Rising To The Challenge

Last night I completed the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Central Park. Going into the race I was not sure what to expect. I felt pretty good about my fitness level (including a few recent short training runs in the low 7:00 per mile pace), but having done this event two years ago, I knew the course was fairly challenging, with a number of rolling hills. I ended up seeded in the middle of the 7:00 per mile pace group, which I knew was a bad omen, as I would have hundreds (if not thousands) of slower runners to dodge and weave through in the first part of the race. In addition, the actual starting line was a few hundred yards in front of me.

I literally ended up walking up to the starting line after the gun went off, and then spent the first mile ducking, swerving, and at times sprinting to avoid competitors that had seeded themselves in front of me (why people who are planning to run 10:00 miles feel the need to line up with the 6:00 pace group is a complete mystery to me, but the same exact thing happened two years ago). After a mile or so the crowds started to thin out, and I was able to run a much more steady pace (having said that, I was basically passing runners the entire way). I worked on attacking the uphills and opening up my stride to coast the downhills, as well as pushing myself the entire way -- this was definitely not going to be a training run!

After I hit the second mile marker I was definitely starting to hurt a bit, and shortened my stride while continuing to push myself as much as possible. Passing the three mile marker definitely gave me a shot of addrenaline -- it was time to bring this race home! As I made the sharp turn to head towards the finish, I took my pace up to another level. As I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch, I saw that I had taken 1:01 off of my time from two years ago, which was definitely a good feeling. I was also the top finisher from my company's small team for the second time in a row, which I was happy about given the fact I was the consensus favorite in the office betting pool (which actually became quite serious). Most importantly, after my mediocre showing at the Queens Biathlon, this was exactly the confidence booster I needed.

Race Splits
Mile 1: 6:50
Mile 2: 6:33
Mile 3: 6:53
Final Half Mile: 3:28 (6:56 pace, but for whatever it is worth, my Garmin Forerunner 205 said it was 0.55 miles, which brings the pace down to 6:15)
Final Time: 23:44 (6:47/mile pace)