So Mrs. FA and I ran the Komen for the Cure 5k this morning.
Temps were in the mid-80s, and the humidity exceeded 80%. There were 25,000+ people at the event, between runners, walkers, volunteers, etc. Central Park West was a veritable sea of pink and white t-shirts.
The course started at 77th Street and headed uptown on CPW, turned onto the Park Drive at 90th Street, followed the Park Drive down the West Side past the Great Lawn, 'round the bottom, and then up the East Side to finish at the 72nd Street Crossover.
I ran the first mile in 10:24, but it felt like 3 minutes. Adrenaline? The crowd? Don't know, but the first mile flew by. At about 1.5 miles we hit the first of two steady inclines, just before the Great Lawn. The other was on the East Side, and to my chagrin I walked both, which of course slowed me down. (Lessons learned: 1. Hills. I haven't trained on hills. At all. I need to do that, starting tomorrow. 2. Hydration. It was super humid, and I was sweating like a fiend before we even started running. Should have tanked up better before the run.) I pushed hard 1/2 mile before the finish. My time was 34:27 minutes.
I am slightly disappointed by my time, but it's tempered by how much this one experience taught me about participating in big running events. It is going to pay dividends for the CCM. And Mrs. FA and I had a great time doing it together. There was spectacle...celebrities, politicians, tons of organization, and a huge crowd. We will do this again.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Komen 5k
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6 comments:
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Nice job. I didn't realize the field was THAT LARGE! Twenty five thousand on a 5K course is immense.
Nice job to battle through the heat and humidity, count on the fact that CCM will not be that hot or humid, though it could be in the 70s.
I'm psyched that you did this, that you trained, it feels to me like you've got the running bug a bit. It's a great sense of afirmation to get out and see all of the other crazies running with you and even if you and Mrs. FA knew nobody else in the field, you got to see the running community of which you're a part.
You've now got a nice baseline time from which to build on and improve. Give yourself a day off, recover and tackle hills tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/16).
Nice job, way to go.
Thanks! Hills...not looking forward to it, but I am going to work an alternate loop into my running schedule. I'm thinking I'll go from the apartment up the Great Hill (a killer...) and then loop around the 102nd Street transcept. The terrains is super variable, with downs as well as ups.
Now, I wouldn't go out and tackle giant hills all at once -- the great hill is a big one. In the park there are lots of hill types -- there are some nice rollers heading south on the west side in the 90s or so down into the 70s -- that might provide some good early training. Just like anything else, work up to big climbs. Climbing is a skill that you can learn and improve. Start smaller and work up.
Good advice. Thanks.
Sure . . . remember, climbing hurts, no matter what.
Congratulations! What a great post. I felt like I was there with you, which was awesome.
One cool thing to think about with the hills is that they can really break up a run. I use them as a sort of course within a course, a run within a run. You can see the start and finish of a hill right in front of you, so it's all about powering through and doing the best you can for that stretch. I actually enjoy most hills, although I guess I don't have much choice living where I live. Anyway, the point is that hills can be a way to break up the monotony of a run. Turn then into mini games/dramas to keep things interesting and make them work for you.
That's my take anyway. Whatever your approach enjoy this new phase. You have a great attitude.
Congrats again.
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