Alrighty, so this race was a whole week and a half ago. I was planning on posting last week, but then this happened. That means this week, you’ll get a double dose of recaps starting with the Run for the Parks 4-Miler (the MORE/FITNESS/SHAPE Women’s Half Recap will be up tomorrow).
A photo posted by Nicole Handler (@fitfulfocus) on Apr 11, 2015 at 3:10pm PDT
I was so pumped for this race because look!
Tank top! Warm weather! YAAAASSS!! Anywhoooo. I woke up early, made my pre-race oats for the subway, and headed to Central Park. Look how beautiful it was outside!
I dropped off my bag and headed to the starting line. Soon enough we were off to do a counter-clockwise lap of Central Park’s inner loop. I was feeling great at the start. I was going at a good pace, and the weather put me in spring-time spirits. Then, around mile 2, side cramps started creeping in. I remembered reading something in Runner’s World a while back about how these cramps can be caused by dehydration or improper breathing. I decided to nip both in the bud, so I grabbed some water at the next hydration station and started paying more attention to my breathing – making sure I was alternating foot strikes with each exhale (exhale as left foot lands, inhale, exhale as right foot lands, and so on). It definitely helped! A few minutes later, the cramps were gone! Whether it was the water, the breathing technique, or just the fact that I spew magic as I run – I do not know – but whatever it was, it worked! Soon enough, I was crossing the finish line with an 8:27 avg pace. Woot woot!
A photo posted by Nicole Handler (@fitfulfocus) on Apr 12, 2015 at 7:21am PDT
Thennnn I did the whole race again to tack on extra miles for half marathon training, stopped by Strawberry Fields, and went and met some friends for brunch. Overall, another lovely, well organized race from New York Road Runners, one more race in the bucket for my 9+1 goal, and a successful Sunday morning.
#Runfortheparks 4-miler #race recap + tricks for getting rid of side cramps! @nyrr
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Let’s Chat:
Are you running in tank tops/short sleeves yet?
What do you do when side cramps strike?
