The Conclusion – Eric Fleisher’s Recap
Throughout the past few months, Eric Fleisher (RUN NYC member) has willingly documented his training process for the Nike+ Human Race 10K. Having never run a 10K before, Eric was unaware of what to expect in terms of properly training and competing in a race with 10,000 runners. In past articles, he has shared his thoughts and feelings about his grueling training schedule, his continued motivation, and the daily obstacles that presented themselves while on the path to the starting line.
For many new runners, the goal of simply finishing the race is ideal, yet for Eric - a man on a mission - he wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of not only finishing the race, but completing the course in a respectable time. As he focused on his training, his set goals continued to change, usually lowering his overall pace and finishing time. On 8.31.2008, he set out to accomplish his goal of breaking 56 minutes.
How did he do? Hear first-hand from Eric:
The entire day was very exciting. I think the best part of the race was right at the beginning, lining up with my fellow runners and looking out at all the red shirts. It was an amazing sight.
I arrived early in order to make sure that I had plenty of time to drop off my bag, stretch, and get to the starting line. New to the running scene, I was not sure how much time I was going to need so I went with the ‘better safe than sorry' routine. While handling everything leading up to the race, my adrenaline was running high. I was so excited and could not wait to get on with the race. For all the training and talking I did, the Nike Human Race was actually about to start and I made it to the starting line.+
After the horn blew to start the race, I was off - I mean really off! I was weaving in and out, making my way through the crowd. I felt great and thought that I could keep my current pace up the entire race. I was on my way to success...until I hit the wall at mile 2. Out of nowhere, my legs began to feel heavy and it became difficult to breathe. That second mile was a challenge. I knew that I should not have gone out so fast but at the time, it felt great. As I reached mile 3, it was time to refocus. I knew I was tired but I refused to walk. I put in some serious time training, and walking, even for a minute, was not an option. After grabbing a cup of water and seeing the 9-minute pace group pass me, I began to get that second wind. I was halfway done with the race and needed to remind myself that the race would soon be over. I simply told my legs to move - I guess you can consider it mind of matter - and started getting a little speed back. Entering the last mile, I was moving right along. The crowd was really helping as they cheered for me when I passed. After crossing the bridge, for the second time, I realized that I was 800 meters away from the stadium and the finish line. It was time for my finishing kick. As I entered the stadium, with the crowd screaming, I could not help but smile. The finish line was mere inches away and all I could think was how amazing the past few months have been."
Crossing the finish line - out of breathe - I looked up to see my finishing time: 57:10! I quickly calculated my pace and figured out that I averaged 9:13 per mile. Though I did not break 56 minutes, I came pretty close. Since this was only my second race, I walked away realizing a lot of things: 1) never go out fast - though I told myself that, I allowed myself to get caught up in the moment and paid for it later; 2) drink more water - it was really hot and I should have been smarter about taking in water; 3) running in a race is awesome - having trained and not allowing myself to walk, I was really happy.
So the race was over and I found my girlfriend, Beth, while grabbing some snacks prior to the concert. I spent the rest of the evening congratulating some of my friends that I met at RUN NYC and watching the All-American Rejects perform. I must admit I really liked the All-American Rejects and thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The entire day was great, especially knowing that I worked hard to get to this point. I know that I can complete a 10K and now will set my sights on something a little farther.
We would like to congratulate Eric for setting out to accomplish a goal and doing an amazing job at the Nike+ Human Race 10K. We know that it is never easy to train for a race, let alone letting the world read about the process, but Eric did an amazing job inspiring us all to reach unknown limits and to realize that obtaining a goal is only a few steps away.
For many new runners, the goal of simply finishing the race is ideal, yet for Eric - a man on a mission - he wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of not only finishing the race, but completing the course in a respectable time. As he focused on his training, his set goals continued to change, usually lowering his overall pace and finishing time. On 8.31.2008, he set out to accomplish his goal of breaking 56 minutes.
How did he do? Hear first-hand from Eric:
The entire day was very exciting. I think the best part of the race was right at the beginning, lining up with my fellow runners and looking out at all the red shirts. It was an amazing sight.
I arrived early in order to make sure that I had plenty of time to drop off my bag, stretch, and get to the starting line. New to the running scene, I was not sure how much time I was going to need so I went with the ‘better safe than sorry' routine. While handling everything leading up to the race, my adrenaline was running high. I was so excited and could not wait to get on with the race. For all the training and talking I did, the Nike Human Race was actually about to start and I made it to the starting line.+
After the horn blew to start the race, I was off - I mean really off! I was weaving in and out, making my way through the crowd. I felt great and thought that I could keep my current pace up the entire race. I was on my way to success...until I hit the wall at mile 2. Out of nowhere, my legs began to feel heavy and it became difficult to breathe. That second mile was a challenge. I knew that I should not have gone out so fast but at the time, it felt great. As I reached mile 3, it was time to refocus. I knew I was tired but I refused to walk. I put in some serious time training, and walking, even for a minute, was not an option. After grabbing a cup of water and seeing the 9-minute pace group pass me, I began to get that second wind. I was halfway done with the race and needed to remind myself that the race would soon be over. I simply told my legs to move - I guess you can consider it mind of matter - and started getting a little speed back. Entering the last mile, I was moving right along. The crowd was really helping as they cheered for me when I passed. After crossing the bridge, for the second time, I realized that I was 800 meters away from the stadium and the finish line. It was time for my finishing kick. As I entered the stadium, with the crowd screaming, I could not help but smile. The finish line was mere inches away and all I could think was how amazing the past few months have been."
Crossing the finish line - out of breathe - I looked up to see my finishing time: 57:10! I quickly calculated my pace and figured out that I averaged 9:13 per mile. Though I did not break 56 minutes, I came pretty close. Since this was only my second race, I walked away realizing a lot of things: 1) never go out fast - though I told myself that, I allowed myself to get caught up in the moment and paid for it later; 2) drink more water - it was really hot and I should have been smarter about taking in water; 3) running in a race is awesome - having trained and not allowing myself to walk, I was really happy.
So the race was over and I found my girlfriend, Beth, while grabbing some snacks prior to the concert. I spent the rest of the evening congratulating some of my friends that I met at RUN NYC and watching the All-American Rejects perform. I must admit I really liked the All-American Rejects and thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The entire day was great, especially knowing that I worked hard to get to this point. I know that I can complete a 10K and now will set my sights on something a little farther.
We would like to congratulate Eric for setting out to accomplish a goal and doing an amazing job at the Nike+ Human Race 10K. We know that it is never easy to train for a race, let alone letting the world read about the process, but Eric did an amazing job inspiring us all to reach unknown limits and to realize that obtaining a goal is only a few steps away.
