A Short Race and a Long Training Run

Two mostly unrelated thoughts from this past weekend:

1. Racing is hard, regardless of distance
2. Running through New York City never fails to entertain me

Here's how I came to those conclusions.

Looney Leprechaun 10K (Saturday)

For the past few years, Alex and I have had a tradition of running holiday-themed races, usually with Alex's mom Julie. Starting with the Hangover Run on New Year's day and finishing with the Christmas City Classic in December, we usually manage to hit most of the big holidays. So of course when we heard about the Looney Leprechaun 10K trail race in Tyler State Park, PA, the three of us had to run it.

Hangover Run 5K, Revolutionary Run 10K, and Christmas City Classic 5M

Those of you who follow this blog (Hi Mom!) will know that I've mostly been racing ultras over the past few months. Combined with the fact that I've been avoiding speed work due to a recurring achilles tendinitis issue, this means that I now have no idea how to pace myself at shorter distances. It will soon become apparent to myself and everyone else that "as fast as possible" is not a sustainable pace.

Race day was sunny and warm (for March), with a high of over 60 degrees. I lined up near the front of the pack at the starting line, figuring I was at least capable of a top ten finish in a race this small (150 starters). The starting gun fired and we took off. Two men immediately went to the front of the pack. The pace felt manageable, so I stayed a few strides behind them.

For short races, I have my GPS tell me my splits every half mile. So half a mile into Looney Leprechaun, my watch beeped at me and displayed 0.5 mi, 3:02. Well shit. A 6 min/mi pace? I can barely run one mile at that pace, let alone 6.2 miles. This race was going to hurt.

I am not a smart man.

As those thoughts were going through my mind, the eventual race winner blazed by me, putting me in fourth place. I tried to do some damage control and let my pace slow a bit, and the three lead runners all pulled away, never to be seen again. The course wound its way downhill through rutted fields and along a fun stretch of single track with views of the Neshaminy Creek. We eventually crossed the creek on the beautiful Schofield Ford Covered Bridge. My pace naturally slowed a bit on the technical trails, but I felt like I was still going strong.

Schofield Ford Covered Bridge

Just past the half way point, the course climbed a short but brutal hill which forced me to walk. I couldn't believe it. I've never walked in a 10K. This course was no joke! I got back to running, and the course passed back across the bridge and returned to the rutted fields and the long uphill path to the finish line.

I had been running by myself ever since falling to fourth place, so the sound of footsteps behind me at mile 5 was as clear as day. I was being stalked. I was low on energy, but hated the idea of being passed this close to the finish line. I pushed hard on the uphill, but the other runner stayed right on my heels. My lungs burned. I was breathing fire. Eventually, I gave in and let him pass me. As luck would have it, a photographer was standing at the top of the hill and captured this exact moment.

*Jaws theme* Dun dun. Dun dun. Dun dun dun dun dun dun DUN DUN!

"Nice job," I said to the other runner. "I hate you," I mumbled under my breath.

He put some distance between himself as we continued to climb. That was probably my penance for going out too hard in the first half mile. I bombed down the ensuing downhill trying to catch up, but it was too little too late. I crossed the finish line 30 seconds behind him in a time of 47:18, good for fifth place overall and 1st in my age group.

At the finish line, I spent some time chatting with the runner, whose name is Steve. It turned out that Steve and I had both run the Bucks County Marathon back in November, where I set my PR (he beat me at that race too). He was a cool guy, so I guess I can forgive him for passing me in such heartbreaking fashion. Together, we ran a short cool down back along the course until I met up with Alex, who seemed to be feeling good. I paced her in to a solid finish in 1:06:57, good for 7th in her age group. Julie came in a few minutes later in 1:09:06, also 7th in her age group.

The post race festivities included a delicious pancake breakfast, during which I got my age group award ($20 Wawa card. Woo!). But more importantly, I refueled with bacon. We also got a coupon for a free beer at the local bar, which we took full advantage of.

Mmmm... bacon!

So another fun race is in the books. My streak of consecutive third place finishes has ended, but I ran a strong overall race and got to enjoy a new set of trails. I also reminded myself how much a 10K could hurt.

