12.Races in October, November & December 2024

NYRR Jersey City 5K

October 6, 2024

I felt a lot of pressure for this race because to go from 27:17 which was my PR in 5K (Buffalo) to 26:28, I wasn't sure how I'd get there... and I know many people have told me it's a flat and fast race.  I've always felt that a bit of hills make me work harder on pace, but last week, when I ran the NYCRuns Newport 5K, I didn't PR and that was flat too! Today, I stretched, I used the bathrooms, I did a warmup run and in my mind, that should be all I needed to race... and it was. After my warmup run, I sat on Greene Street and did light stretches as I had so much time to kill. Alex texted me words of wisdom and encouragement. Then I saw Carl walking towards me. We chatted for awhile, and I asked him if he had any advice for this route. Then as I headed to Corral G, I stood there and spotted Alex and called out to him. He was looking for the bathroom and I pointed the opposite way from where he was walking. Then as I waited in the corral, I see Piera walk up and into the corral. It was nice to chat with her and she, too, gave me words of advice/encouragement. It was so nice to chat with Team Osprey before the race. The 4 of us ended up being the whole roster of Osprey runners. 

First mile was fine, until we turned back to Columbus Ave and the sun hit my face. I ended up seeing Alex on the course during the first few minutes but I had no energy to shout. Around mile 2 and change, I checked my watch and saw 17 minutes or so, I did the math in my head and thought, oh shit, I have a mile left... so this is the time to push hard and go for it. Of course, when I saw a water table around mile 2.5, I sipped from my own water bottle and immediately after felt like vomiting it all out. That feeling of wanting to cough out everything snuck behind me and I wasn't sure how I would do on this last mile. As I kept pushing, I couldn't focus on anything but the road ahead of me. I searched for the red numbers and as soon as I saw it, I felt relief. I pushed and pushed until I got closer. Then I saw the finish line mat and I didn't even want to spread my wings at that point. I just knew that it was over and I really pushed. I walked, took water and spotted Alex at the sidelines near the apples. I was so DONE with the race that I didn't even take the apple or pretzels! To be honest, looking at my watch didn't solidfy my PR . I looked to Alex's face and asked if I did it. It was as if I couldn't even rely on my watch to tell me what I had just done.  Then again, I was suffering in a sense. Coughing from the race that is. I pushed hard and I'm very proud of myself. The supershoes did its magic and I'm super happy that the result was what I wanted because I didn't believe that it was going to happen. Sometimes it's not that I don't believe I can do it. It's what happens on the course that makes the difference in the end result. The fact of the matter was that I pushed.  At one point, I saw some pockets of freedom so I sped up past some runners and sometimes I skip ahead due to impending potholes. This was not an easy 5K if you are not used to racing for a PR or corral upgrade. Yes, it's easy because it's flat and fast.  But it took real effort from me. 

I signed up for this race in December 2023 and this is the 2nd pre-marathon 5K for the majors. I got to the start super early, having done a warmup 2 mile run and noticed how organized the corrals were. The course was fairly wide and it was a windy/breezy morning. 27:32 is my time.  It's fun to spell out the letter, "C" for Chicago! I liked that they released us by corrals so that we started closer to the start line. 

Since I started running races, I never want to hold anyone back from running too slow or my pace (unless they want to). I've ran alongside some Osprey for portions of a race, but at the end of the day, we have our own goals for that particular race---or we don't. On this Saturday, I felt team spirit from Team Osprey. I never thought that I'd run with much faster Osprey on a race, but it was the day before the marathon. Sean asked if anyone wants to run at 9:30 to 10:00 min/mi pace and that he'd come to that corral. I responded that I would run about that pace and that I was in Corral F. Thank you Team Osprey for coming to corral F to start the race with me and it was so much fun. I don't know what their thoughts are for doing this, but to me, it meant so much more than team spirit--- it's selfless for them to join me.  Sometimes I always feel like I don't belong... but it's moment like this that makes me see things differently. It's a lifelong sentiment for me when I'm a part of a team or group, and I've always seen myself as an outlier or someone that sticks out and doesn't necessarily fit in but just want to be a part of something...  So this, it matters to me. 

