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Friday 23 June 2017

NYRR Central Park Mini 10k - Race review

My only real regret in life is not taking up running until AFTER I lived in New York for a year. Had I been a runner back then, I would have entered the New York marathon and have already ticked this off my race bucket list, as well as been able to explore all the fun of NYC during many running adventures. What a fool I was - too busy eating and taking part in happy hours instead...although this was also very very fun.

I love running when I'm on holiday and my running kit is always the first thing I pack. So when we booked a week long trip to NYC I was on the lookout for a race to run while I was there and came across the NYRR Mini 10k - the original woman's only race through Central Park. BINGO.

Finisher - NYC RUNNING!
I was so excited. I had to collect my race number and race t-shirt (as an aside why do overseas races always give these to you before you run? I find this so odd - why not get it at the end?!) from NYRR HQ on West 57th St - or as I like to think of it, 'Runner's Mecca'. This was a very slick process and took all of 3 minutes to get my top and bib. Also at HQ was a full route info, a shop, lockers to leave your stuff in while you go for a run (brilliant idea) and a full display of all the NYC Marathon medals to date. Awesome! It was also pretty interesting as a Q&A with the elites was going on while I was there. That's right, this wasn't some little piddly race, no this was circa 9,000 ladies running through Central Park led by a horde of Olympians and elites including Mary Keitany, Edna Kiplagat and our very own Jo Pavey.
Jo Pavey on the home straight - look at that stride!
The race started at 8am which I was pleased about not only because this meant minimal holiday interruption and the promise of a post race breakfast, but also due to the heat. We had inadvertently stumbled across a New York heat wave and it was hot. Like REALLY Hot. One day it was over 35 degrees when we were there. Sheesh! I'd previously read that there were usually a healthy amount of portaloos at US race starts, and I was not disappointed. No queuing and worrying that you'd still be in the loo as the gun went off. No no no! This is America folks, toilets for everyone! You literally just walked up to a bank, opened the door and hallelujah! Welcome to the cleanest porta-potty you've ever seen. Take note UK races. Seriously.

Mandatory loo stop done, I waved goodbye to Jamie and walked into pen B which was located right outside Trump Hotel on Central Park. Urgh, oh well you can't have everything I suppose. This starting pen was really rather daunting. Over 8500 women completed the race that day and I was only seven rows behind Jo Pavey on the start line. I could literally see her face and pro elite running pants. So that was scary. However there was a really friendly atmosphere at the start, with everyone chatting away to each other and looking forward to the run. After a speech from the first winner of the race in 1972, followed by a rendition of the National Anthem, we were off!

Course map at NYRR HQ
The course runs up Central Park West until 91st Street when you then turn right and do a huge lap of Central Park. Running on the quiet closed New York streets was great, and I saw loads of museums and galleries I'd not seen before. It was quiet as it was so early but once into the park the opposite side of the road was scattered with folks running, cycling and cheering us on, for a lot of the route. It was great! But hard. I hate a 10k usually as they are so long to run so fast! But this was also hilly. I hadn't really realised Central Park contained so many lumps and bumps and this combined with the heat made it really hard work. But, I couldn't stop thinking how brilliant it was that I was running through CENTRAL PARK! How terribly exciting! The atmosphere around the course was great with everyone shouting words of encouragement - 'You got this', 'Great stride' - all very american. I was pretty near the front at the beginning of the race and could see the timing car until it turned into the park, so the course wasn't at all congested where I was and I had plenty of room to struggle up the hills and fling myself down the descents, with just a few ladies around me.



The miles ticked by really quickly and soon I was on the home straight, with Jamie waving and shouting my name! Then it was over the finish line with a shout out over the tannoy in 43.10 and 80th place. Not bad. I was given a hug and my medal along with a flower (random), some pretzels (genius) and a big pink bagel (perfect). All in all it was a brilliant race and I would definitely do it again...it was a really fun part of my holiday and running through Central Park was just brilliant.

Flower, medal, apple, pretzels and a pink bagel

Champion supporter





Wednesday 7 June 2017

Coniston Half Marathon Trail race

When my mates Craig and Jill suggested I join them for the Coniston Half Trail race this weekend, I was tempted by the promise of beers and lunch in the Lakes after a nice morning on the trails. I kind of forgot about the running bit. And totally forgot I'd never run a trail race before...

The Lakeland Trails series had some good reviews within my running club and I can see why. There were many different options for races on the day, a 10k, a half marathon and a marathon, with all distances having a 'challenge' option for slower runners or walkers which started an hour before the 'race' option.  After some oversharing toilet chat (standard) we were all set to go and lined up with about 250 others to head out on the trails. It was a small race, smaller than our local parkrun, but the atmosphere was really friendly.

Start line selfie
The course was really challenging and technical, with a whole load of different type surfaces to run on including trails, big rocks and lots of slate, which kept you on your toes and kept the miles ticking over. It was so different to the usual road races I'm used to. By mile 4 my legs were screaming at me, and looking at the profile afterwards I see why! The climbs were quite big at times and then leveled out before sending you up again. This continued until about mile 9 when the downhill was so steep you couldn't hold yourself back even if you tried. I loved the variety of the run and made sure I kept looking up at the scenery (and taking photos whilst on the move). I wanted to just enjoy the run so whilst I glanced at my watch when it buzzed each mile, it was more of a 'oh look at that' rather than with a time goal in mind. My miles ranged from 7.30 minutes to 10.30 and you can probably guess where these were from the pic below. It was really quite liberating running without any time pressure.

Course Elevation profile
Stunning scenery (taken on the move!)
The marshals were really friendly and the sheer amount of races taking place meant that there were a few people out on the course, but sometimes I was running alone which was also nice. The water stations I passed seemed really well stocked for the marathon runners, with enormous flapjacks, coke, water and squash. The route was well marked for the most part although there were a couple of occasions where we had no idea where to go! At one point there was an unmarked fork in the road which really irked some of the pro trail runners near me - but I just chose to keep running and took the down option rather than going up an unnecessary hill - if in doubt, go DOWN! Turns out I was right and I was free to fling myself down the downhills with no one in my way! The route markings could have been a little clearer though from halfway onwards.

Photographer at the TOP of a hill - 8 miles in
My goal for the race was to have fun and not stop even on the hills, and I was pleased I managed both. The last mile or so was back on flat road and grass which is more of my usual preference so I was able to take a couple of ladies in the last 500 metres and cross the finish line as 11th lady and a shout out over the tannoy!

The scenery was beautiful, the atmosphere was great, and we all agreed it was a cracking race. The post run beers in the sunshine weren't too bad either. I think I will be adding more trail races to my calendar pretty soon...

FINISHERS!