Races Like a Girl

Well, I learned the hard way over the past week or so that too much racing can cause some problems — at least on the left side of my body below the knee. I ran three races in a row over three Sundays: the Westchester Half Marathon, the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger 10K and the Mystic Country 10 Miler.

The good news is that the 10 miler was my best race ever, in terms of relative performance. I finished in 1:24:04, and my goal time was 1:24:40. I wish I could have made it to the finish line just five seconds faster, but such is life. But that put me in the top 20% in my gender/age group, which has become a goal of sorts for larger races.

The bad news is that on my first few runs after that last race, I suffered bad pain under my left arch and along the ankle up to the front of my left shin. Yes, I managed to screw myself up.

But I’ve run for almost seven years with no injuries, and I didn’t want this to be the first. So I took some days off and did some very easy running when I got back to it. I did a seven mile run yesterday and the pain is almost gone. Yay.

I vow to stretch more often from now on. Early New Year’s resolution.

As for the Mystic Country race, it was a good experience. There was also a marathon race, which some elite runners won (people from Eastern Europe and Kenya, mostly). Enthusiastic spectators in some bits and well-staffed water tables. The course was 95% flat, the wind at about 4MPH. I ran a steady pace of around 8:28 throughout and picked it in the last two miles, running around 8:20 and then kicking it in the last quarter mile to the finish.

The post-race refreshments were outstanding: clam chowder, fresh bread and Krispy Kreme donuts! I haven’t had a donut since my fat days. I suppose one every few years is fine, especially after hoofing it 10 miles at (for me) high speeds.

And they gave out nice long-sleeved race tees with a simple logo on the left breast, sponsor “NASCAR” area on the back. I can actually wear this one!

And there’s a strange pleasure in getting up at 5:30AM on a Sunday and driving two hours to run in a race.

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Don’t mind me. I’m sure she’s a very nice woman. But she came in 23 seconds ahead of me this morning, and as a result took home what would have been my cheap plastic (actually, cheap metal) trophy (plaque, actually) for my gender/age group. Third place.

The race was the Harry Chapin Memorial Run Against Hunger in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. And what a race! Very challenging — big, long hills. And very scenic, with a run over the Croton Dam itself and lots of winding roads and quiet suburban streets.

The race starts with a brutal uphill (which you get to go downhill for the finish), followed by slight uphill. Then more uphill. Then, around mile 4.25 it veers sharply downhill and you fly for about a mile or so. Then another half mile uphill, then down the formerly brutal uphill to the finish.

There were probably around 250 or so runners, and it was a beautiful day for a race. Sunny and dry in the mid-60s. The race is in its 26th year and is very well-organized. Although they need to start bundling the raffle prizes. They began raffling off what seemed like the start of a hundred prizes. Around prize number 30 they decided to give out the trophies since people were both freezing and leaving.

That’s when that bitch stole my trophy.

Oh, well. I’m very happy with my finishing time: 53:07. Next year I’ll be back for my stinking trophy.

Fun Fact: A zillion years ago when I worked in book publishing, I used to work with Harry Chapin’s mother.

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Okay, I’m now a true believer in the value of training. I shaved 5:31 off my late April half marathon time, and this was a harder course. I won’t know the official chip time until tomorrow, but my watch has my finishing time as 1:54:07. The best part? I finally ran a race with a negative split. “Don’t go out too fast” has at last sunk in. And I don’t feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. This is progress. The real test will see if I walk down the stairs like a robot tomorrow.

It was a fun marathon to run, primarily because the course is one I drive often (the Bronx River Parkway), with the turnaround point at the bottom of our street. (We could have charged people to use our lovely bathroom!) So it was fun to see it from a new perspective. Also, I enjoyed running past the big board that gives your traveling speed. When I approached it, it said “Your Speed: 06”. That gave me a laugh.

The weather was near-perfect (in the 50s, with very little wind), and there were plenty of water tables (which I heard was a problem last year). Very few spectators, and one band. One very bad band. But their enthusiasm made up for a lack of talent.

The ratio of half marathon participants to full marathon participants was around 4 to 1. I have a theory that so few people run the full marathon because it’s only a month before the New York City marathon, during a time when I presume runners in that race are starting the tapering phase of their training. Since the marathan course was doing the half marathon loop twice — and it started half an hour before the half mary — I passed lots of marathoners (or saw them coming the other way on their second loop as I neared the end of the course) and wondered how odd that must feel. Or maybe this is how lots of combined races work.

I’m hoping to place in the top 10 percent of my age/gender group. And I plan to do the full marathon portion of this event next year, so I guess I’ll find out for myself how it will feel to be passed by a bunch of half marathon runners so early in the race.

I’m feeling quite pleased with myself, and celebrating with wine, smoked salmon and a lovely pot roast this evening. Recovery food, you know.

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