New York City Half Marathon - PR!

Today was as a good a day as I could have hoped for.  The weather at the start of the race was 55 and sunny with little wind.  I was not expecting to be able to run in my Sports Bistro tri top and shorts for a March race!  I had a one mile warm up on the jog over to the race start on Central Park's East Drive with Ton.  Felt good, no pains or cramps or residual soreness from the week.

Got into the corral at 7:10, race started at 7:35.  I hate waiting around for so long, but I tried to move around and stay limber.  Downed a Blueberry Pomegranate Gu Roctane about 10 minutes before the start, hoping the caffeine would kick-start my race. The gun went off and so were we.  First mile came in about 7:45, which I was pleased with for what felt like an easy effort, plus the usual congestion at the beginning of the race.  For the first loop of Central Park (6 miles) I maintained that pace, never deviating from 7:40-50/mile, even on the Harlem Hills.  I actually felt pretty good, but wanted to hold back a little from my target pace of 7:30 because I was afraid of going out too fast and knew I could open it up on the flats and downhills of the last 6 miles.  I took another Gu Roctane, Pineapple this time, at mile 7.  I was also sipping water and Gatorade Endurance formula at every other aid station.  At mile 7 I catch up to Andy and pass him at mile 8.

Once we rounded the park and got onto Broadway, I was starting to feel a bit tired but knew the terrain would help me.  I think my favorite part of any course I've done is the 2 miles down Broadway and onto 42nd St.  Even though the crowds aren't as big, for me this rivals going up 1st Ave in the NYC Marathon.  I feel that this is my city and I can own this course.  Pace picks up accordingly and I enjoy it.

But coming off 42nd St around mile 10 I am really starting to feel tired.  HR is high and my legs are starting to hurt.  I know I have to maintain the 7:20-30 pace I have been keeping in order to meet my goal of a sub 1:40 (ideas of crushing that time are out the window).  I figure it's just 3.1 miles (only a Turkey Trot!) left so let's get this over with.  It's flat and fast at this point so no excuses.  But my lack of recent training (last long run was 11 miles 3 weeks ago) shows itself and those last 3 miles are getting more and more painful.  I muscle through them and am proud that my pace didn't really drop, but man they hurt.  If this were a 14 mile race I would have been in trouble.

But it wasn't and I finished in 1:39:30, significantly better than my 1:47:57 previous PR (which I knew I could beat).  I know I still have time to shave off this, but it's a good start to the season.  Alas I was not the Team Sports Bistro winner as Ton finished about a minute ahead but I am happy with the results.

Next up:  ???  I was going to do the Boston Marathon but my training has been so sub-par and it's only 4 weeks away that I am considering bailing and doing USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals the same weekend.  Decisions, decisions!

Getting race ready

My first race of the season is next weekend!  I, along with others from Team Sports Bistro, are running in the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday, March 21.  I am using this as a tune-up for the Boston Marathon in April and it will be a great time to test out the race gear for the season.  Since I'd like to PR the race (not all that hard since my previous 2 attempts at this distance are well below my capabilities, in my opinion), I will be racing it and so it is a crucial day for me.

Nutrition-wise, I plan on taking my staple, Gu Roctane (one packet 15 minutes before the race, another one 30 min in around mile 4 and a final one at 1:15 or approximately the 9 mile mark).  Since this isn't a hot and humid race I don't anticipate needing any salt tablets and should be fine with the sports drink and water on the course.  And I'll take a free Powerbar gel at mile 9 too (for later).  I will also put a water bottle with Gu Recovery Brew powder in my bag so I can just add water and have a great recovery drink waiting for me at the end.

The bigger question I have for the race is what to wear.  As of now, the weather looks to be around 50 with a 60% chance of showers.  Not bad for a March race, but not great either.  Running while wet can make me cold and my socks and shoes soggy and heavy.  I don't have racing flats (yet) so there's not much I can do to prevent that.  This is where triathlon-specific shoes might come in handy!  I'd like to wear a jacket for the rain but fear I'll overheat.  But a singlet will be too cold.  Hmmm, any suggestions for this?  If the rain clears out this will be perfect weather for a long-sleeved tech t-shirt and running shorts. 

Finally, perhaps the most important aspect is my pacing.  I've only done a handful of long runs and embarrassingly few speed workouts, so this could be my biggest problem.  I'd like to hit around 7:30 miles once the crowds clear (for a 1:40 finish time) and I think that is within the realm of possibility, but by no means guaranteed.  I'd like to be cautious for the first 4 miles, which are the only real hilly ones of the course and then open it up from miles 7 onward.  I do all of my long runs on the path alongside the West Side Hwy where the course is so it will be familiar and I like having a sense of ownership over a course, the same way I feel with the NYC Triathlon run course in Central Park.  These are my training grounds, so let's do it!