Go Dawgs!

Another weekend, another race. Last Saturday I ran the 2014 Dawg Dash NYC 5k, a fundraiser for the University of Washington Alumni Association. It was a simple loop around Roosevelt Island (I just love events that don't require any traveling whatsoever) but due to the construction south of the Queensboro Bridge the first three quarter mile was going around the tram station and sport center twice before we head off north towards the lighthouse (mental note, create a blog entry that documents a loop around Roosevelt Island in photos), then back down south on the East side of the island and across the finish line close to the sprinklers. It was nice and easy.

Is that coffee?

I never attended UW but my wife did (I did apply once as international student for a year but was rejected). She mentioned this race many weeks ago and a team member of the NY Flyers posted on our Facebook page about it as well. I couldn't resist to register for it and my wife volunteered at the registration table. This was the third time that she was around when I crossed a finish line. The first time was at my very first race, the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge in 2013, last year's Staten Island half-marathon, and this one. While I never want to impose myself and have kids and wife wake up early just to accompany me to some early morning race in one of NYC's corners, it is a nice change of things if they actually do. I guess my chances would improve when I decided to run a destination marathon (or half). Do Yonkers or Philadelphia count?

We lucked out with the weather. At first I thought
they brought over some Seattle rain.

It was a very laid back race with around 150 participants but, as always, some of the runners (including me) meant business and they ran their hearts out. Others took it a lot more leisurely and jogged or walked the distance, because after all, this is also about creating an atmosphere to socialize and network. The last 5k race I ran was the day before the NYC Marathon and I did pretty okay - any sub-7 mile is definitely okay with me - but this time I wasn't sure what to expect. I have been training and running longer races and runs and didn't focus at all on the 5000m distance. I would just wing it and go as fast as I can. As Bill Rodger wrote in his book, Marathon Man, running a 5k is about running as fast as you can and hang in there as long as you can. There is not much strategy involved. I sure didn't have anything planned in how to run it but I think I did okay (unfortunately, not "pretty" okay.) I was in the front line when the horn sounded and I tried my best to stay with the fastest runners for as long as I could. Unfortunately, I am no match for runners who can run sub-6 minute miles and when the adrenalin faded I was delegated to the back of the front group, as always in such small races. Elle, the NY Flyer member I mentioned above, kept running right behind me until around 2.5 miles into when she took off and left me in the dust. I tried to keep up with her, but then there is a reason why she ran two Boston Marathons in the past and I get injured from running a half-marathon, so I just picked up in speed what I could, which wasn't too much, but could not reach her anymore. She crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of me. I finished in 13th position (out of 145 finishers) with a time of 22:10 minutes and a pace of 7:08 minutes per mile. This is a far cry from the 6:44 minutes/mile I was able to run last summer but it sure is not hopeless. With my treatments for my knee coming to an end I should be able to get out there and train harder again.

After the run there was a after-party at Feile, some Irish Pub in midtown, where us runners could have gotten a free beer (yay for the Irish, the Germans, and the Huskies - three races that offered beer afterwards) but getting into the train instead of just walking home with my wife was not too attractive at that point. Maybe next time.

Next up: the NYRR Japan Run 4M in Central Park on Mother's Day (and after that brunch with my family at Max Brenner for some chocolatey breakfast.)

Keep on running!