Good morning – happy Saturday! I’m back from my first race in 2010 and I have to say it went surprisingly well, much better than I expected. I was very nervous last night and slept terribly – I was actually up before my alarm even went off. So I got up and had some breakfast before the race.
Then I commenced with the layering. I had spandex pants with knee-high socks on underneath. On my top half I had a Nike base layer, a long sleeve shirt and an outlayer jacket. I also had a hat, neck warmer and gloves. I was very hot by the end of my layering.
I headed out of the house around 7:30 and got to the start right around 7:50 a.m., which was perfect timing. So here’s the race recap:
Race Recap – Fred Lebow Classic (5 miles)
When I got to the starting area up near 98th I looked for my corral. They had asked what our fastest mile time was and I had put down 7:45. I found my corral, which was closer to the start than I expected, and then I got nervous that perhaps I overstated my capabilities and everyone in my corral would run me over. I tried not to worry about it too much. After much talking and singing of the national anthem, they finally started us.
Even though I was closer to the front than expected, it still took me about 1 minute to reach the actual starting line. And then it was really time to run. I started my Garmin and got to work. It was COLD! I totally forgot to mention that. When I left the house it was 21.6 degrees outside. But I quickly started to warm up as we started racing,
At 1 mile my Garmin beeped and I looked down to see that I had run the first mile in 8:29. Not too bad, but I wasn’t sure if I maybe wanted to go faster. So I started to pick it up a bit during the second mile. The second mile flew by and so did the third. But, as I got to the fourth mile things started to get tough. We were on the East side and things started moving up hill. We hit the BIG hill around 73-79th Street and it was HARD. I was thrilled when we reached the top and hit mile 4 at just about the same time.
From 4-5 I was able to pick things up a bit. I checked my Garmin and saw that we had hit 4.5 miles and so I really kicked it in. Finally, I hit the finish and felt wonderful that the race was over and I could head back to a warm apartment. Here are my race stats:
Mile 1 – 8:29
Mile 2 – 8:01
Mile 3 – 7:57
Mile 4 – 8:10
Mile 5 – 7:51
Total – 5.04 in 40:44
Yup, my Garmin said I actually ran a little over 5 miles. I didn’t stick tightly to the inside of the Central Park loop, so I can see how that would be right. So overall, I’m pretty happy with my times. It was the first really cold, winter race I’ve ever run and it didn’t feel awful. It at least makes me a little more confident that I’ll be able to finish the half marathon in two weeks. I’ll have to check the NYRR site tomorrow to see what my official time was.
I’ll just do a quick recap of yesterday’s eats and then I want to relax a bit!
Breakfast was oatmeal with raisins, almond milk and agave with a side of light cranberry.
Lunch was leftovers of the previous night’s Ham and Brussels Sprout Bake:
As well as Chobani yogurt with granola.
Later on I had a Larabar – the Banana Bread flavor. I really liked this flavor.
After work, I picked up my race packet and came home and made some dinner.
Pasta with carrots, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, raisins and walnuts. YUMMY!
So that was my night, then I headed to bed early for my race. Now I’m going to go enjoy my Saturday afternoon and a fun evening. Have a great weekend everyone!
Eat, Read, Run 
Pasta dish looks yummy!! Way to go on the race. That Garmin sure is a great partner. Good thing you have it since your ‘running buddy’, Lauren, can’t be there.
For some reason, my comment wound up on your book review post. Anyway, here it is again, haha:
Congrats on the amazing time Lindsey! Double congrats for braving the FREEZING weather. You’re one of my running heroes!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I’d also like to add that your pasta dish from yesterday looks delicious. Perfect meal to eat the night before a race!
Weird – thanks so much. I was pretty proud of myself for actually racing in those temps and not coughing up a lung after. And my pre-race dinner really hit the spot.
Congrats!! Great time! I run 5 miles 10 minutes slower than you, haha. SO cold out today too.
One word: Garmin. It is AMAZING – it was like I was racing for the first time – it definitely helped with my pacing a lot.
Awesome job on the race! You are super speedy! I just finished 4.5 miles outside and I’m frozen. The ice on my knee probably isn’t helping. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 🙂
Thanks – yes I felt pretty frozen on my jog back to our apt. That may have also contributed to me picking up the pace – I wanted to be done and get back inside! 🙂
Great job! It is soooo cold out today! It took me forever to warm up after my run.
Your pasta dish looks great. So many of my favorite foods in there — YUM!
Have a nice weekend 🙂
Thank you!! Yes – it took me a solid mile into the race to feel warmer.
Whoa momma, you ran a fast race!!! Must have been all the motivating thoughts I was sending you in my sleep 😉 Hope you’re willing to take it easy on these poor legs when we run together on Monday!
Have a great weekend 🙂
This Garmin has been a ton of help with my speed – Garmin should pay me a commission for how much I’m talking it up. I will most certainly be ready to take it slower on Monday. I am feeling a little sore this evening. Hopefully it will warm up a bit by then.
Awesome job!!! Glad you got out there and ran a great race despite the cold. 🙂
Nice job on the race! Wish I could have joined you but would have had a hard time keeping up with your pace! I better keep the training up. I keep hearing a certain voice in my head harassing me about a 15K in July. Wonder whose voice it is? Ha Ha.
Thank you! I wish you could have run it with me too – it was the first race I’ve ever really run all alone. Yes, a “certain someone” was questioning why I slowed down so much during the 4th mile – he’s always harassing everyone! But I think you have to run the 15k this year or that certain someone will NEVER let you live it down.
Awesome job on the race! Great time! Good for you for sticking it out in the cold, cold weather!!
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