Pregnancy PR Plus

This past weekend I ran the Women's Mini 10k. This race is sort of a big deal because it was the first women's-only race I think ever (it started in 1972 and is called the "mini" because it was sponsored by "Mini" Razors). It ends up drawing a lot of elites like Linet Masai and Lornah Kiplagat. But this year I was very excited because Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe were running it as a "fun run" since they are both pregnant (and both due a week before me!). I love, love, love Kara Goucher, so I was very very happy. I was hoping to snap a picture of them before the race and even had my camera on me.

Anyway, I always like this run, because it is very "girl power" AND you get to run up Central Park West for the first part, instead of being stuck in the same old Central Park loop.
It was a muggy day (66 degrees but 78% humidity) but at least it was overcast and a little cooler than I was used to. I had no time goals, but wanted to run with a good effort and just see how it went. Since it was a women's only race I was in the red corral (the second fastest) and I think it kind of screwed me up. Even though I was telling myself to take it out no faster than a 10-minute pace, I think I got caught up in the race pace. I THOUGHT I was holding back, but when I looked at my watch at the half mile I saw I was doing an 8:40 pace...whoops. I slowed down immediately, knowing there was no way I could hold that.


I was glad that I did because those hills were killer. Even the slight elevation on the way to the downhill part of Harlem Hill was tiring my legs out. I was keeping a nice even 10:16 pace though and felt pretty good. I was also making sure to stop at every single water stop because I could tell that I needed them. With my good head start of a 9:48 minute mile and the following 10:16 I decided to make a mental goal of beating my first ever 10k time, which was a 1:09.


The back end of Harlem Hill got me though. I was really fighting the urge to walk because I wanted to run the entire race. I decided to allow myself a little walk break when I got to Lasker Pool, at the bottom of the hill. But then I saw that the 3 mile marker was halfway up the hill and quickly revised my plan to make it to mile 3. That allowed me to run half the hill and walk half of it, and I felt that this was much more justified :)


Even with all of the walking and water breaks I was still not that far off my goal. That last mile was an 11+ pace, but I was getting my energy back now that all of the bad hills were over.


When I hit Cat Hill I didn't even feel like I needed the water stop, but I stopped anyway.


I don't remember what my 5th mile was, but I know it started with a 9, which made me ecstatic. I felt great...great enough to pick up the pace for that last mile.


I did feel like it was the longest mile ever. When I got to the 800m to go sign I was like "Really? A whole HALF MILE?!" I didn't know if I could keep up the pace. I must have though, because I saw Bill just after mile 6 and when I looked at my watch I saw that I was flying! I shouted to Bill "9:20!!!" I was super pumped! I haven't seen those kind of numbers since before pregnancy! I was definitely going to make my goal.

I dug in and concentrated and finished with a 1:02, 10 minute pace flat! I was so happy! So happy that I didn't even really care that I got the ugliest carnation the guy handed me after the end :)

THEN the best part!!!

Bill and I were walking back the race course to cheer on our friend, Bess when who do I see signing autographs? Kara Goucher! It took some needling, but Bill convinced me to stand in line and get my picture taken with her. ( I was like "NOOOOOOOO! I am NOT a ten-year-old girl!")

I think she is probably the nicest professional runner ever.

First of all, she noticed my "Running for Two" shirt, which she said she loved and then started asking me all kinds of questions ("When are YOU due?" "How do you feel?") I told her I got a pregnancy PR which she said was great and then told her that she was inspiring me to keep running. She was like "I don't see why not, right? I mean, if you feel good you should!" and then she said "We'll probably be singing a different song in the 9th month though, right?" Aw. She was very nice and I felt very happy to have talked to her for more than 2 seconds like everyone else. Her husband Adam was there too, but I was mainly just startstruck by Kara. :)

Me and Kara Goucher!

Sadly, I missed Bess' finish, but we all went out to celebrate our run afterwards with some greasy diner food :)

Bess, Gina and Me before heading to brunch

Where ARE We?

This weekend I ran the Queens Half Marathon. The Queens Half is a very unique event. First of all, it is very very hard to get to (since almost no one in NYC has cars). You have the option of spending a bazillion dollars on a cab, paying $15 to take the shuttle from the NYRR HQ, or trying your luck at public transportation. For the last option, you take the subway to about 2 miles from the start and wait for a free shuttle from NYRR. The problem with all of this is that 5,000 people run this event, so the free shuttles are very crowded. Oh yeah, and the roads close at 6 am so, you have to make sure you get on the shuttle before then. Both years I have run this, and a lot of the people who take that option end up showing up about a half hour after the start. That is just too much stress for me, so, for the second year in a row, Bill and I opted for the $15 bus tickets. The last bus leaves at 5am. Soooooooo...we both got up at 3:45am (bless Bill!) to grab a cab across the park and catch the bus.

When we got to the park in Queens, some girl said to her friend "Where ARE we? The end of the subway line was back there, and that was like 20 minutes ago!" Everyone in the bus laughed.

After that? You scramble to find a park bench to sleep on until the race starts at 7am. And it was COLD this year, so there was more shivering than sleeping!

Despite this, I kind of sort of like running this event. EVEN THOUGH it has 66 turns within 13.1 miles (those turns keep me from being bored) and the whole thing is hills. Up and down, up and down, there is no flat part that is more than about 20 feet. And that's only three times in the whole race.

Ramon said not to count on PRing, because you could not PR this event. I realize why now. I do not remember it being THAT hilly last year, but maybe that is because last year it was like, 90 degrees!

