Guest Race Report: The Read Write Run 5k

Amortya and me after his first half finish!

Name: Amortya Ray
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Runner Since: November 2011
Favorite Recovery Food: Greasy burgers
Favorite Recovery Drink: Vanilla shake

This was the Read, Write and Run 5k in Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

I misjudged how long it would take us to get there, and we barely made it to the park in time. It was a small race – no more than 300 people running it. And it was right by the river with spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. MP and I took the light rail to the park and then we had to walk another mile or so before we got to the start line. And it was a hot day. I was pretty dehydrated to begin with. Thankfully, I managed to get a sip of water just before the race.

The race begins. The first mile is easy. I don’t know what got into me. But I started off really quickly. BAD-BAD IDEA! I did mile 1 in 7 minutes 30 seconds. And that’s when the heat starts to kick in. I started cramping. But up until the 1.5 mile mark I was doing ok. Struggling but okay. I see MP catching up to me. But I was still mostly ahead. But I was also getting weaker by the second. He overtakes me at around 2 miles. I’m like crap! That can’t happen. (Random fun fact #1: I can get really competitive. Usually at board games like Taboo.) I’m like – it’s okay. I’ll overtake him in a minute. But then I see that my laces are untied! Wow.. this race just gets worse. So I spend a few seconds fixing my laces. And start going a little faster. I’m in pain. My chest hurts. I’m dying in the heat.

Last 0.5 miles: I have my eyes on the finish line. And I can see MP a few feet ahead of me. I start picturing that scene from Rocky 3 where Rocky is racing Apollo Creed on a beach. Creed is ahead all through. But Rocky is a fighter. He isn’t giving up and inches ahead at the very last second. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED! I caught up to MP barely 2 feet from the finish line and managed to finish 0.9 seconds ahead of him!

2 seconds before finishing:

And then I practically collapsed on the grass. My chest was pounding hard. My heart rate was through the roof. I felt my chest would explode any second now! And after a few minutes of rest, I was fine. But dammit I felt like I owned the world for those few minutes! (Random fun fact #2: This happened to be my second ever 5k. And I bettered the last one (that I ran with Katie last September) by a solid 5 minutes!)

5 minutes after finishing: