This Saturday morning I left my apartment just before 8:00am. I got halfway down the block, and I realized that I forgot to take Advil before the run. Oops. Even though I ran 4 miles on the treadmill Wednesday pain free, I'm not confident I could make it through 13 miles without it. Luckily the local deli had those mini-packs of 2 Advil for 75 cents. Of course when I opened the pack while standing on the subway platform, one of the pills flew out on the floor. I decided the 5 second rule still applied, but ONLY in this case. I'm certainly not a germaphobe, but I cannot imagine putting anything else that has touched the subway floor into my mouth. Anyway, I quickly wiped the pill off and took it without letting myself think about it too much.
When I finally got to Prospect Park (the subways were running crazy, so it took me a while), the coaches were finishing up explaining what we were doing for the day. Our whole group was going to do the Cheery Tree 10 mile race in Prospect Park (apparently named for George Washington's birthday) at 10:00am. Since 10 miles isn't long enough for the "long run" days anymore, we were all going to do a multi-mile warm up before. The beginners (that's me!), were going to do a 3.35 mile loop. The race is 3 more loops.
Then it was time for the "Mission Moment." Most weeks someone from the group will share a story of their connection to Leukemia, Lymphoma, or any other blood cancer. It's a good reminder for everyone about exactly who we are raising money for. One of the girls said she would do it today. She started off hesitantly, saying that she has been reluctant to do the Mission Moment because her story is not uplifting, it is a sad one. Then the tears started. She told us that her mom died from lymphoma in November, and that is who she is running for. Her mom's house just sold, and this weekend she was going to have to go and clean out her things. You could see how much raw pain she was in, and it was really heartbreaking. Our coach Lisa, whose dad is in chemo for lymphoma right now, said that today we would all be running in the memory of this girl's mom.
The Run Begins
We ran the first warm up loop in the opposite direction that we would be running for the race. The pavement is the park is pretty banked, so it is good to reverse direction when you can. That way you don't stress one side of your body too much. We saw a few people who were walking over to the race start while we were running. They were either:
a) confused, because the race had not started yet - or - b) thinking we were stupid for running BEFORE a race.
I decided that I was going to "race" this one. For the Bronx Half-Marathon last weekend, my goal was to finish the 13.1 miles having a good experience. I wasn't going for speed. For this race, I wanted to try for 9 minute miles and finish it in 1:30. In other races (much shorter races) I've been able to average 9 minute miles, but I've never tried to maintain that for 10 miles. That is what the training is about, right? It's better to test myself now than in the marathon. My ultimate goal for the marathon is anything under 4:30, and that would be 10 minute miles.
When the race started, we were close to the front of the pack. People started out fast, and you kind of get sucked into that. You don't want to get mowed down! Elizabeth and I had already decided on our paces before the race, so we knew that we wouldn't be running this one together. It's a lot more boring by yourself...
Our coaches Lisa and Luis were hanging out on the course cheering us on. It's pretty cute, because they were pretty much the entire crowd. This race didn't really have a lot of people out there cheering because it was in the 20's! If you are running, that isn't so bad. If you are standing around, that's really cold.
When I hit the last big uphill at mile 9, Luis jumped in ran up the hill with me. It was great, because just when I was feeling like slowing down, I couldn't. I had to keep up with his pace. He gave me a quick little pep talk that helped pull me through the rest of the race. I think he jumped in and ran with everyone he saw from our team. I bet he secretly just wanted to stop standing around in the cold and get moving himself!
During the last half mile, I saw 2 other girls from TNT. We ran to the finish together, and we finished in just under 1:30! I was really happy with that time. I met my goal, and I was able to maintain a good pace for 10 miles. I can't believe it! 3 months ago I couldn't even imagine running 10 miles. I really couldn't imagine running 10 miles after a 3.35 mile warm up! It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it.
Mile 1: 8:36
Mile 2: 9:16
Mile 3: 8:35
Mile 4: 8:29
Mile 5: 9:04
Mile 6: 9:29 - I remember this mile was tough! This was when I ate my Gu. Yum.
Mile 7: 8:47
Mile 8: 9:10
Mile 9: 9:19
Mile 10: 8:34
average: 8:59
total: 1:29:33
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