Race Report - Run for the Parks 4 Miler

My latest group of beginning runners did their "graduation" race last weekend. Like I did the last time, I jumped in and ran along with them.

Things went pretty well. After the last race, which was on essentially the same course, I had a good sense of what I could accomplish and adjusted my goals accordingly. I aspired to better my time by :40 seconds for an even 0:26:00 finishing time. Chopping :10 seconds per mile off a four mile PR (personal record) isn't easy even when you're feeling 100%. I've also not been doing any speed training — or even fast running for that matter. I realized that if I couldn't run a faster race, I had to figure out a way to run a smarter race.

The strategy
After thinking about it, my strategy essentially boiled down to getting a better start. The last time I ran I was honest on my registration form and I said I was going to average a 6:30 pace. The way the NYRR organizes things this put me in the 3rd corral. Big mistake. It had been awhile since I'd done an NYRR race and I'd forgotten that everybody lies about their goal pace. Even though I was in the 6:30 corral (a semi-quick and respectable pace), I was packed in with the iPod and FuelBelt wearing leisure runners. No offense to those folks, but there's no way many of them were going to crank out a 6:30 pace for one mile let alone four.

Sure enough, after the gun, I was trapped behind a wall of slowpokes and people still trying to find the prefect play list on their Nanos. Things spread out after a mile or so, but since the race was only four miles long I was pretty much screwed. My first mile was the slowest by far.

So, this time, to prevent a repeat of the last start, I lied and said I was going to run a 5:30 pace. This dropped me in the 2nd corral. A good spot. I maneuvered my way up to the front of the box and, after they let us push up to fill in the gaps, I found myself about 15 yard from the front. Excellent.

The gun
The gun went off and almost right away I had a clear space to run. Still, even while holding back and trying not to go out too fast, I was slowly and steadily passing people. I think next time I'll bump my stated time up to 5:00 and see what happens.

 The finish
Anyway, the strategy paid off. My splits worked out to be 6:38, 6:25, 6:47 (hilly part), 6:17. My finishing time was 0:26:08. Sadly, :08 seconds slower than I was shooting for, but still significantly better than my previous race. All of the gains came in the start. The last time I raced this course the splits of my last two miles were 6:48 and 6:17 — basically identical to this race. I finished 204th out of over 5,700 people and snuck inside the 195 mark for the men. All in all I was very happy.

Things got even better
They had a kids race after the adult race and my daughter won the 4-5 year old girls heat — even beating the kids and their cheating parents who ran with (dragged) their children along the 25 yard distance. When she finished she got a medal. All of the kids got one, but my daughter didn't realize this. She was so completely thrilled to have gotten a medal that she was beside herself. Whenever I've come home with a medal I've given it to her to play with. For her to get her own was, I think, a really important moment for her. She wore it (and the race shirt they gave her) all day. Later, she asked me to put her medal somewhere safe where she could see it in her room. We hung it on the doorknob.

Comments

[Sarah]

I can't believe how much you do all while dealing with everything Lyme related. I want to try and do something, but it is taking a lot out of me to even go for a walk right now. I'm impressed with how you're handling everything. On a side note, that's sooooo cute and wonderful about your daughter winning her first race! Wow! I was actually inspired to do triathlons when a close 6 year old to me did her first and came in dead last with a smile ear to ear. So freakin' inspiring :-)

[Chronic Triathlete]

Sarah,
Thanks! You know... as great as it is that I can do what I do, it's equally as confusing.

Yesterday I got up at 6:30am, biked for an hour with a friend, worked at the running store for 4 hours, came home and did freelance work and then ran 6 miles with my 1/2 marathon training group.

Today I feel a little more tired and foggy than usual, but it feels like a "normal" tired/foggy. At least in comparison to how tired I usually feel (which is like I pulled an all-nighter).

I know of only one other Lyme sufferer — a cyclist — who can even come close to this (not that it's a competition or anything). It would be fine if I had built up to doing this level of activity, but the reality is that I've been in this place for about a year without an improvement.

Because of this, I sometimes I really wonder if I'm not barking up the wrong tree with Lyme. I don't doubt that it's an issue for me, but I sometimes have a hard time believing that it's THE issue.

Regardless of my issues... you'll get there with your exercise. I know I owe you some training tips. I'll get to it soon. I've been overloaded with work stuff this week.

Best!
/CT