I cannot believe how long it has taken me to get around to writing this post.

I think part of the problem is that I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to say about this race.

I signed up for the Scotland Run on the same day that a signed up for the Mini 10K, which is taking place in June.  So my intentions with respect to the Scotland Run were to use the race as an opportunity to run a “time trial” on the same course.  I planned to use my results from this race as a basis for determining the goals that I would set for my performance in the Mini.

I did not train for this race.  I merely relied upon the strength of my training for the NYC Half and the half dozen or so runs I completed in between the two race days to carry me through.

Spoiler alert:  humblebrag commences in the next paragraph

I was somewhat astonished by the results.  I went thinking I would run it in 56 minutes, but finished in 54:36.

This is a substantial PR for me, from the 59:50 that I ran last July in the Boomer’s 10K.

But I feel somewhat uneasy about calling it a “PR”.  I mean, I kind of ran this one on a whim.

So whatever it was that carried me through this course and across the finish line so expeditiously, it’s pretty freaking awesome!

As for the race itself, I have to say that it was not my favorite.

I was forewarned that there would be a crowded course, but I was honestly overwhelmed.  8,000 runners crammed in to the recreation lanes of Central Park for six point two miles of brisk fun equals one pretty tight race.

It also seemed to me that the race numbers were somewhat arbitrarily assigned.  My corral was way off in the back, but I am truly a “middle of the pack” runner.

And runners haphazardly reorganized themselves into whichever corral they felt like being in.  There was a rainbow of bib colors in my corral.  Slower runners and faster runners huddled together in a corral that simply did not belong to them.

Running the tangents was a task not easily performed.  I overran this race by .2 miles because of all of the weaving that I had to do on the course to get around slower runners who lined up in front of me.

The first mile was so tight, but the course never really opened up.  I ran the first mile significantly slower than I would have liked, and only made up the time because I ran the rest of my miles in the low 8:xx’s.  I was surrounded the whole time.

I felt, at times, like I was a puzzle piece seeking an opening on the board.  Each time I saw a gap between runners, I thrust myself forward toward it, chasing any opportunity to get ahead.

And in the end, I actually ran right in to some fool who decided to come to a screeching halt the moment he crossed the finish line.  Seriously dude?  Crowded race course means crowded finisher’s area.  Keep it moving, bro.

All in all, I am proud of my performance in this race.  I think that I tackled the crowded course as best as possible, and I was happy to see all of the hard work that I invested in to half marathon training pay off in a shorter distance, as well.

As for my goals for the Mini, I’m keeping them quiet for right now.  But I am training hard, and I can’t wait to get out there and race again.

Run On™