Damn, it was cold this past Sunday morning when I headed up to da Bronx to run the Damon Runyon 5k at Yankee Stadium.

Friday we had temps in the 70s. Saturday we had temps in the mid-60s. Sunday we it was 40 degrees with a feels like of 31. That was outside the stadium. When we go into our starting are in side the stadium one really learned about wind tunnels and I swear the feels like was more in the 20s.

I was never more thankful for the beanie and arm warmers that I brought along as a just in case it felt really cold. Putting those arm warmers on really saved the day and my race and for once my need to feel over prepared and over pack came in handy.

So that was the pre-race stuff but once the starting gun went off I was able to get into a nice rhythm (side note: that no matter how many times I try to spell the word rhythm I always spell it wrong.) and I don’t think I ever thought about being cold. That is how you know you are in the zone.

Knowing this course as well as I do was also a huge help in getting into a steady pace a settling in for a fun race. I let all the over-excited sprinters go ahead and mostly avoided all the walkers who often stopped to take pictures. No complaints, it is Yankee Stadium and you get to see it from a unique standpoint.

Oh, just that time a few years ago when I was having brunch in the same place a Desi Linden. (C) Stacey Cooper

As usual, I had permagrin when I got onto the warning track. I swear, as a lifelong Yankee fan this is the coolest thing ever. As I was going around the field I kept thinking to myself , “this is where Aaron Hicks stands, this is where Brett Gardner hangs out, and this is where Aaron Judge owns right field.” You also notice that the stadium crew needs to do some dusting along the walls by the dugouts and bullpens. Minor detail.

On the running front for this race the key is to remember that the race is for charity, there will be walkers and sprinters who suddenly stop. You will end up weaving back and forth a lot so they key is not to get frustrated. Suck it up and enjoy it. It’s a charity race at Yankee Stadium!

But with all that I was still able to run non-stop, get up the stairs (OMG, the stairs never seem to end.), and make up any time while running down the ramps. I seriously should have earned an award for running the tangents on those ramps! The two miles that consisted of the stairs and ramps were pretty consistent pace-wise so I was very happy. I was even happier when I earned a new course PR for the day.

I cannot tell you how great it feels to be able to run like this again and just feel at peace when I run these days.

My next race is the Bronx Zoo Run for the Wild 5k on April 28 and then the Rye Derby 5 Miler on April 29. I’m adding on two miles for my final long run before the Broadstreet Run in Philly on May 6. Right now I’m feeling very good about that race and feeling the more prepared than the first two times I ran it. (knock on wood!)

I’ll feel even better when we can get some consistent sunshine and spring-like temps!