My 2015 NYC Half Race Report

After last Friday's post, I'm sure you've been waiting with bated breath to learn how the NYC Half went for me--that is, unless you already looked up my time on NYRR.com or, perhaps more likely, you just don't care.You're here, though, so I might as well tell you about it.

Last Sunday proved to be near perfect racing weather. Although it rained all day Saturday and I got soaked on my shakeout run, the weather gods saw fit to close the heavens sometime around midnight. The temperature also cooperated, hovering around 40 overnight and holding into the early morning hours.

Even though I live very close to the start, I still set my alarm for 4:45 a.m., almost three hours before gun time, to give myself plenty of time to eat and digest my typical pre-race bagel with peanut butter.

In addition to the bagel, I tried something new this time--and yes, I know you're not supposed to try new things on race day--I took a Red Ace concentrated beet juice shot. In the two weeks before my last several marathons I've had one to two glasses of beet juice a day, but stopped the day before the race. This was the first time I actually took one of these shots pre-race, as the bottle directs.¹ I was a bit worried about possible GI issues, but I seemed to do fine. In other words, I did not see an increase in the half-dozen trips I already make to the port-o-potty pre-race.

I left my place at 6:30 a.m. to make it to Central Park South before baggage closed and bumped into a couple of Whippet friends who were also running. We chatted as we passed through security but split up when it was time to "do our business." I made it my corral several minutes before its 7:10 a.m. closing time and made my way to the front where I'd arranged to meet up with a few teammates--Steve, Jonathan, and Will--looking to run a similar pace. In the corral I also bumped into one of my good non-Whippet running friends, Helen, a member of Athena New York. Having folks to chat with definitely helped to pass the twenty minutes of idle time.

New Blog Spotlight: Running Dog

This may be the closest thing to advertising I've done on this site. I know that many of my readers are affiliated with or at least aware of the team I run for, the Dashing Whippets. DWRT has a pretty good presence on the web--the team started back in 2009 because one of the founders, Rich, works for Meetup and had a free Meetup to use. The team has also had a Facebook page, a Twitter account (@dashingwhippets), and an Instagram account for quite a while. What DWRT has not had was a blog, that is until a couple weeks ago.

We recently launched a team blog with pieces by various team members. It spotlights races, workouts, and the personalities that make up our team. With several hundered members and workouts in both Brooklyn and Manhattan, it's difficult to get to know everyone so this blog is helpful in that respect.

It's definitely still a work in progress but if you're looking for another way to waste time at work additional interesting running commentary, it might be worth checking out. I expect it will continue to evolve over the coming weeks and months as the team tries to get a feel for what people are interested in reading.

Oh, yeah--I guess it would be helpful if I told you where to find it. Here's a link: http://dashingwhippetsblog.wordpress.com/

A Good Weekend

Here it is almost the weekend again and I'm just getting around to writing about last weekend! It was a great two days running-wise, though, so I figure it's worth recounting. (Plus, let's be honest, I didn't have time to come up with any poetry for this week).


 

A beautiful sight in my inbox!

First, on Saturday I got my Boston confirmation email from the BAA.  Last Friday, Boston Marathon registration opened for people who had met their qualifying standard by five minutes or more. Thanks to my time at Philly last November, I was in this camp for the second time.* I can't say this made me any less nervous--I spent most of Friday afternoon constantily checking my inbox--and when the email finally came in, I did a little dance breathed a sigh of relief.

My heart goes out to all of you who registered this week and have to wait until this weekend to find out whether or not you're in.

On Sunday I ran the NYCRuns Narrows Half for the second year in a row. Last year I ran it as a tune-up for New York and ended up surprising myself by finishing 12th overall and winning a 3rd place age group award. This year I wasn't expecting to do as well but I really wanted a flat course as a tune-up for Chicago so I decided to return.

The Whippets (runners and cheerers)

In addition to allowing me to practice racing on a flat course, the half forced me to get up at an unholy hour let me practice waking up at 4:30 a.m. for an early race. I will likely be waking up at 4:30 for Chicago, which also starts at 7:30, and New York, which doesn't start until 10.

I also managed to recruit several teammates to run this year which made waiting for the start a lot more fun, even if none of us ended up racing together. We couldn't have asked for better weather either: it was in the low-50s with clear skies and a very light breeze.

How did the race go? I ran fairly even splits, averaging a 6:32 pace for the race which led me to a 1:25:38 finish. That was about thirty second slower than my time from from last year.

I felt good the good the whole time, though I wish I had been able to push myself a bit more. Honestly, I'm not sure what kept me from going faster. Part of the issue is that there was a long distance between me and the runners ahead of me. After the first 5 or 6 miles, I couldn't even really see them. I also had a very comfortable lead on the runners behind me. (I won't have either issue at Chicago). Without no one around to really "race" it was all too easy to settle into a steady relaxed pace.

Somehow my time was good enough for a 5th place finish and a first in age group award (I'm guessing all the faster runners were in Philadelphia this weekend). I've come in second or third before, but I think this might have been my first AG win.

My teammates also did very well: we had two big PRs, one teammate finished 3rd overall, and another also placed in her age group. Certainly not a bad showing from my team!

