Unrealized PR

So on Saturday I ran another 4-mile race in Central Park. It was for Fitness magazine and was the same 4-mile loop it always is. At the beginning of the week I was all set on having a PR. Unfortunately when I woke up on Saturday morning it was super humid. So humid in fact that the race coordinators could not stop talking about it. They told everyone not to go for a PR today.

It always makes me nervous when they keep talking about the weather like that during a race. It makes me keep saying in my head "it's humid out, it's humid out." Which makes me more aware of it. This might be a good thing for some people but for me it's like I can't stop concentrating on it.

So I decided NOT to go for a PR. I DID want to beat my last 4-mile race though, where I was hung over.

I told myself to hold back on the first mile because I've figured out that this is the key to a good race for me. I was feeling a little winded but figured this was just the humidity. My first mile was a 8:27 and I was like "uh oh. Slow down, sister." Plus, I was just way too aware of the girl on my team who was running next to me. I was allowing her to get into my head again.

The next mile was supposed to be my fast mile, which it was. I lost my teammate on this one. 8:00

The third mile was a bear. I hate it because of all of the hills. Plus, at this point I was very very tired from the heat/humidity (did I mention that later that afternoon we had the big "tropical storm?"). I stopped for water for the second time and dumped a bunch on my head which I try NOT to do. 9:30.

The last mile I was just trying to hang on. This is where I usually get my second wind, but I honestly was just trying not to collapse over the finish line. I looked at my watch and figured I would try to make it in at 34:00. I figured that while this was not my PR, it would still do for the race. So I was a little disappointed when I clocked a 34:22.

I called Bill to tell him how I did, which in my words was "I guess not tooo bad, considering the humidity. But I was really really hoping for a PR."

Yeah, well, I just checked my times from my spreadsheet of all of my races at work. I DID have a PR. By three seconds, but still a PR. And the former PR race? That was the one where I was feeling invincible! So that tells me that I HAVE improved.

Yay hill work I guess ;)