Ran the Scotland Run 10K today in Central Park. This was NOT easy; it was probably the hardest race I've run so far.
I got up at 5 a.m., with my body telling me it was only 4 a.m. and that it had not rested enough (we Sprang Forward last night) and I rather mechanically went through my morning breakfast and therapy routine. By the time I left the house at about 6:15, the dawn had just gotten started and the rain had temporarily stopped. (We're in the middle of a pattern of gully-washers.) Though rain was expected off and on all day, I could actually see blue sky way off to the east.
Got to Central Park at 7:15 and was pleased to find that they already had the baggage area corralled in with someone watching the bags. I dropped off my stuff (all protected inside my regular bag by a plastic bag) and went out for an easy-paced lap of the park. Got a good 6.1 or 6.2 miles in and still had time to cool down a bit too much before the race began. I discovered a couple miles out in that warm-up lap that not only were my lungs still pretty closed up from asthma (and the humidity complicating it), but they weren't going to get any more cooperative today, either: my inhaler was cashed. How come I only discover this on important training days??
Before the race, I was joking with some other people lining up in the "10" section (10-minute milers or longer) about the course record that had been announced on the loudspeakers. I suggested we all "double that" and aim to come in under the bigger number. It got a lot of laughs because its true!
Not too long into the run, perhaps 3/4 mile, I came up slowly on a couple of older gentlemen managing to have a conversation as they ran. (Not as easy a conversation as that woman who wouldn't shut up in the last CP race, but still...a conversation.) I noted they were talking about the Prius some guy modified that gets something like 100-bajillion miles per gallon. We got to talking (them talking, me gasping out short responses, really) and they introduced themselves as Jeff Ostermann and Bruce Kaufmann. Jeff suffers from chronic calf problems and takes his coaching mostly from Bruce, who seems very experienced. I got the impression from Jeff that Bruce could have been running eight minute miles if he had wished, but that they were a team, running at Jeff's pace. I ran with them the rest of the way.
While Bruce occasionally called out for us to slow our pace in a wise pace-yourselves way when we got going too fast, we all chatted and generally enjoyed the flowers popping up and the fine young things passing us by (and occasionally getting passed by us!) The weather had been getting crappier this whole time. It had begun to rain pretty well on my warm-up lap and only slacked off a bit at the start of the race. By mile 4, it was raining respectably, the winds were getting stronger, and the temperature was dropping. We guessed we finished the race with about 36 degrees temperature, opposed tot he 45 degrees we began it under.
Having Bruce and Jeff as running comrades was really something. Simply by being there, they kept me going through portions of the race I would no doubt have walked, since I was battling my lungs tremendously, especially during the last three miles. But we ran the entire way, usually at a good pace and we crossed the finish line together. This was the first time in my training that I didn't feel alone.
Speaking of crossing the finish line, with the sole exception of the 15K race a few months back (and I maintain something about the clocking on that one is wrong); this race sets my Personal Best for pace. I have Bruce to thank for that, I think. It's also nice, now that I know I can jog through even the asthma. Next time, I bring a new inhaler!
My place-time is here:
http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/53379.1.340825830800018536
Oh, I did see Bells Man, James Lu again and asked him how he did -- he came in 900 people ahead of me, getting it done in under an hour! Fantastic! He really had his game on today!
Hydration and fuel: I purchased some power gels, but only ate one - about half an hour before the race - along with some drink in a shiny silver box-can (I forget the name). The drink nutritional information was chock full of vitamins and had zero sugars -- just proteins and complex carbs. Pretty good for long energy, I figured. It tasted hideous. Too fruity, too sweet (artificially sweetened). Excellent pre-race drink; I will have to pick up more. For along-the-way hydration, I picked up a pack of Gu20 -- that company's answer to Gatorade, I guess -- and it too doesn't use simple sugars, just good electrolytes, proteins, complex carbs, and - best of all - a very light touch with the orange flavor. Two thumbs up.
So. After 12 miles and change, and with the weather continuing to be crappy and me getting wetter and colder even as I ran, I decided to call it a day, six miles short of my training schedule. I don't think it'll hurt me in the long run, and my slowly-healing calf will probably appreciate it. That said -- dammit!
Legs held up pretty good the whole time. Stretched on the train ride home; will stretch before bed tonight. Got home, took a hot hot shower, then zonked out for an hour and a half; had weird dreams.
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