Race Report: Shirley Chisholm Trail Run 5K

2025 BMR Shirley Chisholm Trail Run 5K

(Go) The Distance

5K (3.1 Miles)

Date

Sunday June 8, 2025

Location

Shirley Chisholm State Park, Brooklyn, NY

Why this race?

I'm back home in New York City for the summer. I'm a lone wolf but in trying to work on that I looked for local run clubs to join. Good news: in the city, even in lil ol Brooklyn, there's a crazy amount of run clubs that meet every day of the week. The bad: nearly all of them are so far away that it wouldn't be worth it to drive for 30 minutes to run for 30 minutes with strangers at the ass-crack of dawn. My goal was to develop some new relationships and through knowing myself, that wouldn't be convenient enough for me to stick with it.

On this search I came across a club called Black Men Run. As you can guess from the title, the organization focuses on building community with black male runners across the United States. Sure, you'll see black men running on a football field or a basketball court, but the art of running in the streets or trails hasn't historically been a thing for several reasons you can think of.

There's chapters of Black Men Run in each of the major metropolitan areas of the United States. I found their New York City chapter's Instagram. Through their posts I discovered that they regularly host races throughout the city. And wouldn't you know it, there was a 5K race just two weeks away that I could do in Week 7 of my 8 Week training program. Even if I didn't make new friends I could validate the work I've been doing over the last two months and since this manic project started. I haven't run a race in over a year so it was time to step up.

Feeling bold and ready to push myself into the real world again, I signed up.

This was the fourth annual Shirley Chisholm Trail Run 5K, named after the park it is hosted in and the legendary political figure Shirley Chisholm. I had never been to the 300+ acre park before but various members of my family walk there often and have mentioned how beautiful it was. I had my doubts: it was the site of a former landfill and after living in central Texas for several years I didn't believe their interpretation of beautiful.

Man, I was wrong.

About Shirley Chisholm

A short bio on Shirley Chisholm from my editing assistant Charlie Goodman (ChatGPT).

Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer in every sense of the word — a woman who didn’t just break barriers, she bulldozed through them. Born in Brooklyn in 1924 to immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana, Chisholm grew up with a fierce sense of justice, nurtured by a strong Caribbean upbringing and a belief in the power of education. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1946 and began her career as a teacher and early childhood education expert, always focused on lifting others through knowledge.

In 1968, Shirley Chisholm made history as the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York’s 12th District — a district based in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She wasn’t just a symbolic figure; she was a powerful and relentless advocate. She fought for low-income families, equitable education, civil rights, and women’s rights — often standing alone in her convictions, unafraid to challenge her colleagues and call out hypocrisy.

But she didn’t stop there.

In 1972, Chisholm launched a campaign for the presidency — becoming the first Black person and the first woman to seek the nomination of a major political party. Her campaign wasn’t backed by big donors or establishment insiders. It was driven by conviction, grassroots power, and her now-iconic slogan:

“Unbought and Unbossed.”

Those words weren’t just catchy — they were her truth. She refused to be controlled by special interests, refused to play political games, and refused to stay quiet. Her candidacy was not a symbolic gesture; it was a demand for change and representation in the highest halls of power.

Though she didn’t win the nomination, Shirley Chisholm forever changed American politics. She opened doors that had been locked shut. She proved that a Black woman could run for president — and do so with dignity, strength, and vision. She mentored and inspired countless leaders, from grassroots organizers to U.S. Congresswomen to presidential candidates.

Even after leaving office in 1983, her work didn’t stop. She continued to speak, write, and organize until her death in 2005. Today, her legacy lives on not only in the laws she helped shape but in every leader who dares to challenge the status quo — unbought, unbossed, and unapologetically bold.

Incredible, right? And here I am living in 2025 afraid to take risks when I've got infinite access to information and a freaking supercomputer at my fingertips. Shirley Chisholm's story reminds me of how hard you've got to work to get things done regardless of the times. Don't stop, don't surrender.

Training Recap

How did my training go leading up to the race?

