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: Portugal Day Race

Several months ago some of my coworkers and I decided to run the Portugal Day Race together since Portugal currently sits on the UN Security Council. I've run with colleagues before, Shamala after work for fun (and once in the NYRR Mini) and Nick back in February in a race in Prospect Park, but we've never done anything like this. One of SCR's staff members, Paul, even went out of the way to invite us all to his place afterward for a fun brunch with the whole SCR group and folks from the Portuguese Mission to the UN. I think we were all pretty excited for today to arrive.

And one of us really wanted to win. That would be me [insert two thumbs pointing at myself].

Usually for a 5 miler I wouldn't really worry too much about it. I'd drink a beer or two the day before and eat whatever was available. But yesterday I worked hard to stay hydrated (no beer) and I ordered a huge meal from an Italian place in my neighborhood and feasted on baked clams and pasta with shrimp and asparagus. I got seven hours of sleep. At 5 am I was pumped. "What time are you planning on finishing?" Shamala texted me so she could be ready with her camera to get a picture of all of us finishing. "I think the question is what time is the winner going to finish," I responded.

Portugal Day wrist bands!

I didn't see anyone before the race except for Nick and Tara for a brief second out of the corner of my eye. I saw a huge Portuguese flag draped around Nick's shoulders. Good, I thought, that is gonna slow him down big time.

A woman sang the Portuguese national anthem (a very good rendition I heard later from a man from the Portuguese mission) and then another woman sang the American anthem. I clapped enthusiastically and then put my game face back on.

I don't run in Central Park very often and I wasn't sure what the hills were going to be like or where they were going to be along the course. I started out running a sub 8 minute mile on the west side of the park and even hit a 7:30 on a downhill. The course looped clockwise around the park, cutting right at 102nd street. The first two miles came and went easily, and the people around me started to thin out so that we weren't elbow to elbow (this was a very popular, quickly-sold out race, with what I heard were 7,000 runners). On the East side of the park I got into a little trouble with the hills because I didn't expect there to be so many going up. But I still looked at my watch periodically (okay, very frequently) and I was mostly under 8:00, even when I went through a water station and dramatically grabbed a cup, took a sip, and poured the rest of it down my back. Winners have to stay cool.

The whole time I was thinking that my coworkers were behind me. I imagined them plotting the time when they could get me on a slow uphill. I imagined them running past me and then me running past them. I thought about Scott Jurek and how in his 100-plus mile ultra races he would turn his headlamp off at night so that the runners behind him wouldn't be able to tell where he was and thus catch up with him (psyching them out, so to speak). How could I psych out my coworkers? Should I weave in and out, side to side?

So much drama was going through my head.

Finally, the finish line appeared. NYRR used the same exact spot as the NYC marathon finish for the Portugal Day Race, and maybe not surprisingly, even though I've run the NYC marathon twice, I do not remember the finish line being in this spot. I think I'm so out of it by the time I finish the marathon that I don't remember what it looks like. Also, it looks a lot different with 40,000 runners and screaming fans in bleachers and medals being given out, etc. But I digress. I crossed the finish line thinking that maybe I'd actually beat everyone.

But I didn't. Turns out Nick and Eran were ahead of my the whole time. Doh!

My results:
Overall Place: 1,523
Time: 40:12
Pace: 8:03

The group left to right: Paul, Nick, Eran, and moi

Afterwards we had a great time at Paul's, noshing on pastries, bagels, salmon, fruit, and drinking coffee and wine. After one glass of wine I had to go home to shower and nap! It could have been all the competitiveness that exhausted me too. 

Me, Tara, and Shamala. How are they clean and pretty and I'm still stinky and sweaty?

Friday Picture Wrap-Up

This Friday Picture Wrap-Up is dedicated to sometimes-just-wanting-to-look-at-something-pretty. It comes with a very special soundtrack, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeny singing "Only Someone Running". One of my favorites. "Through your eyes I swallow Flowers."