After the race I had brunch with my friends Jeff and Michelle (of Tiny Kitchen fame). If I didn't feel like a winner when I crossed that finish line, I sure did after eating their delicious cooking.

After such a great weekend, I have a feeling I'll be back at this race again next year.

P.S. A shout-out to my friend Emily who posted all the photos from Sunday.

 

Horsing around after the race.

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*The first year that the BAA introduced the new staggered registration, they kept the old qualifying times. That meant I needed a sub-3:05 to be in the BQ-5 camp, last year I was in the BQ-3:** camp so I had to wait until the second week to register.

Boston Strong: My 2013 Boston Marathon Race Report.

Now that several weeks have passed, I'm finally ready to share my Boston race report. This report ends with me crossing the finish line because I don't think there's anything I could say that would meaningfully add to what's already been said or that would acurately reflect the shock and horror I know we all felt at 2:50pm on Monday, April 16. I would, however, like to encourage anyone who has not already done so to donate to the OneFund to help those most affected.

A Wonderful Weekend

Although I was having serious doubts about my marathon preparedness in the two weeks before Boston(mainly due to the time I took off for my toe and my persistant hip bursitis), as the weekend approached I found myself in full marathon mode. While my hip didn't feel 100% during my Friday shake-out run (my first run in a week and a half), it felt better than I had expected. Friday night I packed while watching Spirit of the Marathon, something I do before every single marathon. Although I tried going to bed early, I didn't get a great night's sleep, waking up well before my alarm.

The drive up to Boston was relatively uneventful, a little traffic but nothing crazy. After checking into our hotel (which had an awesome lobby display), I headed to the expo with my entourage--but not before picking up this year's marathon jacket at the Marathon Sports on Boylston. I was sporting my 2010 jacket when I went to pick-up my packet and on the volunteers said, "Welcome back to Boston. You already know the magic of this race." I could not have put it better myself. After sampling every energy bar known to man, saying hi to some teammates, and pondering why Kahlua was one of the exhibitors, we headed to the next logical place--the Lindt store!

That night we had a wonderful dinner at Trade in Boston's Financial District. I didn't take pictures of any of the food but all of it was delicious. My favorite dish? Probably their mushroom and fig flatbread with gorgonzola and sage.

Sunday was another packed day. I got up early at went to mass at a small church downtown. Every year I make time for mass before the marathon and it's always wonderful. The priest offered a blessing for the runners and afterword I had strangers wishing me luck and shaking my hand (I was wearing an old race jacket so it was obvious I was running). Next up, I did an easy shake-out run through Beacon Hill and along the Charles. By that point I was starving and it was time for my standard day-before-the-marathon breakfast: pancakes! These weren't just any pancakes, either. They were topped with caramelized bananas, walnuts, and loads of Vermont maple syrup.

After breakfast I had just enough time to prep my clothes for the next morning before we headed to Fenway where we got to watch the Red Sox dominate the Rays. The coolest part of the game, though, was when they introduced a handful of wounded veterans who were also running the marathon. It's impossible not to feel inspired when you get to share stories like theirs.

For Sunday's dinner we went to Restaurant Dante in Cambridge, the same place I ate last year. For marathon weekend they always offer all-you-can-eat homemade pasta so it's hard to beat. After that we called it an early night and I was in bed by 9.

Waiting to board the bus.

On race day I was up by 5:30. I did some last minute prep and met my teammates by Boston Common at 6:30. It was awesome having such a big group this year! We chatted it up on the bus which helped to pass the time. Once we got to the Athletes' Village we didn't actually have that much time to chill before they called us to the corrals.

The Race

I had several teammates in my corral hoping to go under three and my initial plan was to run with them. It was somewhere during the first downhill mile, however, that I knew my hip wasn't going to let me. I didn't feel too bad, but I could tell this was no day for a PR and if I tried to push it too much I would regret it later. It was a bummer watching my teammates pull ahead but I was confident I was making the right decision.

The first few miles of the course went by quickly (first 5k in 0:21:56, a 7:04 pace) and I was soon in Ashland, passing the point where I'd begun my long run just three weeks before. Mentally, this was helpful because I knew the next 23 miles would be fresh in my memory.

As I passed through Framingham, I hit the 10k in 43:40, a 7:02 pace, and was feeling pretty good. Around mile 7, I did the obligatory form check in the windows of Hansen Electrical Supply and was pleased to see my gate looked normal. I still had some hope that I could pick things up later in the race and maybe score a Boston PR (currently a 3:04 from 2011).

Spotting team photographer Atsede

Entering Natick, there's a quieter stretch of the course but that was okay by me. I had slowed a little since by the 15k (1:05:42), my average was a 7:03. Shortly thereafter the course takes you through downtown Natick, one of my favorite parts. It's always packed with people--probably the biggest crowd you've seen so far on the course. This always gives me a boost and on this day it was no exception.

