I knew going into it that no matter what, I was going to PR. Apart from a major blowout that would cause me to walk miles of the Ted Corbitt 15k race, I was going to finish stronger than I did the last time I ran a 15k (NYRR’s Hot Chocolate 15k on December 1, 2007 in 1:40:01). Even untrained, I’d have PR’ed; I’m not being arrogant, that’s just how much I’ve improved in the interim. Based on my last few long runs, though, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hit my A-goal, which was a two-minute per mile improvement over the pace from the Hot Chocolate (10:44). Could I pull out 8:44’s for 9.3 miles? Probably, but I wasn’t sure.
Last night, for shits & giggles, I played with the McMillan Running Calculator, plugging in my 8k time to see what would come back as a potential 15k time.* 1:17:58 at an 8:22 average pace. Yeah, right! Well, that was a useless exercise, I thought, even though a running partner did say he believed I was faster than even McMillan said.
So, the race. Walking there I met Leo, an 80 year-old man who placed second in his age group at the NYC Marathon this year. I liked the idea of racing alongside the running heritage of my city, especially since Ted Corbitt is such an important part of that. Yes, it was fucking cold, but so what. Not that my non-running friends and family need further proof of how crazy I am, but I still love to accumulate these stories. I ran at 5:30 AM in the driving rain! I ran a 9.3-mile race in 25 degrees! I ran a 200-mile relay and didn’t sleep for two days!
I skipped shivering into my corral and made a general announcement: Group hug for body heat! I got a few chuckles. Then EN appeared! EN Baby! It’s been far far too long but there he was, all smiles and long lashes, wrapping me up in one of his famous bear hugs. He was two corrals forward but waited with me since he was planning on taking it easy. We made plans to meet for brunch afterwards.
So, now I’m racing. I’m jazzed, I’m ready, I’m feeling that special kind of awake that only comes around on race days. The first mile was very crowded–thus my split of 8:52. The second mile felt interminable, I wondered how I’d make it through the race without dying of boredom. But then something kicked in during Mile 3, my thoughts settled down onto one constant thought, and I just simply knew I could sustain the effort (8:12 split).
The course took us up Cat Hill twice, and because of Joe’s admonishments I was careful to wave both times. But honestly, it wasn’t until the second ascent that I actually realized I was running up a hill. I know I adjusted my effort for the park’s hills, but they didn’t bother me as much as I’d thought they would. The water stations were tricky, since the spilled water froze to ice and made the areas dangerous to negotiate. I lost proabably about a total of 30-45 seconds hydrating safely; by the time I wanted to ingest my Espresso-flavored Hammer gel around Mile 7, the thing was congealed from the cold making it nearly impossible to squeeze into my mouth. I pushed out a few blobs, which I had to chew! Lesson learned: on frigid days, run with gels tucked into my gloves so they stay soft.
I thought about Meb Keflezighi, running in the opposite direction on his way to victory earlier this year. I thought of Ryan Shay, a hero who fell during the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2007. I thought of DT, my friend and colleague who was surely ahead of me on the course. I ran with TT, a relay teammate, for a few paces as we discussed if it was this year or next that actually ended the decade (I said 2010). I recalled how crappy I felt when I ran the Hot Chocolate 15k as the middle 9 miles of a 20-miler, training for the Disney World Marathon. I compared November & December 2008 to November & December of 2009 (I feel much stronger now). I ran; and I kept my splits well below 8:30’s.
By the seventh mile I knew I’d had this one in the bag, but if anything that’s a reason to go faster. Mile 9 (my favorite, always) took me just 7:44. I pressed myself; I impressed myself. I repeated to myself Stay Relaxed Hold Form. And then there I was on the 102n Street Transverse, crossing the finish line with an official D-tag time of 1:16:51, with an 8:15 pace. I spent the next ten minutes catching my breath and muttering to myself, Well would you look at that, since I was still in a bit of shock. Once it sunk in though? Oh London’s going to be rich. Bring it!
*Interestingly, my marathon time came back as a 1:56:06, just a little over a minute shy of my PR.
Mama Bear, I dig that shirt.
Oh, and you are fucking awesome. Congrats to you my running buddy on an incredible PR today. If anybody deserves it, it’s you my friend. How the heck did you run a 7.44 last mile? WOW!!!
Nice job on the PR! And the 7:44 final mile? How did you pull that off?
There was this one woman I wanted to pass but she was tough so I hung with her and ended up with a 7:44!
Congrats on the PR! No more taking it easy during our WSH runs.
1:56 mary huh? You are set to break the WR… and MORE 😀
Congrats on a beautiful PR… there will be many more to come.
I looked for you at the race today, but you were so far ahead of your predicted pace (what did you say beforehand? “I’m hoping to run 8:45s.” Ha!) that I was way of of sync. You were probably munching a bagel while I was trying to pick you out of the crowd approaching the finish line.
Great job, TK. Enjoy that monster PR!
Thanks so much, DT — you ran a bit faster than you thought yourself (you said 8:15’s, right?) unless you were just being gracious. How are you adjusting to the extra weekly mileage?
My pace goal for the race changed pretty much every time I thought about it, but I think I stayed true to the primary intention–to do the mileage and not get as beat up as in an all-out effort. Since I got to the start about 2 minutes before the horn went off and was a bit far back in the pack, I had to get through the congestion, just let things unfold for a couple of miles, and see what kind of pace resulted. Eventually, I settled in at about 8:00/mile, though, like you, I picked up the pace in the last mile or so. Was tired afterwards, but not wiped out. So mission accomplished, but I don’t think I’ll be on the road today. Looks like a date with the treadmill.
Congratulations on a nice run. Sounds like you’re adjusting to the ebbs and flows of the CP course (and thanks for the plug and your note and it seems you (wisely) avoid the kitten hubris). That final mile with the 102nd finish is a pretty fast one given the slight downhill and being able to smell the finish line, especially when you’re racing against someone.
Most important, it also seems that you’ve ratcheted up yourself. You’re simply a better runner than you were, and here’s to becoming even better still.
Thanks Joe! I will keep ratcheting.
Were I there, I would stand (although slightly hunched) and cheer ‘Bravo!’
fantastic PR!!! FAST FAST FAST!!! wow!!! Congrats!
DANG@! AWESOME!!!
I love that shirt!!!!
Nice work! Now you’ll have to plug this time into the calculator and see what it spits out.
Great Job on the PR, looks like you have this distance nailed.
Wish you the best of luck in these coming weeks of training leading up to London and looking fwd to see how well you do in that marathon.
Just stumbled on your blog. The Ted Corbitt was my first 15K (been running maybe a year and a half–this was the longest I’d ever run by far!) and my time was 1:41:03, close to your Hot Chocolate 15K! I have no idea what my splits were because I don’t keep track–I am a pretty casual (though obsessed) runner. This post gives me confidence that as I train my times will improve and I’ll get faster and fitter. Cheers! And thanks sharing this experience. Definitely bookmarking your blog.