Snowflake 4m race report

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Snowflake 4m race report

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:55 am

So the men and women separate starts was not as different as I thought it would be, but I do see why they did it. I think the crowding would have been okay if they kept the field all together, but there was definitely less congestion because of it. I was surprised to see what I heard was about 4100 total runners for the 4 mile race at the far end of Central Park on a chilly New York morning. It was a perfect setting though, with the snow on the ground and Christo's Gates lining the course. I once again was reminded how truly flat Chicago is. The rolling loop course was never too hilly, but I ran conservatively once the long decline shortly after the start began as I anticipated a big uphill later in the race that I didn't feel like struggling up. It did come in mile 3, but it wasn't bad at all. As a result I ran pretty consistent splits and had a lot of gas in the tank despite running faster than I anticipated coming in. Mile 1 - 6:42 Mile 2 - 6:43 Mile 3 - 6:52 Mile 4 - 6:35 Net Time: 26:52 (Overall Place 300th) After I finished I rooted my friend, running his first race, on as he finished in about 44 and half minutes. It was fun to see the 'i just finished my first race' excitement from him who was thrilled he 'didn't finish last'. Still pretty fresh, I got my weekend mileage in with about a 7 mile run down First Avenue, taking in New York for 100 and some blocks. Overall a great morning and I would recommend any NYRR sponsored race if the marathon and this race are any indication of what they put together every weekend.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:41 am

Sounds like a great race. Way to go, that is an excellent time! I think you need to revise your marathon goals to be more aggressive now. Stop sandbagging! :-)

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:38 am

Good Job! Nice split times. Though, I'm surprised your second mile wasn't faster than your first. For one, the crowd at the start tends to slow you down for the first 1/4 mile or so. And the second mile covers a portion of Central park that is the fastest area...mostly down hill. I always find that area to be one of my fastest splits going in that direction and one of my slowest going in the opposite direction. The third mile is often one of the slowest miles because of the hill ("Cat Hill") shortly after turning off the 72nd St. transverse. The hill is named for the statue of a black panther (I think it is) on the hill next to the road. I don't know if this is an official name given to that area but I often hear veteran runners refer to that stretch of the road as Cat Hill. It's easy to miss the statue because it sits in amongst the trees and bushes a bit. It looks just like a cat about to leap down on you. I was surprised to see so many runners for this race (4000+ combined men and women) considering the time of year. But I think the fact that it was the last weekend for the Gates project it may have attracted more people who were curiouse to see the Gates. I'd forgotten the race was going to start ON the 102 St. transverse which is only one lane wide so perhaps this is why they had the men and women run seperately. My split times aren't worth posting since I basically jogged the race (33:33). I'm trying real hard not to push myself too soon and instead allow plenty of time for the Plantar Fasciitis to heal. Actually it was kind of fun to run this race and be able to focus more on what was going on around me (listen in on conversations and such) without having to worry about my pace, breathing, or feeling uncomfortable during or after the race.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:53 am

Hoo, those are some nice splits. Given the abyssmal pace of the four tempo miles I ran earlier this week, I don't think I could even come close. Way to go!

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:12 am

Funny you should say that Rickshaw. My original goal for this year is to BQ in Chicago in October. I was reeling from a tough fall and figured I needed to take it easy the first part of this year. As I started to bounce back and get over the burnout and build mileage I decided to add another local marathon in the spring as a stepping stone to Chicago. I figured it would give me a way to pattern my training in the first half of the year and also give me an idea of what I needed to do in the remaining time till Chicago to get down to a BQ. But as I continue to improv I start to think maybe 'why wait till october'... the last few weeks I've been starting to think I can even be fast enough in May to BQ if I can stay healthy. I've been improving faster than I expected (similar to last year) and I think I have been taking to this training very well so far. I'm still hesitant to 'officially' say I'm going to go after it in May, but part of me really wants to see if I can. Mfox, two reasons my second split was the way it was. One is that I usually jump out of the box pretty quick with some ants in my pants and I had a pretty clear spot near the front. Two is that once I looked ahead and saw that long downhill, I really held myself back. I didn't want to be gassed on what I figured would be an equal ascent back up on the back side of the course. I wanted as even an effort throughout as possible. I noticed the same thing. The tightest part of the course was the start/finish. I did hear people talking about cat hill and assumed that's the hill they meant, thanks for the anticdote. I think you were smart to run the race and check off another NYRR event for your anual marathon requirement and with the shorter race in a unique setting, you couldn't have asked for much more considering the injury. Thanks again for all the insider info on the race and the NYRR scene. Thanks OMR. Also, you reminded me of a part of the race when the guy next to me struck up a conversation with a friend that asked him if he was racing, he said 'Tempo' and they went on to have a several minute conversation like they were on a recovery run. I looked at them at the turn and the looked like some hard core runners. While I was humbled by these guys carrying on a casual conversation at my race pace, it always feels good to be running up with guys like that.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:28 am

Mfox, how's your PF now? Do you think you'll be able to get back into regular training mode any time soon?

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:29 am

Bricks wrote:
Funny you should say that Rickshaw. My original goal for this year is to BQ in Chicago in October.

Refresh my memory-- what is a BQ time for you? 3:10? I seem to recall that you were targeting 3:20 for your fall race...

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:24 am

Yeah I need a 3:10. I'm 27, so I'm in that 3:10 zone for a while yet.

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: Snowflake 4m race report Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:22 pm

I think I'm almost ready to start putting on more runs per week (current 3/wk). Once I get back up to 5-6 runs/wk I'll start adding more milage. I'm registered for the Vermont City Marathon and I'm just hoping to be in good enough shape to run it slow and easy and finish around in 4-4:30. This should put me on schedule and in shape to begin more serious training in July for the NYC marathon in November. So, I was t hinking that i'd start getting a little more serious with my running this week but now I'm struggling against the elements. We're in the midst of another snow storm and the last thing I need is to sustain an injury from a slip and fall. I feel like I'm being a bit over-protective, but I went nuts during the latter part of December and all of January when I didn't run at all. I just don't want to avoid any more forced layoff...so I'm trying not to get impatient. My recent forced lay off has made me really realize how important running is to me...and winter isn't a good time for me to be without my main mode of exercise.

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