Healthy Kidney 10K Recap

This weekend’s Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park left me with mixed feelings. Overall, it wasn’t a bad race by any means, I just am a bit too hard on myself when I know I could do better. I definitely wasn’t in “race mode” for this one and it showed…but then again, that was to be expected as I mentally positioned this as a good effort/workout before this Saturday’s Brooklyn Half-Marathon. So, let’s focus on the positive and negatives. Ali did this for her race recap and I found myself better able to sort through Saturday’s effort using a similar approach!

Positives:

• I ran 40:36; this is a success considering I set a low standard for myselfof just running under 42

• I broke out an old pair of training flats I had forgotten about, and loved them for the 10K distance

• I felt really good on the first 3 miles of rolling hills in Central Park on the west drive. Maybe too good, but I was able to drive up the hills without losing my stride. Hills are usually one of my weak areas, and I felt OK!
• Despite a pretty terrible 4th mile, I regained my focus and was able to get back in the rhythm and finish in a positive note, rather than bagging the entire race because I had one bad mile.
• I was the 9th female finisher, and 2nd in my age group behind an Ethiopian who was the 1st female finisher. I know this race didn’t have a women’s prize purse so not many of the top runners competed, but kinda made me feel bada$$ to be one of the top 10 women!
• Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of NYRR, personally congratulated me at the finish, saying “Wow, great race– that’s awesome to run under 41 minutes!” Yes, Mary, yes it is. Thanks for making me feel like a rockstar 🙂

Negatives/”Areas for Improvement”

• I was NOT amped up to run this. I didn’t feel like I was racing the week towards it, and didn’t really have the adrenaline at the starting line like I should have
• Maybe I took the west drive hills a bit too fast, because I DIED the 4th mile. I dropped from 6:22, 6:23 and 6:27 pace to a whopping 6:55. My arms and legs felt light, as if not enough oxygen was getting in. I actually wanted to stop running and catch my breath at one point. I think I need to get better about taking my iron supplements.
• If I didn’t bomb my 4th mile, I feel like I could have broken 40 minutes. The last mile I didn’t have as strong a kick since I wasn’t close to breaking any time barrier. If sub-40 was in sight, I’d like to think I could have really driven home a bit better.
• Remember when I ran a 10K solo “tempo” by myself, at night, in the wind? In 40:26? Yeah, I ran slower in a race than a solo workout effort. I know I was in really great shape then, before a half-marathon PR, but…it’s hard not to compare. But, I did run the course the opposite direction so maybe clockwise is harder? 🙂

Anyways, onward and upward to the Brooklyn Half next weekend. Fingers crossed the perpetual rain forecast in NYC stops by Saturday morning. I want to enjoy my Saturday afternoon at Coney Island. I have never been before and am pretty excited 🙂

Anyways, here’s a few pics from race morning, along with some weird pre-race superstitions.

I *always* sleep in my race outfit the night before. I find this makes it a bit more comfortable to run in the next day, and cuts down time getting ready in the morning, and ensures I don’t forget anything! People probably think this is weird, but works for me. I wait to pin my bib on until the morning of, of course. The one time in college I decided to pack my singlet instead of wearing it to the meet since it was a tad humid in the morning, I left it in the hotel room and had to borrow someone elses. Never again! (PS- ignore the fact the flash is taking over my entire face in this photo. Whoops!)

I still wear my lucky Villanova ribbons. A few girls on the team introduced these cute blue ribbons for a few races, and I wore mine every single race. And I still do. Makes me feel fast and a bit pretty 🙂

I have to drink coffee before races! Even if this means waking up a tad earlier to get my french press going, I need some caffeine. It’s probably mental. Before every track race in high school, I had to have a medium Dunkin Donuts french vanilla coffee and an O’Bagel Cinnamon Raisin bagel with walnut raisin cream cheese. If the bus left super early in the morning and I couldn’t get there beforehand, I’d get it the night before and reheat. True story.

And I think that’s it, for now. I noticed these quirks in my prep for Saturday’s 10K, but assure you there are probably dozens more.

What pre-race rituals do you have? How do you analyze your race efforts?  I also have eaten the same chicken salad from Josie’s before the last 2 NYC Half-Marathons and before the NYC Marathon. It is light but filling with a great blend of proteins, fats, and carbs. I might find myself there again this Friday evening before Brooklyn! I think focusing on the positives and negatives is a great way to see what you did well, and what you can improve upon for next time. That’s the great thing with running, there is always room to improve and perfect!