On December 6, 2009 the weather felt like 21 degrees at 7:00 am. I had arrived, despite my best attempts not to, an hour early for the Joe Kleinerman 10K race in Central Park.

What did I get myself into???

I had layered up in a long tank top, long sleeve running shirt and running jacket. I wore pants, Zensah leg compression sleeves and knee sleeves. A hat on my head, running gloves, running socks and my sneakers. I wore my winter coat and scarf with plans to check them near the start.

I waited in the park in my winter coat for a painful half hour. The cold was unbearable — my running gloves did little. The thought of taking off my jacket and scarf to get lined up to run was beyong comprehension. But 30 minutes before the race was due to begin, I had no choice but to check my bag and coat.

I tried moving around and jumping and bouncing to keep warm. That didn’t help much. I watched other people in shorts — WHAT? Or in capri pants. There were lots of people wearing less layers than me, and I felt like I was going to die. How did they do it?  What did I get myself into? What was I thinking signing up for a winter race — I started running as a way to work out outside in the SUMMER.

I contemplated leaving. Just getting my coat and walking out of the park and into a cab. But I had already waited outside for so long, I might as well stay for the race. And I made an amazing playlist that I was REALLY looking forward to hearing! 15 minutes before the start they announced that all runners should make their way to the corrals.

I ran there.

It was way too cold not to! What’s an extra .25 mile anyway? I ran at a slow jog and when I got to the corral they announced they were closing them on one minute. GOOD TIMING. I didn’t realize how far the start was from the bag check or I would have made my way over there sooner. Lots of people were in the same boat as me. I got to my corral in time, but all the people who made it there after me had to start at the end — including some very fast runners who belonged near the front. Normally I’d say “you snooze you lose” but in this case, they really should have gotten us to the start sooner.

The good thing about getting to the corral so late in the game was that I didn’t have to wait too long for the race to start! While I was waiting, I looked around and saw two women who appeared to be in their late 60s. They said that they were racing to have some fun! I couldn’t believe it — these two older ladies, standing outside in freezing weather about ro tun 6.2 miles?! Not complaining, there to have fun? Wow. That is something I aspire to be one day.

I was still absolutely freezing, by the way. I saw people without gloves and couldn’t understand how they weren’t going crazy! Soon enough the race began and I have never been so happy to start running. I needed to heat up.

So let’s get right down to business. My perfect playlist. Best playlist ever. I selected the songs and the order carefully.

While I was running, I remembered exactly how I felt at each song and mentally recorded it to blog to you all about. But since I have been insanely busy and tired and haven’t blogged, those  thoughts are unfortunately gone now. So I’ll do my best.

My 10K race playlist:

I’m getting all smiley just looking at this again!

I start many of my runs with Young Folks. It has a great, catchy tune and it is not too slow or too fast. It’s perfect for beginning a race and is just a great song. And yes, I learn about music from the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. And Scrubs and Garden State.

I couldn’t enjoy the song as much as I normally would because right before the race started, despite my two Porta Potty visits, I felt like I needed to pee. I don’t know if this was real or nerves — I vote nerves — but in really messed with my head. The next song was Girl Talk’s Minute by Minute, which definitely got me more into the racing mood!An awesome mix and it even incorporates Hate it Or Love It, a rap favorite of mine.

Next was my favorite running song of all time, Say Hey (I Love You)by Michael Franti. That song always puts me in a great mood, regardless of whether I need to find a Porta Potty. I smiled when this song came on. It makes me happy.

The first mile passed pretty quickly. I was too cold to lift my sleeve and pull down my glove and check my Polar, but I was feeling pretty good, albeit a bit slowed down because of the having to pee issue.

Another Girl Talk song, Set it Off. It mixes Come On Eileen. Perfection. I smiled, opened my jacket and flashed my number at a race photographer. My good knee (which had been bothering me lately) started to hurt, but luckily it didn’t last long.

During the second mile, I saw a Porta Potty. I also saw a line for the Porta Potty. Leaving the race to quickly run in is one thing, but waiting on a line is a whole other thing. Not worth it. I kept running. Clearly, I avoided the water station.

Mile 2 felt much slower than mile 1. But when Meddle by Little Boots came on, I smiled, removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. I heated up! Normally when I hear Meddle — an awesome running song introduced to me by Rachel — I think about one thing in particular. On this day, I did not. I was too wrapped up in the race and considering bathroom options. But I was enjoying myself and loving the song!

