Race Report: Race to Deliver (4M)

This morning was the Race to Deliver a four mile NYRR race held every year the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This was the 19th year of the race which is the biggest fundraiser for God’s Love We Deliver, an amazing organization that provides meals to people who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves due to illness.

A couple years ago Grace and I had the opportunity to volunteer in their kitchen to help prepare food (we wrapped a ton of bagels and peeled a ton of carrots) which was both really fun and fulfilling. Knowing you’re doing something that will allow someone to have a good, nutritious meal, who likely wouldn’t otherwise, is really fantastic. We’re hoping to volunteer again soon.

This past month has been exceptionally tough on the organization as not only has it been continuing to serve it’s usual customers, but the facility lost power due to the hurricane and still managed to also provide thousands of meals to people who were displaced by the storm. Simply astonishing.

So, I usually run this race as I like to think of it as an early Turkey Trot and it’s a great organization to support. As I mentioned before I was a little nervous about the race, but turns out I didn’t have any reason to be. Woody decided to come wake up early and head uptown with me. When we got to the park he peeled off and started his run around the outer loop for 6 miles and I went to pick-up my bib. It was definitely cold waiting around at the start – only around 38’ at the start and it didn’t warm up much by the end (it is only a 4 mile race, after all!).

The race starts and ends on the 72nd transverse, crossing the 102 transverse. Of course, where I was in the lineup I crossed the start line more than 4minutes after the gun went off. There were a lot of people running. Over 8000 actually! The start was incredibly congested and I was basically shuffling along till we hit the east drive and turned north. My legs felt great and my breathing wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be! I definitely took the first mile slow – the crowds helped. Cat Hill was pretty easy, which is always a relief!

I was going along easily with no troubles, enjoying the bits of conversations people were having around me (lots of talk of the cancelled marathon and other marathons being raced) and thinking about the holiday ahead and marveling at the fact that it appeared no trees fell on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As we got closer to the 102 transverse the crowd closed in a bit as we were preparing for the turn. I was paying attention to the people in front of me when all of a sudden my left ankle started to crumble. I quickly recovered and only stumbled, thankfully I didn’t fall and cause a huge collision, but immediately the outside of my left foot hurt. Bad. Well great! I’m finally having a great run and I go ahead and injure myself again! I was NOT going to let this slow me down or end my race. I turned the curve hoping it would work itself out and the pain was just an instant reaction that wasn’t going to stay. I turned my thoughts to other things – like the fact that half the road on the transverse was taken up by what seemed to be 20foot high piles of mulch that was producing steam – and kept going. We hit a few more hills on the west side of the park heading south but I knew once we got up the last hill it’d be smooth sailing.

I really didn’t notice my foot much and it didn’t change my gait so I kept going. I think I slowed down a little but not to bad. My second mile had been much faster than the first, even with the stumble, so I was feeling okay about my time. I wasn’t going fast or anything like that, but I was feeling good which is what I was going for.  As I turned back onto the 72nd st transverse I started looking out for Woody then I heard him call my name! I was close to the edge so I waved as I went by. Always great to see a friendly face to help spur you on to the finish line! I picked up my pace, passed a few people and crossed the finish line feeling strong! Official time: 37:28

I got some water and an apple, thanked a few volunteers (they were the ones standing in the cold waiting around all morning!) and then found Woody. I wasn’t limping but I was starting to notice that my foot wasn’t feeling right if I moved it just so. I told him what happened and of course, he was concerned. He had a great run too and was happy that I felt pretty good even with the incident.

After grabbing my bag from baggage we headed over to the First Aid tent and I picked up a bag of ice. Definitely the first time I’ve visited to the First Aid tent (surprisingly). We had plans to have breakfast at one of our old favorite brunch spots on the UES – Neil’s – a typical New York diner so we headed over. I sat there with ice on my foot as I ate. Super cute. At least my pancakes and the coffee were delicious! Perfect warm-up after being out in the cold!

Overall I loved the race, had a great time and am (pretty) happy with how it went! Of course, looking at the swollen bruise on the side of my foot right now, it could have been better, but if that hadn’t happened this would have been a perfect race to finish off the year with!

• Do you like running in the cold or prefer the warmer months?
• Are you planning to run a Turkey Trot?
• Any Thanksgiving running traditions in your family?

***********

Today’s workout -

4 mile race

Well, I Finished. That’s Something.

