Race recap: American Heart Association Wall Street Run

Last night I ran the American Heart Association's Wall Street 3 mile run, which was yet another step in the right direction to getting me re-energized about running, and for no reason other than it was fun.



The race was certainly not one to post a great time in, check out the course, as charted by my Garmin, below and you'll begin to understand why, although, it barely does the course's many, many turns justice.

That part on the left must be where we were on the promenade/ waterway walk.  Either that or I'm just not remembering the part where we swam to the finish line?

We were seemed to be making a 90 degree turn every few minutes.  Furthermore, the Financial District's narrow streets did not lend themselves nicely to the 5,540 participants.  But maybe that was part of the reason that this race was so fun - I knew I wouldn't be able to post a great time [for me] even if I had been in tip-top shape [which I'm not].

My official race time was 31:34, which translates into a pace of 10:32 / mile.  Not my worst and not at all disappointing, especially given the circumstances.  Notably, though, my Garmin suggests that we ran 3.17 miles, which would imply a sub 10 minute / mile pace.  Now, I'm not saying that it's not possible that the Garmin is just wacky, buuuuuut....another friend in the group we ran with said that his [non-Garmin] GPS device suggested that he had run 3.15 miles.  .15-.17 seems like a lot to be off by, but given the relentless turning in this race course and the fact that all of the crowding / people made running tangents an impossibility...maybe we did just turn in a 3+ mile run.

Now if only I can figure out a way to get that last .17mi kick home to last me an entire race...

And regardless of the definitive pace or distance, it seems that I ran negative splits.  I'll take it!

So, the course's narrow streest were crowded and I didn't run all that fast...but it was a really great experience to run downtown and by some of the charming little bars, cobblestone streets, and crowds of people leaving work.  While there's no denying that Central Park is a wonderful place to run - arguably the best place in the city - a little change of scenery can make a world of difference.  Perhaps between this run and the Chicago lake front run that spruced me up last weekend I'm seeing a trend...?

Additionally, I ran this race with friends.  A group of us signed up through my friend Jackie's boyfriend's work team, and though we spread out and ran different pace, it was fun to know that we were all just out on a nice night getting in some exercise and would be meeting up afterwards to "celebrate".

A motley crew...everything from Tortoise's 5:01:16 marathon to Megs' BQ marathons and lots in between!

On top of that, Jackie and her boyfriend, Jon, decided to hang back and run the race with me, which made for a really fun time.  We knew we weren't going to have room to really make any moves so we just jogged along comfortably, chatted and enjoyed the unusual location and perfect weather.  Lucky for me that they were up for doing this because I had forgotten my headphones, which I've never before raced without !  I honestly didn't even miss them because of the company.  Something to remember when I get freaked out by running with other people...

Post race we Valerie Bertinelli was on hand to name / honor a handful of people who pledged to get heart healthier and lost a lot of weight in the process.  It was a bit like a real life Biggest Loser and nice to hear how well these people had done.

Maybe I should have asked Valerie if she knows Kelly Ripa, and if so, if she could put in a good word for me on getting that co-host spot!

Afterwards we walked over to Stone Street Tavern for some celebratory beer.  I went the Bud Light route so as to hopefully not undo too much of the good I've been trying to do lately.

If you've never checked out the Stone Street area of pubs [because you think that no one goes out downtown and it's far from everything] - I recommend that you give it a try.  The cobblestone streets and cute pubs are very reminiscent of a nice little European town.  In particular, I recommend attending Oyster Fest in September.

Post run celebrations at Stone Street

All in it was a really fun run that I'd happily do again next year!