Singing to a New PR:
Race Report for 2012 Coogan’s 5K

In many ways, this week has not been the best for me in terms of training.  My legs were sore for several days after last weekend’s hilly half. I caught a cold a couple of days ago, and given that I’m just three weeks out from a trail 50K, I ran back to back 14 milers on Friday/Saturday to work on my endurance.  So when Saturday night rolled around, I was tired, sore, and a little sick.  All I could think about was “Oy, this Coogan’s 5K is not gonna go well!”  Luckily for me, just before I went to bed, I found a funny and inspirational adaption of the song Billionaire by Landry Fields and for some unknown reason, got inspired to write my own lyrics for running.  It went something a little like this…

(Sing to the tune of Billionaire…)

I wanna win a marathon so freaking bad;
Buy all of the shoes I never had.
I wanna be on the cover of a runners’ magazine
Smiling next to Mary and my team.
Cause everytime I close my eyes,
I see my name on race websites!
A different city every month oh why
I swear you all better prepare
For when the Lam wins some hardware!

Yes, it was a little crazy. It was a little pretentious.  But it was a dream.  It was MY dream.  So I went with it and went to sleep thinking PR thoughts the next day.

I got up bright and early and headed off to Washington Heights like I have on the first Sunday in March for the past 4 years.  Outside, the day was cloudy, not cold but with a slight nip in the air that made it ideal conditions for racing.  After about an hour and half commute, made longer by the tardiness that is the eptiomy of the NYC weekend subway experience, I got to the start in plenty of time to drop my bag, do some quarter mile pickups on the side streets, and declare myself ready to race.  With about 5 minutes to go, I said Hi to CK (who would have a banner PR race of her own) and squeezed into my assigned blue corral.  As I waited, I sang the song I made up for myself last night over and gave myself every reason to PR this race!  Soon after the national anthem was sung, the final instructions were given, the starting horn sounded and we were off!

Mile 1

It’s a little known fact that the most important thing to be wary of at the start of every Coogans race is to NOT trip and fall.  Over the years, I’ve literally seen more pileups, slipups and accidents here in the first several hundred feet than in any other road race in NYC.  So I’m always careful sprinting out of the narrow start, looking intently at the ground and feet around me to make sure nothing gets tangled.   The start was clean today though and I got through with some maneuvering but minimal carnage.   I relaxed a bit once I found a little more room to run and stretch out my legs  I reverted to the cadence I had practiced several minutes before and started gaining on the field.  We hit the first uphill and some were already slowing down their pace.   Personally, after what I had experienced last weekend in Williamsburgh, these northern Manhattan hills seemed nothing more than minor inconveniences to me.  Not only did I confidently stride over both opening hills while maintaining a decent pace throughout, I was mentally calm enough to hear the Irish bands playing music on the sidelines for the first time ever in this race!  I passed Mile 1 in 5:50 feeling pretty decent about things.

Mile 2

Mile 2 starts with a long steep downhill which leads to a roundabout where you turn and run back up the same hill you came down on.  Experience tells me that this is usually where I struggle the most in a 5K.  Today, I flew down the ramp fast, kept my effort and pace steady and slowed just enough to allow me to glide back up the hill as effortless as possible.  It was here that I see and hear Mr. ST, our Flyer Prez, cheering loudly for me as I was motoring up the big ascent.  I’m not gonna lie.  The last 100 meters still SUCKED even though my effort was good, but once I made it over and saw the mile marker, I knew I had less than 7 minutes of running left to do.  I passed mile 2 at 5:54 and knew if I could keep just this rhythm and cadence, I was going to PR by more than a few seconds.

Mile 3

Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the hill at the start of mile 3 is more nasty and brutal than the one at the end of mile 2. It’s long and steep and made worth by the fact that you can see the entire length of it from a quarter mile away.  Last year, I gritted my teeth and slumbered up this hill and it crippled and killed my spirits and my pace for the rest of the race.  This year, I was determined not to go down the same way.  So I eased my stride, relaxed my thoughts, and started singing again.  I wanna win a marathon so freaking bad...  I paid no mind to my neighbors who were running just as fast as me but breathing much more heavily.  Buy all of the shoes I never had…  Two traffic lights left.  I wanna be on the cover of a runners’ magazine…  One traffic light left.  Smiling next to Mary and my team…  Done.   All I could see now at the top of the hill is a straight decent about a half mile to the finish.  I start my sprint.  ‘Cause everytime I close my eyes…  I see the finish in the distance.  I see my name on race websites…  I envision my PR and run even harder.  A different city every month…  The finish line is coming into focus.  People are cheering loudly.  Oh why I swear, you all better prepare…  The announcer announces my presence as I approach the line.  For when the Lam wins some hardware!  Finally I arrive at the line and cross the finish.  I am exhausted but I am proud.  Another Coogans done, another PR.  Mission accomplished!

Final Results

Official Time – 18:07 (PR by 8 secs)
Average Pace – 5:51 min/mile
Mile Splits – 5:50, 5:54, 5:50, 0:33
Overall – 178/4970
Age Group – 16/370
Age Group Pct – 73.2%
Club Finish – 1^st Flyer Male