Race Report: The Al Goldstein 5k Summer Speed Series

Yesterday was the first official day of summer and the 3rd 5k race in the summer speed series in Prospect Park. It was too darn hot to try to break any personal records. The last I checked before the race, it was 97 degrees with 77 per cent humidity. Walking to Prospect Park was like walking through a bowl of hot oatmeal. I thought about what I'd learned recently reading Scott Jurek's book, Eat and Run, heat acclimatized runners sweat earlier, longer and with less sodium in their sweat.

Fun fact: I'm a very salty sweater.

Running in the heat is a common runners' forum topic. I don't enjoy running in hot weather or running fast so it's natural for me to slow it down and be smart about it. Drink lots of water, wear lots of sunscreen, don't do anything stupid.

So with this in mind I decided before the 5k that I would just have fun and not run so fast that I was having trouble breathing. The first two miles actually felt really good and I ran a comfortable 8:30 pace. During the last mile I slowed down involuntarily and started to feel the effects of the heat. I passed a really fit-looking guy who had started to walk and tried to offer some words of encouragement, "You're almost there!" After this I got a little burst of power and passed about 5 people on the way to the finish line. I still finished in my worst time, 26:20. But I was first place in my division! Was there anyone else even running in my division?

Another fun fact: I dropped the F-bomb at the finish line. 

I compared peoples' times from the 2nd summer speed series to the 3rd and everyone seems to have been slowed down by the heat, and this week's winner finished in 17:28 while last week's winner finished in 16:11!

RUNNERS AT THE FINISH LINE

Race Report: The Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series

Spoiler alert: Nobody called me a "Fucker" during this race. 

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.