I ran a 10K in Central Park this morning.
My stomach didn’t explode during the race. That’s good.
I wore hot pink. That’s also good.
I came out of the race with a new 10K PR. Definitely good, right? (Even though it was only my second 10K ever.)
But I’m not quite sure I’d consider today’s race a success. Let me break it down for you…
Here are the reasons the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K was a successful race for me:
I got a new T-shirt. And it’s a Dry Fit! Muy bueno.
Yesterday was a rest day. I followed Coach Cane’s plan and didn’t do anything. No running. No spinning. No yoga. My legs felt fresh going into today’s race.
I followed my regular, no-fail pre-race routine. Shower, granola bar, glass of water, 200 crunches, obsessively check Twitter to see what other runners are wearing. Also insert several trips to the bathroom. Running on an emptied-out stomach is the way to go for me. Don’t tell me that’s TMI, because it’s not. Runners go to the bathroom a lot. Add Crohn’s Disease and nerves on top of that and I’m a disaster on race mornings. You’ve been warned.
I did a 2-mile warm-up run to get to the race start. Living near Central Park is amazing. Even when races don’t start on the East Side, the West Side isn’t all that far away. I ran at a very leisurely pace to get to my corral, which loosened up my legs nicely. [Side note: When I first started running, I would see people running before the race started. I always thought they were completely crazy. You’re about to run a race, why are you already running now?! But I get it. Mile 1 isn’t your warm-up, it’s your race.] But by the time I got into my corral, my legs were warmed up and I was ready to run.
I had plenty of time to use the Porta Potties. Even if I don’t have to go, I usually try. Yay for pre-race nervous peeing! Plus, the best people watching is by the toilets. Obviously.
I met Abby! Meeting readers is the best thing ever, and Abby coming to say hi while we were waiting for the race to start was awesome. Hi, Abby!
The weather was ideal. High 50s/low 60s, very slight breeze, not an absurd amount of pollen and no sun.
There were 8,000 runners but it never felt too crowded. Sure the start is always a bit packed, but there were plenty of times during the race that I felt like I had all the room in the world.
I listened to my music on Shuffle, and this time I wasn’t forced to listen to Christmas carols. That was a nice change of pace.
I finished — and I PR’d!
My first race as a 26 year old!
The bagels were chocolate chip. I don’t usually go for the post-race bagels provided by New York Road Runners, but when I found out they were chocolate chip bagels today, you bet I snagged one. In high school I pretty much lived off chocolate chip bagels from Einsten Bagels.
I got on the subway after the race and a nice man approached me and inquired about the race (since I still had my bib on). He then proceeded to praise me for being a runner — loudly, for the entire subway car to hear — for about 5 stops. I wasn’t embarrassed. I felt cool.
The race volunteers were all cheering. Sometimes they seem miserable and grumpy, but today they all seemed like they were in good spirits. I tried to smile back at them, even when my legs were ready to give out.
I went to the gym afterward. I foam rolled my legs, which felt amazing. Normally my post-race routine is “shower, then sit on couch all day,” but I really liked moving the muscles around.
I also did spinning. I know, it probably wasn’t necessary after the race. But after missing my beloved Wednesday night class this week, I couldn’t resist making it to Matt’s downtown class today. He also gave me a shout-out during the warm-up when he spotted me, which made me feel special.
It’s not very hard to make me feel special.
I finished up my morning perusing Union Square and going to Whole Foods. What’s better than that?
So as I mentioned earlier, today’s race wasn’t a total success. Let me explain…
I didn’t sleep well. For some reason, I was totally paranoid about sleeping through my alarm, so I woke up a lot throughout the night. As a result, I didn’t feel as rested this morning as I would have liked.
Yeah, I had time to use the Porta Potties — but while I was in there I dropped my phone. I dropped it on the ground, which isn’t a huge deal, but that’s still the ground of a portable toilet. I wiped it down as best I could, and it’s not like it touched anything, but I was still really grossed out. Smooth moves, Ali.
