Running the streets of Inwood

I still can’t believe that I ran in and completed the Inwood 5K, a 3.1-mile race, on Oct. 12.
The Inwood 5K is part of the Southwest Nassau Run Series, and it costs $70 to run all four of their community runs. The money raised benefits community organizations. Proceeds from the Inwood run are dedicated to scholarship money for Lawrence and Hewlett-Woodmere high school students.
As a reporter new to running and the Five Towns (I came to the Nassau Herald at the end of January), I was both excited and nervous about this. What if I couldn’t finish the race? What would the course be like?
Luckily, I had done another 5K run before, in August in Harlem. My time to complete it was slow, a lengthy 45 minutes and 17 seconds.
About a week before the race, I became ill. My sinuses and lungs got congested after the weather dropped in temperature and cold rain set in. The combination left me a sneezing, coughing and stuffy mess. I refused to let that keep me down. As soon as I could breathe without coughing too much, I was back at the gym.
All of a sudden, it was race day. The cool, crisp and sunny morning, I decided, was perfect for running. I went through a fast mental checklist. Did I have my music ready? Check. Did I look over the race route? Check. Was I comfortable in my running shoes? Yes. I was ready.
And … go! We were off. The first third of the race, I ran a little too fast and started to tire myself out. Pacing myself during races is something I need to improve. By the time I got to the second portion, I slowed down a bit, walking short distances when I needed to help bring my energy levels up. By the third and final leg of the race, I encountered more race spectators, who encouraged me to keep going. “Push harder,” I also told myself. “Keep going. You’ve got this.”
Finally, off in the distance, was the finish line. I kept moving, one foot in front of the other. There! Across the finish line, at 43 minutes and 24 seconds, I did it. Not only did I finish, I managed to establish a new personal record, shaving off 1:53—almost two minutes—of my original running time. The relatively level terrain made running this course a dream.