Corporate Challenge 2009.

Last night was the Corporate Challenge in NYC. I ran this race with my company my first week of work in 2006 and thought I was going to die from the humidity. I have been a cheerleader the past two years due to injury so was excited to run this year. We usually have a solid group of 20-30 runners/walkers, and it's a fun way to spend some time with colleagues outside of the office.

Or at least, that is what I think when I sign up, however, the reality is, the 3.5 mile course in Central Park with 15,000+ people is a complete klusterf%c!. I learned my lesson the first year, when it took me 10+ minutes to even start to 'jog' and got an 'elite' sticker this year so I could head up to the very front of the crowd. I started about 5-10 yards back from the front, but was still surrounded by those walking - I don't get it.

I was, however, able to settle into a nice pace right away. I hadn't decided if I was going to 'race' or get in a good tempo run, as I have been really tired and been having some soreness in my hip the past few days, but there were a number of women right around me running the same pace, so I went with it. After two sub-7 minutes miles (6:48, 6:53), I decided to pull it back a bit in the third mile (7:30).

I finished with a 7:05 pace over 3.5 (3.6 according to Garmin) miles. With the 5ks and this race, I am really seeing the progress with my speed and confidence, and it's really nice with the hard work I have put in the past few months.

A few other women from my company came in about :15 and:30 seconds behind me, so there is a chance we could qualify for the championships- something like the top 10% of teams in each city, based on the average (or total, I'm not sure) time of your top 4 or 5 runners, qualify to run in the Championships, which is held on Park Ave. in October. Pretty cool for a little 'ol non-profit running in cotton t-shirt in 100% humidity :)