NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4 Miler Race Recap

NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4 Miler

Wearing: Sparkly Soul headband, Lululemon Pace Perfect Sports Bra, Lululemon Run Swiftly TopBrooks Cascadia Thermal Vest, Brooks Greenlight Tight

It was a wonderful morning to run the NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4 mile race! My first NYRR race since giving birth to Katie, I was wearing a giddy smile all morning.

Since the race started at 8 AM in Prospect Park, just a 10 minute bike ride or cab ride from our apartment, I didn’t have to wake up early. In fact, I rolled over at 6:45, waking up naturally after nine amazing hours of sleep. Upon checking my phone, I saw that it was 40 degrees and sunny outside.  Since the weather forecast originally called for chilly and rainy, this was a welcome surprise.  I quickly got dressed, sipped a cup of coffee and ate my typical pre-race breakfast of toast and peanut butter before waking Katie up at 7:05. After a few minutes of cuddles, I grabbed my race bib and headed out the door.

Unfortunately, Zoe was running late so suggested that I focus on meeting Mary since she most likely wouldn’t make it from the Upper West Side to Prospect Park before the race started.  Since I cuddled with Katie longer than planned, I hopped in a cab instead of biking to Prospect Park. Luckily, there was no traffic and less than 10 minutes later I was at the entrance of Prospect Park and merging into the crowds of people heading to the start.

NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4 Mile Race Starting Line

The race was sold out which meant that Prospect Park was packed! Luckily, Mary and I were able to quick find each other and then enjoyed a leisurely ten minute walk to the start area. We found our place in the corrals and spent the next few minutes before the race started chatting, stretching and reviewing our plan for the race.

Since I refuse to stress myself out with pace goals, we ensured that our goals weren’t about time.

  1. Have fun together.
  2. Run the entire race.
  3. Negative split the race versus going out too fast.

Like I said, we kept it very simple to ensure that neither of us were stressed about the race.  The race started at 8 and just five minutes later we crossed the starting line.  I had the goofiest grin on my face as I realized in that moment how much I’ve missed running with good friends, sunshine and energetic race atmospheres.

I knew that if I wanted to run the entire race and negative split, then it would be key for Mary and I to pace ourselves and not go out too fast. Luckily, the course, which was a bit more than one full loop of Prospect Park, included some big hills in that first mile which naturally kept our pace slower.

Luckily, since we started pretty far back in the corrals, we were faster than most people around us and were able to maintain a 10:14 pace as we climbed the steepest hill in Prospect Park without having to swerve and dash in between people too much. Once that first hill was finished, we knew that the next three miles would be filled with rolling hills but nothing nearly as steep as the first one. We enjoyed puppy watching as the park was FILLED with dogs, catching up and enjoying the Spring like morning weather.   I was thankful for the multiple water stops as I could easily grab a cup of water and take a few sips after mile 1 and 3, just enough to keep me hydrated through the race.

Less than 40 minutes later we made the turn back onto Center Drive which meant we had a quarter mile left in the race. Mary insisted that we pick up our pace as we were almost done and she knew I had something left in my tank. I wasn’t sure but finally, as soon as I saw the finish line, I high tailed it towards the finish, throwing down a 7:10 pace that last tenth of a mile!

Splits:

  • Mile 1 10:14
  • Mile 2 9:45
  • Mile 3 9:26
  • Mile 4 9:18

Total: 39:39 for 4.1 miles and 9:37/mile pace (Official results from NYRR are 4 miles – 39:25 for avg pace of 9:52

Once we crossed the finish line we grabbed water and apples to enjoy while we waited for Zoe and said hello to some local runner friends like Reggie who always gives the best post race high fives and hugs to everyone he knows!

Al Gordon Race Recap

Luckily, just a few minutes later Zoe found us and we were able to hang out for a few minutes before she headed off to finish a few more miles and Mary and I headed towards Grand Army Plaza to meander through the Farmer’s Market before I headed home to Katie and Bo.

While I’m not signed up for another race until the Queens 10k in June, I definitely have my eye on a few more Prospect Park races including the NYC Runs Prospect Park 5k or 10k in April.

