NYRR Update

So quite a few running giraffes since the last October post. I've been on three NYRR races:
1. The Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff, October 25, 2009, 5M.
2. Race to Deliver, November 22, 2009, 4M.
3. Joe Kleinerman 10K, December 6, 2009, 6.2M

I won all three races! Of course, my definition of winning is not first place, or not even first place in my age group or whatever. My definition of winning is showing up and finishing. So, in conclusion, I'm awesome.

Of course, SLG ran all three races with me, so it's inspiring to run with an awesome person like SLG. Let's see, some memories from each run. I think I felt pretty crappy on the Poland Spring run because SLG and I hadn't run a race in September, and I missed some practice runs on the weekend because September was so crazy. However, I still managed a 9:19 pace per mile and an overall net time of 46:37. Nice to get back in the swing of things! After the race though, it was quite cold, and SLG and I decided after this race that we would bring bags for a change of clothes for our next race.

The Race to Deliver was awesome, as I managed a PR of 8:48 pace per mile and overall net time of 35:14 for the four mile run. I remember taking breaks for water and still feeling strong. I don't think I had a strong kick toward the end, but the water breaks were a revelation for me. (I can take water breaks, walk for a bit, and still get a PR! Amazing!) I also remember starting out slow and building toward a faster pace, so an overall pace of 8:48 is stupendously amazing to me. I think I wore a long sleeve wicking shirt, and shorts - I think. Maybe I wore two layers on top, but I don't remember. Note to self: update running blog when my swiss cheese memory is not so swiss cheesy.

The Joe Kleinerman race was super awesome. Joe Kleinerman I think is the or a founder of NYRR, and this 10K was in honor of him. I don't know if he's still alive or what, but hip, hip, hooray for Joe Kleinerman and NYRR. NYRR is an awesome organization, and I'm proud to be a member. 10K is about 6.2 miles and the longest race I have ever done. It was really cold, and we had a third member join our merry band during the race. PD aka RB ran with SLG and I, and we all decided to run together, kind of organically, because I usually like to run off and go and try for my PR. However, it was a lot of fun that we ran as a group. We would sing songs together, and talk about random stuff like what kind of breakfast we want to eat after the race. It made the 6.2 miles go by really fast, and it was actually a lot of fun. It was really cold, and we had to bundle up. I ran with a headband thing-y to keep my ears warm, running gloves, and two layers on top (short sleeve and long sleeve wicking shirts). I also decided to run with long pants over my shorts. I probably could have run in shorts, but not really. Note to self: need to buy running pants or tights. I read somewhere that you should dress cooler than you feel, because after running, your body temperature rises 10 to 15 degrees. Since we all three ran together, my time for the 10K was not super fast, but it was still super cool!

Since the Joe Kleinerman, SLG and I ran with another special guest star: Yin. We've done an outdoor run and a run on a treadmill. The treadmill run for me was diff, because I tried doing a fast-slow thing, where I would run fast for five minutes, run slow for five minute, run faster for five, and then run slow, and et cetera, et cetera. It is an interesting way to switch things up, and shock the body!

So far, I've kept up my practice by running about 4 or 5 miles once a week, including a treadmill run today and a midnite run last Sunday (after a NYC rain, no less, the air was so crispy fresh!). However, a few days ago, I registered for the Manhattan half-marathon on January 24th! I'm kind of freaking out, because I don't think I've run that far even on a practice run. It's about a month away! and I've made a spur of the moment decision to just run, run, run. Who knows if I have enough time, but sometimes, you just gotta do it. Just do it, baby! Who's with me?

(crickets)

Who's with me in spirit?

(Cheering crowds)

Good enough. Note to self: need a soundtrack for my so-called life.

Keep on running, running giraffes.


P.S. I asked for a lot of running stuff for Christmas! Hopefully, I'm on the nice list, never mind that I'm older than time. I can still be on the nice list... kekeke.