A Rainy Morning at ... the Track :O

I didn't plan on doing laps at the track this morning.  I had planned on doing a 10+ miler up and back to White Plains.  Instead, as I ran up the post road it was the lousy weather (drizzle + fog) that made me think the track was a better (and much shorter) destination! 

So my long run wait until tomorrow.  Despite the unexpected visit, I had planned to go to the track this week.  I wanted to do a mile on the track as a warm-up to the actual mile for the NYRR Virtual Global Running Day Mile - that begins on May 28 and runs until the official Global Running Day (6/3).  The laps weren't speed work by any definition.

I was pleasantly surprised to run two sub-8:20 miles (through rain covered glasses)!  Those were the first sub-9 minute miles that I've run in quite a while (probably late last Fall/early Winter).  The track conditions weren't great - slippery, actually.  But it felt great to run fast enough to feel the oxygen debt building up - haha :D

Next time I will actually toss in a few intervals during the 8 laps!

NYRR Virtual Brooklyn Half :D

Wow, it wasn't easy - but I ran the 13.1+ miles for my virtual Brooklyn Half Marathon this morning :D

It was the longest distance I've run in long time (going back to last Fall?).  I did a 10 miler two weekends ago, but it wasn't the distance that threw me off.  My route planning was something of a fail because it had been planned as straight out and back course - 6.5 miles up to White Plains and back.  Instead, my return route was a mile shorter (brain freeze) and got back here with just 11+ miles.  That was a big oops moment and it resulted in something of a hodgepodge for the last 2 miles.  Still - mighty happy to get it done!

In an interesting (for me) observation, my 10:11 pace - it was sub-10 for most of the run - was a solid minute faster than my pace (11+) for the virtual NYC Half 5k I ran two months ago! Granted, that one was an easy jog around the neighborhood.  But the base re-building program is paying off :D

Winter in May :O

Woke up yesterday morning and was glad I hadn't put away the winter running gear.  With 22+ mph winds, the low 30's had a real feel in the low 20's!  In a change from my normal weekend routine - running on the Bronx River Parkway - I switched over to the Leatherstocking Trail.  My ulterior motive wasn't running portions of the Paine to Pain course (which I did) - but rather have the woods act as a barrier to some of the winds (which they didn't).

As sign of the times - "park users practice safe social distancing."

Astonishingly, while runners, walkers and others did that -- a full grown deer was standing on the trail as I approached.  That wasn't astonishing.  What made me do a double take was that it made no effort to move as I got closer!  It wasn't until I slowed down and reached into my pocket for my phone that it decided to run off.  Apparently it was photo-shy - not runner shy!

This morning it was noticeably warmer and less windy - but still chiller than a "normal" day in May.

Last, but certainly, not least:  Happy Mother's Day!

Albany Virtual Law Day 5k

It's been a long time since I ran the Fred Weisburg Law Day 5k in Darien.  So long, in fact, that I don't believe the race is still run!  Be that as it may, since no races are actually being run because of Covid-19, what better way to participate in a different law day race than virtually?

This event wasn't done via Strava.  Instead it was on the honor system.  Runners could email in their results to be included in a finishers list.  I can't say that I "raced" 5k - or the "fastest" 5k portion of the 4.1 miles I ran.   But I did the entire run in under 40 minutes so I guess the 5k clocked in with a sub-10 minute pace :D