Race Recap: Boogie Down

10/22/20

Late September last year proved to be one of the hottest in my most recent memory. It was already autumn, but the New Balance Bronx 10M was a sticky sweatfest before the start on September 29, 2019.

As usual, I set my clothing out the night before and planned on wearing the cool red tech shirt provided, but at the last minute I switched to a tank top so that I’d have some relief from the 75-degree-and-75%-humidity day. I got to the Bronx before sunrise, and it was quite strange to be standing under the elevated subway tracks by Yankee Stadium so early in the morning. If it weren’t so well-protected by NYPD, I would not be comfortable being up there in the dark. 

Having been up since 4 a.m. to catch the right PATH and subway times, I had way too much time to spare, so I did a very thorough warmup and asked a stranger to take a photo of me next to the race signage before the event, knowing that there would be a big line after the finish. I waited in the porta potty lines a few times before I wandered toward the corrals. It was so hot and sticky out and some wasps hovered uncomfortably close to me, and I definitely didn’t want those little devils following me into the confined bathroom stall. I could just picture the embarrassing and painful scene caused by being attacked by wasps in front of the crowd.

It was difficult to see where I had to line up for the start; I could see the finish line was right in front of Yankee Stadium at the bottom of the hill, but all I saw were crowds everywhere else. I listened as best as I could for the familiar voice that speaks at every NYRR race and followed people in similar corral bibs up the hill. When I got up to Grand Concourse, I felt like I was weaving around so many people since I had to get up to Corral E and I was near K with less than 10 minutes to start. I did NOT want to be stuck behind the K grouping, so I got into my spot just in time for the National Anthem. I was already sweating and it took nearly 5 minutes for the front corrals to move, and then I was off.

I had no idea what to expect from the Bronx, but there was a decent crowd out there cheering on and a few bands along the way. The first 4 miles were mostly steady along Grand Concourse and had that urban feel to it, then the course veered off onto what I later learned was called “Mosholu Parkway” that was covered by trees(near the Botanical Gardens). I was very thankful for the shade for a few miles to keep me cool. I went under an overpass and joined many others with “woo” sounds that reverberated around the short tunnel; even though some of that cheering was my own voice mirrored back at me, it still felt like I had an audience. Mosholu Parkway had a few hairpin turns that made me second guess if I accidentally missed a turn, but I spotted the elusive Girl with the Scorpion Tattoo that seems to be slightly ahead of me at every NYRR race and I can’t seem to catch. 

By the time I got around mile 7 or 8 on the way back, I noticed a bunch of the Corral K runners still working on the first half of the race, so I was glad I didn’t settle for hanging back there, otherwise I would not get past the wall of people walking the race. I was strategic about my water intake and some Honey Stinger gels to give me the little boost I needed, and I felt like I was flying. I think because the previous race on the Palisades had such steep hills, these rolling hills seemed much more manageable and with the shorter mileage I was able to pick up the pace a bit and the last 3 miles were all sub-8 minutes per mile. 

After mile 9, I saw the turning point where I would exit Grand Concourse and a big crowd of locals gathered along the barricades. With about 800 meters to go, I let my arms and legs fire on all cylinders and sprinted the last leg, accelerating before the steep downhill. I saw most runners slow down on the hill, as if they were afraid to fall, but I leaned in to the forward lean and let myself become a runaway train. Will I fall and make a fool of myself, or will I own this race? Local high school boys (at least, I think they were in high school) started yelling, “Oh shit, look at this ginger, she FLYIN’!”

I flew, indeed, without tripping on a pothole. I clocked in at 1:22:22, a 8:15 pace, and got 150 out of 1,223 for F30-34. This race felt great despite the heat and humidity, and I was hopeful to have this kind of energy on Marathon Day. There were goody bags at the end, including a cool wet towel, but to my disappointment, there were NO BAGELS. I would have to make due for the long subway ride back to Jersey.  

The stranger who took my pic did NOT center the signage like I did for them, so thts’s why it's crooked 🤷‍♀️