At some point I got to the 3rd mile. At some point PPK Resurrectioncame on and I was seriously in heaven. So, a little backstory here. When my roommate Lim and I were in our freshman year of college, a guy on our floor gave her a techno CD. She played it on repeat. Nonstop. Although there were probably 11 tracks on this CD, for some reason we kept hearing the same song. All the time, this one song. It was very catchy and different from other techno songs I have heard. We fell in love.

But we didn’t know what it was called. We didn’t even know what CD this was. On my computer, the song displayed as Track 9 by Unknown Artist. So that is what we called it.  The name Track 9 by Uknown Artist actually became its name, and I didn’t question it again. One night, maybe a year later, we were out at a frat party (yes) and the SONG CAME ON. We couldn’t believe it!!! We found someone in the fraternity and asked what song it was and he was actually able to tell us the name. The song was Resurrection by PPK.

Since then, I have heard the song at strange places and strange times, even a slowed down version using the tune in a restaurant waiting for a table. I didn’t think to run to it until recently and I am so happy I did. There are no words and it really helped me to just zone out.

I love Dave Matthews. Shake Me Like A Monkey is such a great song to run to. Please, please try it! It is fast and has a fantastic tune and has different types of sounds throughout. Although I ran up the Great Hill in the beginning of the race, overall this course didn’t seem to be so bad in the uphills, not like my last 4 mile race. And there were quite a few downhills. Not bad!

I got to the 4th mile, skipped out on the water station, saw a Porta Potty and a line, and kept running. I passed my last race distance and couldn’t believe how much better I was feeling than at the end of my 4 mile race. I knew I could easily do 2 more miles.

I always love running to Hey Girl from OAR. Easy to sing along to, great tune, great song. When the Beatles Help came on, it was nice timing as I was starting to struggle a little. I had felt great (aside from having to use the bathroom) until this point, where it got a little tough. What a fun running song, though! I felt perky despite the toughness.

Here’s The Thing is my favorite Girl Talk song, as I have said in other recaps. I just love so much about it, but it was hard to fully enjoy it because I was struggling.

Hard Candy, Counting Crows. It was around this song that a KILLER HILL in between miles 4 and 5 hit me. Not only was the hill steep, it was neverending. I slowed down to tackle this and I observed those around me as well. Some people didn’t seem to be affected and kept running at a decent speed. Others were walking. I was running very, very slowly. The hill twisted and curved, raising higher and higher, and there was no end in sight. The race went from fun and easy to fun and a bit of a struggle to the toughest thing ever. I pushed on. I wished I had a more inspiring song than Hard Candy.

As I approached the top of the hill, I got the song I was waiting for throughout the race: I Dig Rock and Roll Music by Peter Paul and Mary. I loved this song for years. The beat is intoxicating! I just want to dance around when I hear it. I was so happy to hear this song that even though it isn’t particularly fast, it got me past the hill and I felt amazing once I was off the hill. I was really able to enjoy this song.

I saw a photographer. I smiled and waved. Girl Talk came on, Shut the Club Down. GOOD SONG. I needed a song to really push me and keep me in a great mood this was perfect. More Counting Crows, Einstein on the Beach. I always like running to this. It’s uplifting and easy to sing (mouth) along to.

I don’t know, eventually I passed the 5th mile. I stopped having to pee. Play Your Part (Pt. 2) by Girl Talk came on, and I was happy because this is the song that got me through my hilly 4 miler. The George Harrison and Journey sections are really cool. I smiled because I was race PRing and it felt GREAT.

The Coral’s Dreaming of You was next and I was thrilled. I love this song. Very fast. Very catchy. It made me happy. It helped me. Another techno song, who am I? Lord of Tranz – Sanctificum by DJ Tiesto.  I put this song at this time because I knew I would need help speeding up towards the end.

WOW. This song has never been more perfect. Just like with Resurrection, it allowed me to focus only on my feet hitting the ground. It made me want to speed up. Only I couldn’t. My left knee (my bad knee) started hurting and the pain became so intense I could no longer bend my knee! I was limp/running! If this happened earlier in the race, I would have had to quit, but I was so close to the end so I kept going! The song helped me zone out and forget as best I could the pain shooting down the outside of my left knee.

