Race Recap: Rain Is A Good Thing
Poland Spring could not have been a better sponsor for the Marathon Kickoff 5M for this race on October 27, 2019.
Why? The theme must have been “water” because it took place in the pouring rain in Central Park. Are my clothes wet because of the rain, sweat, or my inability to drink out of the paper water cup properly? The world may never know!
The race was still on despite the weather, so I took my time getting uptown and stopped in a Le Pain Quotidien to use a nicer bathroom instead of a porta potty in this mess. I knew where I had to go for the start, so I waited until there was only 20 minutes to start before dropping off my warm clothes for the volunteers.
My game plan was to take my time in the beginning so as not to slip on a wet leaf or step in puddles, and I think my corral had the same idea since we were all pretty bunched up in the beginning and it took a while to break from the pack.
Once I was away from the rest of the wet crowd, I picked up speed to a joyful pace, but I had to be careful since everything was considered an obstacle and the potential for injury was increasingly high. I didn’t mind the rain falling on me so much as anything on the ground that could trip me just days before I needed to be in tip-top condition.
It was one of those races that I had a runner’s high and don’t remember much detail about each mile, just that I was pretty fast and eager to get out of the rain and into some comfy pajamas. I had my speedy playlist on and went into hyperfocus to get the job done. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, the other runners that were one week out were in good spirits as well.
It was a great race, and I could have been even better if it was sunny out and I didn’t hold back some energy. I clocked in at 39:22, a 7:53 average pace, and was 27th out of 424 F30-34. Not bad for having PR’d a 5k the previous day! I enjoyed the runner’s high the rest of the day, since the nerves were about to kick in during Week 18.
Relatively dry at the start, soaked after the finish line 🚿