Leaving Natick, I knew the next landmark would be Wellesley College. Last year, I was going slow because of the heat and actually stopped to kiss some coeds but this year, I didn't want to lose any time so I just enjoyed their yells. I crossed the 20k in 1:28:02, bringing me down to a 7:05 pace. By now I was pretty sure I was only going to get slower as the race went on but I didn't really care. I love the stretch through Wellesley, with all it's little shops, cafes, and great crowd support. Hitting the half in 1:32:56, I decided the most important thing was to make sure I enjoyed myself over the second 13.1.

I saw a CPTC runner and chatted with her for bit which was a welcome distraction. That took me through the 25k in 1:50:24, now a 7:07 average. Between miles 16 and 17, by the Newton-Wellesley Hospital, is the PowerGel station. Somehow two runners got tangled up here and one, a woman from South Africa (according to her singlet) went down pretty hard. I saw her pick herself up and keep running but she was scraped and starting to cry. I tried to offer her words of encouragement since I know (from my second marathon) how disconcerting it can be to wipe out on course.

Before I knew it, I'd made the turn onto Comm Ave and the infamous Newton Hills. As with last year, they didn't seem so bad since I was no longer gunning for a particular time.  

Good thing too since my 30k was 2:13:07, now a 7:09 pace. As we approached Heartbreak Hill, I had a runner ask me if we'd gotten there yet--I assured him, he would know by the crowds and the signs when we'd crested the final hill. Sure enough, the folks of BC had their inflatable arch reading "The Heartbreak is Over."

I knew the race was pretty much downhill from there--a great feeling! Unfortunately, my hip was starting to bother me as I passed the 35k in 2:36:08, a 7:11 average. I now starting playing a game in my head: If I slow to 7:30, I can finish in xx:xx:xx; if I slow to 7:45, I can finish in yy:yy:yy; if I slow to 8:00, I can finish in zz:zz:zz. I made a new goal for myself, beating my 3:20 time from last year's sweltering race.

I thought I could pick it up some, but wanted to save something for the final mile so I tried to simply stay on pace. I knew my family and friends were waiting near mile 26 and I wanted to look good for them--this thought really kept me going. I also used the landmarks, like the Citgo sign and the Pru looming in the distance to draw me in. Once I got to the 40k in 2:59:33, a 7:14 pace, and crested the mini hill I was pretty sure I could at least finish under 3:10--the random goal I settled on for the final miles.

Post-race, around 2pm

Turning onto Comm Ave again I could feel the exciting. The crowds were packed thick along both sides of the course and I managed to spot some friends just before the dip under Mass Ave. I turned onto Hereford and began scouting for my cheering squad who I knew would be on the left hand side. Sure enough, I spoted them and they spotted me. I gave them a quick shout so happy to have caught them and to have had their support.

Finally, I made the turn onto Boylston. At this point, I gave what I had left as I watched the seconds slowly piling up on the finish line clock. This may not be a long stretch, but it seemed to go on forever, finally, I hit the finish, throwing both arms up in air! I had finished my 4th Boston in 3:09:35, a 7:14 pace.

As the wonderful volunteers put the heat sheet around my back and the medal over my head, I felt like a million bucks. There's no doubt in my mind that Boston is the greatest race in the world and I hope to have the privilege of running it many more times.
 

 

The Blue Line Run, Improvised

This weekend was all about running for me. Saturday I did the Sleepy Hollow 10k (expect a race report with some great photos in the next day or so) and Sunday was Front Runners' Blue Line Run. Front Runners has been putting on the Blue Line Run for some time now, but this was the first year that it was a full partnership with my team, the Dashing Whippets, and North Brooklyn Runners.

The Front Runners coach telling us to "Be cute!"

What is the Blue Line Run, you ask? Basically, it's a supported long run on the final 20 miles of the marathon course. Folks from each of the three teams volunteered to staff aid stations along the way, operate cars as mobile bag checks, and serve as bike marshals. I was incredibly impressed with the organization and planning that went into this--with over 200 participants it was a lot of work!

Anyway, the run was great, but in Williamsburg someone told us the pedestrian path on the Queensboro was closed* so we doubled back over the Williamsburg Bridge and took 1st Avenue all the way up to rejoin the course at 59th Street. It was a valuable reminder that no matter how well your advance planning, you really do need to be ready for anything come race day.

Because of the extra miles we ran doubling back into Manhattan we also skipped the Bronx part of the course--in other words, our 4 borough tour was cut in half. Still, I got in 17 miles, had a lot of run running with teammates and some new runner friends, and got to enjoy a beautiful Sunday. I have no complaints and I'm really getting excited for November 4.

13 DAYS TO GO!

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* Throughout the rest of the day I heard conflicting stories so for all I know the bridge was open, but with the 7 train not running into Manhattan, there's no way I was going to test this.

A (Mini) 5th Avenue Mile Race Report

It's been a busy last few days both running and otherwise so I'm just now getting around to posting about my weekend. Oh well, better late than never!

This past Saturday was NYRR's 5th Avenue Mile, one of my favorite annual races. It's fun because you get to watch all of your friends race down one of the most iconic streets in the world, but I also usually dread it because speed isn't my strong suit and I usually finish with a case of dry-heaving.

