Run as One - TGL Classic 4 Miler

Today was a great day for running. It was a cool and sunny morning, with temperatures in the low 50s when I left my apartment. In an attempt to squeeze in a few miles for the week, I ran about two and half miles before the race and it was a great warm up for me. I had a good feeling about the race ahead.

The Run as One 4 miler has been a very good race for me over the last few years and is where I have usually run my fastest time of the year. It was my breakout race last year, where I got a big 4 mile PR and my fastest overall race pace that I'd ever run up until that point (and the bib time used for my NYRR races over the past year). Well, the race again provided me with good fortune this year and helped me to achieve several personal milestones: fastest overall pace (6:44), 4 mile PR, first time that I averaged faster than a 7 minute/mile pace, highest Age Grade % (63.5%) and my fastest individual (unofficial) mile time (6:22).

I know that four mile races have their complications (crowded start, difficulty in quickly building up to your race pace, very little room for error), but I was looking to take a stab at approaching my PR from last year. While I knew that last year's time was a huge jump for me, my previous two races this year (Cherry Tree 10 miler and the Colon Cancer 15K) gave me the confidence that I could start out and hold a quick pace from the very beginning, especially given the fact that those races were more than double the distance of this one. This is the first time that I consciously was trying for a PR in a race this short. Once I made the decision to do so, I knew that there would be no easy miles. Once you start out fast, you need to keep it up for the entire race and there is no slowing down or "coasting."

I was able to get in an adequate warm up and felt good before the start of the race. I knew that I needed to make a conscious effort to go out much faster than usual, but try and do it in a controlled fashion. I looked down at my watch as I passed Mile 1 and saw a pace of 7:06 (which was only slightly higher than my PR pace from last year - 7:03). At this point, I knew that a PR was possible, but also knew that anything could happen in the next three miles. Since I was going out at a much more aggressive pace than I have attempted in the past, I knew that I could unravel at any time. If I was to get close to a PR, I would have to maintain or go even faster than I did in mile 1. The second mile seemed like a good chance to pick up the pace, since the East Side of the park was relatively flat and had a couple slight downhills. I knew that once I passed the mile sign on the 102nd street transverse that the rolling hills on the West Side would be the toughest part of the race. I felt myself going faster during the second mile, and although I began to feel the strain of an increased effort, I was able to lower my overall pace by running Mile 2 in 6:40. I couldn't believe it. I just ran my fastest mile in a race up until that point and I still had two miles to go. That made me a bit nervous, but I now knew that a PR was within striking distance. The third mile was filled with hills, and I purposely tried to stabilize my pace and get my breathing under control. If I could get through this mile feeling OK, then I planned to give everything I had during the last mile. Although my pace increased slightly from the previous mile, I was still able to achieve a time of 6:49 (the first time I had ever run two consecutive sub-7:00 miles - yeah!). Once the sign for mile 3 had passed, I knew that not only did I have a good chance of breaking my PR from last year, but that I also had the chance to go under a 7:00 average for the first time. I gave the last mile all that I had left and was shocked to see that I ran it in 6:22. I don't how runners can keep up a pace like this for an entire half marathon or marathon. Hats off to all of you.

Mile Splits

Mile 1 - 7:06
Mile 2 - 6:40
Mile 3 - 6:49
Mile 4 - 6:22

Overall Time - 26:56 ; Overall pace - 6:44

This race continues a good stretch for me that began at this time last year and it has made me realize that with hard work and dedication, I am able to achieve times that I didn't think were possible a few years ago. This was a fantastic race for me, to say the least. I don't know how long these times will last (they always end eventually), but I will savor this one for a long time, and enjoy the ride.