I wasn't training for this specific race, but I started a 5K Training Plan so that I could start from ground zero to improve my running stats. Truth be told that even on my best training days my pace was mediocre. I had been using Nike Run Club training plans for years which are good but I felt that they were very convoluted. Reviewing my training plan felt like I was scanning a tactical map for a ground assault.

My running mentor is my wife's friend that we went to college with. She's a disciplined athlete that's part of numerous run clubs, ran the NYC Marathon, modeled for some brands, the whole nine yards without being a full-blown influencer. She's put me on to proper nutrition, energy gels, foam rollers, local run clubs, supported me on my first few races and so on. Mostly from afar because I am a lone wolf, so if you ever read this, I really do appreciate you.

At a birthday party I mentioned that I had fallen off the wagon and was struggling to run even a few miles without getting discouraged. She recommended Hal Higdon's training plans as a good way to get back in the game. I knew nothing about him so it was cool to discover one of the greats of the running industry and how much of an impact he's made. His plans are straight forward: lots of short runs, work in simple intervals, tempo runs and that's it. Everything else I can choose to layer on is up to me. I like ashtanga yoga and strength training so I continued those cross-training activities at my own pace. Thank you Mentor!

Challenges

So I started with Hal Higdon's Intermediate 5K Training Plan (8 Weeks). Running 3 miles at a time, several days a week. Printed it out and stuck it on my wall to cross off each day and run at a time. My times were consistently shit until Week 6 and that was frustrating but the plan was easy to stick with. Instead of thinking through running fast or slow or this or that - I just focused on getting through three miles and listening to my body more and more.

Another bonus: it didn't get hot in Texas until recently so running after work was a nice treat. I still sweat like a demented pig but at least I'm not on the verge of passing out each time I leave the house.

The tradeoff is that by running like crazy, I've gotten super skinny over the last few months. I feel faster and I don't feel weaker but everyone I talk to is like, "Dude! You're so skinny," and not in a congratulatory way, more like a "Yikes do you have an underlying condition," type of way. I haven't strength trained as much as I should be and as a lazy vegetarian it's been hard to keep the weight up in the first place.

That said, nutrition has definitely played a factor in my improved speed overall. I ate chunky veggie Chipotle burritos three days in a row before the race and even though they legitimately put me in food comas I felt like it was a brick of carbs and nutrients that I was able to absorb and transform into fuel. Normally I'm chugging Pediasures and frozen meals from Trader Joes, so this was much needed. Point is, I recognized that energy in becomes energy output so I'm much more aware that I should be eating high quality and energy dense food to keep my body dialed in.

Breakthroughs

For the final two weeks before the race I've been back home in New York. Training has been much better here. The temperature difference is incredible: it's so much cooler here that I don't find myself panting or totally drenched in sweat no matter what time of day I run. This makes training less daunting and more enjoyable. Maybe running in Texas makes me stronger or something like that but now I can focus on running consistently instead of looking at how much water leaving my body.

My biggest breakthrough has been learning to loosen up my muscles when I run. I noticed that I tense up on every downward step and so after a while my legs hurt because I'm hammering them into the ground with each step. Kind of crazy that I didn't notice that until I was deep into this training plan but now I'm learning to stay looser and focus on the bouncing action with each step. Little bit of compression, pushing the body forward without forcing it. Shorter strides, even when I'm really pushing hard. I've been trying to channel the motion of a deer or the motion of my dog when she runs. Just the lightest tap on the ground with each step. I used to approach all of it like sprinting when that's rarely applicable in my current training.

How I felt coming into Race Week

The phrase "Low and slow" makes so more sense to me the more I run. In the final week before the race I set PRs three days in a row. Time of day didn't matter, it's just that I felt looser and stronger. Wasn't consciously pushing hard, just naturally becoming faster. In the end, focused time in the game leads to better outcomes.

Three days before the race: I got an email to pick up my race packet. I had signed up for the race on a whim three weeks before the race so now reality was starting to set in. I felt excited and for once in my life I wasn't scared about an upcoming event: I felt ready to prove that everything I'd been working on for the last few months and years meant something to me. I felt that this was my purpose in life: to become faster than ever and become a serious runner. Towards my problems and my future, not away.