Luckily, my favorite running song was on again! When I put Say Hey (I Love You) in the beginning of the run, I always feel like I need it at the end. When I put it at the end, I feel like I couldn’t have enjoyed it as much as if it were at the beginning. So I put it in both places. Despite my knee pain, the song made me happy! I smiled at another race photographer. My knee was killing me. I tried to straighten my leg. OUCH. I just needed to finish. I was so close.

I saw mile 6 approaching. Counting Crows’ Rain King — my final song. I  timed this well. This song is motivating. I passed mile 6. I sped up. I forgot my knee pain. I couldn’t sprint but I could certainly run faster and that is what I did. With a huge smile on my face and eyes only for the two photographers crouched alongside the ground next to me, I ran quickly through the finish line. The announcer called out my number — that has never happened to me before! As soon as I crossed, my eyes welled up and my smile did not fade as I cried tears of happiness. I couldn’t believe it. I ran a 10K!!!!!

Aaaahhhhhhh!!! I ran my first 10K!

My official time is 1:03:22, with an average pace of 10:13. Not bad considering I had to pee for 4 miles, I dealt with a brutal hill for half a mile and my left knee stopped working for three quarters of another!
I can’t believe I was running for an hour – an hour is so long! But it didn’t feel that long at all.

Despite my best efforts at smiling at every photographer I see, smiling directly into two at the finish line, I did not make it into a single race photo! Why does this always happen? Oh, well!

While I was running I wasn’t cold but after it ended, it hit me fast. The cold hurt, and it was miserable, but I was so happy. I felt better than I ever have after a race. My amazing playlist really helped of course, but I did the hardest part myself. I can run 10K and still feel good after.

I didn’t go home and register for my next race as I tend to do. It is too cold. Never again. Running in the cold isn’t what’s bad — waiting in the cold is what makes races unbearable. But I had already entered myself into the lottery for the 2010 NYC Half Marathon! I normally wouldn’t register for such a long race that requires winter training, but the race takes place on my birthday! When will that ever happen again – my first half marathon running through my city on my birthday?! I needed to take advantage. Hopefully I get in. I find out January 6. Can’t wait!

Do you like running in cold weather? How do you handle waiting around before a cold weather race?

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I just realized I should make a Race Recap/Race List section on my blog. Oh yeah and actually put content in my other sections. And also, you know, post more.

I ran my 5th race this past weekend! In May, I was not a runner. In June, I thought I failed in my attempts to be a runner. In November, I run my 5th race. At a pretty good clip if I do say so myself.

After I got home from the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 5 Mile Race, I went right to my computer (after inhaling breakfast, of course) and signed up for my next race — the 4 Mile Race to Deliver. This was a charity race with God’s Love We Deliver to raise money for food for people with AIDS, cancer and other life threatening diseases who might otherwise suffer malnourishment.

I was especially excited for this race because the boy signed up to run it with me! And by with me, I mean way, way ahead of me.

My “training” consisted of a some 4 mile runs and a couple 6 mile runs thrown in for good measure. I wasn’t too worried. I did 5 miles in October, so what’s 4 miles to me? Right?

I woke up on Sunday morning, race day, before my alarm. I was very excited! I went to get the boy up and he informed me that he would rather sleep and would not be going with me. I was sad, but still so excited for my own race. And I didn’t feel at all bad for using my very loud juicer, which I usually avoid doing when the boy is sleeping. 🙂

I made a pre-race green juice with apple, broccoli, celery and cucumber. Perfect fuel. I did my stretches, pinned on my number, and was out the door. I walked to Central Park; the start and finish line were at the 72nd street transverse.

The boy usually takes photographs of me before a race, but given as he was fast asleep I attempted to do it myself. I didn’t bother with the self timer. Probably because I don’t know how to use it.

I tried not to be as insanely early as I was for the last race. I wasn’t, but I still had a good half hour to wait before the start. I was very concerned about being cold. I wore a tank top, jacket, pants, hat and gloves. I had tried to buy a thin long sleeve for under the jacket but had to return the one I bought and then when I got my heart set on another type I couldn’t find it anywhere. All was fine — the weather was totally bearable! I actually felt warmer than I did before my race in October! I felt comfortable and not at all freezing. Just slightly chilled. And my hat was so comfortable and very cute! $10 at City Sports. Found out after that I could have saved 10% with my NYSC membership. Next time!

And then the race began.

