Race Name: New Balance Bronx 10-Miler
Date of Race: September 24, 2017
This race wasn't a goal race for me, but it was still a big one - it was the last race of my 2017 9+1 program for the 2018 NYC marathon, AND it was my 4th race of the NYRR's 5-borough series races, so it got me guaranteed entry for next years United Airlines Half.
So, now that I have covered future "may be happening" races, let me tell you about the New Balance Bronx 10-miler, the race that I almost bailed on.
Lets start with Saturday - I spent the better part of the day on the couch, complaining about my wisdom tooth. Several naps and a cranky afternoon later, I assembled all of my pre-race needs (my outfit, and bag of assorted race day necessities) and headed to a concert - which I had a great time at, and a late night to go with it. Needless to say, by the time I got home from the concert I was just about ready to throw in the towel before even starting this race. I set my alarm for the next morning, and figured I would decide in then.
The next morning, to my own surprise, I woke up feeling ready to run. So I rolled out of bed, pulled on my outfit, and Dennis picked me up so we could head to the race. It was a easy ride to the start area, and I hopped out of the car and walked down the road to where they had the porter potties set up. I got there about an hour before the race started, and settled in for a little people watching while I ate a pre-race banana and Gu Stroopwafel. I met the cutest spectator, a cat who was poking his head through a fence and checking out all of the passing runners. I gave him a pet as I headed toward corral E, where I would be starting the race. Of course, I forgot to take off my glasses in my rush to vacate the car so I was stuck with them for the race.
When I was picking out my race day outfit, I had spent more time than usual debating on sleeve length and shorts vs. leggings, because while the logical part of my brain looks at the weather and says "Shorts and tanktop, DUH!" The less logical part really wanted to break out the fall gear - some favorite leggings I have not worn since spring, perhaps? Well, thankfully I listened to the forecast, and went with the tank top, shorts, and ProCompression socks, because it was hot! At the start, it was almost 80 degrees with 68% humidity.
Going into this race, my plan was to use this race as a tempo run, with the first two miles being a warm up, the next 6 at an 8:30 pace, and then the final 2 would be a cool-down. Well, that went out the window when I made the same mistake I had made the week before at the 18 mile tune up, and started chasing a pacer again. Now, in my defense this pacer was at least the speed I planned on running, and not faster or slower. It was the 8:30 pace group, and they were starting right next to me in corral E. So, my warm-up went right out the window, which at the time felt like an okay idea, I mean, I had stretched before the race at least! The race started and off we went into the Bronx. Honestly, the first 5 miles of this race were a blur. I know that we went under a bridge, in part because I took a photo, and I remember that there were hills. But mostly, I was just trying to stick to that pace, and I was for the most part succeeding. But I was not enjoying this race. As I finished mile 5, things started to go downhill fast. I felt like I was going to throw up, and the humidity started to feel like it was closing in on me - I struggled to hold onto the 8:30 pace. I knew that today was not a day that I needed to throw up during a race. I mean, not that anyone ever really wants to throw up because of running, but there are times that I would accept it happening! This was not one of those times. It was not a goal race, I wasn't running competitively, and I was supposed to be meeting up with my parents for maker faire after, so I made the tough decision to back off of the pace. Slowly but surely I settled into a more comfortable speed, and allowed myself to enjoy the rest of the race. With about two miles to go, I grabbed some of the ice that volunteers were handing out at an aid station. I felt like I was overheating even though I have done races in warmer weather. The ice helped, but I was still less than comfortable. There were plenty of people cheering on the runners, some musicians entertaining on course, and soon enough I could see the finish line. I kicked it into high gear, and ran through the finish line, fogged up glasses and all.
The came the finisher area shuffle, volunteers handing out medals, and my favorite part - more ice! They had filled bins with ice and were soaking cloths for the runners to grab as w all passed by, and it was a welcome comfort. We were also giving out bags with Gatorade, water, pretzels, and apples.
I spent the rest of the day at the NY Hall of Science with my parents and Dennis, at the Maker Faire. We got to check out a bunch of new technology, solder some pins (which is an annual maker faire tradition for us now), and grab some yummy rice balls.
The next day i got a text from my friend Allison, asking what my bib number had been at the race. I sent it to her, and she sent me the photo below -
Apparently I had crossed the finish line with a former pro football player, Tiki Barber. I'm not a football person, but it was still a neat thing to happen! Plus, now the world can know just how fogged over my glasses were by the end of that race.
Have you ever ran the Bronx New Balance 10-Miler? Let me know about your experience in the comments below! Check back next Wednesday to hear about race 8 of my 9+1 experience, the 18-mile marathon tune up.