Van Cortlandt Track Club 5K series, 2013 Ed.

It's a summer tradition, get outside every other Thursday between late May and August, often in the pouring rain, and run your heart out on the trails of Van Cortland Park for 3.1 miles. The goal: walk away with a fat, warm carrot cake muffin from Lloyd's bakery as your prize for nearly suffocating from the heat and hills.   I'm happy and proud to say that I walk away with a muffin for my efforts more often than not. I try to race hard in VCP, I love the challenge and I enjoy the friendly competition that fuels the  runners across the bridge, up and down the back hills and back to the flats. Oh the flats...the bloody 800m stretch from the moment you exit the woods until you cross the finish line. When the race is over, perhaps because the pain is fresh, we all grumble that the flats are the hardest part of the race, not the series of 5 back hills, but that dash to the finish where you can see the little red finish clock mocking you the entire time. It might take you a few times before you figure out not to loosen the reins entirely when you turn onto the flats, if you're like most of us. No, you'll try it once and perhaps make it to the northern curve before wanting to die (or walk) and realize just how much is left. You might even skip a few weeks and do it all over again the second time. Eventually though, you'll let that guy next to you take off with a smirk because you know what he doesn't. Well, you hope. I have a similar method for taking off at the start where you also run a long section of the flats before entering the trail. Yesterday was my first 5k of this season and I forgot my own advice and took off like a rookie on some  already sore legs. In the first 1/4mile The burning sensation in my quads, hamstrings and calves was so intense that I wasn't sure if. I'd be able to even run the whole thing. I'd definitely taken off quickly, but I typically run the first mile in the low 7:1x range, but a million thoughts were going through my head as a trampled over the grass towards the cow path. The thought that stuck was definitely "I didn't warm up nearly enough." Live and learn..and relearn. Oops. I was passed by a few women during my struggle with the first 1/2 mile and while I wasn't able to respond right there, I was banking on the idea that not a lot of runners are strong on hills and I often assume the runners I don't recognize are not familiar with the course and will die off after the first hill. I'm usually right for a lot of them. Yes, it's cocky, I know, but the competitive thoughts fuel me along. Some people have their music or mantras, I have my thoughts of crushing the women ahead of me. To each her own. 

While the first mile last night was one of the most painful I can remember, my legs (very) gradually loosened on the hills and I was able to pass a few women and really open up on the downhills and power uphill, though it still felt pretty gruesome. The beauty of the VCP course is that once you rest the biggest hill, you get a beautiful, rewarding downhill that lasts for ages. It can be really fun to let yourself scramble down those twists and turns like a crazy mountain goat. There was a guy huffing along behind me on the downhills last night who finally caught and passed me on the last little hill, but I couldn't care less about racing men in this race. 

I felt pretty terrible about the race when I finished, annoyed that it felt so hard and uncomfortable, but I was happy to see that my 23:42 was right on par with my average times on that course. Not bad, after all. I know it's just a small race and you're thinking "who is that hard on themselves at a tiny 5k?" But I like to use these as a fitness gauge from year to year and I get cranky if I feel like I'm slowing down. Luckily, I ran well enough for 4th female overall and 1st in my new age group! Yay. The woman I couldn't catch on the hills turned out to be 23, which gave me a little comfort. She's probably fresh out of college track, right? Anyway, there was a time when top 5 female would have sent me over the moon, but right now I feel like I've trained enough for top 3. Greedy, I know. The pain during and after that race has reminded me to get my ass in gear and get back to strengthening my lower body in ways other than running. 

