Race Recap: R-U-N for Some Heat?

7/16/2019

I would not normally sign up for a race the night before a trip for fear of tripping over an inanimate object and ending up in the ER, but some of the other races I wanted to sign up for were filled already. I needed the Brooklyn R-U-N for the NYRR 9 + 1 Program for the 2020 marathon and wanted a speedy 5k in the mix of all the 10ks and half marathons I’d be running.

Unlike other NYRR races, this one took place on a Monday night, July 15, 2019. I like to wake up and run before my brain can convince me not to, so it was weird to try to save energy all day, especially with a busy morning. I was staying in the city that night, so I already carried my suitcase and carry-on across state lines to Jersey City early morning for my PT to work on my neck, and then to New York for work. After a few training sessions I had many hours to go before the race where I was antsy and wanted to lift something out of boredom. I had to figure out what time to eat since the race was starting at 6:45 and I wanted enough time to be there early and also digested. I had a late lunch, foam rolled and stretched at my gym, then hopped on the F train to Prospect Park for the NYRR Brooklyn R-U-N 5k.

I had more than an hour available to continue stretching and warming up, use the lovely porta potties, and hydrate. I was assigned Corral E, but hoped that I could pass some Corral D and C people along the route. Unfortunately for me, they had a staggered start and I was lined up at the beginning of the second group, which made me anxious and I felt pressure to go even faster out the gate.

“Ready, set, *horn sounds*” and I bolted away from the start line. I was fast, but the people behind me were much faster and outran me right from the start. I was trying my best in the heat, but mentally felt defeated since I had no concept of where on the course the earlier corrals were up to. The infamous Prospect Park hills were so much harder than I remembered because of the heat. I probably should have taken a cup of water at the hydration stations, but it seemed silly for such a short race.

I found myself struggling to keep my nasal breathing going between the extreme heat, extra dirt, and flies trying to go into my nose, so I know my form wasn’t efficient. This was the insane heat wave week where temperatures were expected to rise to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so I was already feeling the burn. The first mile I pushed too hard, I scaled back on the second mile, and then I had more energy for the third mile to finish strong.

I really wanted my splits to be under 7:20 minutes per mile average, but they were 7:48 with quite a lot of effort so at least I gave it what I could. The ice pop was much needed at the end, even though I don’t like the frozen sugar-on-a-stick treats. As soon as I collected my goodies, I got out of there because I was so uncomfortably sweaty and didn’t feel like socializing and making friends when I was about to leave for Iceland the next day.  

Statistically speaking when comparing my own performance, I did pretty well. It didn’t feel like an accomplishment this time, but I’m not too worried about it since the main event is still months away. On a side note, the swag was pretty awesome; I got a great baseball cap instead of another finisher shirt. I wear it all the time now!

Here’s the hat they gave us instead of a shirt. I’m (not) sorry to report that mosquitoes were harmed in the taking of this selfie.