After a bad running day there is always a good running day...

....trust me ....it is truth!!!

 

On Saturday I had one of the worst running in the last 3 months. I was energy less, tired and my body didn't want to run at all.  I always say that you never know how your body will feel before a run, you can do everything well the day before and still have one of those days. I slept enough, I had the right food, I didn't drink, I was in good mood but still my body didn't want to run. I was supposed to run 16 miles but I barely ended 10. I could have push myself a little more and complete my run but I felt it didn't make sense. At this point of my training it is better to listen the body and give it what it is asking for...the hard work is done and I can do more damage than good pushing now. I need to rest and heal my muscles before the race.

On my run on Saturday

Anyway, I was mad with myself for feeling so energy less and more because I was going to run a race the next day and I thought I couldn't get better in less than 24 hours but as I said before...you never know how you will feel on race day!

Today it was the 30th edition of the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile race. This race is just 1 mile and the goal is to run as fast as you can!! It is on Fifth Avenue from 82nd  to 59th. The street is closed to traffic and a lot of people come to cheer the runners on. It is one of the most excited races in the city an many international professional runners come to run it.



The run is divided in female and male and also in age groups. Amateur runners go first starting early in the morning and the professional runners around 1 PM.  

This was my second time running this race but I was not really very optimistic about my performance because I haven't been doing any speed workout and I have been running very slow for my ultra training. I was just hoping at least to do the same time I did last year (7:12 minute per mile) but after yesterday performance even this seemed to be too optimistic. Anyway I was going to run it and of course wearing Shannon's singlet!!

I woke up early and head the park to run some miles to warm up before the race. I was not sure how I was feeling or what my body could do. Standing in the corral and with less than 5 minutes to start the race I felt the butterflies in my stomach...5 minutes to go, 4 minutes to go, 15 seconds to go....GO!!!

I wanted to get a PR (personal record) I really wanted with all my heart but I knew I hadn't trained for it.

Getting ready and wearing
Shannon's singlet!!

I pushed and pushed until the point I felt my heart was going to explode....and at that moment...I pushed even more and more...3/4 a mile and I was feeling more tired than after a 20 miles run....but there it was...I could see the clock at the finish line...I told myself " you can still make it..... push until the finish line and you will get a PR....RUN FASTER!! "



It feels so good and so painful at the same time...I could feel my heart beats and my throat burning all the way to my stomach and for a moment I thought I was going to have a heart stroke. I met up with some friends and  I noticed everyone else was feeling the same and we were all coughing. I can't really describe it as I had never felt anything like that before and I am not sure why we felt that way but I can just say that I have been coughing since then and my throat feels very sore...the only explanation I can think about is that we really pushed and we ran with our mouth open  and in same way that hurt us. 



There is a quote I like very much that can exactly describe what I felt today:

 " I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known." Emil Zatopek

I got my PR!!! I ran the mile in 6 minutes 53 seconds...... that is 19 seconds faster than my last year time....if you are not a runner it might seem to just be 19 seconds but in runner's time...it is a lot!!

Keep running, there is always a better run!!!