On Sunday I ran another 5K in Ocean County, NJ and pulled off a very similar race. It had a ton of turns through a small neighborhood and I ran 22:07 or so, also good enough for 1st in my AG and $50 prize! I don't think I've ever actually won money before. I'm practically a pro now, right? Haha...no. I got beat by the lead woman by almost 5 minutes. Daaamn. It was a small race (~250 runners) and it was my Aunt's very first race. She's been training for a few months and I'm so proud of her- she ran the entire time and enjoyed herself! I love watching people discover the joy of running! Maybe someday I'll take down my mileage and actually train specifically for the 5K to see if I can break 20:00. I do feel like I'm on a 5K splurge right now- my next 2 goal races end with 5K's. the Aquathlon is in 2 weeks and consists of a 1500m open water swim followed by a 5K and the NJ Sprint Tri also ends with 5K. I guess I will keep up the 800 repeats for another couple of weeks, as painful as they can be. 

This week is all about recovery and strength, I have a twinge in my left hamstring that I babied yesterday and I'm still battling thoracic spine, lower rib and hip pain with weekly PT. I did some yoga this morning on Yogaglo.com (awesome site) and my body feels energized, though my arms feel noodly. Tomorrow I ride my bike to and from work with a stop on the way home to work with one of my young patients in a playground that's on the way home. I love the idea of getting around the city entirely on my own two legs instead of via bus/train at least once a week this summer. 

Stay tuned for more racing in the weeks to come. 

Urban Environmental Challenge 10K Trail Race

I write this with sore legs and a still tired body on Monday morning, but with a bag containing the rest of a delicious carrot cake resting on the floor between my feet. This will make sense soon, if you aren't sure how carrot cake and sore legs could possibly be related.
Yesterday morning, April Fools jokes aside, was the annual Urban Environmental Challenge 10K held in Van Cortlandt Park and organized by the friendly folks of the Van Cortlandt Track Club. They always put on a great race- low key, well organized, fun and challenging. You may remember them from the VCP Summer series 5k's where I try desperately to bring home a carrot cake muffin every other Thursday evening.

This was my first time running the UEC 10K and my advice is to listen to people when they tell you it is a tough race. I ran into several familiar faces from the summer 5k's and the Uptown running community which is always really fun. I was warned ahead of time that much of the course is single track and so I tried to put myself in a good position early on and I was glad I did.

As we turned into the woods and onto the cow path, everything felt familiar until we took a sharp left onto cemetery hill, the most evil of VCP hills, but near the top we turned into deeper woods along a leafy, rooted, rocky trail marked by little orange flags. The course was easy to follow and there were tons of marshalls out directing the runners, so I doubt anyone got lost. The course weaved through northern parts of the park I'd never seen before and the changing terrain made the miles seem to go by faster than usual. The course was two loops, but not identical loops so we had to stay on our toes a bit. I was definitely working really hard the whole way, but I could hear the folks around me wheezing and huffing just as much. It was almost nice getting stuck behind someone else on narrow track because it gave me a chance to slow down a beat and catch my breath. It felt like the whole course was either uphill or steep, rocky downhills, but there were also a few sandy stretches. The trails weren't very muddy, despite the wet weather on Saturday and the stream crossing was lacking the stream! We've had an incredibly dry 3 months, so whatever moisture there was on Saturday soaked right into the ground.

So, back to the carrot cake. VCTC races are known for their fantastic prizes for overall and age group winners-carrot cake or muffins from Lloyd's bakery which is directly across the street from the park. I am always motivated by the possibility of a muffin when I run these races, knowing that if the field is small enough, I might catch a slot in my age group top 3. When I crossed the finish line, red-faced and out of breath, I spotted a stack of boxes from Lloyd's and wondered why they were so big. These didn't look like muffins.... Hmm. I peeked at the results sheet as I caught my breath and I caught a glimpse of my name in the 3rd place slot. Wahoo! It turns out that Lloyd's delivered carrot CAKES instead of muffins this time!

Like good sports we waited around for the awards before and after mine and cheered for the folks who nabbed cakes for their hard work. I was beat by a man from FRNY who won his age group too, 60-69!! Damn, he was breathing down my neck for a half mile or so before passing me with less than a mile to go and I simply couldn't catch him for fear of injuring my already sore hamstring. Oh well, I'll get him next time! There was an awesome Dad & son team out there too, they finished in a spectacular 65:00- the kid is 11! As usual it was a really supportive, fun crowd and everyone had fun, I really enjoy the relaxed feel of VCTC races.


