Al Gordon Snowflake 4 Miler

At 8:00AM Saturday I ran the Al Gordon Snowflake 4 miler hosted by the New York Road Runners Club. Well over 2,200 men (and as many women - though the women's start was an hour later) charged through Central Park.

Stiff winds made the 20 degree weather feel much colder. Fortunately the sun helped to warm things slightly. I opted to go with my newly acquired CW-X Insulator Pro tights which are rather pricey but do keep you warm and allow for a good range of motion. As an added bonus they look and feel pretty good too.

photo by Jared Mestre

This was a Club Points race but I wasn't wearing my team singlet (shame on me) which is why there is only this profile shot of me...

Splitting the men's and women's starts helped with the typical congestion of the first few miles. I also had hopes of absolutely destroying this race by running it in under 25 minutes. Thus, I lined up toward the front of the queue. The horn sounded and we were off.

The first mile was a challenge for me as I didn't stretch or warm-up properly. My breathing was labored, my legs felt dead and as I passed the first mile marker I was already behind -- 6:22. I stepped it up a bit and clicked off the second mile in 6:14.

Going into the third mile I settled into the pace, got my breathing under control and my dead legs got some life. Cat Hill reversed all that leaving me with a split of 6:28 and no hope of a sub 25 minute race.

The final mile of the race was mostly flat with a down hill sprint to the finish. I held my pace and then surged the last 400 meters for a 6:14.

While short of my goal, my official time of 25:23 still represents a pretty fair personal record. Prior, my best 4 miler was a minute and a half slower.

Congratulations to my fellow teammates for their terrific efforts!

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
-Muhammad Ali (became the Heavyweight Champion on this day in 1964)