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NYRR Bronx 10 Miler Race Recap

 

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Not many things, other than running, will get me out of bed at 5:30 AM on a Sunday morning. Luckily the NYRR Bronx 10 Mile Race is one of my favorite NYRR races or else waking up this morning would have been ten times harder. Bo and I woke up while it was still dark outside, and spent the next 45 minute sipping coffee, eating Udi’s cinnamon raisin bread and almond butter and getting race ready.

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We had to leave the house earlier than usual since neither of us wanted to brave the Pope and UN traffic and crowds while heading up to the NYRR headquarters on the UES. By 6:30 we were on the subway for the 45 minute trek up to the Bronx.  Due to the small talk we made with fellow runners, the subway ride flew by very quickly.

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As soon as we exited the subway station we were greeted by brisk temperatures and sunshine. Even though we were both a bit chilly, we agreed that this was perfect race weather. Though there were more than 9,000 people running the race, New York Road Runners did a phenomenal job this morning. Bib pick up only took a few minutes and the porta potty lines moved very quickly due to the multitude of porta potties. Every volunteer was wide eyed and bushy tailed, happily pointing runners towards the start on the Grand Concourse.

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At 7:50 Bo and I slid into the F corral with just enough time to stretch before the 8 AM start and choose our meeting point for the finish. Our plan was to start the race together before running our own races.

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Our training has been very different lately and Bo wanted to use this as a diagnostic run while I had a very specific race plan from Jess. The goal of this race was to serve as preparation for Brooklyn RocknRoll half marathon in 13 days. Instead of trying to run a PR today, I focused on executing a race strategy in a race setting.  The goal was 7 easier paced miles followed by 3 tempo miles at the end.


bronx 10 mile course map

One of the reasons that I enjoy this race so much is because it’s very unique course. It is an out and back run that takes you through urban area of the Bronx as you run down the main street, Grand Concourse Boulevard, as well as quieter parks when the out and back diverts before turning you back towards the finish. It is also a great race to practice running hills as is ten miles worth of small, rolling hills. Nothing compares to Harlem Hill in Central Park but after the race my calves felt the combination of hills and running in the lightweight, responsive New Balance Vazee Pace. (elevation map courtesy of  Runner Girl Esq recap)

elevation map bronx 10 miler

I crossed the start line exactly at 8 AM feeling incredible. My legs felt loose after yesterday’s shake out run and the cooler temperature made me excited to run.  Unfortunately, I was so excited that I forgot to start my watch or Nike+ running app. My watch was still in tempo/lap setting which did me no good but luckily within a quarter of a mile I was able to start my Nike app.

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I spent the first four miles enjoying the sites and taking in the energy of the people cheering and running around me. Once the lead runners came by I passed the time by watching the runners, hoping to spot Jess or other speedy friends sprinting by me.

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I didn’t spot Jess but I did have the chance to say hello to four different blog readers who spotted me on the course! When I dropped the pace, around mile 7, I put my headphones in and jammed out to my Berlin Marathon playlist from last year. While I was certainly burnt out on the playlist a year ago, today I loved the mix of Calvin Harris, Avicci and Macklemore. bronx 10 miler

As you’ll see below, I did a good job not going out too fast and sticking roughly to our plan. My “easy” pace is closer to a 9:30 but the fact that I had enough energy in the tank to drop it to sub 9 for the finish made me feel good. After talking to Theodora and seeing the official NYRR time, I also realize that the Nike Plus app isn’t perfect and seems to be a bit generous. If we assume that and add 5-6 seconds onto each mile, then I was right in the range Jess wanted.

Splits

  • Mile 1: 9:22
  • Mile 2: 9:10
  • Mile 3: 9:12
  • Mile 4: 9:20
  • Mile 5: 9:05
  • Mile 6: 9:08
  • Mile 7: 9:15
  • Mile 8: 9:01
  • Mile 9: 9:00
  • Mile 10: 8:51

Nike Plus Avg: 9:07

NYRR: 9:14 

This race has me so excited for the five weeks of running. My plan for Brooklyn is to run with Amy and see how she’s feeling since she’s still making a return to running after having a baby. Savannah will hopefully be a PR race while San Francisco will be all about the fun with Evann, Kristine and friends!

Did you race this weekend? How’d it go? 