My results- Now I haven't done this race before so I have no comparison time, but my time was 54:43.  Garmin says that's an avg pace of 9:11 with the slowest mile (2) a 10:10 and the fastest mile (6) at 8:11 pace. I was 58 overall out of 202 and 3rd for my AG and 10th female overall.

 Gripping my prize

YUM!

My feet and legs were so sore yesterday from running old, clunky trail shoes that I went right down to EMS and used my birthday gift card on a new pair of Solomon Missions. They're super light and comfy, I can't wait to try them out...once my ankle stops aching.

Pete McArdle XC 15K

As Sunday approached I checked the weather forecast regularly, expecting to see the usual rain and wind for this annual race. You may remember my drying rack from last year or in 2009!  I was dubious, surely the weather would change at the last minute and I'd get soaked again, but no. There wasn't a cloud in the sky on Sunday as I drove up to the Bronx with some of the other Inwood Hill Runners crew.

We arrived just in time to register ($10 for a NYRR race? You can't beat it) and get a tongue lashing from the nasty woman from packet pickup at NYRR. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about.
The race went off in the usual cross-country fashion, a herd trampling across the grass. It is always fun to start that way instead of shuffling along in a tight corral. I hadn't raced since my last tri in July, so I took off like a novice. I usually have the same approach to this race every year, push the hills as much as I can without dying and run the flats fast to make up for time lost on the nasty uphills. I pushed pretty hard on the first set of hills and my running buddy, Charlie, suggested that he was going to scale back a bit once we hit the back hills. I decided that might be a good idea too, but still went a bit ahead. We met again on the way back down and stayed together for most of the race until I waved him on in the final miles. It was great to have company even though I was too winded to talk unless we were on the flats.

Lap 1 went by really quickly once we got off of the squishy,uneven grass, that stuff was killing my ankle and knee. The hills were just the way I remember them from the 5K summer series- relentless and steep. I saw a handful of people I know, including Hilary who won her age group. I passed some folks going up the hills who had gone out fast but couldn't keep up the momentum. By the time we hit the flats again, Charlie and I were both holding our gloves and wishing we'd tossed them at Jonathan to hold as he cheered us on with his daughter.

Lap 2 is a bit of a blur, I remember my lungs being my biggest obstacle on the hills. My legs still had plenty of life in them, but by the time we reached the highest hill I was gasping and wishing I'd taken a hit of my inhaler before the race. Charlie and I also figured out that if we made it to the start of the final lap without getting lapped, we'd be safe. Somehow the math made sense in our oxygen deprived heads. I gagged down a Gu as we passed the finish line for the 3rd time (of 4) and we began lap 3.

From the start of it, I knew lap 3 was going to hurt. I felt like I was on pace for a possible course PR (2009 1:17:57) and I was hoping I could keep it up. I kept up the pace for the first mile, but began to slow just a bit in mile 2 (the toughest of the 3) and told Charlie to go ahead. I knew I'd make it, but didn't want to slow him down. The nature of the course lends itself to lots of passing in the 3rd loop and I found it to be a mixed blessing. I like passing people as much as the next guy, but it is less fun and motivating when the people ahead are a full lap behind you. I prefer the stalk and kill type of passing, so I simply wished them luck when I went by and many of them offered words of encouragement. It was nice. If I couldn't have cutthroat competition, I'd settle for nice. I glanced at my watch and saw that I was at 8.38 miles and had about a mile left to go with 8 minutes to PR. Parts of the final mile are still uphill so I pushed ad hard as I could and let myself fly on the downhill (my quads can confirm this, even today). I played the "go get a PR!"/"Nevermind, it hurts too much and I don't care about the PR!"/"Yes I do, it would be stupid to miss it by a few seconds!" game in my head for a bit until I saw Jonathan again and snapped out of it. It helped that he was on the last downhill and I was flying. I hauled ass onto the flats and pushed as hard as I could to the finish and saw it turn to 1:17:00 as I closed in. Woohoo, now where do they keep the oxygen around here?