Although marathon training means I haven't been able to do too much extra short speedwork this year, I did two Friday Night Miles with the Metro Milers in preparation. I also did the Montpelier Mile, a road mile, back in July. These various races got me mentally prepared so that when I toed the line on Saturday, I wasn't nearly as nervous as usual.

A mile is a little too short for me to have much to report but I'll say that I felt much stronger than in years past. My only goal was to break my time from  last year and my current PR, 5:20. I succeeded and managed a 5:18. Two seconds may not sound like a ton, but I was pretty happy. Even better, many of my teammates had awesome times and our men's team managed to place 5th overall!

Although some day I hope to be able to devote more time to this race, for now it's more of a test than a goal. It felt great to have run faster than last year considering I haven't set a single other PR in 2012. I know we all have ups and downs in our running life so I'm counting this as a nice up.  

Weekend Workout: Metric Marathon

This weekend I had the opportunity to try a new (to me) workout: the metricmarathon. This workout, created by Keith and Kevin Hanson, the coaches behindthe Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, aims to simulate racing a marathon asclosely as possible without all the physical stress of running a full 26.2miles.

Part of our route

For the metric marathon, you run 26.2 kilometers (roughly 16.3 miles) asgoal marathon pace. Ideally, you also want to simulate the course you’ll be runningas well. Since you do the workout on tired legs—you haven’t tapered like youwill before your big race—you experience a level of fatigue similar to theactual event without trashing your body.  

In previous training cycles I’ve always included some pace runs, oftenthrowing in a few goal marathon pace miles at the end of longer runs, but I hadnever done something like this before. Thankfully, our coach and captains organizeda team metric marathon on Sunday.

We started in Lower Manhattan and ended in Astoria, covering three boroughsin the process. Along the way, the Brooklyn Bridge stood in for the Verrazano,the Welfare Island Bridge stood in for the Willis Avenue Bridge, and AstoriaPark stood in for Central Park. Other key course features, like the Pulaski andQueensboro Bridges, needed no understudies. The result? A course that was verysimilar in topography to the actual New York City Marathon.

How did I do? Not too shabby; I was able to stay within a few seconds of mygoal pace for the whole run. There’s still a big difference between 16.3 and26.2, but with over a month to go, hopefully I can get myself to where I wantto be come November 4!

Come Run With Me in Harlem!

Next Saturday, August 18th, I'm putting together a course preview of the Percy Sutton 5k (which is the following weekend). We'll be covering the 3.1 mile course starting in St. Nicholas Park before continuing south to Morningside Park. Since this route features the streets and parks of Central and South Harlem, I figured I'd invite any readers along for the run.

This course preview will be the start of the Dashing Whippets usual weekend long run so if you're looking to do your long run for the week, I've got you covered there too. After running through Harlem, we'll be traveling south through Central Park to advantage of Summer Streets on Park Ave.

Even if you only want to run a few miles, come enjoy beautiful Harlem and meet some new runner friends.  There will be folks of every speed so no need to worry about getting left behind.

Here are the key details:

What: Percy Sutton 5k Course Preview and Run through South Harlem

When: Saturday, August 18, at 8:30 am
Where: W 135th St and St Nicholas Ave

The Infamous Underwear Run

Friday night, a perfect time for blowing off some steam and running in your underwear. Huh? That's right. Last Friday was the NYC Triathlon's annual underwear run in Central Park. It's a fun run to kick off the weekend's festivities with the actual NYC Tri on Sunday.

The event is extremely fun but also well-organized. Although it's free to run, participants are supposed to register and the event fills up very quickly each year. This year's theme was "Celebrate America" so there was tons of Red, White, and Blue on the course.

The race is at 7:30 but participants tend to get their closer to 6:30 so they have time to strip and strut their stuff take photos. I had a ton of teammates running so we met up before hand to take photos in front of the newly reopened Cherry Hill fountain.

The whole time there were a couple of corny announcers making bad puns about underwear which helped make the event feel even more relaxed. Shortly before 7:30 we all made our way to the start. The "race" (it's really just a fun run) is 1.7 miles--the lower loop in Central Park. I ran with a bunch of teammates until the very end when I decided to pick it up a bit, mainly because it was hot and I wanted water.

At the finish they had salads from Qdoba, ice-cold water bottles, and Muscle Milk. Not too shabby for a free event!!! Oh yeah, one of my teammates came in second. The prize? Self-respect.

This is Gong to be Repetitive - Hill Repeats

I always look forward to Tuesday nights. They mean speedwork in Central Park, usually a tempo or some other crazy long(ish) workout. Occasionally, though, we do hill repeats. Hill repeats are great because they're strength training in disguise but hill repeats also suck because, well, they're strength training in disguise.

Last night was a hill repeat night. Since my team is hosting a track meet on Saturday,* we focused on short repeats last night. The workout was 15-25 100m hill repeats--run up at around 2-mile effort, and jog down. Repeat. The jog down is the only rest during the repeats.

These short, tough repeats are great because they work your core, your hip flexors, abductors, adductors, lower back, and hamstrings. They also help you to activate your fast-twitch muscles, something a tempo run doesn't do. I'm going out of town this weekend so I'll be missing the track meet but I have my first road mile of the summer next week so I figure the short speedwork will help with that too.

