yesterday my friend and i ran in the R Baby 4 mile race in central park.
it was a BEAUTIFUL day for running outside, and for being in the park. overall, the race went well. we really ran it as part of a training run for the brooklyn half marathon which is at the end of the month, so we weren't trying to beat our times or get prs, which certainly made it a more relaxing and fun race.
i don't know about any of you, but even though i run and participate in races mostly for fun and to give myself a bit of a challenge, i still notice myself getting a little nervous before a race. i think this might go back to my days of high school track, where, let's just say i wasn't the best one on the team!
anyway, i was a little late leaving the apt in the morning, because they used a new timing system for this race. instead of the champion chip they normally use to time the races, they used something called the D Tag.
i've never used it before, and it took me about 10 minutes of fumbling around to figure out how to attach it to my shoe and get it to stay on! once i did get it on though, it was fine and i hardly noticed it there. i guess it's a good alternative the champion chip, and i can't really say i prefer one over the other. the good thing about the D Tag was that at the end of the race, you don't have to get it clipped off, since they're not re-usable, which i guess is also the bad thing about it- they're not reusable!
luckily i caught a train right away when i got to the subway, so i still made it to meet my friend on time at 7:40. we made our way to the corrals, which were surprisingly sparse, and not closed. once the race started, my friend and i chatted the whole way, and the temps and weather couldn't have been any better.
we definitely both noticed that this race, compared to some past races, was much, MUCH less crowded. it made for a more comfortable run, since there was no congestion, no getting jostled around, and no having to push your way past people to run faster. that happens a lot in NYRR races since they tend to be crowded, which is why they started capping the races. so far it hasn't seemed to make much of a difference, except in this race, which apparently was at capacity and closed out.
it didn't matter much anyway since we were taking it pretty easy, but it did make the race more enjoyable. the course was pretty short, and we finished in about 33 minutes- not bad for taking it easy. we grabbed some water, and my friend grabbed a snack, and we headed out to the loop to continue running. we ran the loop from 72nd back around to 59th street about 5.5 miles, making our total run about 9.5 miles. the great thing about the short race course, is that it cuts over at the 102nd street transverse, so you miss the 110th street hills! we did catch them around the loop though, but it wasn't terrible- somehow they're not as bad when you're doing a training run as they are in a race. although they're never really fun, you always feel great after you've done them!
all in all it was a great morning, and a FABULOUS day for a run :) i was home by 10:30, in time to shower and get ready to meet a friend for brunch.
pre- race at around 7 am i had 1 piece of sprouted wheatberry bead, with 1 tsp almond butter, and half of a sliced banana. i also had some G2 gatorade.
i met my friend for brunch around noon at MY FAVORITE restaurant in the city, Penelope! i love, love, love, LOVE this place, and they have the best brunch, but sadly i rarely go there for brunch because there's always a ridiculously long wait. luckily, that was not the case yesterday :)
i had the salmon wrapped poached eggs, which came on one piece of black toast and was drizzled with a dill sauce, and a mixed greens salad on the side. i also had some coffee, and about 1/3 of a glass of oj. YUM! what a great meal :)
after brunch, we did some shopping, and i headed home to relax. on my way home, i stopped at whole foods to pick up a few things. after whole foods i was pretty hungry (how can you not be after going there and drooling over all of the delicious looking food and treats!) so i had a cliff z bar.
this was my first time trying one, and let me tell you, it will not be my last! i had the chocolate chip flavor, which tasted like a real chocoate chip cookie, or i guess a blondie. it was delicious, and it actually did satisfy my hunger. it really seemed like more of a sweet treat though, so i don't think this would be an everyday bar for me, but perfect for a weekend snack. i have a brownie flavored bar too that i now can't wait to try!
i got home and did some stuff around the apartment, and around 7 or so i heated up my leftover thai food for dinner- yum! luckily, when carrying the leftovers home friday night, there was some leakage, so most of the sauce leaked out of the container/bag! that was probably a good thing, since the sauce was a bit oily- so there was no sauce in my leftovers, but all of the flavor was still there!
sometimes i think leftovers are better :)
i bought myself a treat for after dinner at whole foods- a vegan cupcake! they looked so good, i just couldn't pass them up. i had half after dinner, and went back for the other half a little later! they were just that good. one of the best i have ever had- and this coming from a cupcake lover who has probably tried every cupcake on the island of manhattan! i did have to take off some of the icing, which was surprising for me, since i LOVE icing - it's my favorite part.
alright, on that note, it's off to work i go. have a nice day!
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