 

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NYRR R-U-N 5K Race Recap

Rarely do NYC runners have the opportunity to run a race through Central Park in the evening. Often crowded with tourists and other events, most NYRR races are limited to Saturday or Sunday mornings, bright and early.  Many people took advantage of last night’s NYRR R-U-N 5k, a new socially oriented 5k race. In fact many of my favorite NYC running friends came out for the evening including Meg, Russel, Anne, Beth, Kristin, Jess and 10 Race Pace Runners! I hoped that the smaller race would mean we’d all meet before the start; but, with over 5,000 runners I barely saw anyone I knew before, during or after the race.

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While the 5k was an official NYRR race it was definitely a different atmosphere than their normal races. There was music, photo booths and games entertaining runners before the 7pm start. In fact they even served sparkling cider as a fun bubbly stop next to the water on the course!

The week of the race Anne and I decided to run together, aiming to break our previous PRs which were each around an 8:45 pace. Even though I am very much a morning runner and dread hot, sticky evening runs after a day of food, I hoped that I could pull out a PR.  I ran 2.5 warm-up miles up to the park, meeting her right at the entrance to the fanfare and race craziness. The race was organized differently than normal; featuring a fun run section and typical corrals. We started as far in the front of our corral as possible, in hopes that weaving would be limited.

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Right at 7pm they announced that the race path was clear and signaled the start of the race, reminding everyone to have fun and enjoy the evening. Anne nor I had a perfect method for tracking our pace as my phone died unexpectedly and her Garmin couldn’t pick up a signal even after 15 minutes of attempts.  We decided that we’d use her Garmin timer and just try to run the race as strong as possible.

The first mile went by quickly due to our rapid pace. We both thought it felt fast but we were racing a 5k afterall. Most of this mile was flat other than a gradual downhill, but due to our pace talking more than a word or two here or there was difficult. We pointed out fun running outfits and remarked at how turned around we were. The course was very different than the routes either of us typically run.  As we approached the mile marker I said that I felt like we were keeping a sub-8 pace. Ding Ding! Her clock told us that we crossed mile 1 in 7:55.

The second mile was far hillier than the first including and is where the pain started to hit. My legs felt heavy and the humidity and 80+ degree temps didn’t help. I grabbed a water at the water station hoping that something cool would help. Instead it forced me to spring to catch up to Anne and loose my groove. I kept within a few steps of her until we made it halfway up Cat Hill. Those few steps turned into about a block’s distance but I just told myself that I can do anything for another 15 minutes, the amount of time I estimated I had left. As I crossed the Mile 2 marker I tried to do math and figured that mile was around an 8:15.

Now Mile 3 is the one that had us each talking all night after the race. It seemed very long and not just because we were in pain by this point. It also seemed to deviate from the original race map shared by NYRR. I think the only time I smiled during this mile was when I saw Ali cheering near Engineers’ Gate and when I finally saw the finish line. This was the mile where I internally yelled at myself for not having my Garmin or a charged phone and for leaving my headphones at home. I needed some Taylor Swift pump up music and instead the only thing I heard was heavy breathing and fellow runners cursing the never-ending mile. Based on my final results, this mile must have been somewhere around an 8:30 which means I earned an A in positive splits and failed at negative splits.

 

NYRR results from race

I sprinted across the finish at exactly 26:00 (8:22 avg pace), earning a shiny new 5k PR! Huge thanks to Anne for pushing me through those first few miles and to Jess for helping me become a faster, stronger runner! 

Overall I really enjoyed this race. The fun atmosphere was a welcome change from the typical NYRR event and any race that has popsicles at the end is a win in my book! After grabbing water and a popsicle I headed back to the finish line to watch for Meg, Russell and cheer each of the runners through the finish line.

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The only thing I’d change in the future is a more festive finish line, possibly including a beer sponsor. While they did there best to negotiate discounts for runners at NYC bars, most of them were nowhere near Central Park. The mix of paces and crowds made it hard to find my other friends who ran the race, especially Beth, Meghan and Kristin whom I hoped to cheer for and high five at the finish line.

Luckily a group of us, including Zoe who enjoyed her first NYRR race after moving to NYC this week, enjoyed beers at a nearby bar together.

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