I might as well enjoy these short bursts of speed now because soon it will be marathon training season with its longer intervals and heavy dose of tempo runs.

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*Quick plug: if you're in town you should come out to the Whippet's track meet. It's only $10 and should be really fun! Details are here: Dashing Whippets Track Meet

New Flash: Heat Makes Running Harder

Those of you living along the eastern seaboard have probably been experiencing the same heatwave that struck us this week in New York. We went from temperatures that were slightly below average for June to temperatures that are slightly above average for a pizza oven. I don't mind running in the heat so much, but doing speed work in the heat is a whole different story.

When it comes to speed work in the heat, there are several options. The first one is: don't do it. But, any of you who read about my Boston race know I refuse to let heat stop me. You could also take your run inside to the treaddreadmill (but then again, you could also put a sharp metal object in your eye--that doesn't mean it's a good idea). Another option is to do your workout in the pre-dawn hours or after sundown. This is what I did last summer, but now that I'm running with a team, I have to run when they do.

Alright, so I just laid out three ways to cope with the heat and shot each one of them down. Why? Because there's a fourth option--adjust your workout. You can still get a great workout by either slowing the pace a little, reducing the number of reps or total distance, or doing some combination of the two. If you want to know how to adjust your speed for the heat, this handy calculator lets you plug in your normal speed and what equivalent speeds are as the mercury rises.

I used the adjustment strategy in my workout last night. We were scheduled to do 6 sets of 4x200 at 5k pace. Rather than adjust the pace too much, I cut the final set (so 5 sets of 4x200) and increased the rest in between sets. That way I was still able to get in a decent workout without killing myself. And then of course, I had my secret weapon lined up, a post-run ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery.

The 3-2-1 Workout

My team's coach is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet--he's super supportive during races and workouts. I'm also convinced he's pure evil. Okay, maybe he's not evil, but he sure comes up with some tough workouts! Last night he introduced a new one to our repertoire, the 3-2-1.

What is the 3-2-1, you ask? It's 3 miles at marathon pace, followed by 2 miles at half pace, followed by 1 mile at 10k to 15k pace. It doesn't sound so bad in theory but a couple things made it especially tough yesterday:

3) There are no breaks in this workout--you are running the full 6 miles without any rest or recovery.

2) The 2 half-marathon pace miles were done on Cat Hill (you know how much I love Cat Hill) with 800m up, followed by 800m down and then repeated.

1) As an added bonus, it was incredibly humid last night.

That final mile at 10k pace was definitely a killer, but I have to say I felt great after the workout. There's nothing like that post-speed work feel, something you have to remind yourself during the workout when you feel like quitting.

Since today is supposed to be a killer with highs in the mid-90s, I'm off for a morning run with some teammates. It may be warm and sticky now, but it's only gonna get worse. Ah, summer.

Give a Little, Get a Lot: My Portugal Day Race Report

Last weekend was the Mini 10k, a women only race. To help pump the women up, most of the men from our team got together to cheer at the 5 mile mark. We had signs, balloons, and vuvuzelas. We were loud and definitely had a great time cheering the women-folk on. Well, this week's race, the Portugal Day 5 Miler was a men's team point race (women could still sign up, but they weren't trying to earn points for the team) so the women came out to cheer us on--more on that in a minute.

I woke up at 5:30 on Sunday for my usual peanut butter and bagel and read the newspaper before heading to the subway at 6:40 so I could get to the baggage area by 7. The race was in Central Park so it was easy to get to. After a nice warm-up with teammates I made a final pit-stop and I have to say that the lines were much shorter than at a normal race--amazing what happens when most of the women aren't running...

My plan was to run seriously but not to kill myself. I had talked with a couple other guys about running somewhere in the 6:10 to 6:20 range and that sounded good for the day. After a stirring rendition of the both the Portuguese and American national anthems it was time to race.

The gun went off and I was surprised at how crowded the field was. Initially I managed to run with a couple teammates but we lost each other quickly in the mass of people. I managed a 6:12 first mile and felt surprisingly good. The best part of mile 1 was seeing one of my teammates, Elizabeth, cheering from the sidelines in a polka dot bikini!

I still felt good for my 6:14 second mile. At this point we'd gotten the bulk of the hills out of the way so I was hoping for an easier time but mile 3 just felt off. I did it in 6:24 at which point I knew I wasn't trying hard enough. Mile 4 had more downhill and I knew I had to be approaching the women's cheering station. Sure enough, a huge contingent of lady Whippets were stationed just before the mile marker. I actually heard them well before I saw them which shows how loud they were cheering. That helped make for 6:14 mile 4.

Of course, as soon as the women were out of ear shot I realized I had taxed myself with all my fist pumping at their cheer station--I felt a little dizzy. I started to slow down a little bit even though the end was so close. I concentrated on running the tangents since the field had opened up and I knew I didn't have much hope for extra speed. With the finish in sight I tried some kind of kick but couldn't do better than 6:21 for my final mile.