TABLE MOUNTAIN, CAPE TOWN

TABLE MOUNTAIN, CAPE TOWN

TABLE MOUNTAIN, CAPE TOWN

FISH EAGLE LODGE, LAKE MALAWI

FISH EAGLE LODGE, LAKE MALAWI

FISH EAGLE LODGE, LAKE MALAWI

THE HIGH LINE, NYC

THE HIGH LINE, NYC

THE HIGH LINE, NYC

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.

Race Report: The first 5.38 miles of the Brooklyn Half

Today I experienced the firsts for two things: 1) The first time I didn't complete a race and 2) The first time I got called a "fucker" by another runner.

I decided yesterday that I was going to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon after a bunch of deliberation and good ol' fashioned ribbing by my dog park friend and fellow runner, Jon. He didn't believe me when I told him that my knee hurt. It really did hurt, but yesterday it miraculously felt better. I even walked from my office at 48th street to New York Road Runners at 89th street to pick up my race bib and shirt after work, in heels (not recommended), and my knee felt fine.

But I wasn't in the best shape to spontaneously join a half marathon. I haven't run much since my race in Cape Town, and earlier this week I felt like I was getting sick and even left work early one day. Then my knee started to be uncooperative, and that's when I ate beer and chocolate for dinner.

My sweet Aunt sent me this t-shirt in a care-package 

(congratulations for running the ultra)

But I felt decent when my alarm went off at 5 am this morning. I walked to Prospect Park and saw lots of other Brooklyn runners out on the sidewalks, heading to the start line.

On a side note, I heard an awful conversation on my way to the park. One woman said to another, "My housekeeper asked for a raise. She said, 'I've been working for you for a few years now and I want a pay increase.'" (The women laughed.) Then the other woman said, "She isn't even a good housekeeper, is she? I mean, my housekeeper worked when she was pregnant and even brings her daughter with her to work to help out." I didn't stab either one of them, but I did think to myself, New York I love you, but you're really bringing me down.

And I haven't even gotten to the part where I got called a "fucker."

I got bumped up a corral because of my 7:49 pace in the last race I did. The start to the Brooklyn Half is now near the museum. It used to start inside Prospect Park and circle the park twice before heading to Coney Island, but now it starts outside the park and does a couple of out and backs around Washington and Flatbush Avenues. Then it enters the park for a loop and then it heads to Coney Island. This new route allowed NYRR to open up the field of entries from 5,000 to 15,000. There were a lot of runners out there today. The first couple of miles had a lot of downhill. It was sort of unbelievable; I felt like I was roller skating. I was doing a sub 8 minute mile.

A strange older man ran by me a couple of times and tried to be chatty. Both times he started conversation by saying, "Is the finish line coming up soon?" And both times I said, "Yup, it's just around the corner." The second time he came up to me he said, "My lieutenant back there had to stop." (Where are we? Vietnam?) "She seems to have hurt her leg and she had to stop. She always seems scared whenever she sees me. I don't know why! But she is a good girl." On this last note he pulled ahead and I called out after him, "Woman! She is a good woman!" But if he heard me he didn't react.

At some point before entering the park a woman who appeared to be in mid conversation with someone slowed down abruptly to cross the road in front of all the runners to get to a water station. It's okay, it happens. But I was right behind her and my foot brushed her leg and could have tripped her and I kind of stopped to avoid a head-on collision and said, "Oh sorry!" And she scowled and said, "Fucker".

When we entered the park I started to feel really hot and sluggish. At the top of the hill inside the park I made a sharp right and headed home. I had mixed feelings about my decision, but now I'm grateful that I didn't run all the way to Coney Island. I really just wanted to come home and nap with my animals. It's Saturday and I don't feel like being around New Yorkers.

So I can only really report on the first 5 1/2 miles of the race, which I did in 46 minutes. Seemed organized and not too crowded in my section. At some point I'm sure some folks, many of whom have questionable politics, crossed the finish line at Coney Island, filled up on hot dogs and beer before noon, and returned to their sanitized homes sunburned and proud of themselves.