This morning I ran the Portugal Day race. It’s a NYRR race in Central Park, 5 miles of hills and hills. When I signed up for the race, I was really looking forward to this one. Being that it celebrates the Portuguese culture, I figured it would be a festive race with great crowds along the way. I also thought it would give me plenty of time to build up my mileage a little more and be a good test for me. Well, I was right on two accounts. It was pretty festive and it was definitely a good test for me, but I was not prepared.

You see, I haven’t been running much since I got really sick a few weeks ago. Whatever it was that hit me really stirred up my sinus problems and I’ve been having trouble when I run or workout. Actually, even if I’m walking pretty quickly and have to go farther than a few blocks. It’s been frustrating, to say the least. Then last weekend, we were away and I just chose to sleep in instead of get out and tackle the hills around the B&B we stayed at. I finally tried a run yesterday and while my legs felt pretty good, I had a hard time breathing and the hills I attempted were not easy at all. Not a good sign.

This morning I hoped for the best but realized pretty quickly it was going to be a tough slog. The weather was cool, there were lots of clouds so the sun wasn’t going to be an issue and after I hailed a cab when I realized the express train was going local, I got to the start in plenty of time. But, once the race started the hills just seemed massive, my hips tightened up, my quads were heavy and I felt like I had a clip on my nose the whole time. I could not breathe. Every time I got to another hill, I told myself “just get to the top.” I walked almost every water stop, which only made my legs worse, of course. I thought about giving up more times than I want to admit. But I kept thinking about what was head of me and set goals. If I can just get across the 96th St Transverse and to the east side…get up the hill to the ‘flat’ section along the reservoir…make it to the top of Cat Hill and cruise down…you can’t stop in front of a cheering crowd, get up this hill… get to the bottom of the park…you’re in the finish chute, you can’t walk now!!

These are thoughts that literally went through my head. It was rough. I actually think this race was my worst. Even worse than the NYC Marathon when I broke my foot, or the Detroit Half when I fractured my femur. This was only 5 miles and sucked from the start. I’m pretty embarrassed about the whole thing and definitely didn’t represent Oiselle well today, but this experience taught me a lot, too. I need to buckle down and run, but mostly, I need to get to an ENT and figure out what’s going on with my sinuses. I’ve been dealing with this since my surgery and I don’t have to live with it anymore.

My next race on the calendar isn’t until the 5k in Michigan next month. I will be ready for that one. I never want to feel like this again.

• How do you deal with a bad race?
• Do you love or hate hills?
• Did you race this weekend? How did it go?

************

Today’s workout -

• 5 mile race

So, I Ran a Race Yesterday

When I was able to steal a few moments at work on Friday to check my personal email I saw an NYCRuns newsletter had arrived. For a while now I’ve been thinking about what races might be ahead for me. I’ve registered for the Portugal Day race on June 17th and the Running Bear 5K on July 24th, but I’ve been hoping to add another in before to get my feet wet. So, when I saw the blurb about the NYPD Memorial 5K Run that was happening Sunday in my neighborhood, I knew I had to try!

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to register until race morning, and I have to admit I was a little nervous and almost backed out, but I put on my Oiselle singlet, got to the school in Batter Park City at 7:30am, registered then headed to the gym with my number tucked in my bag. The race didn’t start until 10:13am, so I had some time to spare. I did a light workout and the gym, made plans with Woody about where we’d meet after the race and got back to Battery Park City with plenty of time. Before the race, we gathered in the South Cove along the Hudson River where there was a prayer and remarks by Commissioner Ray Kelly. The race was to honor all the NYPD officers who have died in the line of duty, so there were a lot of police officers, NYPD families and friends and a lot of emotion. We moved out onto the West Side Highway and the race began at 10:13am after an NYPD officer had sung the national anthem in the shadows of One World Trade Center. Nothing like a heart wrenching start, right?

Let me back up a minute. The 5K was a run/walk. On my way to the start I realized that not only were many people walking, but there were some with strollers and dogs. Not wanting to get caught in the back, I jumped behind two guys making a b-line through the crowd and got near the front!

After the gun went off, I realized pretty quick I was going a little faster than I wanted to. It was so hard not to get caught up in the excitement, but I slowed down and didn’t mind all the kids passing me. While there was some good shade at the start as soon as we were north of Tribeca we were in full sun. Given that it was after 10am, it was pretty hot already, I think around 70 or so! This was by far the warmest weather I’ve run in for many, many months. The course was out and back. We left Liberty Street ran to just shy of 14th, turned around and finished at Chambers. I always love cheering the runners on who are going the opposite way, but I didn’t do much cheering as I was just trying to focus on running my first race in over 7 months.

