 posted Apr-01-2007 09:13 PM
  
I had registered for my first ever multi sport event this morning but triathlon training has lost its appeal since I started to feel better. So I settled for the Scotland 10K today.My goal was to run even 8:30s for a sub 53 minute fast training run. A couple of work colleagues had registered and I contemplated running the first 5K with them. In the end I did not see them. I left home about 9:00 and jogged about a mile and a half to the start near Tavern on the Green in Central Park. I have been struggling with calf and hamstring injuries so it was good to stretch them. If you have run the New York City marathon you will know about the little hill just before the finish. The start was at the base of this hill heading north. The weather was 45 degrees and hinting at rain. I wore a bright yellow reflective long-sleeved shirt and black race ready shorts, wright ankle socks and Asics 2110s. I got to the start early and stood between the 7 minute and 8 minute pace signs. The pre-race entertainment focussed on the relationship between the US and Scotland and the starter was the leader of the Scottish Parliament. Apparently 25 per cent of Americans have Scottish blood running through their veins. No doubt the thrifty Scots want it back!!! Anyhow, by the time the race started I was about 500 runners back with more than 5,000 lined up behind me. The start was ridiculous and potentially dangerous. There have been lots of complaints, mainly from cyclists, about runners blocking the roads in Central Park during races so the New York Road Runners club tried to funnel the runners in to one lane within the first quarter of a mile. There was bumping and jostling and a few near accidents and people started ducking under the ribbon separating the lanes. It was the safe thing to do. One or two faster runners started yelling at slower runners who should not have started so far forward. Anyhow, the first mile was primarily uphill and the heavy traffic kept me on my target pace of 8:30. Then the roads cleared and I saw daylight. Mile 2 was undulating but my heart-rate was low so I pushed on covering it in under 7:50. Mile 3 had a nice 60 foot descent and even though I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace I covered it in 7:30. I gave the water stations a wide berth throughout the race. The temperature was perfect and there was no need to hydrate. Mile 4 was uphill with a 70 foot gain. I started to suffer a little mentally but a bit of positive thinking really helped. It went something like this:
"You paid for this pain"
"This it what you love doing"
"Running has changed your life"
"How great will you feel at the finish?" Suddenly things got easy and I finished mile four in just under 8 minutes. Mile 5 was downhill but I decided to hold back. At the bottom of Cat Hill I was pleased to reign in a runner dressed in a kilt, ginger wig and tam o'shanter who had passed me in mile 1. I was dreading last .2 of a mile and that little hill so I didn't push too hard. A few runners passed me so I tried a few surges they felt really good. I covered mile 6 in 7:40 and after ascending the final hill I stepped up the pace. A couple of guys sprinted past me and I had enough left to respond and beat them to the line. Chip time, 48:55 but I know I could have taken a least a minute off that. My average heart-rate was 157 against a target of 163. I covered the last 5 miles in 38 minutes which is not bad on limited training. I'm looking forward to a nice, straight flat 5K in 3 weeks by which time I may almost be back to normal. My colleagues finished in 1:02 and 1:03 so I'll be king of the castle at work tomorrow  ------------------
Me
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