Pump up the jams.

Today was my first race-- a 4 miler in Central Park. While the morning did not go according to plan (lots of unexpected craziness and bad weather upon arriving at the park), the race was intense. Having never run a race, much less one in which I was crunched up against people for the entire time, trying to pace myself was a bit of a shock to my system. Between dodging around slow runners and trying to jump out of the way of the runners trying to pass me, I was really uncertain of how well I was actually running. I at least didn't have to worry about being bored!

At the end of the race, I wasn't really tired, just more frustrated with the fact that I am definitely not fast. I am trying to accept (and appreciate) the fact that my body is not made for speed. It is made for endurance. Those fat deposits are great for the long runs. Not so much for the sprints. So good for the marathons. Not so much for the 4 milers in Central Park.

So after trying not to be discouraged for feeling sluggish during the race, the husband and I went out for a nice lunch and visited with my friend, Julia. When we got home this afternoon, we figured out how to check my official race results online. To my surprise, I found out that I had run the 4 miles in 34:18. That's a 8:34 min per mile pace. I am completely pleased with that. I run a steady pace of 9:05 on my short weekly runs and about 9:45 on my long weekend runs-- so 8:34 was a hefty shave off my expected time!

These results are a big boost for my confidence, and I definitely feel more motivated as I am entering into the last stages of my marathon training. Yay!