Running For The Parks

First - I just need to say that I did figure out the elevation map on iMapMyRide, so I'm feeling a little bit better about the app as a whole. Although it wasn't the easiest thing to figure out, I don't think. But it's probably more user error than anything else. Here's the elevation map from my Saturday ride:


Of course I'm still panicked when I compare the above map to the Alcatraz map, but in order to keep my panic at bay, I'm not going to re-post the Alcatraz map.

Second - Here's this week's workout plan:


Third - on to today! This morning was the NYRR Run for the Parks, a 4-mile run in Central Park. The last couple of NYRR races have started at 10 AM, but today's started at 8 AM, which was pretty early for me. I was pretty tired at the start of the race and just felt very tired all throughout the run as well. I'm guessing that yesterday's triathlon took a little bit more out of me than I thought that it did initially.

The weather was also pretty cool - about 43 degrees. I ended up wearing capris and a long-sleeved shirt. I also wore my race t-shirt over my other shirt, just because it seemed like I should wear it to the race. Plus, I don't really care about pinning my number to that t-shirt, but I sort-of do care about pinning it to my other shirts for some reason.

I was fine temperature wise during the race, but was freezing on my way home. The other issue I had was that yesterday while I was swimming in my wetsuit, I realized that the velcro from the pull-tab on my wetsuit was chafing my neck. I did fix it so that it wouldn't do that anymore, but the damage was done. For the first mile of the running race today I was convinced that I was going to have to take off my long-sleeved shirt (since it comes up further on my neck) in order to continue running - it was not comfortable.

I knew as soon as I started running today that I wouldn't be setting any PR's. I was fine with that. I was just hoping to run a fairly steady pace and get my run in for the day. I really was quite tired while running, so I was glad with the pace that I ended up with was still under 10 minutes per mile. Right as I was nearing the finish line, a guy came sprinting up behind me and a spectator was yelling at me to not let him beat me. At that point, I didn't really care too much and didn't feel like sprinting. All I really wanted to do was go home and eat breakfast. I just wanted to take my post-race bagel home and toast it and eat it with peanut butter. Priorities, right? Maybe I should have sprinted in order to get my bagel faster? I will say that they also passed out Terra Chips and an under-ripe plum as well as bagels. The plum was a bit of a bust. I'd like to suggest that they go back to apples!

All in all, certainly not my best effort, but I am still proud of the fact that I got up and went to the race. This is my sixth NYRR race this year and I guess that now is as good of a time as any to announce the fact that the reason I'm doing all of these races is in order to qualify for the New York City Marathon in 2011. I still have three more races to run and I need to volunteer at one race, but I am really excited at the prospect of running the NYC Marathon next year!

Run To Race
Time: 10:01
Distance: 1.05 miles
Pace: 9:32/mile
Calories: 108
Maximum HR: 175
Average HR: 166

Running Race
Time: 39:30
Distance: 4.00 miles
Pace: 9:52/mile
Calories: 485
Maximum HR: 189
Average HR: 177