Al Gordon Snowflake 4-miler 2.23.08

Hi all,

Race number 5 was the Al Gordon* Snowflake 4-miler.  We ran the center loop of Central Park.  Because of the snow and rain on Friday, the NYRR cancelled the race and made it a fun run instead.  Saturday morning dawned clear and gorgeous and the roads were completely cleared.  Mary Wittenberg admitted that the race probably could have been run and I suspect next year they’ll wait until morning before making such momentous calls.  This is a club points race for the local running clubs and is so popular that the race is split by gender.  Because it was just a fun run, we all ran together.

Goals:  I had prepared for a PR for this race, but, because it was a fun run and had been changed because of bad weather, I decided to run it as a training run and aimed for 1 minute per mile slower than my PR pace (34:59), hoping to hold back so I would finish in under 39.

I got there early in hopes that they’d changed their minds, but they hadn’t.  I even walked to the finish line to see if the chip mats were up.  They weren’t, so I dropped of my chip with a volunteer.  I wandered around a bit, happy to see so many runners there, despite the cancellation of the race.  I dropped off my bag and walked to the start with Lou.  I took it very easy going into the run, hoping to keep my pace down.  This was fairly easy for the first 3 miles, especially when I stopped for a long walk at the only water station on the course.  The last mile it was a bit more difficult to hold back, because I’m so used to pushing in the final mile.  I didn’t do such a great job, but, at least I didn’t race it.

Unofficial stats:  according to my watch, I finished in 38:37 for a 9:37 pace.  My splits were 10:07, 9:24, 10:10, and 8:57.  It was 31°F with 82% humidity.

Celebratory treats:  I tried to eat healthy snacks during the movies, but indulged in a TastyKake Butterscotch Crimpet today.

Next up:  Coogan’s Salsa, Blues & Shamrock 5k Run (3/2), Colon Cancer Challenge (3/9), Central Park 8k Challenge (3/16)

Pictures are available at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157603977478840/

*Al Gordon (now 106 years old) is a founding member of the NYRR.  For more information about him, click here:  http://www.nyrr.org/races/inspiration/roberts_interview.asp

Movie Madness:  I scored a ticket to the AMC Best Picture Showcase and watched all 5 Best Picture Nominees back-to-back after the race.  I enjoyed all of the movies, but am hoping that “Juno” gets award. We had about 20 minutes break between each movie (no previews!!) and just before each movie started, we were asked trivia questions and the people who guessed right received prizes.  I hope they do this again next year!  Twelve hours is a long time to sit in a movie theater, especially after a race, even just a fun run, but I got up between each movie and went up and down the stairs several times.

Long Run Sunday – I had expected to run a slower long run on Sunday, after racing on Saturday, but because Saturday ended up being a training run, I boosted it up and ended up running the 14 miles in 2:19:35 (9:58 pace).  As always, I ran it as a ladder.

5-minute warm-up at 5.5 (10:30 pace); 55 minutes at 6 (10:00); 1 hour at 6.2 (9:40); 14:35 at 6.3 (9:30); 5-minute cool-down (1 minute at 4.5, 4 minutes at 4)