All for a mile

A minute after I signed up for the 5th Avenue Mile, I realized I had made a mistake as I was already registered for a one day, no credit, but required class for school. Oh well, I thought. I will either see if the professor will allow me to be late, depending on my race start time, or take it next year. I mean, running a points race is way more important than going to class...you see where my priorities are.

As race day approached, I noted that my start time was 9:25am and class would start at 9am. Not too bad, especially since it was only 2 miles from the race. So I called the professor and asked if I could be late. He at first tried to tell me I would have to make a choice. I went on to say how important the race was as a team points race and that I was one of the faster females in my club so my choice would be to take the class next year. He then asked me what I thought the latest I would be. Well, I hoped to run the race in 5 and a half minutes, and I thought I could get there no later than 10am. His reply was, "OK. Don't bother coming to class if it is 10:05am. And don't bother coming if you don't PR". Hahaha...you got it!

Two days before the race, my allergies started bothering me quite horribly. I ran that morning and my chest was on fire, I was becoming congested. I started to take my allergy medicine, using my Neti Pot, and taking an expectorant in hopes that it would control the symptoms so I could run at my best, so I could continue my marathon training without complications. The therapies were working, but I was still struggling with some post-nasal drip. There wasn't much more I could do, so I would have to run through it.

The night before the race I had a long awaited date to go out with some of my favorite co-workers. I had such a good time, I stayed out much later than planned. I didn't get into bed until 12:30am. Being a little tipsy and tired, my math was not so good at this time. Coach said we should arrive at the race an hour early to warm up. I thought I would give myself an hour and a half so I could be sure to check my bag and have time to chat with my teammates since I would need to rush off after. So I decided to leave at 8am and get up at 7:15. I got up with no problems, took my time walking the dogs, put on my race apparel, ate my breakfast, and headed out the door....15 minutes later than planned. Oh well, I still had plenty of time...so I thought. As I sat on the subway relaxing, I suddenly realized that it was 8:40 and the race was starting at 9:25....WTF! I was supposed to be there at this time, not leave at this time. The train was going to take an hour, I had already been on it for about 20 minutes. SHIT! I got off and hailed a cab at 116th Street, hoping I would get someone who was a pro at quickly navigating traffic. It was an old guy...damn! But after calling Jill, my teammate, and telling her of my stupidity, he seemed to understand the urgency of getting me to my race on time and picked up the speed. I got to 59th Street at about 9am, 25 minutes until the start. As soon as I got out of the cab I started running. I was at the finish and had to first get to the three quarter mile mark to leave my bag with Jill and then run to the start. I dropped my bag successfully and kept running.

The start was horribly crowded. I had 15 minutes to the start time, but the corral was already full. I had hoped to do some stride-outs, but it seemed that would not be feasible if I wanted to have a good starting position. I had to pee too, but the line was super long and there wasn't time to wait. Oh well, I would have to hold it and make do with a mere  one mile warm-up of weaving my way to the start. I went to the corral entrance, but wasn't allowed in as it was too crowded. I just thought "oh man, I am doomed if I have to start from back here, this is just not my day". Then I saw some of my teammates go to the other side of the corral and make there way in, so I followed (thank you JoAnn for being a genius!). Success! As I worked my way to the front, Laura and Lili spotted me. They are quite the speedsters and I knew would also need to make their way to the front, so we all weaved our way through the crowd. I saw more familiar faces in the front. I never line up in the front and was surrounded by some super fast women. Deanna was on the other side of the start, she is amazing! Not only is she fast on short distances, but a super ultra woman too! I was nervous and tried to calm my nerves, but before I knew it, it was time to go.

I had never run a mile and really didn't have a race plan. I just didn't want to go out too fast and die. I hoped to allow myself to climb the small incline at the quarter mark and then gun it to the finish. I had set a goal time of 5:30 (although coach Glenn was predicting 5:25), not sure what my capabilities were. I haven't been training for short distances, skipping all of our coached track sessions in order to focus on my marathon training. All I could do was try my best and see if I would surprise myself.

