For this weeks race review we're going back to the first race of my 9+1, since I've covered the more recent ones the past two weeks. Hope you enjoy!
Race Name: NYRR Gridiron 4M
Date of Race: February 5, 2017
This year for the first time ever, I was excited for superbowl Sunday, but not for the normal reasons - I was getting to run my second ever NYRR race! I was signed up to run the Gridiron 4 miler in central park.
My first race, the France 4 mile run, had been in the summer of 2016 with my good friend Mike, and we had taken it easy. My goal for the Gridiron 4 miler was simple - run fast enough to get a better corral placement, so I didn't wind up in the third wave for the United Airlines Half the following month.
Dad offered to drive me into the city for this one, and as I had never done race-day bib pickup before I happily took him up on that offer. It also meant that I could keep my jacket on for as long as possible! Bib pickup was easy and quick, and the volunteers let me know I could pick up my shirt after the race.
It was a cold morning in February, and as this was the first winter that I ran through I was still figuring out how to do layers... I may have been a little over prepared - My outfit included three jackets and snow gloves. Thankfully I did decide to hand Dad the heaviest of the jackets before I started running, because I warmed up quickly. I started in corral L, so most of my first mile was spent weaving around, trying to catch up with runners that were running at the pace I was hoping to hold. I felt good, and the gloves that I was so sure I would need were quickly removed.
This race was only 4 miles, so it was a little less than a full loop of central park. After the first mile the run went much smoother. I had gotten new shoes the day before, Brooks Ghost 9's, and decided to break the race day rule of "nothing new," but it was working to my advantage, as I was loving them. The jackets got unzipped by the time I hit a hill during mile 3, and I was feeling excited that I was managing to hold a sub-9 pace. Before I knew I was approaching the finish line, and the race was over. I collected my bagel, water, and race shirt, and Dad and I headed home.
