Race Report: Gridiron 4M

DATE: FEBRUARY 13, 9:00 AM

DISTANCE: 4 MI

PLACE: CENTRAL PARK, MANHATTAN, NY

WEATHER:  32F 

OFFICAL TIME / PACE: 36:44 MIN / 9:11 MIN/MI

FINISHERS: 4,332

SWAG: LONG SLEEVED TECH SHIRT

Who’s ready for some football? I will admit that I do not really follow football (or any professional sport for that matter), but this year I need to run 9 races for my guaranteed entry into NYC Marathon 2023 so I figured why not. Actually, I think this was my first time running the Gridiron 4 Mile. Random question: Was this race always in Central Park? I feel like it used to be somewhere in Jersey, but I’m probably wrong.

Image courtesy of NYRR

Clearly, I did not pay attention to any of the weather forecasts for the weekend because I was kind of surprised that it was snowing when I woke up. I almost went with a hard pass because of the snow, but I powered through.

This weekend was pretty weird in terms of weather – Friday with temps in the mid-50s F and Sunday with temps in the 30s F PLUS snow. Since I’m training for a marathon in April, I wanted to combine this race with a 15-mile long run, but that did not happen. Oh well . . . there’s always next weekend. However, I did sandwich the race between a 1.5-mile warm-up and cool down. . . I guess that should count for something.

Random thought: I think NYC is so pretty during the first day of snowfall. Some views to and from the race.

Overall, I really did not know what to expect for this race because I did not set any goals. I guess finishing without slipping on ice and snow was the main goal. That said, I thought NYRR and NYC did a great job clearing the snow and slush from the course before the race. The course pretty much was a mini loop of Central Park, which started and ended right before the biggest Harlem Hill.

Not sure if this is snow or snot.

Unfortunately, I could not really pace myself during the race because my Apple Watch was still set on kilometers from Friday’s sprint workout. Miles 1 and 2 were pretty much a bust because of corral and course congestion. Perhaps, the NYRR races are becoming too large, because I do not remember so much congestion after the first mile. In fact, the race was pretty congested for the entire 4 miles. I guess that comes with the territory of now being a back-of-the-pack runner. Note to self: I really need to work on my speed so I can start these races in a lower corral.

Congestion aside, I thought that I did a decent job in this race and I did feel like I got faster with each mile and was surprised that I still had enough juice to run (well technically jog) about 1.5 miles home after the race.

The combination of racing and polling

Shortly after Mile 2, runners had a chance to choose whom they thought was going to win Superbowl LVI by picking a lane. I went with the LA Rams because the lane was on the inside of the curve. Hey, I do not like running a millimeter more than I have two.

Playlist:

This kid is finally on Spotify, and it took only 5+ years. Since Eurovision is around the corner, I listened to a playlist that contains the songs that have been released so far.

Next Race:

Mar. 6: NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K

Social Meda Plug:

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@smokinscientist (Twitter)

Kwame s (Strava)