The race that holds a special place in my heart – NYRR Oakley Mini 10K recap

Oh, Mini 10K, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

1. It’s an all-women race – GIRL POWER! I kind of love this aspect, for a couple of reasons. First, the field is narrowed by half, so it’s usually way less runners than a regular NYRR race. Second, it’s just kind of fun to race with all ladies. There are far more running skirts and tutus and sparkly headbands and PINK (pink everywhere!) which gives it a party feel. Plus, it’s awesome to think about how far women’s running has come, since the days when a trailblazer like Katherine Switzer had to run bandit at Boston in order to run at all – and nearly forced off the course as a result.

2. You get to run down Central Park West! I love any race that you can run on a closed-off road, especially in NYC. It’s cool to see a normally busy road totally devoid of traffic, parked cars and people, then packed with thousands of runners.

3. You get a medal AND a flower at the end. The flowers are an adorable touch. Even though I always leave mine by a tree somewhere because I’m not taking it home on the subway for one of my cats to eat and throw up, I still love being presented with one.

4. This was the race 2 years ago that I ran and thought was really, really hard, MUCH harder than it should have been, or ever had been before. When I got home that day, I checked my splits and heart rate and all that run-nerd data and realized something must be terribly wrong with me. Then, with the help of a calendar, some basic math and a home pregnancy test, I realized that there had been 2 of us running that day.

 

 

Fact: it took me 6 weeks to realize I was pregnant. I also had already run two 10K’s and two half marathons within that 6 weeks. I kept running (and racing, although not for time goals, just for funsies) until I was about 37 weeks when all I wanted to do was stretch, walk, oh, and nap. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Happily, despite a ridiculous amount of rain falling on Friday that ended in flooded areas all over the park, somehow the weather was perfect on Saturday, cool, clear and crisp. Mary Wittenberg, the NYRR CEO actually announced it was the coolest temperature ever for the Mini 10K. It did warm up towards the end, but it wasn’t unbearable by any stretch.

I felt good, I wasn’t running for any time goal, which I think should just be my way of racing for a while, because it works well for me. Yes, I still wore my Garmin, but I didn’t check it at all during the race. I just had it so I could upload the data when I got home. So I really ran just listening to my body and how I felt, while still pushing myself harder than I would on a regular run. It ended up being a post pregnancy PR for me and I think about the 3rd fastest time I’ve run a 10K.

Oakley was the sponsor and they had a tent set up with a fun Instagram promotion where you try a pair of their glasses on, Instagram it with a hash tag and get entered to win that pair – however, the lines were long and there was also a tent set up by the Hospital for Special Surgery where you could stretch, foam roll, or have someone stretch you. Yes, please, I waited patiently for that, so I could get that roller on my hamstrings! It made such a difference to be able to roll out after stretching. I wish that was available for every NYRR race!

If you have the opportunity to take part in this race next year, I highly recommend it. It feels good to be a part of an event celebrating the fact that we can run just as well, and just as long, and just as far as the boys can. And we can do it in an organized race, right down the center of Central Park West, with no one trying to drag us off the course. Girl power, ladies. Girl. Power. 🙂