Alternate titles for this post also include:
- The Ted Corbitt 15k Race Recap
- Or…Fueled by Cookies (My favorite)
I signed up for the 15k months ago knowing that it would help me fit in a good long run before I headed to Pennsylvania for the holidays. My plan was to complete it as a tempo run rather than a race – a good thing considering the pre run “routine” that I undertook.
On Saturday evening I turned up the holiday music and baked some cookies. I sampled a few (ok, half a dozen) and then climbed into bed around midnight. The next morning I hit snooze a few too many times and only had time for some black coffee before heading out to Central Park. No breakfast, Megan?? Are you crazy? Maybe, but I feel that if you generally eat enough (oh hai cookies before bed!), a run before breakfast won’t kill you. Plus, the NY Times says exercising before your oatmeal might be a good thing for your blood sugar. And the NY Times = truth, in my opinion.
So, after I downed my coffee, I threw on some running gear and glanced at the clock. 7:51am. The race starts at 8:00am. And I live a mile away. I better make this warm-up mile quick!
I arrived at the starting line just as the National Anthem was finishing up, phew. The run itself was pretty uneventful. A 4-mile loop of Central Park, followed by a 5-mile loop (no Harlem Hills in this race!). I kept a steady 7:40-ish pace until the last mile or so when I sped up to 7:00 pace. Mostly, I wanted to get away from the heavy-breathing, middle-aged dude who was riding my shoulder. I thought about mentioning that I was tempo-ing this run…but Mr. heavy-breather seemed to be enjoying our little rivalry. I finished up the 9.3 mile course in 1:10:18 (7:33 pace). It was right about marathon pace and considering my preparation, I felt alright, but I can’t imagine running another 17 miles at that pace. I cooled down back to my apartment and totaled up 11.5 miles for the day. It was my longest run since the marathon and boy…did it feel like it. 6 weeks later and I still don’t think I’m 100% back to normal. I’m honestly really glad Boston filled up so fast this year – I couldn’t fathom starting marathon training a month from now!
I headed to Pennsylvania after eating a hearty breakfast and showering and I’m glad I was able to check a workout and a long run off my to-do list. Adding mileage after races seems much easier (mentally and physically) than doing a long run non-stop!
I’m going to credit my holiday cookies for Sunday’s long run success. Huzzah butter and sugar! These were inspired by some cookies that my friend Jane baked last week – usually I make peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses, but I thought that sugar cookies were a unique twist on the recipe : )
Classic Holiday Sugar Cookies (makes about 1 1/2 dozen)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Assorted chocolate candies – hershey’s kisses, mini reese’s cups
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined (don’t overmix or the cookie dough will get too tough)
- Put a heaping Tbs of dough between your hands and roll into a ball, place on the baking sheet, and lightly flatten
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned
- As soon as you remove cookies from the oven, place a chocolate candy in the middle
- Cool completely and devour!
Is anyone else struggling with building up mileage after the marathon? I’m grateful to be able to run as much as I am, but it’s tough to imagine myself doing anything close to marathon mileage.
