don't be a chump, check your rump: Colon Cancer Challenge 15K.

not to brag or anything, but i knocked 20 seconds from each mile from my last 15k (that's 9.3 miles for the americans out there), resulting in a whopping 3 MINUTE PR!  yayness :)

so yea, this past saturday, meghan, her buddy, and i, all ran the new york colon cancer challenge 15k in central park.  there was a 4 mile race that occurred that same morning so our 15k start time wasn't until 11:15.  11:15!!!

it was so amazing to wake up naturally, have a relaxing breakfast, lay in bed with my laptop, get dressed casually.  usually with races, i'm up getting ready before some new yorkers have gone to sleep and before the sun creeps itself over the east river.  usually, i'm running around like a chicken without its head, grabbing a granola bar to eat in the cab, and putting my bib and running chip on as i'm walking to the start line.  as you can probably guess, i'm not one of those people who gets up with enough time before a race to properly prepare.

but this saturday i was able to do all the things i should do before a race.. and it was glorious. 

meghan was feeling a lil weak and tight from running the nyc half-marathon last sunday.  but seriously, who wouldn't be?  she completely kicked ass last week, finishing with a time of 2:13:54.  during marathon training season, our bodies are accustomed to running that and more each weekend.. but once that season is over, we go back to being normal people, with bodies that need more than a week to fully recover from running 13.1 miles.

we kept the pace at a comfortable 10:45ish for the first 7 or so miles.  at around mile 8, i had such a surge of energy that i pushed forward and broke away for the remainder of the race.  once i reached mile 9, i knew i was going to PR and i knew that i had seriously picked up my pace.  I finished with a pace of 10:24.. meaning that my last 2 miles were pretty damn fast if i knocked my average pace down 20 seconds/mile in only 2 miles. 

close to mile 9, i developed a side stitch on my right side.. but i was so determined to finish strong that i pushed through it.  i made sure to breathe in my nose and out my mouth.. and i massaged it with my right hand for the remainder of the race, which helped to alleviate most of the discomfort.

crossing the finish line, knowing very well that i PR'd, felt soooo good.  meghan crossed not too long after me and we were able to make our way to the subway together.  another good run with one of my favorite tfk alums :)

next up: scotland 10K with the boy.

also, i asked sethy to write a post about his experience running the nyc half.  get on it, sethy.  we're waiting.