What Race 3 Has Taught Me

Runners spend a lot of time thinking and talking about food. There are countless forums dedicated to pre-race meals and carbo loading and everyone has their rituals whether it's starting the race day with a bowl of oatmeal or a small piece of fruit, everyone has a specific food they feel works best and they seem to stick with it religiously. I have adopted a pre-race ritual that includes waking up two hours early, starting with a bowl of cereal and then having a banana while en route to the race.

While thoughts on food consumption tend to vary, hydration prior to race day and on the day of is universal. Common sense dictates that if you're going to perform at any decent level you want to have a good amount of water in you so in the days leading up to the race you constantly refill your water bottle and during the race you run to those little folding tables precariously stacked with paper cups and hope to god you manage to slow down enough so you don't trip and knock the whole damn thing over. You then attempt to keep running while drinking the cup of water because heaven forbid you lose the 30 seconds it would take to slow down enough to drink it without spilling it all over yourself.

Yesterday was my third race, the Scotland Day 10K in Central Park. I woke up at about 7:00, had my cereal and set about braiding my hair and stretching a bit in preparation. I also had a few cups of coffee as I was hopped up on Sudafed and had been up late the night before and wasn't feeling my most alert. At about 8:15 I'm dressed and headed toward the park with my post-race essentials (a banana and a chocolate milk) safely tucked in Sid's backpack.

At the start line I'm feeling good despite the crowding, I'm ready to run. The first couple of miles are the same as they've been in other races, mostly weaving in and out of the traffic jam created by people who decide it's a good idea to line up ahead of their pace groups and slow down the rest of the pack who lined up properly according to speed. By the time I hit the Harlem hill I'm feeling good, pacing well, and am determined not to stop and walk for the entirety of the race. I make it up the big hill, round the bend at the bottom and start back up the other side toward the east side of the park.

As I start up the second hill I pass a fluid station and restroom and it occurs to me that I should stop and take advantage of the facilities but then I think, "No, if I stop on the uphill I'll never run when I get out of the bathroom, there has to be another bathroom coming up, I'll just keep going." This, I have learned, was a mistake. It is also a mistake not to study the course map to the extent that you note where the fluid stations/port-o-potties are. This is what race #3 has taught me.

As I foolishly passed on the port-o-potties and charged up the second hill I felt okay, but by the time I reached 96th Street and the top of the reservoir it became apparent that if I kept bouncing up and down I was going to have a problem. I understand that some marathoners just pee down their leg when they really have to go rather than stop running. That's all well and good if you're a world class athlete competing in a world class event and have an actual chance to win it, it's a little different if you're running a 10K in which your only real goal is to beat your last race pace and you know it would be a miracle to even come in 1,000th. So, as I hit 96th Street I decided to sacrifice my pace to retain my dignity and walk until I hit another rest station.

At 84th Street I found that rest station. I had to walk half of a mile of the 6.2 mile race to get there, probably added a good five minutes to my time. After the rest stop the running got much easier and I was very happy to finish with dry tights, but this race's regret was that I hadn't even thought to study the course map in terms of where and when I'd be able to find a bathroom. Seems like a pretty common sense thing for someone who pees about thirty times a day. But I suppose that's why these nine qualifying races are required for entry to the marathon, you learn a little bit with each one. A new mantra was born out of this experience, "Pee Before Mile 3," as that's where the skipped port-o-potties were positioned. This mantra will forever serve as a reminder to pee early and pee often.

I ended up finishing the Scotland Day 10K with a time of 50:49 and a pace of 8:11 minutes per mile, which is a personal best. I just wonder if I could have paced at a flat 8 minutes per mile if I hadn't had to pee. Damn coffee.

With Jenna and Jessica in Central Park after the 2011 NYRR Scotland Day 10K.

"Always go to the bathroom when you have a chance." - King George V