• Mood: determined
• Music: Beam and Yanou - The Free Fall

WUSS

So last night I participated in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. I think the best way to describe the racing conditions was I may as well have run in an oven. It was gross. However, I felt a bit obligated to run since my company knows I run a little bit (ha!) and enticing me with free drinks/food for 3 hours after. Amazing how free food/drinks still can woo the best of us! Another factor was that I could start in the special elite section...whether or not it was a good move with the conditions, is debatable;)

I originally didn't plan on racing this but eh what the hell. I need to get used to running in this soup-like weather. One other guy from my company started with the elites and turns out he is really freakin' fast! He finished in the top 5 OVERALL! In any event, ran into Sempre Libera at the starting line. Me, in my lime/flurescent green company shirt...she in the bright orange...so together it was a pumpkin and a vine:-p I also did some alterations to my cotton shirt as you can see:)

So the race...HAZY, HOT AND HUMID took its toll on me in the second half. I started out well enough with what I think was just a notch below 7 mins for the first mile (didn't get my splits but I think I saw the clock). However, I should have known there would be trouble with a capital "T" when I felt pretty crappy by the 102nd transverse. My shirt was drenched in sweat and I could already feel my body screaming at me for running hard. But I'll be damned, I was not letting the orange shirt of SL get away! I knew if I could keep up that I'd put up a good time. Crossing the transverse things started to really go downhill. You know how you get those thoughts of "why am I doing this?" Yeah, that started up coming to the east side. Not good when you know there is still half a race left!

I kept hauling a$$ up the east side and keeping the orange within my sights. Another sign of the heat: Pouring a cup of water on my head and I could feel heated water dripping off my face>_< Reaching 90th street, I was hoping things would get a little better knowing the hills were over and a lot of downhills left. However, I don't think this time it had anything to do with the terrain. As SL mentioned to me later, it could have been flat and still hurt. This race quickly became a mind battle to see if I could finish the darn thing. Passing 84th street, I heard two girls from the NYH call my name but I was too concerned about stopping to acknowledge. At mile 3, I had serious thoughts of stopping and walking....with thoughts of well no one would ever have to know. However, that's when Sponge popped into my head yelling "WUSS! WUSS! WUSS!". At that point, I couldn't stop...I also knew I needed to battle this out and show that I can fight tough conditions. I timed my last 1/2 mile to be ~3:40....which all things considered is pretty decent. I finished the race in a respectable 25:20...good for a 7:14 pace. It's not that impressive but with the given miserable conditions...I'm quite satisfied. I proved my toughness and that will go a lot further as we dive deeper into the summer.

I didn't hit that elusive sub 7 club but hey it gives me something more to go after in July. My plan is to race a 5K 4th of July weekend...and see if I can knock down that wall and join the sub 7 club. I'm sick of knocking on this door!

Oh and happy 3 year work anniversary to me!