As some of my previous posts may indicate, it has been really tough to get back into my running grind. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was running 5 - 6 miles on a daily basis, but this initiative has kind of fizzled out. I think the lack of having in-person races has contributed to this lack of zest for running. In my mind, I’m kind of like what’s the point of pushing myself during training runs when I have nothing to train for. I figured that I could revisit some of my previous races as a way to reignite my love for running.
Background:
Before I get into the New York Colon Cancer Challenge 15K, I want to mention how I got into running. Actually, this review about my entry into running would be useful because I do not remember much about this race from 2012.
High school and college:
During my high school days, I used to run cross country and track (1600m and 3200m). I admit that I was not the greatest runner and pretty much participated in these sports to make myself a well-rounded college applicant. As a college student in New Orleans, I did join my college’s cross country team, but I never really got into it for the following reasons:
The humidity in New Orleans humidity no joke.
Because of the humidity index, practice started at 5/5:30 AM.
I never really acclimated to the humidity.
I never really loved running THAT much to put myself through all of that “stress”.
How did I get back into running:
I pretty much did not start running again until the first year of my postdoc. At that time, I would commute to and from the lab by riding my fancy road bicycle to work. Unfortunately, the rough NYC streets + a fancy road bike with thin tires do not really mix so I would constantly get flat tires. One day before going to work, I noticed that BOTH of my bike’s tires were flat. Rather than wasting time changing the tires, I decided to run the 3.5 miles to work. Ok, 3.5 miles does not sound like much, but I used to live on Roosevelt Island, which meant running over the Roosevelt Island and 59th Street Bridges. In my mind, those 3.5 miles were like running 5 miles. Over time, I started increasing the distance from 3.5 to 7 miles by adding a loop around Roosevelt Island before running through Long Island City to the Upper East Side.
A few of my labmates were avid runners, who constantly asked me if I considered running a half- or full-marathon. Anytime someone starts running, they are always asked if they plan on running a marathon. Honestly, I did not consider this at all but one of my labmates told me about New York Road Runners’ 9+1 guaranteed marathon entry. For this program, one would get guaranteed entry into an NYC Marathon if they run nine NYRR-sponsored races and volunteer for one. Basically, I was like why not and what do I have to lose.
What a long background; let’s get to the race.
New York Colon Cancer Challenge 15K (2012):
Distance: 15K; Date: April 1, 2021; Pace: 8:38min/mi; Location: Central Park, NY; Overall Place: 1,188 of 3,032; Gender Place: 873 of 1,559
Since I ran this race almost 10 years ago, I do not remember much about it. However looking at my pace, I’m really sad to see how much my running fitness has decreased over the past decade. Then again, I have aged 10 years so I guess that it’s par for the course.
Looking at the finisher stats, I was pretty much on par with running an average pace of the male runners. My finishing time (1:18:36) was about 10 seconds faster than the average. I guess that makes me above average, right? After completing this race, I was hooked on that running life. Honestly, I was so proud of myself because this was the longest distance that I have run since . . . well ever. Following the race, I was like LET’S DO THIS AGAIN, and LET’S SEE IF CAN RUN EVEN FASTER.
SOCIAL MEDIA PLUG:
Click to find me on Instagram; Click to find me on Strava; Click to find me on Twitter