As I set out, I almost fell, tripping on a slower runner in the front...dammit. I gained my composure and picked up my stride. I was right behind Laura and Deanna. Lili was long gone almost instantly. I was ecstatic to be starting out running with these women who inspire me, but wasn't sure how I would fare next to them. I was literally a stride behind Deanna and then I came inline with her at the quarter mark. She was in the zone and didn't notice me. I fell behind a bit as we came up on the half mark, just after the mini incline. My teammates would be cheering at the three quarter mark, so I tried to maintain until then, when I could really pick it up. I was right behind Deanna, who was right behind Laura. Before I knew it I could hear the cheers. I love my team! Go VCTC! I heard my dear friend John screaming at me, telling me to dig. So I dug as hard as I could. Trying to catch up with these amazing women. I finished just 2 seconds behind them in 5:26...Wahoo! What a mile!

I grabbed some water and an apple and began to make my way to my teammates to collect my bag. I started running as soon as I got around the major traffic, nearly running into people, got to my teammates for a quick report, collected my bag, and turned around to run to class. The sidewalks were crowded and weaving around people was difficult at times, I literally ran into a few people....sorry. Running with a full backpack was no fun either, as it was not a backpack designed for running. But I had to keep running. I had a goal of getting to class by 9:55am. I finally got to NYU, meeting my goal, and found the classroom with little difficulty (the hospital is a maze). When I looked in, everyone was sitting behind a computer, but there were a few empty seats in the back. I gave the professor a small wave and made my way to a seat. As soon as I sat down, the sweat started pouring down. Some classmates were looking at me...all red in the race and dripping wet. All I could do was wipe it away and wait for a break so I could change my clothes. Then the coughing began. That mile tore my lungs apart...and being sick, didn't help. At one point, the professor came up to me to give me my name badge. He whispered "How'd you do?". I said, "5:26". He gave me a big smile and a thumb's up. I beamed!

Post race coach love. I love my coaches! I love my team! VCTC rocks!

Bird-In-A-Hand and Whoopee Pie's

School has started, which means I have no time and my blogging has been lagging. I was notified this morning that I am way over due for a posting...plus I haven't informed you about my fabulous race a couple weekends ago. So here you go!

I needed a tune-up race for my upcoming marathon and my friend, Elena, signed up for the Bird-In-A-Hand half marathon in Amish county Pennsylvania, which was the perfect timing. She had run the marathon in the spring and if she completed this half, she was to be given a unique "road apple" award. So we planned a little road trip.

We set out Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed to the expo. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, being from Vermont and all...even the smell of manure...yep, country girl at heart. The expo was quite quaint, not much in it for running merchandise, but there were some homemade whoopie pies and apple cider donuts (sorry Amy, I'm not a very good Paleo devotee...I cheated...a lot). After a little snack, we headed to the hotel for some race preparation and relaxation. Then, we went back to the expo to watch the 5k...and eat s'mores (more on that later).

An interesting thing about running in Amish county is that the Amish people run. Yep, some of the men run dressed in there pants and suspenders. I was surprised to see some even had Garmins. And the pace leader...a horse and buggy. Well, they also had a bike in case the horse decided not to follow the rules of the race. People gathered as the race set out to start. Then we waited for the runners to make their way to the finish, which  was a long stretch lined by a white fence, crowded with cheering locals and family members...it was quite a site!

5k male winner sprinting to the finish

After the race, it was time for s'mores...Elena, the poor soul had never had a s'more before. I guess they don't make them in Belarus, her native country. I was excited to introduce her to them at the Finger Lakes 50, but she missed them before the kids gobbled them up. So this was her second chance. I think she enjoyed it...and the second one...

First taste of a s'more...yummy

With full bellies, we watched Bart Yasso give out the awards and then headed off to bed, but not before checking out the hardware. Age-groupers got medals with a whoopie pie on them...nice For the half, the medal would have a shoe-fly pie. Back at the hotel, I read some of the race facts...the course record was 1:28. My PR was 1:28:57. So I thought, either the course is harder than I think or not many fast runners come out. I studied the elevation chart, noting one quite big hill in the beginning, but thought the rest would be a piece of cake.

