Run for Central Park

Yesterday's race went well. It was hot and humid very early on in the morning, and I was a sweaty mess before the race even started. I managed to (just barely) get there on time this time, so I wasn't rushing around and tired by the time the race started. My knees were a bit achey and stiff, but not terrible.

I took it somewhat easy, probably somewhere around effort level 2. I was worried about the heat, and I skipped the first two water stations. The first one was way too early into the race, and they were way behind on the second. I didn't feel like standing in line for water after a mile and a half. I think I got slightly dehydrated, but nothing too serious. As for the running, it was an interesting experience. I felt in control of what I was doing, and I was conscious of decisions I was actively making to slow down, speed up, adjust my stride, pass certain people. Because I started with the tail end of the race pack instead of trying to catch up from way behind, it was easier to focus on working my way through the group instead of purely on the distance. I only started to really get tired in the last mile, when I knew I could push myself because it was almost over.

I finished strong and controlled when I finished, and could have run more.

My overall time (for 4 miles) was 43:09, which gave me a pace of 10:47/mile. This is 1:01/mile faster than the Hope & Possibility, which was just under a month ago. Granted, that race was a mile longer, but I know I could have worked harder yesterday, and I'm sure I could have run 5 miles at this same pace. While I'm not super concerned about speed, to me my ability to improve my speed at this rate says a lot about my increase in strength over the past month.