Tegla Loroupe...she is the 1st African woman to win the NYC marathon! Incredible! 😍

I chose my first half marathon to be away from people that I know, because for me, it's important to do something hard on my own. But the last thing I would have expected is that I would know at least ONE person in the cheering crowd. The day arrived. I flew to Florida on Saturday morning and picked up my bib and shirt as soon as I got to St. Petersburg. The next morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. and prepped myself for the  big race. In my head, I thought, I need to keep myself distracted and also hydrate at every mile and make sure that the one thing I feared (cramps on the calves) would not happen. The first half went well and I was on my way to mile 8 and 9, and spotted my colleague, Julia! Having her cheer for me was truly a gift and I was so happy to see her there. After seeing her, i hobbled over cobblestones and started to heat up with the glaring sun with no shade. I did not hydrate with salt tabs or gels as I should have and although I did take sips of water from the stations, it wasn't enough. Between mile 11 and 12, an unexpected calf cramp snuck up behind me and one lady 50 feet saw it and said "good catch" meaning that I caught myself before I would've face planted and I walked alongside the road for a bit before lightly jogging it out and continuing on. It's really scary to be honest when it creeps up on you. My goal for any races longer than 10K is to hydrate more because it's not a good feeling to have this happen for a third time, race or not. As I jogged lightly towards the finish, a smile developed across my face as I saw a peek of the finish line. It would be over soon. Let's make sure I have these legs moving all the way there before anything else happens. Seeing my time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 45 seconds was incredible. My first half. I had ran behind the 2 hour pace group for miles and saw them on some turnarounds. Then I saw the 2:30 pace group behind me and knowing that, I realized that I can finish this race within my race goal of under 10min/mi pace. Yes, that was my only goal! I wanted it to be very similar to my experience with the Bronx 10 Mile race. I knew that walking every water station meant that i can totally catch up as I hydrated. I've learned a lot from this race. I can run any race on my own without someone in the crowd, but it makes me motivated and look forward to a certain mile when someone cheers for me. I booked this race in late August.  The Bronx 10 mile race gave me everything I needed for this half, just everything but hydration advice. That's going to be on me. I will have to figure that out because any advice I've taken, it's not enough for me. I don't know what fully works and what doesn't. I am very proud of myself because this race is one I picked out myself and I met my goal. Cheers to training with a textbook plan and with coach Alex barking orders on a 12 week plan.  This one is complete. Having Julia show up when she lives like 3 hours from St. Pete's was truly special to me. She's so thoughtful and I'm forever grateful that she got to see me run my first half! 

In the back of my mind, I knew that 36:04 Race for the Kids time was going to be broken today. I just needed to keep tabs on each mile to ensure that I would reach it. At mile 2, I saw that I was around 17 minutes and change so I was on par. From that point on, I kept looking at my pace since the 3 sister hills can be tricky to navigate. What I kept paying attention to was my breathing because it was cold and sometimes I forget that I over-exhaust myself and avoid breathing through my nose, when I should! After mile 3, I was on the home stretch. 4 miles: 35:37. I'm happy with my time---had I worn ONE less layer, I may have been slightly faster (and more comfortable).  Normally, I'd meet up with the folks from volunteer specifically for this race, but no one on WhatsApp was responding post-race until like an hour after I finished so I ditched those plans with them. 

My first 15K and for the most part it was fun until it wasn't. There is nothing wrong with the mileage, but the hills...UGH. My calves have been my issue for anything longer than 8 miles on race day. I just have weak calves because the spasms just come out of nowhere and it surprises me. It's my biggest fear, to face plant and injure myself on race day. I will begin to work on this issue because it's not hydration---I say this because the Bronx 10, I ran nonstop and drank only from my handheld bottle and all the other races, I've had gels, salt tabs, water, gatorade, and pre-race fuel. (The other races/runs being the half marathon and Osprey last 10). The first time I've experienced the calf issue was the Manhattan 10K and on that race, it was mile 5 given my inexperience at the time. Now the magic number seems to be 8 or 11 depending on the mileage.  When I completed the 15K, there was a sense of relief because it was my last race of the year---that I'd have about 2 month hiatus from racing. For this particular race, I read that a lot of Osprey were running it, not racing it--- more often than not, I am racing it especially when it's the first time in that distance. Unfortunately for me, if my calves were full strength, I'd be proud but 1:30:06... I was mad that I couldn't reach under 1:30 (that was my goal I told myself).  Granted, it was Central Park... 2 sets of sister hills and 2 sets of Cat hill.