NYRR Queens 10K

The same weekend that I attended Pat Benatar's free concert courtesy of Fox & Friends, I ran the NYRR Queens 10K.  About two years ago, it was after finishing the NYRR Queens Half-Marathon that I decided to give the full marathon a shot.  I barely made the three hours limit and was really tired after the race but it was the first long-distance race I did in ages.  Marathon or not, I got hooked on running long-distance and signed up for more.  The year 2011 saw me in many half-marathons plus the Inaugural Brooklyn Marathon.


2012 so far has been disappointing as far as running and racing are concerned.  The Manhattan Half got snowed out and became a fun run.  I stayed home to shovel snow off my sidewalk and alley plus the car.  Work schedule became more hectic and I have not run as much.  It could be because of swimming schedule, too.  I ran the Inaugural NYCRuns Verrazano Half then the NYRR Brooklyn Half and got cramps near the end of both, worse with the Verrazano.  Queens Half went up in price and its distance cut to about half of a half marathon, or 10K.  Maybe it was the hot weather, maybe it was something else, it still did not feel right.  I signed up anyway since I lived in Queens for many years and the race is the one NYRR race that takes place in Queens.


Two years ago I was not familiar with the area of the park bordered by the Van Wyck Expressway.  In recent months I've been visiting the Flushing Meadow Aquatic Center almost every weekend, to swim with my son, in the cold winter and these days in the hot summer.  At the 2010 Queens Half, it was the first time I saw the building and found it impressive.  That year I was not sure if it was okay to park under the Van Wyck but followed the crowd anyway.  Now I know the shortcut to avoid traffic and traffic lights on College Point Boulevard.  Alas, the shorter route for the 2012 run did not pass the FMAC.


The 2012 NYRR Queens 10K saw a hot day as expected, it was the beginning of July but it had been a hot summer so far.  So hot that a runner friend who normally beat me by 20 minutes or more had only 10 minutes or so of lead time.  Everyone said it was unusually hot, that it was a killer to run in that heat.  I took caution and took water every two miles, more often near the end.  I did not feel so bad afterward.    All finishers got a nice medal but I felt like I missed something.  In my view, only half-marathons and longer races should there be medals.  My normal routine runs, at least not too long ago, usually covered 8 km, so getting a medal for a 10-km run seems a bit unnecessary.  Since I have few sports medal, I'll still treasure the Queens 10K medal but it just did not feel the same as the NYRR Brooklyn Half.

My meager medal collection.