The Bee's Knees

The bee's knees. What does that mean??

Today I started my run home from the office in the rain, which seems to be more common than not lately, and after a couple of blocks my left knee protested very loudly. I was forced to stop. Stretching didn't help. So I did what any normal runner would do in this situation: I bought beer and chocolate and took the subway home.

I hear a lot of people say all the time, "I'm just not cut out for running..." because it hurts. I think pain management is a normal part of life. Having your heart broken doesn't mean you aren't cut out for loving; it just means you aren't a sociopath. I think everyone with two working legs should be able to run for at least 20 minutes because at any moment there could be a zombie apocalypse. It doesn't have to be fast because everyone knows that zombies run slow.

If you're feeling discouraged volunteer for Achilles International and experience what it's like to run with a blind runner.

I'm not opposed to taking a break from running when it hurts. I say that now because I don't have a major race on the calendar. Only the Brooklyn Half this weekend (we'll see if I'm up for it). And the summer series coming up in Prospect Park (my knee will have to cooperate by then!). I am going to register for the Tokyo Marathon (and get the 4th continent under my belt, literally) and visit my friend Ayako, who says she will do it with me! I think she is the bee's knees. But that's not until next year. 

Until then I'll ice and stretch and drink beer and eat chocolate*. And listen to this for inspiration. 

*I am not a certified personal trainer. 

On Getting Healthy: Beats for your Beets

I went for a little run yesterday and another one today. It wasn't anything too serious; today's run included lots of stopping for some grass rolling (by Oscar, not myself). I found myself looking at marathon calendars today, to see if there are any races in August or September that I can sign up for, but I couldn't decide on one. I need a new running adventure to look forward to. I don't know why, but I'm not feeling that fit right now even though one month ago I completed my first ultra marathon. So this week I am going to eat a lot of veggies (watch out carrots!) and get some long runs in after work. Maybe join the folks at JackRabbit for a group run. I'll work on hydration and getting a lot of sleep (I don't know why I added this sleep bit because I tend to sleep a lot already). It's not a weight thing or how I look that is bothering me. It's how I'm feeling. I actually lose weight when I haven't been running regularly because I get lazy about eating and skip dinner, but when I'm running a lot I am very hungry (watch out chocolate croissants!). Skipping dinner isn't fun. And a girl needs to keep her curves.

With all of that said, here is a delicious, healthy and completely outrageous salad that I created this evening. It is so good that I had to eat two.

Pickled Beet and Sauteed Tofu Salad
I used "Organic Girl" mixed greens for this.

Pickled Beets (do this first)
One large beet cut into matchsticks
One gala apple cut into matchsticks
4 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
a chunk of fresh ginger (about 1 1/2 cubed inch or so) grated
liberal sprinkle of salt
Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Even though the beet is raw the vinegar will break it down and "cook it".

Sauteed Tofu
4-5 tablespoons of peanut butter
4-6 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
a squirt of sriracha sauce
Mix all these ingredients together in a large bowl until the peanut butter is creamy, adding a bit more vinegar to get a loose consistency. (You can taste this sauce and adjust any of the above to fit your tastes accordingly. Essentially it should be a peanut buttery-salty-sauce. With a little kick.)

Cut 12 oz of extra firm tofu into small cubes. Add it to the peanut butter sauce. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the tofu. Let the tofu brown and develop a crunchy skin on it and then turn. Repeat until it's nice and brown. You may have to play with the heat a bit so you don't burn or over brown.

Serve together on top of the mixed greens. You can use a little bit of the pickling juice for a little dressing.

I drank kombucha with my dinner.

And some dinner music...if you see me playing very mean air drums while I am running down the street (and you're like, "Whoa! Is that woman some kind of famous musician?"), the chances are good that it is because I'm listening to this song. Beats for your beets!