Behold, my playlist:

I started with Miami 2017 because the song starts slooooowly. Given my natural inclination to sprint at the start line, I wanted a song to hold me back — but only for a minute! Miami 2017 is perfect because about a minute in, it speeds up into what I believe is the perfect running song. Upbeat, catchy, easy to mouth/sing along to. AND it is Billy Joel. Perfect!

Hey World (the remote control version — the other one is weird) was next and it made me smile. This song has a great beat and certain phrases are memorable so it is fun if you like to shout random phrases during your run, such as “and with the Patriot Act they took all your rights.” It is also an ideal running song for the chorus, because it is fun to sing (to yourself or out loud) HEY WORLD over and over while running. It is.

*Note: I wrote this entire post out. I thought it was one of my funnier ones. Then Firefox, the worst browser ever for a Mac yet I keep using it, once again stopped working. I had to restart it. I failed to press Save I guess, but in the past WordPress would auto save. Not this time. Tear.

*Second note: I am on the boy’s computer so I can use Windows Live Writer. This is my first time in this program. I am using this because I have a Mac. I insist on using Firefox for my Mac browser because I don’t think Camino is any better and Safari gives me this popup that constantly asks me to type in some sort of feed password that I don’t know and I can’t get it to go away. Any browser recommendations for Mac that are not the ones I just mentioned?

*Third note: Why won’t this let me edit my work in “edit using theme”? Is it supposed to let me?

Okay, time to rewrite the rest and hope I remember all the great things I typed yesterday. Sorry. I bitter.

So the next song up was Jamie Lidell’s Multiply. This is one of my favorite songs because it is catchy, has a great tune and makes me want to dance around my room in a shirt and underwear. During this song I realized the first mile mark was approaching because of the water station. I also realized that Caitlin’s advice on running along the inside curves of the course (where they determine the distance) might not be the best thing when the water stations are along the inside as well as walkers and very slow runners. I shifted to the right a bit and went along on my way. By this point, I was running up some pretty challenging hills. I had to slow down but I wasn’t too concerned since what goes up must come down, right?

And then the first Girl Talk song of the race came on. I. Love. Girl Talk. Thanks again to Melissa for introducing me to the greatest workout aid since TVs on machines. I always feel happy when my first Girl Talk song comes on during a race. The song brought with it an extra boost of motivation. While the race was going fine, I wasn’t smiling or feeling particularly great. This song definitely helped. For those of you who are not familiar with Girl Talk, please do yourself a favor and download all their albums. They mix songs – rap, R&B, classic rock, hits from years ago through now, into songs of brilliance and perfection. They all have great beats and really, it’s just genius.

Around this time I took off my gloves but then my hands were too cold so I put them back on. Then I took off my jacket but kept my gloves and hat on for the remainder of the race, so I was wearing a t ank top, gloves and a hat. I must have been quite the sight.

This is How We Do was next and it was a fun, upbeat running song. It is explicit. I believe I attempted dancing while running during this one, but unfortunately I lack the proper coordination so I quickly resumed regular running. Next was MORE GIRL TALK! Here’s The Thing is my favorite of their songs. It incorporates so many great songs. There is one part of this song that always perks me up during my run and makes me sing – okay, let’s be real, mouth – the words. It always puts a smile on my face. Should you choose to listen to this song, the part I refer to comes on during the “Jesse’s Girl” section. This song makes me happy.

The 2 mile mark came and went. Halfway done. Still hilly. Also, my good knee started hurting. My knee sleeves are both stretched out and have tears along the seams. It is already time to buy a new set! Can you believe I wore out my knee sleeves in 6 months?! I really can’t! I still don’t consider myself a real runner! Luckily the pain wasn’t constant. It came and went throughout but not enough to really slow me down.

I was still struggling with the uphills. I had always been warned by everyone about the challenging hills of Central Park. After my 5K and  5 mile race, which took place in the park and wasn’t very hilly at all, I deemed everyone exaggerators.

They aren’t.

I just happened to be running in the opposite direction of the insane hills. For this race, on the other hand, I was running in the hilly direction.

The Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand always pumps me up. It starts out with cheering fans, which I really needed! GO ME! The song is fast and very short (this version in particular). This was the version from Love (my best And the best part, during this race, was that the line “I can’t hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide” played as I was struggling with a particular challenging hill. The song was right. I couldn’t hide. That phrase pushed me through that section of the race.

