Gay Pride

Saturday was the Front Runners Lesbian and Gay Pride run. I had seen many runners in Front Runners singlets at races in the past, but I had no idea how big the club was. The event had a great vibe, and a lot of that was due to the Front Runners that were there volunteering and running.

I entered my assigned starting corral and immediately spotted a bevy of Flyers, both old friends and new faces. We chatted and there were a few introductions. There were some folks there that I would have liked to have kept pace with, but I knew that on this day, it wasn't going to happen. When the race started, I fell in behind one of the Flyers I had just met, J.E. 

I was able to stay with him, but it was an ambitious pace. I decided to go with it, and let him pull me along. We ended up running the first few miles side by side. There was no conversation, but there was a nice teammate vibe. 

I knew, from the heaviness of my breathing and the ease of J.E.s breathing, that he would be ditching me before the race was over, and as expected, I fell back around Cat Hill. Unfortunately, J.E. stayed in sight, which meant that I had to continue to give it my all. I finished with a 35:04 (7:00 pace), which is pretty good considering that I'm just starting to get back into shape.

Most importantly, I felt as high as a kite at the end of the race. I had really pushed myself, and it felt great. The vibe of the event, chatting with teammates afterwards, and the satisfaction of leaving everything I had on the road made this a high point of my month.

I have a ways to go before I'll be able to PR again, but if this race was any indication, I'm going to enjoy getting there. 

My Need for Speed

Today was the 2008 Need for Speed 50 mile relay race. I ran again with Flyers Team Black which had all but one runner returning from last year.

Last year's race was an important day in my new running life, and I really looked forward to this year's version.

Certain aspects of the experience were just like last year -- the camaraderie and the excitement of running with a team in a sport that I have only otherwise experienced as an individual. Sure, I run as a Flyer in all the races, but this is different.

So what was different this time? Well the weather, for one. It was brutal. It started hot and got hotter, reaching the mid nineties at its peak. Also, coming off injury, I opted for a short leg, rather than taking the challenging (and rewarding) lead off leg that I had last year.

So, do I have a personal "Need for Speed"? Yes, I do.

The heat made it impossible to run at the pace I would have otherwise expected. But just going out and running hard felt so good....

The Good

• Hanging with Team Black again!
• Matt from the Hellgate team who rode with us in our team van for two legs. This is a whole story that I will post on separately.
• Every minute of my leg. Me like to run.
  
• The two new additions to the team -- my good friend TH, and new Flyer the Laminator. It was great introducing TH and Team Black to each other, and it was a pleasure to meet the Laminator, who up until now I have known only from his blog. The reality lived up to my image.
• The Flyers had 4, count 'em, 4 teams in the relay. With 8 or 9 runners on each team, this meant that the transition points were loaded with Flyers, adding even more good vibes to the event.
  

The Bad

• A lot of folks got of course during their legs. Whenever a runner didn't show up for any team when expected, we had to worry that not only may they have gotten lost, but that they might be in serious trouble due to the heat. Fortunately, all of the Flyers participating made it through safely, although a few were pretty teed off at the extra miles they ended up running.
• Oh yeah, and late in the day, the "race was canceled" Chicago Marathon style. Everyone was allowed to finish the leg they were on, and since some teams were on the last leg, they completed the race, but many didn't. We missed by just a few minutes, so we didn't officially complete the last leg. Nyflygirl ran the leg anyway, without a chip.
  

A Good Start

I ran my first race since March today. I've been nursing a "non-injury", but I've missed the whole race scene so much, I just couldn't stay away.

The event was the Japan Day Race, a four mile loop in Central Park. My plan was to run at training pace, or just a bit faster if I felt good.

This was my first race since the NYRR started using the new corral system, and I was very curious to see how well it worked. My pre-non-injury race times earned me a spot in the first corral, but I wasn't planning to match that pace today.

I followed my friend PL to the corral entrance, which was at the front of the corral. Uh, the front of the first corral would be right at the starting line. I definitely did NOT want to be there. One look at the eyes of the contenders that would be running over me, and I made a bee-line for the back of the corral.

Meanwhile, the corral barriers had been removed, and I ran into my friend TH at the front of the second corral. I didn't plan on keeping his pace either, but at least I knew he wouldn't push me of the road to get by.

When the starting horn sounded, TH was off like a shot, and I was left on my own to find the right pace. Despite my plan of moderation, I felt that old race day high. Boy have I missed that. I didn't push hard, but I felt good so I kept a brisk pace. At mile one, I was pleased to see my pace of 7:13.

My non-injured leg felt better than it has in a while, so I kept the pace up. I was nervous that I might be benefiting from adrenaline, and that I might regret it later, but... what can you do.

Each mile got faster, and I ended up averaging under a 7 minute pace (6:59). It was not a PR by any means, but it was very satisfying run.

Mile Splits
7:13
7:06
6:56
6:41

I stretched thoroughly afterwards, and there hasn't been any tightening or soreness, so hopefully today was a good step toward feeling 100 percent.

The corral system seems like a total success. Combined with the widening of the racing lane, there is no more crowding, and no one strays outside of the cones. The race marshals, who used to stand in harm's way trying to get people to "stay to your left!!", now just stand there and watch the race. Today's was a smaller race than usual, but still, it looks like the NYRR has gotten it really dialed.

I started back further than I needed to, since I expected to be running slower, but I had no problem moving through the pack. The corral system makes sure that there are no completely off-pace runners (walkers) blocking traffic in the front, and that's all that was really needed.