Sunday, June 12, 2011

Race Recap: NYRR Mini 10K

I'm back from NYC!!! It was quite the weekend with 10+ hours spent on a bus with Becky, 6.2 miles run in Central Park, 6+ Cab Rides around NYC, multiple meals out and too many drinks to count. I'm definitely exhausted.  But I did walk away with a new PR in the 10K!  Another 3 second PR but I PR'd nonetheless.  I've only run one 10K before and I think this could be my distance, had I trained.  Yep, this race was the furthest I've run since that little Marathon I ran on April 18th.  Oops.  It was a great race though and I'm glad I came to NYC to run this race with lots of other awesome bloggers...
Ali, Emily, Becky, Tina & Theodora!
 But let's rewind, shall we?  The weekend started in South Station at my favorite place, Cheeseboy. The tag-line for Cheeseboy is "the best things in life are cheese," and I couldn't agree more.  I'm pretty much obsessed with cheese so I was excited we could start the weekend on the right foot : ) From there we took the Bolt Bus down to NYC to stay with Theodora.
We were greeted with wine, cupcakes, Theodora, Ashley and Bailey before heading to Serafina at the Time Hotel for dinner with Ali, Emily and the Rocketship.
I got my pre-race staple: Lobster Ravioli and it was almost as good as my local Italian restaurant.  Yum!!! Becky and I also shared a salad.  We had a blast together with gallons of water and pounds of parm cheese : ) Then we headed back to Theodora's for a restful night of sleep.
Here we are, pretending we are ready to run so early in the AM.
Race morning of the NYRR New York Mini 10K,  my stomach was a mess and I was nervous as hell.  I was not a good time to hang out with before the gun went off but once the race started, I calmed down. My goal was to start slow and progressively get faster.  But we all know that's not how I run.  (I actually did run this way at the National Half- my first mile was 8:45 and my last was 7:43, someday I will negative spilt again. Someday.)
This is how I feel about this race.  It was H-O-T. I probably needed some fuel before the race (I could barely eat) and gatorade during. I had some horrible thoughts during the race.  I thought about quitting, but I tried to dig deep and in the end I was able to sneak out a 3 second PR. 51:44 (8:20 pace)

LizF291157
MAUSA8198192440:51:440:25:0408:20



 I know I didn't train for this race, but I know I should be able to run faster and I hope I do at the BAA 10K in two weeks! And here are my paces...
 The first mile I was actually right next to Kelly... I thought about saying hi but since we've never met in person I didn't want to seem like a creeper. So hi Kelly!!! I also kept Ali in my sights for the first 3 miles, but then I lost her...I came through the 5K at 25:04 and felt pretty good until I turned the corner and ran up a hill.  I looked down at my watch at one point and I was close to a 9:30 so I knew I was just trying to hold on.  Once I got down to the last mile, I knew it was almost over. So I did whatever I could to will myself to the finish.  The race counts down... 800 meters to go (the distance I ran in college), then 400 meters to go (my favorite distance) and 200 meters to go.  I was a sprinter but I barely had a sprint left in me.
And here is a picture of the elevation.  I thought for sure Mile 4 was going to show some crazy elevation.  But it didn't so I'm not sure why I was struggling so much at that mile, but I was.

I forgot to mention one thing about this race.  I threw up at the end.  Yep. I did.  I had nothing in me besides water but I exerted myself so much I got sick and I can tell you it's pretty much 100% because of the heat.  Lizzy + humidity= miserable. But don't worry, I'm queen of the puke and rally : ) TMI? Sorry.

I definitely learned some stuff in this race.  
  • I learned that I should run more than 4.5 miles before running a 6.2 mile race.  
  • I learned that 96% humidity and I don't get along.  
  • I learned that I need Gatorade when it's that hot out.  
  • But most of all, I learned that running races with friends is the best way to run them : )

And I learned that I will always, always run for CHEESE.
Shout out to Stephanie, who made me this awesome shirt : )
 After the race, we headed to a Blogger Brunch organized by Christy at Whym. I wasn't sure what I was craving so I ordered the special- Smoked Salmon on a Pretzel Bread with Sweet Potato Fries and a Fellini (Pear Puree and Champagne). And I stole some of Becky's Pancakes.  Oh, and we got a side of Bacon.  Besides cheese, I will always always run for bacon.
After the race, Becky and I headed back to Theodora's for some much needed relaxation before a night out on the town.  Stay tuned for my restaurant recap on Ninja!

I had so much fun at the race with my blog friends : )  And I'm so happy I went to NYC : ) Can't wait to go back!

Have you run an NYRR race?  THEY are so well run!  Do you like the 10K distance?

