Japan Day Race

I don't know WHY I am trying so hard to get in my 9+1 races to qualify for the 2011 New York City Marathon. I already have guaranteed entry since I forfeited my guaranteed entry this year. I guess I always need a goal in running and this is it for me. I also like running races because it makes sure that I am still running and staying in shape.

At any rate, after my very hot 6-mile run on Saturday, Bill and I woke up early to do the Japan Day 4-mile run on Sunday. It was still hot, and there was no sign of the rain that they were talking about all week, which kind of made it worse (recorded temps were 75 for the 8am race with 79% humidity).

But I am SO GLAD that we ran on Saturday. It made Sunday so much easier, mentally and physically.

One thing I did forget was that the summer races are CROWDED. Especially in the middle of the pack where I run now. The whole time we were on everyone's heels and there was never any room to pass...not that I really needed to pass anyone.

I felt like I was putting forth a good effort, which made me realize the truth about effort vs pace.

I was telling Bill about this during the run. When I ran competitively it was a whole different ballgame than how I run now. Last year it was all about time, no excuses. Even though people were telling me that things like heat, humidity, whether or not you had a long run, or a hill workout or a speed workout the day before, etc affected your race, I was always trying to PR, no matter what. I remember being really upset with myself last year during the Women's Mini 10k because at practice I was averaging 7:40-8:15 pace on 10ks and on that race I averaged an 8:33 pace. And it was hot that day!

But running during pregnancy has taught me that those things really DO matter. I can tell when my body is pushing hard, and time is not always a reflection of that.

In this race we were doing a consistent 10:37 pace and it felt just as hard as those 7:40s that I used to do at practice.

I have also really been able to tell the difference between pushing it so that I get a good workout and knowing when I need a break. My OB says that this is why athletes do well in pregnancy workouts. She said that athletes have a much better understanding of how their bodies work, and they are the best measurerers (hmmm, not really a word, I know) of their effort levels. Studies have shown that when pregnant athletes need to stop or take a break, they do. So that's what I do...I push to get a hard workout, but not so hard that I will hurt myself. It ends up being pretty rewarding, and I have almost always felt good afterwards about my runs.

I even made it up Cat Hill without stopping (Cat Hill has been my Achilles Heel on my last 2 long runs) even though it was in the third mile of the 4 mile race.

So I was pretty happy with my 41:50 (which averaged out to a 10:27 pace!). And I felt GREAT afterwards. Great enough to walk the 2 miles home and scarf down a sausage sandwich from the corner bodega. :)