DATE: AUGUST 7; 9:00 AM
DISTANCE: 10 KM
PLACE: GOVERNORS ISLAND, MANHATTAN, NY
WEATHER: 82 F
FINISHERS: 271
OFFICAL TIME / PACE: ACK! 189 / 10:43 MIN/MI
SWAG: Post-race goody bag and a tech shirt
Man, my last race report was written back in March 2020. Regarding my crappy performance in this race: I did not run the race I wanted; I ran the race for which I trained. Before I get into my struggling performance, let me get my hating out of the way.
Since I already have guaranteed entry for NYC Marathon 2022, I decided to support some other NYC-based racing organizations instead of New York Road Runners (NYRR). This race was organized by NYCRUNs, which probably is the second largest NYC-based racing organization. Not that I have much against NYRR, I just want to use this opportunity to run other organizations’ races and to race in different parts of the city.
A few issues with this race
-The organizers sent a email with all of these COVID-related rules (e.g. social distancing and masking guidelines). I was a bit disappointed that none of these rules were really enforced before, during, and after the race. A couple of examples: 1) Runners were supposed to wear masks in the corrals. 2) Runners were supposed to wear their masks within 500 ft of the finish. Then again, runners (myself included) had a choice of not participating in the race if they felt uncomfortable with other folks not following masking guidelines.
-Several portions of the race was not well marked, and some people went the wrong way during the second loop of the run. Fortunately, I was running with some folks that stopped at a fork in the road and were like we’re supposed to bear right here. Had it not be for those folks, I probably would have ran the wrong part of the course too. In our defense, we tried to call out to the other folks that went the other way, but they were too far ahead.
-Of course, they ran out of popsicles by the time I finished. I guess this means I have to run faster next time. 😉 Here’s the “funny” part: The finisher right in front of me got the LAST popsicle. Had I sprinted a bit harder during the last 100 meters, I would have acquired the last, cool, refreshing popsicle.
Hey, when life hands you lemons, you gotta make lemonade. Since I was unable to get a popsicle after the race, I was sure to order a frozen margarita with my post-race brunch. Frozen margs count as popsicles, right?
-I think many folks missed the 5K race, which started a hour before the 10K, because they missed the 5K ferry due to long bib pickup lines. I’m so glad that I registered for the race with enough time for NYCRuns mail my bib. However, I do not blame NYCRuns 100% for the delay in receiving bibs because mail delivery in NYC has been a hot mess during the pandemic. Honestly, I’m surprised that I got race bib in time. However, NYCRuns should have had a better contingency plan. That said, I get organizing races is not as easy as it seems and NYCRUNs did the best it could.
Race Recap:
Since I was “hating” on NYCRuns for a bit, now it’s my turn to hate on myself.
Ok, my performance was a hot mess, which was likely due to the heat (and being out of shape). While it was not extremely hot on Saturday, I will say that we were running in the direct sun for about 90% of the race. The 10K course was pretty much two flat 5K loops (easy math, huh?). After the first loop, I pretty much was in overheat mode and had to walk quite a bit. 😦 My race plan was to run a basic 3 mile run, add fartleks during mile 4, and pick up the pace during mile 5 for a “strong” finish. Prior to running the race, I was overconfident in thinking that I was going to run an extra 1-2 miles after finishing the race. HA! The extra mileage was planned to make up some of the mileage that I would skip for last week’s NYC Marathon training long run, which was supposed to be 15 miles.
While I hated a bit on the race, I will say that the post-race goodie bag was pretty generous. Not pictured are a bottle of Gatorade and a Dole fruit cup because I gave them to a homeless man on the subway during my commute home.
The tech shirt was not too shabby either. I love how Manhattans’ skyline is a separate ice cream “flavor”.
Although I did not perform as well as I would have liked (and there were no post race popsicles), I think that I had an OK experience. The views of lower Manhattan, New Jersey, and the Statue of Liberty were kind of refreshing during the run. Since most of my previous races (before the pandemic) have been in Central Park, it’s nice to see different scenery from time to time during a race.
I’m not sure if I would run another race on Governors Island because of issues commuting to the ferry first thing in the morning. That said, I definitely would run another NYCRUNs race in the near future. As a matter of fact, I’m going to check out its racing calendar and sign up for another race after posting this entry.
Next Race:
The Social Race Half Marathon, August 14, 2021, Manhattan, NY
Run There, Drink That 
Yay, a frozen ‘rita sighting!! Congrats on the 10k.
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I was really good and had only ONE rita with my chilaquiles y huevos.
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I’d be mad if I didn’t get a popsicle either!
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Good work replacing that popsicle like-for-like! I love the t-shirt, too, and the views, and well done for getting back into a race. I’d have panicked at the no-masks and run away, I imagine.
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