To save time, I picked up my bib yesterday.

I was there early so I was able to take advantage of the sales.

As indicated in a previous post, this is a new course for me.  It changed last year.

The race course starts in front of the Rose Garden and finishes at the Casino Restaurant overlooking Iroquois Lake in Central Park. Race participants follow park perimeter roadways for the first 1.5 miles of the course, and retrace this section of the course when they return to the park after their tour of the historic city. Runners follow a new course that proceeds through the historic GE Realty Plot neighborhood of 19th and 20th century homes laid out in a park like setting near the stately grounds of Union College prior to “Storming the Stockade”, an annual tradition for nearly 4 decades. After a brief half mile tour of downtown Schenectady, the course exits State Street at Clinton St. near Proctor’s Theater and head up Franklin Street to the newly constructed bike path in Vale Park. The Vale Park and Vale Cemetery corridor is part of an inner city greenway initiative between the city and the county to encourage safe recreational opportunities for walkers, runners and cyclists while highlight the city’s remarkable history.

This is my first fall-weather race.  So it is always a challenge to be warm but not overdress. Plus, it looked like it might rain. I just wore layers and planned to leave them off. Hopefully, I would not be too cold for a skirt.

I left early.  There were supposedly 2000 runners and not enough parking.  I found a spot, used the rest room (real ones!)  and then stayed warm near the fireplaces in the pavilion and chatted with some runners that I knew. There were some SRMs but we waited too long and didn’t get a photo.

It was cold…in the high 30’s and cloudy (no wind yet). I hesitated but left my jacket and pants behind.  I kept my gloves.  We had to walk quite a ways to get to the start and by the time we got there, they were already singing the anthem.  It was very CROWDED.  I was in the middle somewhere and even when the race began, it took a while to get moving.

I should mention that I had many stomach issues this morning.  Not sure if it was something I ate yesterday or what.  I was worried about needing a rest room during the race (there are NONE).

And the whole race I felt nauseous…ugh!

The first 5 miles weren’t too bad.  It was supposedly flat but there were at least 2 hills (what I would call hills.) I tried not to walk and to run at a constant pace.  My annoying foot was annoying but it didn’t really hurt a lot until I started walking.

That was the water stop around 5 where I had a gel and then there was the HUGE hill around mile 5.5.  After that there were rolling hills in the cemetery and on the bike trail.

I walked whenever I  needed to.  I ran for a while with a girl who recognized me from the Monster Scramble 10K.

I knew from my Garmin that this would not be a PR so I just tried to enjoy it (which was tough with an upset stomach & foot pain.)

Finally you come back into the park.  At least here I got a second wind.  You run around the duck pond and it seemed to take forever to get to the finish line (according to my watch it was 9.4 not 9.3) and I was able to sprint through it.

Here are some race photos taken as I was approaching the finish line:

There was a long line to get back into the pavilion.   I wasn’t that hungry but I needed to get my clothes.  While on line I chatted with a nice older runner who took my pic.

There was lots of food – bagels, fruit, candy, pudding, bars, soup, pizza, chocolate milk….

I took a little but I was freezing and anxious to leave and get into a hot shower.

Race Stats:

2013 Garmin time: 1:42:23 (2011 time: 1:35:31)

mile 1 – 10:18
mile 2 – 10:16
mile 3 – 10:25
mike 4 – 10:18
mile 5 – 11:00 – gel/water  stop
mile 6 – 11:01 – hills begin
mile 7 – 11:48 – more hills & water stop
mile 8 – 11:58  – dying
mile 9 – 11:12
.4  –  10:09

(Official time:1:42:22)

Race Goals:

A: under 1:37
B: under 1:40
C: finish happy and healthy

So I didn’t meet my goals 😦 but I am glad that pushed through it and finished in spite of not feeling my best.  This is a well-organized race with lots of enthusiastic spectators.   The course is difficult but interesting.  I will definitely try it again.

Realistically, I am not the runner I was 2 years ago.  I am not sure I ever will be.  I am running.  I am racing.  And that makes me happy.

Happy Running! How was your weekend?

 

 

 

 

PS.

I wasn’t aware at the time but there was a bomb scare.  Apparently there was an unattended backpack at the start/finish line with wires.  They considered cancelling the race. But they didn’t.  It turned out to be nothing.