Run, Karla, Run!

Coming into the finish (RunKarlaRun.com)

The NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K on Saturday, January 9 with 5,222 finishers was my first race of 2016. Named for founding NYRR member and longtime coach, the race is also a fundraiser for a scholarship fund in his name for scholastic runners; $1 of each registration fee benefits student runners.

It was also my longest run since the Honolulu Marathon on December 2013 (race report to come!). Since I’m just getting back to training, I didn’t have any delusions about busting out a PR or anything at this race. I just wanted to run a good hard effort and see how that felt.

The start (Courtesy of NYRR)

As one of NYRR’s race announcers, it was fun to run one of their races for a change. Don’t get me wrong: I love being a race announcer. It’s honestly as much fun as running. But I miss running my NYRR races from time to time. I worked the NYRR Midnight Run on New Year’s Eve and will be working the NYRR Fred Lebow Manhattan Half later in January. So I decided to strike while the iron was hot, and it was hot—41 degrees in January!

In this post I’ll walk you through the course, NYRR’s new bib and corral system, and, of course, how my race went.

Ready! (RunKarlaRun.com)

What I Wore

I planned my outfit as an homage to all my runDisney peeps running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon the same day. So I threw on my 2014 Walt Disney World Half Marathon shirt, along with some favorite matching blue gear (all freebies):

Sparkly Soul TCS New York City Marathon Sparkle Wide Headband

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Shirt

New Balance Print Shapely Shaper Bra

Gore Running Wear Mythos Windstopper Gloves

C3fit Compression Performance Long Tights

Puma Ignite PWRWARM Shoes Read the rest of this entry →

Finishing Run For The Parks in Central Park. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Regular readers know I host On The Run, New York Road Runners’ Web and TV show about running. It’s a job I genuinely love that has one flaw: I don’t get to run any of the races I cover for the show. It’s OK. I’ve run most of NYRR’s major events in the past: TCS New York City Marathon, NYC Half, Brooklyn Half, Staten Island Half, Fifth Avenue Mile, the list goes on.

Thankfully, NYRR puts on dozens of other races throughout the year. I’ve done a New York Road Runner’s 4-mile run in April every year since 2007, except 2012. It’s traditionally my first fitness test of the year. Basically, this one is my annual wake-up call.

Stretching in Central Park after my 6-miler on Saturday. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Today, I finished the City Parks Foundation Run for the Parks 4-Mile Run. Last year, the race on April 21 was an especially emotional one. Just one week after the attack at the Boston Marathon, New York Road Runners turned the event into a Run For Boston and benefit for The One Fund Boston. I’ve never seen so much blue in Central Park. My race report is here: An Emotional Run For Boston At Run For The Parks.

This year’s race reminded me of a few things.

First, I’m lucky to call Central Park home turf. The day before the race, I logged 6 miles, much of them through the park. After a winter of hiding out on the treadmill and running errands on the city streets, Central Park kicked my butt. It’s both an unusually beautiful and challenging place to run.

My splits at this race were a case in point. Mile 1 is uphill and (and pretty crowded): I ran 9:20. Slow for me. Too slow. Mile 2 is mostly flat: I ran 8:39. Mile 3 is a series of three hills: I ran 9:01. Mile 4 is largely downhill: I ran 8:35. Read the rest of this entry →