I ended up finishing in 31:25, or 6:17 pace. To put things in perspective, my half PR, almost two years old now, was set at a 6:18 pace and my 4 mile PR is a 6:01 pace. One thing I know I have to figure out after today's race is eating. That bagel proved too heavy. The bagel breakfast works great for halves and fulls where I'm (a) waking up with more time before the start and (b) not trying to go so fast, but it's too much before short runs.

The good news is, while it wasn't a fast race I didn't feel "sluggish." I think I've managed to shake off some of the fatigue that was affecting me post-Boston and Brooklyn. Hopefully with careful training this summer I can regain some speed.

Winning!

My apologies to Charley Sheen for the title, but remember that guess-your-time run I mentioned on Wednesday? Well, I "won." Before I tell you how close my guess was, let's talk about how awesome the overall run was.

Everyone met up at the 14th Street Park. Since this run was posted on the National Running Day website we got a ton of first-timers to join us. Out of the 30 or so people who showed up, at least half were new to the team. The captains made sure nobody was wearing a watch and we made our way to the Hudson River Greenway. The course was simple: two-miles out (downtown), and two miles back (uptown). I predicted 32:00 as my time since I wanted to do a super easy run but plenty of folks picked near race-pace times. Their logic, I guess, was that if you know what your maximum pace is, you can pick a time near that.

Me and Emily nearing the finish.

I forgot to mention the weather. The whole time we were getting ready to run dark clouds were rolling in. I figured it what a matter of when, not if, the sky would open up. Sure enough, soon after we took off we heard thunder and a light rain started.

I ended up falling in with one of the other Whippets, Emily, who had put down 34:00 for her time. A new runner, Bob, also joined us for much of the run. When we got to the turn-around Emily was sure we were doing 9-minute miles, but I knew we weren't going that slow. Somewhere on the way back the rain changed from a light drizzle to an open faucet but I think that just added to the fun.

About 800 yards from the end Emily said pointed out the finish to Bob who took off (later he said that was his fastest ever 4 miler--awesome!). When we crossed the line Annette, our "official" time keeper said 32:01 and I did a little touchdown dance. The prize? A NRD t-shirt and hat, oh, and even better, a free beer.

We all headed to the Chelsea Brewing Company where many beers were consumed along with some delicious greasy fried food. Not a bad Wednesday if you ask me!

Happy National Running Day!

When you woke up this morning you may have assumed it was just another Wednesday (unless it's your birthday, in which case, happy birthday), but the first Wednesday in June is National Running Day. Who says? The folks at the Atlanta Track Club, Boston Athletic Association, Chevron Houston Marathon, Chicago Area Runners Association, Competitor Group Inc., Little Rock Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, New York Road Runners, Oregon Track Club, Running USA, Twin Cities In Motion and USA Track & Field. In other words, everyone. Okay, the whole thing is maybe a little gimmicky, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun.

Today running groups across the country are putting on all kinds of fun events. For example, my team is putting on a predict-your-time run. No one gets to wear a watch (except the person timing the event) and the winners are the runners who predict their finish time the closest. In other words, whether you're a fast run or a newbie you still have a chance at winning. There are lots of other events in NYC and elsewhere, all listed on the National Running Day website.

What if you don't have time to meet up with a group today, can you still celebrate? Duh, just go for a run! You were supposed to meet co-workers for happy hour after work? Get them to come along! Been thinking about a new pair of running shoes? Today is also the perfect day to go buy them. Who knows, your local running store might even have some freebies or giveaways.

If enough of you participate, maybe we can turn this into an official holiday and get the day off work next year. Well, I can dream, can't I?

Brooklyn Half-Marathon Race Report

I don't think any race on the NYRR calendar this year has been as hyped up as the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. Well, at 4am on Saturday it was finally time to check out the hype. After a long ride on a 5am local train packed to the gills with runners I arrived at the Brooklyn Museum. I honestly could not believe the number of porta-potties (not all the runners were there yet--soon I couldn't believe their numbers). It felt more like a big city marathon than an outer-borough half. Before I get to the meat of my race report let me say a big hats off to NYRR for putting together a really well-run event.

The start corrals on Eastern Parkway

Somehow I found my teammates though I missed warming up with them because I had to wait in line for one last bathroom visit. After a brief warm-up on my own I made my way to the corrals. There may have been 15000 runners but since I was in the first corral with a bunch of my teammates it was easy enough to find folks. I even saw one of my running buddies, Bobby, who was there to cheer. Unfortunately I missed him on course later.

After a string of local politicians told us to "run smart," it was time for the start. Several of us had decided to go out at between a 1:24 and 1:25 pace. This was pretty conservative given that most of us have PRs several minutes lower. The first mile of the course is a mix of gentle downhill and uphill. I felt okay but not great--it wasn't effortless like the way I felt the last time I PR'd in the half. I passed mile 1 in 6:30 and we headed towards Grand Army Plaza. As I looped back around the circle for mile 2 in 6:23 I was beginning to "feel Boston" in my legs. Still, I was trying to hang with my teammates for as long as possible. That's why I did mile 3 in 6:10.