I got bumped back a corral. Apparently with NYRR races your corral is based mostly on your time, but the corral you’re in can change based on how many runners are in the race. So while I was in the badass yellow corral last time, this time I was bumped back to green. Still respectable (in my mind, at least), but I kept looking longingly at the yellows, who got to cross the start line before me. Competitive much?
I didn’t stop for water. I really need to get over the whole “if I stop I’ll lose a few seconds off my time” mentality and learn to appreciate water stations. I didn’t feel dehydrated, but I’m sure a few sips of agua couldn’t hurt.
I went out too hard at the start, as always. This is the main reason I’m a bit frustrated about today’s race. I have such a habit of wanting to sprint right away. I see people all around me going fast and I want to keep up with them. I’m competitive, and when I see a time I like on my watch I try to maintain it, whatever that takes. I have a hard time slowing down once I’ve started going fast.
By the time I got to the 5K mile marker, I was really wishing the race stopped there. Honestly, if I had just slowed down at that point I would’ve been fine. But I wanted to maintain the speed I started at, and that explains why I was so exhausted at the finish. It’s tough trying to find a balance between wanting to be competitive and taking a step back to just enjoy a race as a casual, smart run. That’s something I really need to work on as I get further into marathon training.
Coach Cane isn’t impressed. By the time I got home, I had an email waiting for me. The subject line read “you are stubborn.” He had specifically instructed me to take the first 5K at an easier pace and try to surge and pass people in the second half. I obviously wanted to listen to him — and I never want him to think I’m ignoring or disregarding his advice — but something just came over me.
I have my work cut out for me now. I never want to disappoint anyone — and part of me thinks that if I hadn’t PR’d today I would have disappointed myself, but I’d rather let myself down than let Coach Cane down.
I hope I’m forgiven.
So there you have it: my 2011 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K race recap. The hills were tough, as always. The crowd was happy, as always. The race was wonderfully organized, as always. I’ll take it!
0 Responses
Congrats on the race!! Even if it wasn’t a total success, you still PR’d (yay!) and it sounds like you learned a few things, which is always a measure of success in my book. Not going out too fast and staying consistent throughout a race is REALLY tough – fortunately it sounds like you’re going to have a lot of practice under Coach Cane. 🙂 So with all that, I think you still did a really great job on the race. Great job PR’ing in your first race as a 26 year old!
congrats on a great race! And I loved the recap. It’s so hard not to go out too fast if you’re feeling good and feeding off of the excitement – I feel your pain! I thought the crowds were a little much during the first mile, but after that everything was great ( I was in the green corral too!).
P.S. I usually take an immodium before long runs/races to help with tummy troubles and it usually works like a charm.
I think this race was more success than failure. You PR’d and you learned so much about running and racing. I think races during training are really beneficial in teaching you about pacing and pushing yourself at the right time. And I bet Coach has already forgiven you!
One more thing….hot pink does make you run faster. I’m sure of that. Lookin’ good, Ali!
YAYY for a good race!! Congrats!! At least you didn’t drop your phone IN the toilet. I did that at a football stadium once, and reflexively plunged my hand in to get it. Classy lady.
Aw, I think starting out slow is tough (hey I’ve only done 1 race so far and it felt tough and I can’t even go very fast!) so I think that’s not a big deal. Sounds like the positives outweigh all the negatives and you had a great day. And a PR! 🙂
Great job on the race! I can absolutely commiserate on the troubles with starting out too fast, though. It’s tough to rein it in when you’re amped up and ready to go. However, it’ll be super important to work on that for the marathon, but I’m sure your amazing coach will help you out!
This is so exciting! Fantasic effort today. You’re a strong athlete and lovely person. Congrats on the PR and good luck for the next race!
amazing recap! I didn’t realize you were running! I love how your organized this post. and congrats on moving to a .com. I may need tips! Hopefully I will see you soon.
