Hot Chocolate 15K

I went out today to run the Hot Chocolate 15K as a training run. I've tried this before, but it's pretty hard to do. I usually get sucked into the excitement by the crowd of other runners and end up running faster than I had planned. Let's face it, the reason I'm running the race instead of just running on my own is for that excitement. It's a balancing act to absorb the vibe without getting pulled into the race.

This time, it worked out very well. After the first mile, which was slow due to overcrowding, I kept a very steady pace -- just under 8 minutes per mile. I'm still nursing my legs back to full strength after the marathon, and today seemed right on target. It was a good workout, and should serve to build my strength rather then tear it down. I ran 1:13:51 (7:55/mile), which is actually a PR for me, only because it's been a while since I ran a 15K (there aren't that many).

Sticking to the plan, I'll let myself run a bit faster next weekend in the 10K, and then go all out for the 4 miler the following weekend. It will be fun to run a shorter race and see what I can do. I wish there was a 5K coming up -- that would be really fun.

Today's race made me think back to where I was a year ago. I planned to run the Hot Chocolate 15K with my friend TH, and I was worried about the distance. Although TH had run 2 marathons, I had never run more than 10K. I remember being a bit freaked out when the NYRR announced that the race had been changed to 10 miles (0.7 miles further than 15K). TH reassured me that it could be done however, and he stuck with me to make sure I made it. We ran a 1:42:42 (10:16/mile).

It's great to look back and see improvement -- a benefit of being new to running. Sooner or later I'll hit my peak, and I'll only get slower over the years. But first, I'll have to reach that peak at each distance that I race. My PR list currently holds 8 distances - that should help to delay the inevitable. And hey, I can always add new distances to the list. Anyone know where I can find a 8K race?