As we ran around the outside of Prospect Park, I started to convince myself that there was no point in trying so hard since it was clear my legs weren't going to let me PR or even break 1:23. I was running with one of my teammates who had also done Boston and I figured I would stick with him and then reassess. We entered the park and I did mile 4 in 6:28. I knew the only real hill of the race wasn't too far ahead and I think I started slowing accordingly. Miles 5 and 6 were 6:47 and 6:45 respectively.

As the course headed south again I realized I had lost my teammates, though several passed me at this point. I did mile 7, the last full mile in the park, in 6:25. As we exited onto Park Circle I saw several teammates out cheering which was awesome. I smiled and made the turn onto Ocean Parkway. All I could think about was the long stretch of monotonous miles ahead of me. I never felt bad but I never felt the rush that I expect in a race--it never felt like I had truly hit my stride.

My miles on Ocean Parkway went by in 6:33 (mile 8), 6:42 (mile 9), 6:40 (mile 10), 6:33 (mile 11), and 6:38 (mile 12). At one point I saw Matt, one of the team captains. I had run with him earlier and he had gone ahead but a pit stop had lost him some time. I said hi but didn't try to keep up. Instead of worrying about my time I made my goal to thank as many volunteers as possible. At mile 12 there was a large group of Whippets members cheering which was tons of fun.

Before I knew it I was turning onto Surf Avenue for the final stretch. I saw the "800m to go" sign and then it was time to turn onto the Coney Island Boardwalk. I charged up the ramp--probably the only time I passed anyone in the final 5 miles--and could see the finish. The time was getting close to 1:26 and I decided I had to have a finish time with a 1:25 in it so I picked it up and crossed with a net time of 1:25:50. It was my second slowest half-marathon (only my debut race back in 2008 had been slower). I had a really fun time thanks to my teammates--we hung out at the beach afterwards and enjoy comically large beers at Nathans--but had I been running alone I would have rated the day a failure.

As I posted yesterday, it was a true learning experience. I've done some of the toughest workouts in my running career over the past 6 months and run intervals at faster speeds than I thought possible but I've simply done too much. There's a reason I haven't PR'd at any distance other than the marathon since 2010, I haven't been training smart. So now it's time for some serous R&R because I'm ready to run fast and feel good again.

Running in Circles

I remember in law school when Thursday nights meant Bar Review (read: copious consumption of alcohol). Before that, I remember college where Thursdays meant Thirsty Thursday (read: copious consumption of alcohol). These days, however, Thursdays mean track time (read: a brutal workout followed by a more moderate consumption of alcohol). Any of these three can leave you feeling a little beat-up the next day.

After last week's mile repeats I didn't figure it could get much more difficult, but I was wrong. Last night we had a ladder workout. That means the we started with shorter repeats but worked our way up to longer repeats and then worked our way back down again. Just based on that premise it doesn't sound too bad, huh? I forgot a couple of details though.

I think my paint skills are really progressing.

The repeats were 2x800, 2x1600, 1x3200, 2x800, 2x400--for the first seven sets (everything before the 400s) we only got a 200m rest in between. These repeats were to be done at half-marathon pace. For the final two repeats, the 400s, we got 400m of rest in between but they were to be done at 5k pace.

When it was time to divide up into pace groups there was a 6 minute group, a 6:30 group, a 7 minute group, etc. I knew I wouldn't make it if I went with the 6 minute group so I opted for the 6:30 group, even though that's a little slower than my half pace (by saying that I have probably jinxed myself for next week's half-marathon).

We started off a little fast with the first 800 in 3:04. The next one we did in 3:09. That was fine by me because that meant they were a little closer to my true HM pace. However, going into the first 1600 I began thinking about how truly short a 200m recovery is.

We did the first 1600 in 6:28--pretty much spot on. For the second one we somehow picked up the pace (I say we, but I was leading most of the time so I guess I mean me) to run 6:17. I was dreading the 3200 since I've never run that far on a track before but it wasn't too bad. We did it in 12:46 (or 6:23 pace).

Now, I forgot to mention earlier that the final set of 800s was optional. At this point most of the other guys running my pace decided to stop. Thankfully, one other runner, Ren, is as much of a glutton for punishment as I am. Of course, after doing the optional 800s (3:08, 3:07) we had to the optional 400s. I really felt myself pushing on these--1:24 and 1:25--and was thrilled to be done. At that point, however, one of the other guys who'd been running with the 7:00 minute group had one more 400 to go. Ren and I both decided to join him (what's one more 400?). I had wrongly assumed that it would be a slower lap; it wasn't. We did the final 400 in 1:23.

It was a punishing workout but that's what I was looking for when I joined the group--new challenges. I never would have made it through that workout on my own (I'm pretty sure I would have quite after the second 1600) but having other folks there to push me helped. Sadly, I was too tired afterword for beer. Next week?

Tempo by Twilight

My posts have been a little sporadic this week because I'm getting ready to be sworn in as an attorney. Becoming a lawyer is like going through puberty: it seems to take forever, it's filled with uncomfortable moments, and just when you think it's almost over, there's another step. Anyway--barring any last minute surprises--I will be sworn in next Monday. 

Now back to running-related content.