Two days out: I laid out my $20 Amazon sport sunglasses (Duco - to lead in Latin so that felt meaningful), Patagonia hip pack, $30 Amazon running shorts (Surenow, which I guess is also meaningful?) and a couple t-shirt options. I've been printing test versions of Sendō t-shirts for the last few years so I was between wearing one of those and a merino wool t-shirt. Sendō still isn't ready for primetime and still isn't today but I figured I would commit and hope for the best. Any exposure is good exposure, and I figured you'll never be ready until you go for it. Sendō it is. Sneakers were the Allbirds Tree Dashers 2 that I've been using for the last few years - they're my training shoes and my race shoes.

The night before: The night before the race I had a two slices of vodka pizza and a beer so I wasn't living perfect but it felt right. After all of the training, it felt good to relax a little and get some decent sleep.

In the spirit of Shirley Chisholm, here's a quick anecdote on two female runners who broke the rules of their time.

In 1966, Bobbi Gibb's application to run the Boston Marathon was denied simply because she was a girl, so she snuck in and settled in the top third of racers. She was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon that we know about.

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the second woman to run the Boston Marathon but an iconic picture was taken of her being dragged off the course by race organizer Jock Semple and she was remembered as the first. Point is, capture the moment. And that the powers at be will never accept the future so break the rules.

Race Day: Pre-Race

Morning routine, nutrition, logistics

My first failure on the morning of the race: I didn't have any water but two coffees, one within the hour of start time. I had two bananas at least but no water was not a smart choice. More on that later.

Race starts at 10am. Packet pickup cutoff was 9:45am. I got to the park around 9:20am. Shirley Chisholm park is relatively close to my house so that was good. Parking inside the...park was already full so my partner dropped me off at the entrance and it was a long walk to get into the staging area. It was good though, for my first time in the park it was nice to clear my mind, get some blood flowing in the legs, think positive thoughts. There was a father and son running the race together in front of me, gave them a fist bump as I reached the staging area. Tents were set up, good music playing.

Lots of people knew each other but one of the organizers sniped me out and told me where to go. Good leadership is good leadership. Got the packet and awkwardly hung out for twenty minutes or so before the race organizers started bringing people together to warm up and discuss the course.

Mental state or nerves

I'm not the most social person but I'm working on it. I felt awkward just waiting around and not being confident enough to strike up a conversation with someone new. There was one clear chance that I could've and should've, but I froze up in the moment. But it was still good, we did a group photo, group warm up, and they asked the people that were 'running running' to head to the front of the pack near the starting line.

It was the first time in a long time, maybe my entire life, that I felt confident enough to put myself forward like that. My whole life I've lived in the background and at the back of the class. But through this process I'm learning to take ownership of my life and be present in my life. The lineup was tough though - lots of young guys, some looked like killer athletes, some looked total schlubs. I was curious and a little anxious how I'd compare to this field. What did I look like? Like a total dork in my $20 sport sunglasses literally made for children because I have a small head. The race pictures we received later on confirmed that. But I still felt ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum.

Weather, gear, any last-minute changes

Weather was solid, maybe in the 70s. For a 10am race the sun was out but the air felt like and open still. Didn't change my gear from the night before.

The Race

Race Day: Start

Strava ready, watch ready. Countdown began! They said a ten-second count but they started off at five seconds. I don't know why but even that little detail throw me off. Nerves weren't crazy high but I felt a little insecure after not talking to anyone and throwing myself into the front line of runners. But the gun went off and I started off sprinting. Here's the tricky bit: it was a straight up hill shot for the first half mile, so holy shit did I run out of energy quickly but I managed to keep running nonstop for the first mile and a half. But that was my first mistake: didn't run my own race. Got too excited, too cocky from training. Quickly went to shallow mouth breathing so not good. But lesson learned for the next race, ease into it so you can keep going low and slow.