The start was crowded, and once again, I was in the corral behind my friends I usually run with. It was SO crowded that my first mile clocked a 9:16. I didn't freak though, because I knew Ramon said no PRs (even though I was secretly still hoping for one). My next mile was 8:25, so I knew I needed to slow down desperately. Luckily, I found Molly (a girl I usually run with). She runs pretty consistent 8:40s in the beginning of races, so I decided to covertly follow her :) And guess what? My next lap was 8:44! Perfect!

In fact, I was pretty consistent the whole race, ranging between 8:16 and 8:51. The miles were flying by, and I didn't really feel tired until mile 11. Which, Ramon says, is an indication that I ran the race smart. Yay! A smart race! I don't usually get those.

In that last mile? There were two of the largest hills on the course. There was actually a collective groan as all the runners around me made one of those last turns to see that huge hill. One guy was like "Now that is just RUDE!" which made me laugh. I had to really dig on that hill. It pretty much sucked.

I was all pumped when I looked at my watch, which said I averaged an 8:33 pace. Whoo-hoo! Too bad my ACTUAL pace was 8:42. Why the discrepancy? Well, Coach Christine said all the turns added mileage on, and that UNLESS you ran on the course line exactly you probably ran an actual 13.33 miles (everyone who had a Garmin had that the course was 13.33 miles).

So my official time was 1:54.04. A PR by 34 seconds. Don't get me wrong...I am happy with a PR, but I am bummed because I felt like I was running a lot faster than my PR in the Bronx Half. :)

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!

Things I Did Right

These are the things I have been doing right in my running which led to an AWESOME race on Sunday.

1. Got a LOT of sleep this week.
2. Started cross-training with weights religiously, concentrating on form and pushing myself.
3. Ran with a "zen" attitude.
4. Kept a positive attitude.
5. Had an attainable goal.
6.. Ate a 200 calorie breakfast of Cheerios an hour and a half before the race.
7. Picked a friend to beat.
8. Drank Gatorade instead of just water during the race.
9. Pushed myself up the hills without overdoing it.
10. Concentrated on keeping my back shin parallel to the ground as I was running (to keep good form/get a good stride).
11. Sang "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash over and over in my head (to keep a good rhythm).

I actually think that the first 3 are the most important because they are what were most different than what I usually do.

All I know is that I woke up very determined to get a PR on my half marathon in the Bronx this weekend. Not JUST a PR either. I needed to break the 2 hour mark. To do this, I decided that I needed to feel like I did during the Staten Island Half (where I got that PR...2:01.13). I remembered that I felt like I was putting forth a hard effort that I could probably sustain for the whole thing, but definitely NOT holding back too much in those first few miles. This is different from everything that I have learned, but now I'm wondering if it is just MY perception of what "holding back" means.

After the first mile, I looked at my watch: 8:43. Whoa! Slow down, sister! So I did. Or at least I thought I did. The next mile: 8:24. Seriously, girl, slow down. Next mile: 8:05.

In the Marine Corps marathon this is when I started beating myself up. This time I was just like "Ok. Whatever. Just see how it plays out. This is a practice race, and if you die and can't finish, you die and can't finish. Your body knows what it's doing..." (see this article...especially the second paragraph).

Well, it worked. I didn't die until mile 10. And even then, I only got down to 9:20. Plus, I psyched myself right back up and concentrated on hitting the next mile at a sub 9...which I did!

And I finished with a 1:54.38. Best. Time. Ever.

It made me wonder if I should modify my training pace. But according to McMillan's cool training calculator it actually looks like I'm right on track with my long runs hitting a 9:44-10:44 pace. How is that possible?

Well, anyway. I am happy :)

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 ;)

A New PR!!!

So, Beat the Banana was fun, but a LOT different from any race that I've been in.

First of all, this was a very non-competitive fun run. They didn't even have a clock, so I'm glad that I had my running watch with me. We met at the South Bandstand in Hyde Park, but they didn't have roads closed off or anything. In fact, when the woman at the starting line was going over "rules", one of them was "watch out for people and bikers along the course".

EVERYONE wore their t-shirts. Which to me, is really funny . My friend Jen, wanted to wear her Hyde Park Blast tee in the race last year (because they are so cool, and because my company designed them, and because she happened to be the Client Team on that project) and my boss Richard was like "no, no, no, only amateurs wear the race shirt the day of the race". I kept thinking about that when I was watching all of these people in their bright yellow "Beat the Banana" shirts. I shoved mine into my backpack and put it in the tent with all of the other backpacks. But then I realized that if I didn't wear it, I would be the only runner NOT wearing one. And despite my track record of being a non-conformist, there are just some times when you have to conform.

It was a good thing, too, because otherwise I would have gotten lost in the shuffle. Because people work out and run and walk and bike along these paths, it would have been hard to tell who was in the race. And all of the yellow shirts made it easy to spot where the course was.

So I was dying! I felt so tired, and sneezy, running through all of the polleny trees and plants. And I felt like it was HOT (it was only 74). I was trying to do a 9 minute mile. It was hard to figure out though, because they don't mark the miles here, only the kilometers, and I was trying to do the math in my head, but it just is not one of my strong points. It has been really hard for me to get out of my 11-minute mile pace that I was running for the marathon. I thought for sure it wasn't going to happen. I felt like (and the calculations in my head told me) I was doing about a 10 minute mile.

At the last kilometer I looked at my watch and SWORE it said 26 something, but I don't think it did, because I finished with a 26:43! Yay! A new personal record for me!!! (That's an 8:35 mile pace!) I know I'm not breaking any world records, but for me that is AWESOME!

Since Bill wasn't here to buy me ice cream (that's his thing...whenever I get a PR we get whatever kind of ice cream I want. I usually go for Dairy Queen) I got a banana milkshake at dinner tonight.

Oh yes, and now I also have a bright yellow t-shirt that says "Beat the Banana" (and the banana was FAST).