Race results and Strava log

TGNY100 Training Run #1 (Sunday)

After a nearly sleepless night (daylight saving cost me an hour), I woke up at 5am on Sunday morning to make the long trek into New York City. Despite my sleepiness, I was excited for the first group training run for The Great New York 100 Mile Running Exposition.

During the spring, race director (and American record holder) Phil McCarthy organizes four group training runs for TGNY which allow runners to learn the course and get acquainted with each other. The first training run is a beast: 35 miles from the starting line in Times Square to scenic Randall's Island in the East River. The remaining are all much more manageable at 18-26 miles apiece.

For me, this run was also an opportunity to see friends that I made during last year's training runs and race. In particular, I was looking forward to catching up with Charlotte Dequeker and Ke'mani Smith. The three of us were 100-mile virgins during last year's training runs, and we bonded over our shared ambitions and fears for the upcoming race. Charlotte and I shared a few miles late in TGNY when we were both too tired to run. We finished within 30 minutes of each other. Ke'mani and I had run together earlier in the race until a torn quadriceps muscle began to slow him down. He nevertheless finished the race, proving that ultrarunners are a remarkably strong and stubborn bunch.

Times Square is amazingly empty at 8am on a Sunday. Picture taken by Tiger Ellen Nguyen.

We all met at 8am at the TKTS booth in Times Square, and at 8:15 we were off. We split into a 9min/mi group and an 11min/mi group. It took some time to settle into a steady pace. An 8:22 mile early on made we worry that I was not going to be able to keep up with this group. But eventually, we slowed down a bit and got into an easy rhythm.

At mile 11, we stopped at Twin Donut to grab some snacks and use the restroom. I really wanted to get one of their famous giant donuts, but I was afraid that I would have to taste it for a second time a few miles later (if you catch my drift). Instead, I bought a banana, mostly to satisfy the manager who repeatedly scolded us that the bathroom was for customers only. At this point, we also met up with Tommy Pyon, who has won the three previous TGNY 100 races (as well as a bunch of other ultramarathons over the years). We also bumped into Grant McKeown, who helped organize training runs last year and volunteered at the 100K aid station during the race.

The 9 min.mi gang. Picture taken by Grant McKeown.

I'll spare you the details of the course, since I already devoted an entire race report to doing just that. But it's always fun to run through New York City, and it's even more fun to do it with friends. I talked to Ke'mani and Charlotte about their race schedules for the year (we're all running TGNY again). I found out why Phil moved to New York City from his home state of Nebraska (short answer: music). I picked Tommy's brain about pacing the NYC Marathon and getting sponsorships. And we passed by an infamously overdecorated house, which Phil immortalized in his holiday card to the TGNY runners.

Never a dull moment in NYC!

We stopped briefly at Orchard Beach at mile 23, where I sat for too long and tightened up ("Beware the chair." -Phil). We continued on our way and made a pit stop at a convenience store around mile 27, where I bought the biggest bottle of water I could find and immediately chugged almost the whole thing. I spent a few miles talking to Keila Merino, who won the first TGNY in 2012, finished the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (Western States, Vermont, Leadville, and Wasatch) in 2014, and is planning to run across the US this summer. I led the pack for a while, trying to remember where to turn (gotta hone those navigation skills).

At mile 35, we got to explore a new part of the course - the newly completed pedestrian path from the Bronx onto Randall's Island. 

The Cathedral (No, that's not it's name. That's just what I call it)

Then after a short 35.3 miles and 6 hours of running, we were done. Charlotte, Ke'mani, and I walked together across the Triboro Bridge and back into Manhattan, where we parted ways. I stopped at a deli and got the most delicious turkey sandwich and Coke that I've ever had, then hobbled to a subway station to begin the long trek home.

Thus ended a long weekend of running (and my first 80 mile week of the year). My legs still feel good, which gives me some confidence going into my first 100 miler.

With the NJ Ultra Festival now less than three weeks away, I'm starting my taper. At some point I'll probably put up a pre-race post with some goals and logistics, so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for reading!

Strava log