Sub-8:00 Race Pace! The Al Gordon 4M Race Recap

It happened.

I ran a sub-8:00 pace in a race! Hooray!

I woke up early, wishing I had more time so I could hit the snooze button. But I got up and threw on every pink piece of running clothes I could find, and made my way to Prospect Park for an early 8:00 AM start.

The old woman on the right was the first to the corral. I thought she was so cute!
And I passed her. Dang, she was fast.

I ran from the car (thanks Keith!) to the start, and the cold and windy weather made my lungs burn. I was worried that it would affect my race and I was sans-inhaler. No lie, I was a little stressed it was going to be a bad race.

I found my favorite running crew, and we made our way to the starting line. I spent the first mile bobbing and weaving around other runners, and tried to maintain a fast pace on the only big hill in Prospect Park. Mile 2 felt great, which was mostly downhill, and when I looked down at my watch I saw that I ran a sub-8:00 mile. I wondered - could this be the race where I finally hit my goal? I became competitive with myself and tried to keep my legs churning as fast as I could.

Lauren, me and our color coordination.
Heck yes.

Once I passed the 3^rd mile marker, I saw that I was still maintaining a good pace, but my legs and lungs were starting to burn. I tried to convince myself I could slow down if I needed to, and that there were other races where I could run at a sub-8:00 pace… but my will to suck it up and run fast was greater.

I saw the finish line and gave every last ounce of energy to my legs. As soon as I crossed it, I looked down at my watch and smiled with delight.

Proof.

My mile times looked like this:

Mile 1: 8:22

Mile 2: 7:43

Mile 3: 7:35

Mile 4: 7:44

Overall Time: 31:25


Boom.

This is me posing with the number "7" to signify my sub 8:00 pace.
I look equally giddy and exhausted.
And a little nerdy.

I found Jillian, Lauren, and Brad, and we took our growling stomachs to Dizzy’s Diner for brunch. We weren’t the only runners with this bright idea, so we had to sit outside in the "heated tent" area and freeze our already cold bodies off. Luckily the food was good and the coffee was hot.

The race crew!

Awesome race!