We woke up bright and earlier and headed to the race start in time to get a stellar parking spot. Then we relaxed in the car and ate our breakfast. The morning was cool, so I was hoping that the forecasted exceptionally high humidity would lay low so I could really push it on the run. When it was time, we headed to the start, positioning ourselves in the front. Then, we were off. In the beginning, I was running with another female. I let her stay in front, as I sensed that she wouldn't be able to hold the pace for too long. And I was correct. After about 2.5mi, we hit the big hill I was prepared for and she dropped back. But, I quickly realized that wasn't the only big hill. The course was completely rolling, with some hills steeper than others. And the humidity was high...~95%.

My thoughts were going back and forth about how hard to push. At this point, I already knew this wouldn't be a PR course. I kept telling myself I would rather have a shoo-fly pie medal than a generic trophy. I thought "you should just slow down and let that girl catch up". At a small out and back portion, I noted she was about a half mile behind me. Then I saw Elena. She excitedly yelled at me. I can't recall what she said now, but I remember telling her I was winning. Seeing her running well (this was her longest and fastest run since recovering from multiple stress fractures) gave me a push. I moved my thoughts to my intention of proving to coach that a marathon goal time of 3:05 isn't too ambitious. I kept running up and down the hills. At mile 7, at what I thought was the top of a hill, I grabbed some water, only to turn the corner and see the hill kept going. That was hard as I lost my momentum. I needed a gel, but had to wait until the hill was over and I found another water stop. My stomach wasn't really happy, but with the heat and massive amount of sweat, I needed some electrolytes. The water stops were great! Amish families came out. Running past all the little hands of the kids, seeing the smiles, was rewarding. Everyone cheered you on. Many noted I was the first female and cheered louder, which felt good. It gave me the drive to keep pushing. I took my gel shortly later and felt better.

Then we turned onto a dirt road. And I thought "What the hell?!?!" Although I love running on dirt roads, I wasn't prepared as I wore my racing flats and just hoped it wouldn't last long. I was lucky because it was just down a hill and then up another before we hit pavement again. The next thing I remember was passing a water stop that seemed to have only Powerade, which I didn't need, so I flew by...only to realize they were handing out Rita's italian ice in little cups. Damn, that would have been good cause I was HOT! Oh well, had to keep running. I caught up to a fellow Amish runner. We were going back and forth, but I eventually passed him. I had started passing male runners a while back, especially as I worked the downhills...for some reason many of them slowed on the downhills. At this point, I was getting my second wind, really wanting to gun it, wanting to be done, knowing I only had a 5k left...but I was nervous since I didn't know how treacherous the rest of the hills would be. So I kept plugging along, as hard as I could while still maintaining some steam. About a mile to the finish, I climbed the last hill, crested a turn and saw the finish....down hill, turn and there was the shoot. I bolted! The crowd was cheering. They were a blur. I ran as fast as I could straight across the finish line. Happy to be done, but knowing I needed to go back and get Elena. I took a quick water break and then asked one of the finish line volunteers to hold my medal while I went back to get my friend. She tucked it safely in the  pocket of her dress and I was off. As I ran, onlookers pointed me out as the winner, it felt great. But I secretly hoped Elena wasn't too far off. I was hot and had already decided I didn't want to run the other 5 miles I was supposed to for the day. Lucky for me, she was close and very happy to see me! She pushed to the finish, coming in 5th female and 1st in her age group. It was a great race!

We cooled off and headed to shower and check out of our hotel, then back to the race for awards.

I was delightfully surprised with a nice trophy cup 

And Elena got her "Road Apple"..yep horse poop

All handed to us by Bart Yasso 

Then it was time to adventure around Amish country. I wanted to go to Intercourse...

We did a little shopping, a little eating...Had the best hot pretzels in the world. It was a blast! I will be back in pursuit of the course record!