NYRR Wall Street 3 Mile Race Recap

 

For the past two years, I’ve read race recaps about the NYRR Wall Street 3 Mile Race and wished I’d chosen to do it. It is the only downtown NYRR race and weaves through the Wall Street area before looping back up the Hudson River. While this race is for walkers and runners alike, since it is a corporately sponsored event, they separate the two groups.

I was a bit apprehensive about the race because I’ve heard lots of mixed reviews. Unlike most races, it’s not in Central Park and it’s flat which gives it two big bonus points. But, on the other hand, many people complained that the streets downtown are narrow and uneven which results in lots of bottlenecks.

Luckily, my excitement outweighed any of the negatives and at 5pm this evening I left work excited and ready for a great race!

IMG_2213 (640x480)Picking up my bib from Melissa’s boyfriend’s apartment and changing at home took less time than I expected. Therefore, I ended up downtown with 45 minutes to spare! Luckily I was able to entertain myself in a nearby Starbucks while catching up on emails, jamming to old school Usher, and watching other runners head to the start.

IMG_2214 (478x640)Since the race started at 6:45, I left Starbucks at 6:25 so I could walk the 5 minutes to the start and get in my corral. Oops, there were no corrals. Somehow I missed this part of the email update that NYRR sent out. I made the best of it by getting as close to the front as I could. The crowd was crazy!

IMG_2217 (640x478)At 6:45, on the spot, the National Anthem ended and the race started. I had my iPod ready to go and set to my “most played” playlist. While I knew I wouldn’t get through the whole list, I knew that the first few are some of my favorites and if I wasn’t in the mood for one and pushed forward the next one would be equally as awesome!

image Unfortunately, I forgot to have my Garmin find the satellites before the race and therefore had to settle for using the stopwatch only. This ended up being a double edge sword because I couldn’t keep my pace in check but instead let my legs go as fast as they could. The first mile was pretty cramped, especially the first quarter mile, but I was still able to run at my full potential. I think the fact that I started towards the front of the pack really helped since most runners were running at my pace or faster. In fact, I felt slow versus the pack of runners around me.

imageAs we passed the first mile marker I saw that I’d kept an 8:23 pace. Holy hell! No wonder my lungs felt like they were about to explode. The more unusual pain was that the arch of my right foot was killing me. I knew that I didn’t want to risk not finishing and therefore did my best to ratchet my speed down a bit closer to an 8:45. The 2nd mile helped me do that naturally since there were quite a few curves and narrow streets. But, when I passed the 2nd mile marker I saw that I’d only decreased it to an 8:37. By this point my legs and body had hit a really good rhythm and I was even engaging my abs and arms to help improve my form. Since I had skipped the water station in order to keep my pace, I focused on my breathing to take my mind off of my thirst and exhaustion. Luckily, the 2nd mile is where we hit Bowling Green and Battery Park which means the scenery improved and the view of the Hudson was amazing! Even the gray clouds and overcast weather couldn’t take away from the views.

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IMG_2218 (640x478)I was very self conscious of my speed at this point as I saw everyone around me speeding up and I was doing my best to keep pace. I focused on my music so I wouldn’t focus on my time and get caught up in the numbers. This ended up working very well and before I knew it I was weaving between the benches on the Hudson River Path and passing through South Cove. I saw the finish line and knew that I had a little energy left for a final sprint.

IMG_2219 (480x640)                                                                        26:32 HOT DAMN!

The official times won’t be posted on NYRR website until tomorrow but for now I’m embracing this time and going with it!! This race is definitely another PR since my fastest NYRR split before today was a 9:14!

Once again, this race just reconfirmed how much my body has benefitted from speed training and weight lifting over the past four months!

Question: Have you ever surprised yourself in a race and performed better than expected?

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National Half Marathon: Success!

Thanks to Caitlin, I have a wonderful memory of the amazing race I ran today!

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Even though the race was longer than expected (13.34 miles) and had more hills than I trained for, I rocked it and set a new PR! Around 4pm, our final results were posted and my PR became official: 2:13:22!

IMG_1037My goal was a 2:15 so I’d say I successfully achieved that and have already decided that 2:10 is my next goal!

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Ali and I just returned to the room after spending hours on our feet exploring Washington, DC! Needless, to say I’m exhausted.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap! Thank you again for all your kind comments, support, and positive thoughts! Also, if I saw you today at the half marathon, I hope you rocked your race! I had three readers say hi before and during the race!

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NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 Miler: A New PR!

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This is the face of a girl who learned the benefits of speed training first hand today! I took a full minute off my pace per mile this year! Last year I ran this race with Dori and Meghann in 41:33 (10:23 pace).

This morning I ate the NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 miler for breakfast! I set a new PR along the way, keeping a 9:17 pace! This pace annoys me as my real pace was 9:15 but the course, or my distance, was actually 4.15 according to my Garmin. Oh well!

After 8 hours of sleep, Bo and I both woke up before the alarm clock, ready for our first NYRR race of 2011!

We quickly dressed and enjoyed our usual pre-race breakfast of toast, banana, and peanut butter. 

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I knew it was going to be a great day when I saw that the current temperature was 37, a tropical treat versus our temperatures the past few weeks.

I still dressed in layers for the race but they were far lighter than what I wore for last weekend’s Central Park run with Theodora and Emily.

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Today’s outfit included:

  • Lululemon Tank as a bra/base layer
  • Nike Cold Weather gear turtleneck (just like Under Armor)
  • ING NYC Marathon light wind jacket
  • Saucony fleece lined running tights
  • shoes & socks
  • Lululemon ear warmer

My outfit proved to be the perfect combination for today’s mild (did I just say that) race temperature. We headed out early as we needed to stop by Ali’s apartment before the race so we could all jog to the start together. Her great boyfriend Arthur even woke up early to take these very unattractive, half asleep pictures of us. Thanks Arthur!

Ali and I are both training for the National Half Marathon and therefore needed to make today’s race into a long run. We decided that 1.5 miles to the park+4 mile race+ a few miles in the park+1.5 miles back to her apartment would be a nice long run treat. It did just the trick and our plan worked wonderfully!

In fact, I think this 1.5 mile warmup jog was a great way to start the race as my body wasn’t cold. I guess I need to do this more often. I’m often guilty of not warming up or stretching before NYRR races.

The race wasn’t packed but the runners who were there were in a great mood. Not as many people were dressed up as last year but the energy was still high!IMG_0096 (800x598)

The race followed the typical 4 mile route the NYRR use for most of their 4 to 5 mile races. As soon as we crossed the starting line, which took longer than normal today, our adrenaline carried us up Cat Hill, down a flat and fast 2nd mile, up a tortuous hills of the upper and western end of the loop, and then a flat final 4th mile towards the finish.

The entire race I was focused on my music, keeping up with Bo, and steady breathing. I also took time to enjoy the park in all it’s white, snowy beauty.

IMG_0100 (800x598)I knew I was keeping a speedy pace but was elated that I could keep it up past the 3rd mile. The fourth mile was definitely tough on my legs and lungs but I pushed through. I knew I could handle 8 more minutes of hard work for a PR!

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I set a new 4 mile PR of 37:08 AND a new pace PR for NYRR of 9:17!

After the race I completed 1.5 lower loops in the park before Ali spotted me in my bright white! We ran together in the park though we made a few stops for picture taking, some downward dogs and deep stretching.

But, 11 miles later, we were foam rolling back at her apartment and ready to enjoy the rest of our day together!

I’m late for a Super Bowl party and therefore must quickly head out. But, if you want to congratulate Ali on her PR or read about the rest of our afternoon, head over to her blog! IMG_0102 (800x598)

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