NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K

Despite my best intentions, it has been quite a while since I've run anything like 9 miles. So I've been a bit apprehensive about today's Ted Corbitt 15K. I've long espoused the idea that your training runs don't have to be the full distance of the race - if you can do 6 or 7 miles, you can certainly do 10; and if you can do 18-20 miles, you can certainly do 26.2 - but since it's been months since I've done much more than 5 miles at a time, the 15K distance was a bit intimidating. And the fact that heavy snow had been forecasted for race day didn't help at all.

The first half was fine. But as I approached the 5 mile marker, I began to feel twinges in my right knee - the one that troubled me so during the 2008 NYC Marathon. And the wind picked up. So it was great that a chance comment about the weather led to me running the next 4 miles or so with a lovely young lady named Leslie. We were both finishing our last of the nine required races that would guarantee us entry to next November's marathon (and she's running the Disney Marathon in early January). Our pace was similar, and running with a companion helped the miles go by more quickly. I finished with almost my best pace of the year!

Running in the Cold

The temperature stayed in the 20s all day today. I really wasn't looking forward to a run in the cold. But I threw on an extra layer - and surprise! - it wasn't as bad as I expected.

Turtle - Slow

Some days I run faster than others, but I'm generally in the same range. I ran Saturday's Holiday 4 Miler with family members and, being more interested in the fellowship than my speed, slowed my pace to match theirs. I knew that we were a little pokey, but I was shocked to see that the race results showed that I ended up with an even slower pace than my marathon and half-marathon pace - both of which I walked quite a bit.

Race Preparation

I'm trying to increase my mileage this week in preparation for the 15K race I'll run next weekend (the last of my required 9 for guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon). So I had a short run Sunday, a medium length today, will do my longest run tomorrow, then another short and medium.

Running Partners

I ran with a friend today. It was a relatively short run at a nice easy pace, but I like the idea of a regular run with a partner and look forward to continuing in the future.

What a glorious run today! With sunshine and temps in the mid-60s, Central Park was full of folks like me enjoying one last jacket-less day before winter sets in!

Two more to go...

... to reach my required 9 NYRR races for guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon. I'm also thinking about running the 1/2 marathon in March. We'll see...