NYRR: Run for Haiti 4 miler

One of my best highs for running is doing it for a cause. Over 9000 runners, walkers and children were registered for today’s run. Also registered were virtual runners including: Usain Bolt, Haile Gebrselassie, Paula Radcliffe, and Meb Keflezighi. With so many runners registered I was somewhat nervous about getting there early. Also the fact that there wouldn’t be any corrals. However NYRR (New York Road Runners) always does a great job of keeping races organized. There were pace times posted from 5 mins, 6 mins, 7 mins pace etc. (thanks again volunteers for making it all possible) So base on an honor system I think most people seeded accordingly.

Going into the race my best time was 29:25. I told myself as I always do just listen to your body while running a hard race. I love running in Central Park, just know about every hill and flat now :) .

After a 5 minute late start and the crowd getting antsy the gun went off.

I went out hard knowing I could maintain a solid 5K race pace. Decided not to watch my Garmin or glance at the course clock. Just keep striding along. At about mile 2, I felt that my heart rate monitor was loosening up. After adjusting it slightly, oops it fell off my chest. Thankfully my undershirt was tucked in so it stayed above my waistline.

Just kept striding hard for the remaining 2 miles. Still not keeping track of my pace. Left turn to the finish line at 72nd traverse. Final result PR baby! Official finish time 28:23. (7:05 / mile). 483 overall.

Garmin race data (funny how the heart rate chart shoots up when it falls from my chest)

Post run. We met Daniel and we joined some friends along with Michelle for brunch. Celebrated with a mimosa and poached eggs with blue crab, um!

Race Result

Philadelphia Marathon Fundraising – Thank you donors

Anh and I would like to thank all of you for donating to our fundraising initiative. We will be leaving New York tomorrow morning to Philadelphia, and will be running the Marathon Sunday morning (it starts at 7am). As we stated before running this race means so much more to us now that we are running for “Back On My Feet”. We will try to give you guys race updates, I will also post race updates.

Thanks to you all we surpassed our target goal of $500, currently we stand at $690, YAY!

Philadelphia Marathon – 4 days to go…….

Here we are four days left before we put our sneaks on for our 26.2 mile journey. This marks our second week of tapering, which means less running, more rest. Rest essential for Sunday’s performance. Yesterday I came across a “MapMyRun” google map of the Philly course. I am so happy to know that our hotel will be at mile 6 of the race, very close to the finish line. Also the hotel will be blocks away from Tir Na Nog a pub that fellow runners on DailyMile decided to meet for “carb loading”. At mile 5 we will be passing by Independence Hall (location of the signing of the declaration of Independence) and the Liberty Bell Center (home of the original Liberty Bell).

We will be leaving NY to Philadelphia on Saturday morning, first stop will be at the expo to pick up our race packet. “Back on My Feet” will also be at the expo, this is the Charity that we decided to raise funds for, we are glad to share that our goal of $500 was surpassed during this past weekend (thanks again to all the donors). So far I do feel rested, today I might hit the road for an easy 3-5 mile run to Astoria Park. For the remaining of the week, we have a 5, 5, 3 mile run using Yasso Bart’s Marathon Training guide (Runner’s World Magazine). Yasso’s guide has been our training manual for the past 16 weeks. I am thrilled to know that he will also be at Philly, hoping to meet and thank him for a great workout schedule. The mile repeats, hill repeats, speed workouts, were all were very helpful, especially in building endurance, strength and speed. Today because of Yasso’s efficient marathon training I am a much stronger runner.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Alex & Anh’s Philadelphia Marathon Fundraising Page

backonmyfeet1

Hello all, we are running our first marathon on Nov. 22 in Philadelphia. We have decided to make it even more special by raising funds for a worthy cause while taking part in the race. Below is a short description of the charity we choose.

“Back on My Feet promotes the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging people in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.”

More details are available on their website: Back on My Feet

Donation Page backonmyfeet

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