Recap: Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games

Saturday's Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games 4 mile race was comprised of two races, one for men and one for women.  Because of this, I got to be a spectator during the men's race.  The course was horseshoe shaped, starting on the east side of Central Park and finishing on the west side.  A festival area setup in the middle of the park had handouts (Fitness Magazine and raisins) and an area for yoga.

The fastest men getting ready to go.

Alek off to a strong start!

After I saw Alek pass me at the start, I walked over to the finish line.  The winner finished in just under 20 minutes.  It was fun to watch all of the runners approach the finish.  Alek set a PR for his race at 34:53 with an 8:44 pace.

Looking strong approaching the finish

Now it was time for me to head back to the east side for my start.  The pressure was on to keep a faster pace than Alek.  After all, I've been running for 21 months, he can't catch me after less than a year!  My goal was to finish in 32 minutes, Alek pointed out that it wouldn't be easy for me to do.  I accepted the challenge and completed in 32:11!  I was eleven seconds off my goal, but thrilled with a new PR nonetheless!  

Finishing strong!

This was a fun race with gorgeous fall weather.  Full race results for the men's and women's races are available on NYRR's site.