I had a weird conversation with a woman who congratulated me and asked what time I arrived to register. I was in no state to chat about that, but I remember her saying she arrived too late and couldn't run. Ok, thanks for sharing. (And you're welcome.)

I managed to place 7th in my age group, 26th female overall and something like 136th overall out of maybe 360. Cut me some slack, I'm writing this on the train and there's no Internet to look up the exact numbers. Who cares anyway?Best of all, I ran my ass off and had a lot of fun and at the end of the day the numbers mean nothing if I had a shitty time.

Afterwards we stuffed our faces with pancakes and hash browns from the Garden Café in Inwood and I spent most of the rest of the day whining about how much my legs hurt already. I guess I have a way to go before I'm back to my old running self. This Saturday is my next try at the same distance, but on the road and a comparatively flat course in Central Park. I hope I'm not still sore.

posted from Bloggeroid

Deja Vu: Pete McArdle 15K

I didn't know that the second weekend in December was scheduled to be rainy and messy every year until I started running the Pete McArdle XC Classic 15K. Just like last year I woke up to pouring rain, mild-ish temps and wind. This year was a bit warmer but the wind was atrocious. The rain was about the same, on and off but never a heavy downpour except for 2 minutes before the starting gun.

For some reason, NYRR made the very odd decision to start us ON the grass for a very small 0.3 loop before beginning our 3 big loops of the 5K path. I can't imagine the parks dept was happy having all 165 runners thrashing across the very wet field they've spent months tending. It was a gross way to start because it meant our shoes were soaked right away. Or in some peoples cases, their socks. I was running alongside Bridges Runner when suddenly she disappeared. I looked back to see her hopping with one stocking foot held high in the air while TE, a fellow Inwood runner, rescued Elyssa's right shoe from the mud puddle where it had gotten stuck. I looked on in disbelief, then doubled over in laughter. We were a mere 0.2 miles into the race. We carried on, laughing as we pushed against a strong headwind from the south. There would be no advantage on the flats today.

The first loop went by pretty quickly and I felt really good. We were passing folks going up and down the hills and the wind was not a factor in the woods. The path was very muddy, but fun. We hit the windy flats and really dug in with our heads down. Wow, there would be no PR with this wind, I felt like we were standing still with sheets of rain stinging my face and legs. As we reached the southern tip of the flats and started to make the turn around the Tortise and Hare pole, E somehow lost control of her hat and it flew off into the mud. More laughing. We trudged through the muddy hills a second time and somewhere on the back hills E told me to go on without her. I wasn't going to leave her, but she slowed way down and waved me on. I carried on at a good pace with a few targets to pass ahead of me. I was feeling good and so was my knee. I hit the wall of wind again on the flats and really pushed to get south to the turnaround, I was definitely using a lot of energy just to make forward progress. The volunteers cheered me on and we laughed at my attempt as forward progress. The third lap came with an untied shoe just before hitting the woods again. 2 people passed me, but I managed to catch and pass them both. Whew. I ran a solid final lap, urging myself on with thoughts of finishing strong and getting in the warm car. I tried to sprint to the finish, but the wind was so strong that I could hardly run. I felt like I finished strong, but it may not be reflected in my time.

In the end I didn't beat my time, there was no way. I did finish 5th in my AG, 10th for women and 68th overall out of 168.

Final time: 1:22
Avg pace: 8:53 (ouch)
Splits:

The splits were pretty even for each loop which made me happy.

I felt fantastic, had fun and I'm sore today so I can say I'm completely happy with the effort and the results. I know it may sound awful, cold, wet and mind numbing, but I really enjoy that race. I'm already looking forward to my next VCP race.

I've always enjoyed the neatness of the elevation profile for this race.

Enjoying post-race pancakes and hot beverages thanks to my wonderful hubby

My clothes and shoes are still drying

Van Cortlandt Park 5K this Sunday benefits kids

I just heard about this 5K taking place in VCP this Sunday that benefits a program that serves underprivileged school children in NYC by introducing them to the healthy alternative of running. The race is only $15 and you get to run the famed VCP 5K course during the most beautiful time of the year. If I weren't recovering from the marathon myself (I'm taking an extended recovery to avoid re-injuring my nearly-healed knee) I'd be there racing too!

H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths First Annual 5K Run/Walk

Riverdale, N.Y. (October 25, 2010) —H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Inc., a Riverdale, N.Y.-based 501c3 non-profit formed for the charitable and educational purposes of assisting at-risk youth, is hosting its first annual 5K Run/Walk at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. on Sunday, November 14, 2010. All proceeds will go to the non-profit and is tax deductible. The New York Road Runners Foundation will be helping with the event.

This event is perfect for the avid runner. The short run/walk is a great opportunity for those who still want to participate in a post ING NYC Marathon run, those who weren’t able to run the marathon and those who are just looking for a leisure run in one of the city’s fourth largest park. Bring your friends, family and fellow runners.

Additionally, Cliff Sperber, Executive Director of the NYRR Youth and Community Services division, is going to help H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths kick-off the event.

Registration is only $15. If you are a student or a coach of a High School team you can register for free. Please see below for more information. Participants can also ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor your run. Contact us for a pledge sheet.

Here are examples of the impact of your gift:

$89 - Gift will purchase one monthly Metro card for students to get to and from internship sties, social/cultural events, community service projects and weekly workshops.

$500 - Gift will purchase a partial scholarship for our students or a partial SAT, LSAT, GRE prep program or graduate school preparation program.

$1000 - Gift will purchase a scholarship for a student that can be named in honor of the person of your choice.

Your gift will have a significant impact on our programming and students’ ability to maintain their studies and successfully graduate from college and go on to graduate/professional school.

On Sunday, November 14, 2010 registration for the run/walk begins at 9 a.m. Run/walk is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Van Cortlandt Park is located at 242nd Street and Broadway in Bronx, N.Y. To register please visit:http://health4youthswalkrun.eventbrite.com/

H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Inc. fills the gap left by after-school programs and other mentor organizations across the city by providing workshops in the areas of career development, physical health, mental health, social/cultural education, social media etiquette and life-skills. It also helps place students in appropriate internships and encourages students to give back to the community by getting them involved in different community service projects such New York Cares Day and tornado clean up. The non-profit strives to combat community deterioration, juvenile delinquency and improves the quality of education, health care and life-skills training.

To learn more about H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Inc. visit the non-profit’s web site http://www.health4youths.org

If you would like to learn more about H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Inc.’s First Annual 5K Run/Walk or the non-profit contact:

Heather Butts
heather.butts@health4youths.org
347-489-3060
Or
Amanda Fung
amanda.fung@health4youths.org
917-881-6147

A solid race with sweet rewards.

I have a major crush on Van Cortland Park and it's namesake track club. VCP lies in the heart of the Bronx, not far from the beautiful, rolling hills of Riverdale and just up Broadway from Marble Hill- home of NYC's only Target. I have only fond memories of Van Cortlandt park including a handful of reasonably priced trail races from 5K to 15K. The Inwood Hill Runners often end Saturday long runs here, and we've run through mud, sun and knee deep snow.

When I heard about the VCP summer series this year, I decided I was NOT going to miss them this year. I recruited a friend who has some trail racing aspirations (Pikes Peak anyone?) and the usual Inwood crew came out for the event as well.

With lightning flashing and dark clouds overhead, the pre-race area had a silly and fun feel to it. Were we really going to run through this storm? As it turns out, there were a few drops of rain during the race, but hardly a storm.

