning, and in a total blogging fail I took my point and shoot with me but forgot to take a single picture. I was too busy enjoying all the delicious food and chatting with running friends that I hadn't seen much for the past few weeks since my running schedule has been so sporadic because of my injury. It was great to hang out with them and catch up on their training and their lives.

I'm excited to be able to run the 10K this upcoming weekend. After several weeks of minimal running, I'm just really grateful to be able to be able to hit the pavement again. My conditioning has declined after 5 weeks of minimal mileage, and I want to make sure that I don't wind up sidelined again by going out too fast, so I have absolutely no time goals for this race. I just want to have fun and enjoy running it.

I spent most of the rest of my weekend hunkered down and working, so it was a treat to be able to run and hang out with running friends on Saturday morning. What did you do this weekend?  Any races, awesome brunches, or football games?

Race Report: Boston Athletic Association 10K

This past weekend I was in Boston visiting friends.  When I had been researching things to do in Boston before we left for our trip, I came across this race.  It was the inaugural B.A.A. 10K and runners would be sharing the field with elite runners like Geoffrey Mutai (he won in 27:19) and Kim Smith.  Even though I didn't really feel in race shape so soon after my marathon, I just had to register.  The B.A.A. was going to mail my race packet, but, since M. and I were leaving for vacation before they mailed my packet out, I called the B.A.A. and asked them to hold it so that I could pick it up the morning of the race.

After a day of adventures in Salem and an amazing meal cooked by a friend on Saturday, I woke up early Sunday morning.  It was humid but still pretty cool out-- not bad for running.  I ate a banana, drank some water, got dressed, and put my contacts in.  M. and I traveled down to the race start on the T.  Probably at least half of the people on our train were other 10k runners.  When we got to the race start, I found the information booth and picked up my packet without any difficulties.  I pinned on my bib, had M. snap a couple of pictures and then made my way toward the back of the pack of about 4,000 participants.  

Pre-race

The race started in the Back Bay on Charles St. between the Public Gardens and Boston Common.  We turned onto Beacon Street and then essentially ran an out and back along Commonwealth Ave through the campus of Boston University and Kenmore Square before lapping the Public Garden in the opposite direction and finishing near the start.  I had planned to stop and take photos here and there of the race course, but once I got to running that sort of slipped my mind.  I also don't have any photos of me finishing because M. missed it -- he had gone to a nearby Starbucks and had miscalculated the time.*

Elite Start

M. snapped a number of photos from the start and I'm actually in this one

While it took me a bit longer than I hoped to finish this 10K (1:05:40), it was good to be out there.  My feet were hurting a little bit, which was probably due the fact that I had walked around Salem the day before in a pair of beloved but worn out flats.  I did push myself to have a faster last quarter of a mile, and doing that made me realize that I should really be doing more speedwork and pushing myself to work through more discomfort than I have been lately.

The only weird incident during the race was that somewhere around mile 2, when we had briefly split off of Commonwealth Ave. and were running in a residential area, a guy tried to drive down the street we were running on.  Several runners gave him a piece of their mind and he started honking and was still trying to drive behind us.  A block or so up we ran by a police officer at a traffic barricade, and I saw another runner go up to the officer to tell him what had happened and the officer started heading in that direction.  I don't know what the end result was. I guess I had to encounter at least one stereotypical Masshole during my trip, and the award goes to the guy who tried to drive his car through a major road race.  

Stretching post-race at the Civil War Memorial in Boston Common

The B.A.A. knows how to organize a race.  The volunteers were the best I've seen at a race - enthusiastic and professional.  They had handing out water cups honed to a precise art.  It was great to be participating in such a well-organized event on a gorgeous course in a city with such a rich running culture!  

*Note: "miscalculated the time" is a euphemism for being in the washroom.

Registered: B.A.A. 10K!

The weekend that I will be in Boston coincides with Boston Athletic Association 10K, so I registered for it.  I'm excited.  It's been a couple of years since I've run a 10k, and it will ensure that I go for at least one run while I'm in Beantown.  There's a chance that a friend of mine who now lives in Boston will run it with me, which would be really awesome as we ran my last 10k together just over two years ago.  I'm also really excited because I think it will be some fun running tourism.  The race goes through the Back Bay and hopefully will provide some scenic running.

Since I'm still in reverse taper/marathon recovery mode, I don't have a time goal for this race.  Perhaps my body will feel more capable of speed in a week or two and I can think about shooting for a PR.  For right now, though, my plan is to just enjoy running a race and taking in the sights in my running shoes in Boston.