24 comments:

  1. Nice job Lizzy!!! A PR is a PR!!! Fantastic pictures!!! You always have so many cute shots and friends!!! You know I'm envious of your Ninja eats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job! Congrats on the PR. It looks like you had a really fun weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm still so mad at myself that I didn't see you! I totally would have recognized you too. Nice job though, lady! It was so humid out there and definitely a tough day. I love NYRR races but am not sure I love 10Ks so much! Hope you had a great time in NYC :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. yay for a PR! looks like such a fun time, besides the puking and humidity! (oh and 10 hr bus ride kill me!)

    I can't deal with humidity like that, either. (discount the running all together.) Which is also why I never complain in wintertime! haha.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The best part of this race was definitely all the fun we had in the corral at the start. You really know how to get pumped up for a run...and you know just what to say to your friends ;)

    The weather was really miserable on Saturday morning and I'm super impressed with your ability to push through it. Congrats on the PR!! I had sooo much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like a lot of fun! Even with the throwing up!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Two PR's in a week - that is awesome, Lizzy! Those are really solid splits. You are definitely getting faster! I think we need to work on the pre-race nerves a bit though ;)
    I'm glad you ladies had such a good time, and your picture collages are SO cool, I love them!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats Lizzy! You did amazing for not running the distance in almost two months. Be proud! And puking always means you pushed yourseld hard, right? At least that's what I tell myself...

    I'm not a huge fan of 10ks because I think you have to run at an uncomfortable pace the whole time. I much prefer 1/2s!

    It looks like such a fun weekend with awesome people and food!

    ReplyDelete
  9. a PR in this weather? bomb, girl. celebrate that!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. NYC thinks you should come back. You can stay with me and we can take turns using the bathroom all day.

    Too much?

    Seriously though, it was SO great spending time with you this weekend. You ran a solid race and, most importantly, we all sweat through the humidity together.

    OK, come back now! I'll book your BoltBus ticket.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congrats on another PR! You were clearly working hard since you booted at the end!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh no! Sounds like a tough race but congrats on the PR. I'm riding the Bolt Bus to NYC this weekend and have to say I am soooo excited for a grilled cheese sandwich en route!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awesome Congrats on the PR!! Great weekend all around it seems :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats on the PR! Not to sound like a creeper, but I literally ran behind you in the beginning of the race! I saw your t-shirt in the beginning, and literally thought - how awesome is that! Hopefully next year (if you run this again) we can meet up!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aww looks like an awesome weekend! I love visiting New York - used to live there but never did a road race at the time. Poor form on my part! I love Whym for brunch and haven't been to cheeseboy but it looks simply amazing. Congrats on the PR!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats on your PR! Hills, humidity and heat are tough! Now think of what you could do with some 10k training?!

    ReplyDelete
  17. we need to eat more cheese together. let's plan another race weekend ASAP!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats on the PR! I love NYRR races because they are super organized. I've gone elsewhere and was surprised by the lack of organization. I think we get spoiled in NYC.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congratulations Lizzy!! A PR is a PR, whether it's by .3 seconds or 3 whole minutes! For a girl who hasn't run long since April, hadn't really trained, AND was puking, you did amazing!! I read a lot of recaps and it seems like everyone really struggled on that 4th mile - so you couldn't have been imagining the hill! :) Looking at your splits, I definitely think you have it in you to get a faster time at BAA in a couple of weeks. Take out that one 8:50 mile and you're there!

    I'm glad you and Becky had such a fun weekend in NYC. Next trip I need to be with you!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great job! Looks like SUCH a fun trip. I completely agree about racing with friends. The only time I want to do it alone is if I have a serious goal for the race and want to focus 100%. But even then by the end I wish I had friends there to keep me company. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Looks like a great run and a great time! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh man, I miss NY. We used to live around the corner from Whym so I've been there a million times. They had this stuffed french toast (the rotate the fillings/toppings) that was out of this world. It had gelato in it! Yeah, perfect for brunch ;)
    Your race sounds awful mentally and kind of reminds me why I no longer want to race. I love the friends aspect of it and the beginning of the post made me jealous - it's so fun to have such amazing friends that share your passion... and I've never done this but I think traveling for a race could be fun too... again with friends. Anyways, just wanted to say that I'm proud of you for persevering, for learning lessons and for PRing. Yay!!
    We need to hang out soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a fun weekend and YAY for your new PR! I love your shirt that your friend Stephanie made you, so perfect for you! I really hope it cooled down after the mid week heat! When I was there on Thursday it was 100 degrees, ick!!

    ReplyDelete