Gotta Get Through This is an amazing race song. I first fell in love with this song my freshman year of college in the bathroom. There was a radio in the communal bathroom that always played the hits station. It just so happened to be the year this song was popular, and I always loved the beat. It is so unique and catchy. And the lyrics are crucial for racing – especially up the STEEPEST hill of the race, which is where I was. I did have to get through this. How did they know???

I approached the 3 mile mark and debated taking water at this one. Normally when I run at my comfortable pace I don’t have any trouble breathing. That is a phenomenon that occurs only when I am pushing myself, like in my 1 mile race. But my breathing was labored; these were taking their toll on me. They were slowing me down and wearing me out! I decided that a sip of water might be just what I need to push me through so I could finish strong. I took a quick sip and went on my way. I tend to take a quick sip standing in my spot as opposed to walking while sipping for a few seconds. Either method quicker in your opinion?

I was back on my way and my all time favorite running song Say Hey (I Love You) came on. Normally this song makes me smile and puts me in a great mood. Normally it gives me a little energy boost. On this day, I barely noticed it was even on. I was struggling so much and just couldn’t pay attention to music. I wish I had this song earlier on in the race! Oh, well. This is probably the last hill, the park can’t get any higher than this, right? I figured I would take the rest of the final mile to speed up without the hills pulling at me. Around this time a woman on the side called out to me to try and cheer me up. “Only two hills left!” she exclaimed.

That was supposed to make me feel better, I guess. But it made me feel worse. Two more?! I wanted there to be no more!

The first of the hills . The second of the hills. The third of the hills – wait, what?! I thought there were only two more. The woman was wrong. Damn.

By this time, Girl Talk was on again and the song was Play Your Part (Pt. 2). Um, AMAZING. What a perfect song at this point. For two reasons. First, it has George Harrison mixed in. George Harrison is without a doubt my favorite Beatle and I love everything he did with them and solo after. They took from the song “What is Life” from his solo career. But, while that cheered me up in the race, that is something I always appreciate about this song. What really PUSHED me at this time, however, was the mixin of Journey’s “Faithfully”. The whooaa – oooo- oooo –oooo was forceful and powerful and for the first time since the start of the race, I smiled. This part of the song literally pushed me up the final hill. I felt strong and I knew I was going to finish the race in the best way I can.

See how amazing Girl Talk is? What other group would put both George Harrison and Journey into one song? And can you imagine googling “whooaa – oooo- oooo –oooo”?

FYI: You can find the components to every Girl Talk song on Wikipedia.

I saw the 1/2 mile sign. The final song filled my ears. One last Girl Talk song, Shut the Club Down. This song causes me to make mouth dance faces. Do you know what I mean? When people dance and their mouth curls in a certain “I’m dancing and this is my mouth” sort of way. So there I was, making my dancing face and speeding up the pace. The hills were over. I conquered them! I saw the final curve before the finish line. I wanted so much to speed up, but everyone else around me slowed down for the curve, so I had no choice but to do the same. After that the finish line was in sight. I wanted so much to sprint, but there were so many people so I settled for the next best thing – running a little faster. Which in retrospect was probably better because I was able to feel great after. I sped up and ran and crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face, hoping to make it into a professional photograph, not realizing that this race was not in fact being photographed. I wonder who the man with the big camera was who I smiled and waved at midway through?

And then I was done.

I felt great! The hills seemed like no big deal now that they were in my past. I walked home and went to the computer for my official chip time.

Here I am post-race at home. The boy was awake:

And my chip time . . .

I ran 4 miles in 40:00 exactly!

Aaaahh! I was very frustrated throughout the race when I looked down at my Polar because I knew I could be faster. The hills slowed me down. But I must have redeemed it all in that last half mile. And I really love that my time was 40:00, not a second more or less. My average pace was obviously 10:00/mile. Not bad! Pretty great considering all the hills and the fact that I am still a new runner and that my knee was hurting.

And then I signed up for my next race.

See a pattern here?

I come home from one race and sign right up for another. Not a bad summer habit, but it is getting cold! The next one will be my real last one of the year (I said that about my October 25 race and this November 22 race!).

I signed up for the Joe Kleinerman 10K. My first 10K! I ran 6 miles on two occasions, but not with these hills. This race will be a challenge. And I can’t wait! The boy registered for this one as well. He will make it to this one. The start is far from the apartment and I don’t want to cake a cab all the way there so early in the morning without him. So, he will be sure to wake up.

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