I know the VCP course pretty well, in fact the last race I did there was 3 loops of it! So I knew to expect a fast mi 1, tough mi 2, but the reward would be a downhill and flat mi 3. I took off at a good clip along the flats and cruised into the woods feeling strong. Mi 1 went by at 7:11, right on track. I was breathing hard, but knew that I could handle the hills on mi 2 and just had to keep pushing. I used my arms to push up those hills and managed to pass quite a few people on the way up. It felt so good to be strong on those uphills and just fly downhill with reckless abandon. :) Mi 2 was 8:36..a bit slower than I'd like, but good nonetheless. Mi 3 came along as promised, downhill (with the exception of a spicy little hill at 2.5mi due to course change because of construction) followed by the flats. The flats are probably the hardest part of the race for me. Once we hit the flats, there was a woman at my side as a course marshall shouted "800m to go!" As if that were our indicator to sprint it out. He also mentioned we were the 5th and 6th females. The woman next to me waved her hand in front of us and said "all yours.." as if she wanted me to take off. I told her it was way too early for that and we gasped and chatted for a second before running side by side for the next 650m. I decided with ~150m to go to make a little "move" since I thought 5th place female sounded way better than 6th. She didn't match my move so I just turned on the jets and flew into the finish at a 5:55 pace. Wow! I have to admit, I ran that last 150m for one of my kids at work, I told myself "this is for XX who will never be able to run" because he has a degenerative neurological condition. Thanks lil buddy. Mi 3 was 7:08. Cha-ching! :)

The best part was cheering in my friends and teammates and even a fellow co-worker who came out! My friend's sister ran so hard that she ran past the finish and up the stairs to puke in private. I'm not sure if she did or not, but I'm proud either way. I let out a few deep burps myself at the finish and thought for a second that I'd lose my pre-race snack, but I pulled it together.

As promised, there were Carrot Muffins and pies for those who placed in their age groups and overall. Inwood Hill runners represented well with 3 carrot muffins for a 2nd place win by TE in her AG and 2nd and 3rd place wins by NM and I in ours. Man was that a delicious muffin. Victory is sweet.

Yum

3.1 mi
23:08 watch time, but more likely 23:25 or so because I started it late.
Elevation Profile:

5th female overall, 3rd place in 25-29 AG.

Riverdale Run

Charming Castle-like houses in Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx

Every couple of weeks my neighborhood running group treks up to Riverdale on our weekly Saturday long run. I remember a few years ago when I made my first journey through the hills of Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale and I didn't think I was going to make it. The rolling hills of S.D. were followed by a whopper of a hill at 254th St that felt like going up a ski slope and I couldn't believe I was still moving forward. Now, years and many hills later I can bound up most of those hills without missing a beat. The killer hill on 254th still gives me a run for my money though, but I know I can make it so I just keep pushing. Yesterday was the first time in at least a month or two since I've done this run and it felt like I was doing it for the first time- not the pain and gasping of the hills, but in the way I was seeing things. I brought along a good friend, NM for the run who has run with the group just a few times and it was her first time doing this particular run, so I felt like a tour guide. She's really into beautiful real estate so I spent more time looking at all of the gorgeous, old houses than usual, pointing out fun details that I hadn't noticed before. Since it was a bit iffy on the trails we usually run, we had to take our winter detour which takes us up "Wave Hill" which is a doozy. Wave Hill is actually a Cultural Center and Garden perched atop a hefty hill with gorgeous views of the Hudson and Palisades. Along Independence Ave around Wave Hill are houses that look like they were transplanted from Tuscany with their archways and intricate details. It was such a sunny and crisp morning, I hardly felt the hills. We always finish our run by passing near the Riverdale Country School and then cruising around the lower parts of Van Cortlandt Park. We all commented on how good it felt to hit that dirt path after pounding the pavement for the last 7 miles or so. I needed to get in about 11 miles yesterday so my NM and I continued on after leaving the group at the 242nd 1 train station. We followed Broadway back down to the 225th St bridge which links The Bronx to Inwood, Manhattan and weaved our way through Inwood back towards home. I convinced NM that we didn't need to take the 187th St CRAZY STAIRS again (we did them Thurs) so we took the 181st St subway elevator :)

It was an easy pace run, with a total elevation gain of 3,260 ft!

