Race Report–Fitness Magazine Mind, Body, Spirit Games

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

Saturday was the NYRR Fitness Magazine Mind, Body, Spirit Games, which is in it’s 11th year. Pretty obvious from the name of the race, but the title sponsor is Fitness Magazine. There were actually three races. The men ran 4 miles at 8am. Women followed at 9am (same course). And the little kids had their own fun run at 10am. I always love seeing little kids all excited with huge numbers pinned to their shirts.

I got up pretty early because I wanted to be in the park for a pre-race yoga class that Yoga Vida was hosting, led by Hilaria Thomas Baldwin (yes, Alec’s new wife), who is also one of the founders of Yoga Vida. (earlier this summer I took a few classes at the studio) I was slightly nervous about taking a yoga class just before a race, but I decided to give it a try anyway.

The class was about a half hour, pretty quick paced and really helped me stretch out and loosen up before the race. I had plenty of time after to drop off my bag and head to the corrals.

There were thousands of women lined up on the beautiful fall morning. The weather could not have been any better. Right from the get go it was pretty packed on the course. Usually it thins out quickly, but I felt like this time it was tight pretty much the whole four miles. Maybe it’s just the pace I was going. We tackled Cat Hill right at the start and when I was able to pass a few people and feel pretty good at the top, I had a feeling the race might go well.

I think the fact that the start was tight helped me out with my pacing. I wasn’t able to go out too fast, which was good. I felt stronger throughout the race than I did during my last race in Central Park, which was pretty much a disaster. I wonder though, why NYRR likes to put the finish line of races on an incline. Both this race and the one I ran in June finished on a hill, which makes sprinting to the finish line a little difficult. Even with this though, it was a pretty great race for me and I’m really happy with this. I have a long way to go to get back to where I was, but my goal this year is to get through it without any injuries, so I’m not too concerned about speed, just finishing smart. And with a time of 36:09 (9:03 pace), that’s what I did on Saturday.

Afterwards I met up with Grace and we chatted for a bit in the park before she went off and ran another 14 miles. Yep, she’s training for the NYC ING Marathon! I seriously do not know how she does everything she does. She’s an amazing woman and I’m starting to think she never sleeps because she’s able to help so many people and accomplish so much. Can’t wait to cheer for her on November 4th!

Some of you who follow me on twitter also know that Saturday was a big first for me. I went to see a chiropractor. Woody and I went together, actually. It was interesting because the Chiropractor basically confirmed that most of what I thought was wrong, is wrong. With my right shoulder in particular, but I was surprised to find out that my hips aren’t out of alignment. Kinda thought that’s why they’ve been so tight. The adjustment went well, the chiropractor is cool and really explained everything, and we’re set to go back Wednesday morning before work.

If you’re near White Plains, head over to Westchester Road Runner tonight for their weekly women’s run night. My Oiselle teammate Meggie, and I, are heading up to talk about Oiselle and run with the group. It starts at 6pm, there are a few options in terms of distances, so you can choose the right one for you, and there’s going to be a raffle for Oiselle apparel. Hope to see you there!

• What was the highlight of your weekend?

Race morning and another trip to Chobani SoHo

• What goals do you have for the upcoming week?

Leave work a little earlier than last week so I have more time in the evening; have a good race at the 5th Avenue Mile on Saturday

• Are you excited about the cooler Fall-ish weather?

Definitely. I’ve really come to love this time of year. Just wish it lasted a little longer than it tends to!

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Today’s workout -

• 45min stationary bike
• 3x10 upright row
• 3x10 lateral arm raise
• ab exercises
• stretching