Month: June 2012

This morning I ran the Achilles Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park. I ran it in 35:28 (7:06s), which bettered yesterday’s 5-mile race by 19 seconds.

Here are my unofficial results from my Garmin:

Today’s running conditions were about the same as yesterday. The humidity was lower (65% rather than 93%) but still noticeable, and the temperature was just a degree cooler. It was also just about as sunny. The course was different, though–a 5-miler focused on the lower part of the park rather than the upper part. I believe it’s a faster course taken this way. I’m not absolutely sure, though, because in yesterday’s race Harlem Hill was in the mix though in the beginning, so it was run fast and you get the downhill. The 19 seconds I shaved off today might have been eaten up by Harlem Hill were I racing it today, which might actually be true because it took about 19 seconds longer to run the first mile yesterday than it did today. Today’s first mile was a 6:36.

Not that I was happy about being that fast out of the gate. I knew that was fast, but I also was experimenting to see how my body in its current state handled that kind of fast start. Sure enough, I lost some speed about where I thought I would–after the 3rd mile, which is hillier–but I also recovered after then, especially capitalizing on the downhills. I knocked out a final sprint from a long distance today, so much so that I couldn’t sustain the sprint completely (I saw Jono splitting the runners and called his name out but he was looking the other way). Whatever the case, my goal for today–to see if I could beat yesterday’s time over the same distance–was achieved. I even slapped hands with Mary Wittenberg, President of NYRR, after I finished.

My Age Grade Percentage disturbed me a bit yesterday given how low it is, but in comparing it with my prior years when I eventually did well in marathons I’m about where I was then. That calmed my mind again, yet it also gave me a bit of a fight, not wanting this year to race in that lower tier. I think that means speedwork or other kinds of fitness to boost my cardiovascular fitness.

This morning I ran the Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Price Run 5-Miler in Central Park. I ran it in 35:47 (7:10s says the NYRR website, but more like 7:09.4s).

Here are my unofficial stats per Garmin, which didn’t shut off until a few seconds after I finished:

It was sunny, humid, and a little warm (but not too warm) for this race. It was my first time running it (a marathon qualifier), and last year when I watched some friends running it it seemed fun. There were people then dressed in colorful costumes and today was the same but not as obviously. One of the colorful standouts passed me around the 3-mile mark, and I mustered enough speed to sprint past him at the finish line.

That sprint felt very fast and strong, and my first mile was fast despite Great Hill (somewhere around 6:30-6:55), but those were about the only great things to share about my accomplishment … other than that I was able to take on the challenge I made to myself when I saw I was running past the 4-mile mark at 29:00: to finish below 36 minutes. Between, I’ve been fitter and I have lots to go. Heck, my Age Grade Percentage was only 61.3%, which makes me feel I’m only mildly more fit than when I’m inactive! But I know I need patience to get back into running shape, so I have to be careful in how I think about my racing.

I really didn’t know what to expect for today’s race so that I finished doing 7:09s (my marathon pace some time ago!) felt not that bad. Also pulling off a couple sub-7:00s felt good. The humidity was also a factor yet I pushed on through it. Perhaps the secret to my success today was focusing on my breathing rather than the other runners–I did very measured breathing throughout most of the race, and even tried to pick up its pace in that last mile, a strategy that seemed to work.