Heres the breakdown:

8:36 pace, elev+ 431ft

9:59 pace, elev+ 375ft

9:45 pace, elev+237ft

10:08 pace, elev+ 224ft

10:24 pace, elev+ 181 (so slow?)

9:59 pace, elev+ 49ft

10:01 pace, elev+158ft

9:03 pace, elev+21 (Broadway is flat!)

8:54 pace, elev+ 219

9:14 pace, elev+ 181ft

9:34pace, elev+ 1,058 (WOAH)

last .32 mi 9:30 pace, elev+126ft

We were a bit all over the place, but thats the reality of running with a group of people with similar but not exact abilities. I love my running group! I never would have found this route without them and I never would have pushed myself to get better on those hills without them either. <3

Photo courtesy of NYtimes.com

I've been spotted in a blog...

So I've recently become part of a fun bunch of NYC (and elsewhere) runners on twitter who sort of chat during the day about running

and other goofy stuff. A number of us also blog about our running and I recently checked out a blog by Betsyruns (as I know her

on twitter) here: Betsy A Go-Go because she mentioned that she also ran the Pete McArdle 15K on Sunday and I wanted to see what

she had to say about it. Well... I'm reading along and she's got a few pics mixed in and "HEY! Thats me!!" She was running behind me and

my two friends and snapped a picture! haha. You can check out her blog and read the fun commentary about the race, but here's the

picture... what a fun little discovery. Running makes the world just a little smaller and more friendly!

Pic courtesy of Betsy.

Thats me in the black shorts, and my two friends on my right. :)

I don't know the person on my left, but they're the only one in the picture who is dressed for the weather!

Pete McArdle XC 15K in VCP

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for
Pete McArdle 15K in VCP-brrr

It was a muddy, cold and hilly adventure run this morning but so much fun! I ran with some regular running buddies which made the race do-able. It was a gross day but I give my new Asics Gel-Trabuco gore-tex trail shoes an A++ for keeping my feet warm and mostly dry for the entire 9.3 miles!! wow, very impressive considering the slop out there on the course. Now if only I'd thought to wear my EMS waterproof jacket...duh. Oh well, tons of fun and we ended the morning (afternoon?) with some delicious pancakes at The Garden Cafe. Yummmm. So sleepy now.... finally got the huge knot out of my hair from the rainy run (seriously, it was unreal) and now a quick blow-dry followed by a nap. I'm exhausted and full... what a wonderful combination.

:)

Stay warm and dry...

The best winter/wet/mud shoes EVAR...

and this is why... that little hyphenated word in yellow..

In the end though, the socks say it all.... love my smartwools.

And the drying continues... everything is still soaked!

XC in the Bronx

Now is the PERFECT time of year to get out and explore new paths and parks and even try out a 5K on the world famous trails of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The park is home to tons of high school, college and NYRR races throughout the fall XC season. I ran in the Harry Murphy 5k there last Sunday and it was a gorgeous day and the trails were a blast. If you've been scared off in the past by the thousands of people at an NYRR race, this is a totally different experience! Last week there were just a few hundred people of all ages and its a much more relaxed atmosphere. I decided that morning to hop on the 1 train to 242nd St and run, there's registration at the park and its only $10 (less if you register online ahead of time at nyrr.org)

Think it sounds like a fun, possibly new challenge for you or just a great chance to get in some hills and speedwork? You're in luck- the Kurt Steiner 5K is this Sunday at 11:30am (see, you even get to sleep in!!) Registration takes place by the tortoise and the hare statue just a few blocks north of the 242nd st 1 train station. Go for it, you'll thank me later :) To register and for directions check out the NY Road Runners site here . Oh and there's free and secure baggage dropoff so you can stash your extra layers.

oh and the photo is courtesy of nyrr.org I should remember to bring my own camera this weekend!