Summers in NYC are crazy hot, sometimes gross and hot. But two things happen here during the summer that make me happy to be living here: the Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series in Prospect Park and the outdoor summer concerts.
Yesterday was not only National Running Day, but it was also the second race of the Summer Speed Series, presented by JackRabbit, our local running store. They are 5k races taking place every other Wednesday in Prospect Park. I did a few of them last summer and had a blast. And since the race is so small it's possible to place 2nd or 3rd in my age group (last summer I ran a 23:30 and placed 2nd in one of the races). Oh, and they are only $5!
I've been on a hiatus from running since I got back from the Two Oceans Marathon. It's been good. I feel rested and like some stuff healed and I can get back into it. But I didn't know what to expect from yesterday's race. I'd had a tough day and things could go either way. I could either totally kick ass and blow off steam or I could go in feeling really defeated and suffer. Luckily, the former occurred! The race starts at the bottom of "the hill" in Prospect Park or "zoo hill" as locals call it. I started out really fast, doing a 7:30 pace up the hill; Sometimes I can't help myself. I was pretty winded at the top of the hill and started to slow to a 8:04 pace till I got to the other side of the park with the nice downhill. I relaxed on the hill, picking up some speed again. By the 2 1/2 mile mark I had slowed to 8-something, but I felt okay. When I finished I believe the clock said 24:44 but I haven't gotten my official results yet (if it's correct then I ran just under 8 minutes-sweet!). I collapsed in the grass instead of looking at my Garmin or remembering to stop it.
I hate trying to run fast, so these short races are really good for me because I'm forced to push harder than I normally would running for fun. I'm not a naturally fast person. This is why a 7:30 pace is so difficult for me to maintain for any stretch. This isn't even really that quick! It's not embarrassingly slow, but it's not burning a trail in the asphalt either. I prefer to cruise at a slower pace for much longer and have the time to pretend that I'm in the lead and going to break the tape.
In honor of outdoor summer concerts, here is some Beck. I have tickets to see him and some other folks outside at Randall's Island in a few weeks.
Al Goldstein? I stopped a major TV network from selling him used video equipment, much to the consternation of the dept. selling it. Senior management backed me on it.
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