I signed up for the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a women's only 10km race in Central Park. This race in particular caught my attention after the discussion I had with Bethany at Outside Time about women's only races and how they are promoted (I'm looking at you Chicago Women Rock).
Packet Pick Up:
Easy as. Headed to NYRR office and got my bib and a tech singlet. Also did a little Upper East Side sight seeing while I was in the area (I love vacations!!).
Race Shirt:
Tech singlet. Black - my fav colour. Great for summer. Winner!
The race:
When I signed up, I estimated my race pace at 9:45/mile. I didn't recall this but it was printed on my race bib, so it must be true. Based on my current running and the horrid diet I've been consuming while on vacation, I wasn't too sure that I would be able to manage this. But I wanted it. Based on both my Shamrock Shuffle and Lakefront 10 Miler times, I saw my first sub-60 minute 10km as a possibility (you know, before all the vacation slackness).
My previous 10km best time was 1:08:19 (way back in 2011 - I haven't run a 10km race since then). So even if I didn't hit sub-60 minutes, I was still pretty likely to manage a PR.
The weather was a nice 60 degrees and overcast. Given that it bucketed down the day before, that was a lucky break. The sun even came out a few times during the race.
There were about 5,000 people in the race which made it a little crowded but not too bad. There was the usual amount of weaving and dodging in the early miles and also at a couple of points on the course where it narrowed.
With my Chicago legs, the hills in the park did leave me working hard in a couple of places. Luckily, every tough long uphill was followed by a great downhill. I know that just sounds like common sense but I have experienced runs where the top of the hill is a plateau so you don't get the immediate reward of the downhill.
Unfortunately, I managed to positive split the race. My time at the 5km mark was 29:34 (actually, I'm pretty happy with that. If I ran 5km races that would totally be a PR). But maintaining that pace didn't seem like a possibility from the way I was feeling. The good news is, even though I was hot and my lack of decent recent training was making itself known, my stomach was behaving itself.
I "stopped" at a water station during mile 4 to get in a little water (hydration has been another FAIL over the past couple of weeks) but more importantly, to pour some water over my very overheated head.
From there on in, I just felt like I was getting slower and slower.
But I was determined to see this race through and left everything on the course to get to the end, even if I had to walk some of the way. Luckily, the walking didn't happen and I made it to the finish line...
 |
| In the finish chute. Need to fire my race photographer - only managed a shot from the rear. |
1:00:42
So close!!
I swear I felt like I was going soooo much slower for the second 5km than I actually did.
Overall:
I liked this race. It was well run (unsurprisingly). The atmosphere was great. I liked the course (good to get off the Lakefront Trail).
It was a bit pricey ($50) but I didn't mind paying it because I really wanted to race in NYC.
I would definitely do it again. And given my
Oh cool, I'm glad you had fun! The hills in the park are no joke, but at least it's pretty shady in there. When I visited some friends in April I ran a loop and had a moment of "oh my god, I can't believe I'm going to run these hills as the *last miles of a marathon*..."
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