A good chunk of the first half of the race was hilly. It was a Trail Race after all, but my other trail races were mostly in the woods, lots of small rocky hills but this was deep, high hills that we were running up that challenged me. I can see how important it is to run the course you're aiming for before a race. You have to understand how it feels to navigate through that area. Where the hills are, where you can conserve energy and where you can push hard. But instead of feeling upset, I felt excited. Like holy shit, there's even more nuance to this world than I realized.

There's the psychological aspect of it, I can see how in the pro-circuit that people can mess with each other. Corny shit to say but this is the anime sport of my dreams. Like, there's so many characters and people to work with and to see how everyone approaches this sport differently. Even for myself in my goofy ass sport sunglasses, I felt like a action hero. And I know that this art of running can translate into lots of different activities.

Race Day: Middle

Like my other races, I noticed that various packs of runners developed and that you observe which groups and individuals you can overtake, and there were moments where I ran with other person to match their pace and kind of siphon off their energy a little bit. There's this synchronicity that happens when you run in sync alongside someone else.

After a mile or so I stopped to power walk for a bit. After Mile 2 I believe, I grabbed a gatorade and drank half of it in like thirty seconds. Bad move, it caused crazy stitches in my side which changed up the vibe of my race. So second thing I learned: should've hydrated more and I should've stuck with water instead of introducing something new to my system. I ended up stopping maybe like 4 times over the 5K, which truly isn't a big deal but it cost me time which is frustrating.

Race Day: Finish

More hills. The end of the race was approaching sooner than I thought. We did an infinity symbol of sorts, passed by the same aid stations twice. Good amount of volunteers and photographers. I really learned that it takes a village of people to get things done in life. Like, this was relatively small race event, and mostly free, it was $30 to a t-shirt and yet it still had a crew of maybe 15-20 volunteers. Respect.

Final Time: 33:XX / Finished in Top 50% of Pack

Finished with my second fastest 5K time ever according to Strava!! Because my watch's tracking was off my a quarter mile, I was still focused on moving quick until I noticed that we were at the final stretch to the finish line, a downhill quarter-mile sprint to the end. I think a great time would be under 30 minutes so I've got work to do. But it felt so good to achieve this powerful goal!!

Finally made a little small talk after the race with an old couple who finished before me, wtf, but that felt good. Did a little small talk on the course as well so I have take it all as a win. I pushed myself to do something NEW and ran my first race in A YEAR. Awesome!!!

Post-Race Reflections

This Race Report is my first one and it's admittedly long AF. I'll get better over time. Here's some final bullet points on my thoughts:

• Run your own race - pace yourself. even if you see MFs sprinting at the beginning or a pack of racers passes by you, stay in the pocket and stay focused on your own journey
• Should've hydrated more. i crushed two bananas in the AM but I also had two coffees, which is not ideal and smart.
• Water ONLY during the race, or bring your own solutions your body is used to, drank some gatorade which I haven't had in years because it was available and I cramped up HARD and that threw off my rhythm
• Takes a lot of work to make even a small trail race happen, and apparently race insurance is important. i guess duh but still good to know when we plan our own races. and how much you need to appreciate every single person involved. as they say, it takes a village.
• Next up is either a 10K or another 5K to PR, the approach for this one would be similar but I'd really focus on eating WAY more. that was my biggest weakness, I shrank a lot and so I need more protein shakes AND more high-quality meals. more strength training to drive more power through my legs, and I need to work on longer strides
• I'll stick with another Hal Higdon training plan but I'm going to work in my own consistent strength training, I can see that yoga keeps me loose and limber but a good training circuit puts my more power into my stride. doing both disciplines alongside yoga will be a great test of the full Sendō system I'm developing
• The Allbirds Tree Dashers 2 are ready to be retired, I'll keep them as my trail running shoes for now but I've literally used them for at least three years, it was time to go. went to real running store where I ended up with my new go-tos: the ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 27. Did a couple long runs with them so far, they feel good. I think ASICS might be the go-to brand for now.

That's all. Thanks for reading this one. See you for the next Race Report.

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