Congrats on the PR! I was really thrilled about the chocolate chip bagels also, and I think we weren’t the only ones. I heard quite a few runners asking for a second bagel but the volunteers were being adamant about it being just ‘one bagel per person.’
sounds like a great race to me! Don’t focus on the negatives too much, there will always be negatives, it depends on whether or not you look at them!
Congratulations on your PR, Ali! Sounds like you were smart about your pre-race routine and warm-up. It takes a LOT of practice to not go out too fast…sometimes with the adrenaline and rested legs, you can think you’re going slower than you really are. So even if you consciously tell yourself to go at a pace that “feels slow”, you can still be running faster than you want to! Don’t beat yourself up – I still make this mistake in marathons sometimes! Your coach will forgive you, he just wants to crack down and show you he’s serious about your race plans – it’s a good thing! Keep your head up and enjoy the post-race runner’s high!!
Great race recap! I was in Central Park about 3 hours later and saw the porta potties. you mentioned. They were just cleaning them up as I was running. hahaha. I feel you on the starting out too fast. I think it’s great that you’re very aware of it, and I’m sure that being so aware will help you change it for next time. I did the same thing in my last marathon, and by mile 13, I wanted it to be over! It’s great that you have Coach Cane to answer to, and I love that he had emailed you before you even got home. What a great coach!
I love reading your Coach Cane tales. I feel you guys need a reality show.. or at least a stand up comedy routine. 🙂
I’ve only ran one race in NYC. (I’m from Boston) but I have to say the NYRR volunteers kicked butt. They were so supportive and amazing and really made the race enjoyable! I’m running the marathon this year and am looking forward to seeing more friendly faces!
Ok, you are DEFINITELY way more competitive (and faster) than me! You ran a great race yet still felt like you could’ve done better and THEN you felt bad that you didn’t listen to Coach Cane. I think you’re being too hard on yourself dear – you are doing great, this whole marathon training thing is going to take getting used to…the longer mileage, the pacing, the REST days, all of it. But you’re doing great. Don’t ever doubt that, mmk? 🙂
You are so insanely fast I can’t handle it. And wow, you went to spin AFTER a 10K full-out race? I wish I had your energy!
I’m the opposite of you, I never go to the bathroom on race morning! Or any morning, really. Yeah.
Congrats on such an awesome race! I ran this one last year and loved it.
OH YEAH and I LOVE when they have the chocolate chip bagels! My very first race had them so I kind of always expect them now and am disappointed when they’re not there. But they often are. It is the only time I EVER eat chocolate chip bagels!
Great race recap! I agree, even if a race didn’t go as smoothly or executed quite as I hoped, I do try to focus on the positives while acknowledging the negatives so I can improve for next time. Onward and upward to the next!
Nice job! If you think the NYRR chocolate chip bagels are good, just you wait until you run a race that has French toast ones! 😀
Question: What kind of headphones are you using? My trusty earbuds aren’t working so well for me here in Texas. They’re likely to suffer death by sweat soon enough…
Oh gosh, you don’t want the headphones I wear. They’re the Sony headband kind (old school, I know) and I go through about a pair a month. Luckily they’re only $7-10 at Target, but mine get busted all the time.
Congrats on the PR! No matter how well (or not well) a race goes, I always try to make a list of pros and cons like you did. It helps me to remember that there are always things to improve on while reinforcing what worked. Hopefully you’re still up for a Bridle Path run tomorrow – let me know! 🙂
Still sounds like the positives of your race outweighed the negatives – congrats on the PR!!
I love how you pointed out why your race was a success..and they areas that maybe weren’t so great. I think you had a fabulous race…congrats on PRing!
Great recap! It looked like a lovely day for a run, and I’m glad that overall it was a good experience. I don’t think you could convince me to go to a spin class afterwards though!