On Tuesday night (boy does that seem like ages ago!) I met fellow Whippets in Central Park for our Tuesday speed workout. This week we had a tempo run on schedule. Out of all the different kinds of speed work, I find long tempo runs to be the hardest to do by yourself so I was only too happy to have other folks to run with.

The term "tempo run" gets thrown around a lot these days and folks seem to have very different ideas what it means. In my book (and by that I mean my copy of Daniels' Running Formula), a tempo run is a run done at a "comfortably hard" pace, something you could sustain for about an hour.

We didn't quite fit the Daniels definition on Tuesday, though we weren't far off. After an easy mile warm-up our goal was to do 6 to 8 miles at 15 to 30 seconds slower than half-marathon pace. The idea was that the pace wouldn't feel too difficult for the first several miles, but in the later miles it would be more difficult to maintain. It may be helpful here to throw in an alternate name for tempo runs: steady state runs. You're trying to maintain a consistent pace throughout the run even as fatigue sets in. [Note: Someone reading this blog might blow a gasket because some folks, like Greg McMillan, do not use these terms interchangeably.]

So, how did we do? I ran with three other guys and only one of us had a GPS watch. Since we were doing a four mile loop with no intermediate markers, we only had two chances to check our pace. That meant the run mostly went by feel. For the whole run we average around 6:45 pace. Our second loop was about 2 minutes faster than the first loop which probably isn't ideal, but it did serve as a confidence booster. Had I been running on my own one of two things would have happened: (1) I would have slowed down during the second loop, or (2) I would have called it quits by mile 6. All in all in was a great workout. Better still, it didn't start raining until after we had finished.

Previewing the Brooklyn Half

I'm a firm believer in the benefits of knowing a course before you race it. There are tons of variables on race day--the weather, how you're feeling, etc.--so anything you can do to make things more certain is a plus. By checking out the course before race day you can get a better sense of the terrain and adjust your pacing accordingly. You can also get a sense of what the tangents are (more on this in a late post). Obviously, when a race is in another city you may only be able to look at maps of the course before race day. When it's in your own backyard, however, it's worth doing a little pre-race recon.

This weekend I had the chance to run the Brooklyn Half course with some fellow Whippets. Since the race is only two weeks away, this seemed like a good weekend to check it out. I've run this race before, back in 2009, but they've changed the course since then and even if they hadn't, three years is a long time.

After a late night in Queens on Saturday, I hauled my butt out of bed on Sunday morning to catch the train to Grand Army Plaza to meet fellow runners. We had a great turn out--probably around 20 people--so we were able to split up into pace groups. It was a little warm but nothing too bad. If it's warmer on race day I'll definitely pack some beach gear for after the race.

I'm not going to summarize the course since you'll get that as part of my race report when I run the darn thing in two weeks. Instead, I'm just going to offer a couple of observations that might be helpful to any of you running:

• The only "big" hill is inside Propsect Park around mile 5. Don't waste you energy here because you'll have plenty of downhill later to make up any lost time.
• Ocean Parkway goes on forever! Don't let that discourage you, just remember that it's actually a net downhill. 
• There's little to no shade in the second half of the course so sunscreen is a must.
• The stretch on the boardwalk is extremely short so don't fret if you've never run on that kind of surface before.
• It takes a long time to get back to Harlem from Coney Island so you might as well enjoy some hot dogs, ice cream, or pizza before heading back.

East River Mile Repeats

Thursday nights are track workout nights for my running team, the Dashing Whippets. Although I've been running with them for a little over two months now, before this week I had only made it to one track workout. There are two main reasons why I haven't been to more workouts. First, when I joined, I was halfway through my marathon training plan and didn't want to switch plans midway through the cycle. Second, these workouts are at the East River Park track. While it's a pretty decent facility, it happens to be about 1.2 miles from the nearest subway. As you may remember from a previous post a good track is hard to find in Manhattan.

I really want to get faster this year so last night I sucked it up and headed to the East Village after work. I always dread track workouts (any speed work, really) and I was still sore from Tuesday's workout so I had no idea what to expect from myself. The schedule called for 4 - 6x1600m repeats at 10k pace with 400m recoveries in between. As Scott, the coach, explained, the idea is to train yourself to run tired. It's as much mental as anything else. He offered the three of us who had run Boston an alternate workout (3 - 5x1200m with 800m recoveries) but we all decided to try the 1600s.

The workout actually went pretty well. I did the first 1600 in 6:10 but felt surprisingly good. After what seemed like an incredibly short recovery I did the next one in 6:06. Scott had said that those of us still in marathon recovery could stop at 3 if we wanted so as I began the third one I paid special attention to how my legs were feeling. I did it in 6:07 and decided I felt good enough to end on a even number. It helped that one of my teammates, Tom (who also did Boston), was running at about the same pace.

For the final repeat I tried to stay on pace for the first three laps. Once I got to the 200 mark, though, I began picking it up. When I hit the final straightaway I kicked it to finish the mile in 5:57. It was definitely tiring but I was extremely happy that I stuck with it. Now I'm really looking forward to a summer of speed work.
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 Yesterday's Run: 7.5 miles total.