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I kick off my fifth season of racing in Central Park tomorrow morning with the Joe Klinerman 10K. The 10K distance seems the right one to start off the new season. I started the past two seasons with the Manhattan Half — of course getting capped out of the half made the decision and easy one.
Tomorrow’s race is one counter clockwise loop of the park — starting on the East Side at 101st Street. We then climb Suicide Hill, the big hill in the Park’s Northwest corner in the race’s first mile. After Suicide Hill there are some rolling hills until the 72nd Street Transverse where you can ride the down hills until the fourth mile. After the forth mile it’s a climb up with park with the biggest challenge being Puma Hill.
Puma Hill or Cat Hill as some runners call it is the steep hill on the Park’s East Side behind the Metropolitan Museum with the statute of a cat. Many runners consider it a challenge — I know several running groups using Puma to run hill repeaters. I myself yell PUMA every time I pass the statue (yes that was me). Tomorrow we pass Puma between the fourth and fifth miles, and thankfully only once and not three times it’s climbed in the 18 mile marathon tune-up race.
After Puma the last mile’s rolling hills is a breeze before finishing up on the bridal path. Although I’ve run 42 NYRR races 30 in Central Park and 43 races at tomorrow’s 10K distance or longer I know the butterflies will be there. For me it’s all part of racing and I can’t wait
30 Minute Club Update Day 6 – Wanting to keep my legs fresh for tomorrow’s race I took it easy. I took Chico for a 2 mile walk in the morning lasting almost an hour, I have a hunch he will be the beneficiary of a few long walks due to the 30 Minute Club and he seems OK with it. Later in the day, I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the stationary bike.