I saw Woody just before the finish line and threw him a smile for the camera (there’s one of the fast little kids right behind me!). The finishing chute was pretty narrow and I almost ran over some guy, but it was awesome to hear them call my name!

While this was not my best race (28:53:91), I am still really proud of myself for getting out there again and now I have a starting point. My next 5K in July will be better and I’ll be stronger.

The post-race was awesome. A BBQ with sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, sides, pretzels, chips and TONS of fruit! I went back for seconds on the oranges – they were delicious!

While I think they could have used some volunteers in the South Cove a bit earlier, I thought the race was really well organized. The race started on time, volunteers along the course and at the finish, they had times posted really quickly, and everyone seemed to have a great time! Plus, how can you not love a race with a BBQ at the finish line!? Perhaps the fact that the NYPD Running Club hosted the race and I imagine they’re pretty disciplined! I definitely plan to do this one again next year.

Last night I did not sleep well and my muscles are oddly sore, so when the alarm went off at 5am, Woody and I agreed pretty quickly to hit snooze and skip the gym this morning. Not the best way to start the week, but sometimes it has to be done. Can’t wait till next Monday when we can sleep in even later and still get a workout in!

• Have you ever registered for a race the morning of?
• If you raced this weekend, how did it go?
• What was the highlight of your weekend?

************

Today’s workout – None. Slept in! I’ll do some stretching tonight.

Finding Time, Running in the Rain and Team Oiselle

I know I’m having a crazy busy week at work when I basically don’t do anything other than work, sleep, eat and work out. I’m so far behind on what’s going on in the blog world, what’s been flying around on Twitter, there hasn’t been a moment to figure out the new FaceBook layout (why exactly can’t I get the feed in chronological order?) and all the current events I know about is that the UN General Assembly is happening right now, and that’s only because traffic is completely screwed around my office!

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I write majority of my posts at night when Woody and I are watching TV and trying to decompress from the day. In the morning I might add something about my workout that day, but most everything is written the night before. Hey, I run in the morning, I don’t have time to write a full post each morning too!

Well, tonight I’m preparing myself for my run tomorrow morning. What is supposed to be 6 miles – the longest weekday run of this training plan thus far and my longest weekday run in general, for quite a while. To Top that off, the weather forecast is predicting it’ll be raining, 67’ and 97% humidity. Seriously, what is that about? As unappealing as this sounds, the thought of running 6 miles on the treadmill at our gym, where it is very likely to be warmer and more humid, sounds even worse. This is what training is all about – pushing through obstacles like bad weather, tiredness, stiff muscles, long miles, fitting training runs into life, and whatever else. While I know the race doesn’t start at 5:30am, I don’t know what the weather will be like, so I have to be prepared for anything. Running 6 miles in the dark rain is a good way to do that. (yes, I’m trying to psych myself up for this!)

In other news, I have a race on Saturday and I’m so excited to tell you that it’ll be my first race running as part of Team Oiselle! The team is made up of some absolutely amazing runners; women of all ages and a backgrounds. I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of the team and I’m looking forward to representing a company with a mission as genuine as theirs. From now on, you’ll be able to spot me at races because I’ll be wearing the Oiselle singlet.

Post-run analysis: Woke up at 5am, it was extremely foggy, 69’ and way more humid than it should be at that time of morning. I ate a little, stretched and headed out. Thankfully, the rain had passed and only the ground was wet! Overall, the 6 miles went pretty smoothly. Slow and sweaty, but I’m definitely happy with how it turned out.

Now….I’m running late for work since we had to cover all our furniture so our ceilings can finally be painted today after they leaked during Irene.

• What falls by the wayside in your life when you’re really busy at work?
• If you write a blog, do you write and post right away, or write in advance and then post later?
• How do you prepare for race conditions?
• What’s your favorite weather to run in?

************

Tuesday’s workout -

• 3 mile run
• ab exercises
• stretching

Wednesday’s workout -

• 45min stationary bike
• ab exercises
• 3x20 cable pull push-down
• 3x20 hammer curls
• stretching

Today’s workout -

• 6 mile run
• stretching