Whoo-hoo! PR!

This weekend we had one of my favorite races in Central Park...the Run for Central Park. I like this run so much because it is a 4 mile race, which means: it's short (duh), it skips the upper loop and therefore, Harlem Hill, it skips the lower loop, which I hate AND it starts on the east side in the 60s, so you get the worst hill over with in the first mile.

Despite this, last year, I most certainly did NOT PR this race (I did a 36:36). This year I totally did, despite the fact that it was 72 degrees with 96% humidity (yuck).

I had figured out all kinds of combinations of splits on Friday to get me where I wanted (which was around an 8 minute mile). I had hoped that I could start out the race with a nice and easy 8:30 pace, but in order to make my goal, I REALLY had to make up for it in the next three miles, and I didn't know if that was possible. I know this sounds stupid, but this is also why short races are hard...you just don't have a lot of room/time to do anything other than even splits. So in my mind, I was hoping to hit an 8:05 for the first mile, but I kept telling myself to take it easy and do an 8:30.

Well, I guess sensible/logical Emily won out, because I clocked my first mile at 8:33. But I think a lot of this was due to the fact that it was super crowded (the race had reached capacity at 5,000 runners earlier in the week). I was stepping on peoples' heels, which I know is really great for them. :( (I did apologize.)

This slower first mile probably saved me though, because it was a lot hotter and more humid out than I thought. I settled into what felt like a comfortable pace for me and clocked a 7:52 on the second mile. I had skipped the first water station, but when I hit the second one I decided to take some water, even though it was a short race. I even walked through it to make sure I was getting enough fluids even though I knew it would add to my time.

The third mile was the trickiest, but I knew it would be going into the race.

While I complain about Cat Hill and Harlem Hill, at least you go up them and they are over with. The west side is comprised of lots of tiny rolling hills. None of them is significantly large, but you can definitely feel them in your legs after running fast for 2 miles. It doesn't help that there are LOTS of them too.

My third mile was 8:17, and (surprise!) I was actually okay with that, seeing as that this was supposed to be our slowest mile (due to the hills) by 5-10 seconds, plus I had taken 5-10 seconds at the water stop.

Before the race, Coach Christine had told us to give it our all on that last mile because it was all downhill. LIAR. :) Right at the mile marker there was actually a significant UPhill. I was pushing anyway, but it took loads of energy. I felt like I was going fast but running on empty. Slowing down. Slowing down. Or at least it felt like it. But I was still actually passing lots of people. When I saw the huge group of coaches cheering at the end (they were in the last 5 yards or so) it gave me a burst of energy and I really started kicking. I could tell I was fast, but I felt like I was going to die!!!

Final time was 32:15, which means that my last mile was 7:32!!!

My average pace was an 8:03, which, while that doesn't beat my practice record, it is definitely a race PR!