Why I race

Today's workout: Rest day

My hopes for this weekend's race were to run well on Sunday and to beat last year's time. Doing the first thing should have resulted in the second but despite everything I'd done, the results were exactly the same. I would have liked to PR on the 8K but I'm pleased with my overall experience. I'm on track for completing at least six races in 2010 which would equal the number of races I ran in 2009. I could have run even more this year but I blew it in May when I failed to check the date of a local 5K. Earlier that month I chose to skip the RXR 10K. That may have been a good call, as weather conditions were close to intolerable with the heat and high humidity.

Each time I race it motivates me to race again. There is little in life that provides such a satisfying set of activities as racing. First is selection of venue. There are many race choices but some events are more appealing than others. Then there's training, strategy and anticipation of the race. I love the week leading up to race day. It's a time to think about the possibility of accomplishing a new PR and a chance to try new things. I was going to try some extra caffeine before the start of yesterday's race but decided to skip that. Perhaps that would have helped my performance. The night before a race is also fun with the planning of race day gear and working out morning logistics.

Once at the event, it's the process of checking in, getting your numbers and receiving your t-shirt that makes it feel like something great is about to happen. The pinning of the bib, attaching the timing sensor and the countdown to the start builds to the excitement of lining up and waiting for the gun. The race itself is always a little different but certain things always remain the same. The rush off the line, navigation around slower starters, the moments of overtaking other runners or being passed despite all efforts to hold them off. There's a time in every race when I feel I've pushed as hard as I could and there's not going to be anything left at the end. Most of the time I find the energy to come over the finish line feeling like I'd done my best. I'm never going to be a competitive runner but that's not why I compete. The fun and satisfaction before, during and after a race makes the typical entry fee seem like the best bargain around.

Race report: New Hyde Park 8K

At least the t-shirt was different this year

Today's run (New Hyde Park 8K): 44:42

I ran my third race of the year this morning. It was the second year in a row that I've run this race. Last year I ran it in 44:42 for an overall pace of 9:00 per mile. This year I prepared well for the race, rested two days prior and wore my new Saucony's that have proven to help my performance. Last year I struggled to get through the race and this year I felt good and thought I'd managed a fairly competitive pace. Despite my preparation, greater familiarity with the course and feeling very strong I still finished the race at 44:42. Exactly to the second what I ran last year.

Pre-race check- in

I arrived an hour before the race and they had already blocked off the parking lot at the school so I had to find a place to park on a nearby street. I checked in and was happy to see that the bib number was kinda cool looking and the race t-shirt  was nicely designed. The shirt I received last year was so garish and yellow that my wife forbid me to wear it out of the house. No problems with this year's t-shirt. I wore my new Brooks running shirt and that served me well. I also wore my Saucony Grid Tangent 4's that I really like but they didn't seem to give me a speed benefit.

I have to admit that I'm a little suspicious of the course distance. According to my Garmin the course length was 5.32 miles. That is .35 miles longer than an 8K. I checked the Garmin calibration on Thursday with the Tangents and it was accurate to less than 1%. I'm puzzled why it would suddenly be off by 6.5% - an unusual variance for a device that's usually within 3% accuracy even without calibration. I Gmapped the course and came up with 5.1 miles which is about 3% longer than 8K. Nonetheless, I fully accept the NHP Runner's Club's measurement as well as my time. It's just that if the course was actually 5.1 miles I would have broken 9:00 per mile. Oh well!

Although I wanted to do better than 2009 at least today's effort proved that I'm consistent. I don't have another race on the schedule yet but I'm fairly sure I'll run the Dirty Sock 10K again in August. It was nice to run this race today in the middle of a busy time at work. It's hard to be stressed after giving your all for 44 minutes and 42 seconds. Besides that, I got a cool t-shirt!

A weekend for racing

This is a racing weekend, not only for me but for my colleagues FS and MO who participated in the NYRR Mini-10K this morning. No word on how they did, but I'm hoping they both had a good time. It was cool and dry this morning on LI and I hope that was true for NYC when the Mini-10K started. According to weather.com, at the start of tomorrow's race temperatures should be in the low 70's with a 40% chance of precipitation and 81% humidity. Not exactly ideal for a fast run but you can't pick your weather. Clouds and light rain surely beats having the hot sun bearing down on you.

I've been feeling slightly guilty for not running on Friday because I took an extra rest day on Wednesday. There's a lot happening with work so getting some additional rest was appreciated. Tapering is a valid method of preparing for a race and I need to keep that in mind. Tomorrow will be a busy day so I'll be doing the race without Team Emerging Runner. It doesn't matter, I just need to get there early so I can park close and stow my gear while I'm running. I'm really looking forward to the run. After a busy and demanding week of work and a tougher one to follow, I can briefly forget everything except for my goal of covering 8K as quickly as I can.

Race day Sunday: may the best me win

Today's run (street): 2.6 miles at 8:44 per mile

Despite my racing I'm really not a competitive person. When I line up for a race I sincerely hope the other people run well and when someone finishes ahead of me I am happy for them. But there's one guy I really want to beat this weekend. He's a year younger than me but I'm a year smarter than him. Last year he went out too fast and finished too slow and I plan to do the opposite on Sunday. I think I'll have some other advantages this year. I know the course ahead of time and I'm planning to wear my Saucony Grid Tangent 4's that seem to perform better than the other guy's Brooks GTS-9's. We'll see how it goes.

I'm not sure I'll run tomorrow. I may do an elliptical session or just rest for two days. This morning's run was one of the best I'd done in the last couple of weeks. Conditions were ideal at 4:00 AM. The air was cool, the skies were clear and I felt more rested than I did on Tuesday. I knew I was moving faster than normal, helped along by the Tangent's, and the first mile came faster than I expected. That's always good. There's a way of running when everything is working together and I had that this morning. I felt a bit like I was running my whole route downhill. I regretted my limited time today and wished I had another 20 minutes for my workout. I know I'll need to deal with sun and more heat at the race but I'll be mentally prepared for that. It would be great to have some cloud cover on Sunday morning but I won't count on it. That other guy better watch out.

High Altitude Adventure (Girl)

Today's workout: Unscheduled rest day

Adventure Girl is taking on running at great heights in her latest post on Running Gone Wild. Reading about her experiences at 4,200 feet is making me wonder how I'll do on the trails in Colorado this summer. Perhaps I'll practice running while holding my breath for long periods of time. Just kidding - but I'm curious to find out if there are ways to practice for higher elevations.

No running for me today. The weather has laden me with a sinus pressure headache and I chose to grab some extra sleep this morning. I'm planning to do my final week's run tomorrow (maybe one more on Friday if I feel strong) and then rest on Saturday for Sunday's race. That's the plan. At least the elevations at the New Hyde Park 8K don't approach those in Bend, Oregon.