Race Report: E Murray Todd Half

On Sunday I ran my second E. Murray Todd Half-Marathon (EMT) as a tune-up race for Boston. I like to include shorter races as part of marathon training whenever I can. First , the more I race, the more I get used to the pre-race jitters and, second, racing is way more fun that doing speed work by myself.

EMT is small race (about 500 people) put on by the Monmouth Co. Parks Department in Lincroft, New Jersey. I probably never would have discovered it--and certainly never would have done it--had it not been for one of my running buddies, Bettina, who lives in NJ. Last year we were both running Boston and she suggested this course and a good tune-up. I had such a good time that as soon as Bettina told me she was doing it again I knew I had to sign up.

Since this was a tune-up race I hadn't done much in the way of targeted training. That means I went into without a set goal (read: anything under 1:25 would be acceptable). The real point was just to test my fitness on a course that's closer to Boston than anything I would find in the city (see the profile below).

I got into New Jersey Saturday evening since Bettina and and her family were gracious enough to let me stay the night. We did the obligatory pasta dinner carbo-load followed by the not-so-obligatory but oh-so-delicious chocolate-crumb-cake-load. Thankfully, I was even able to get a pretty good night's sleep (not always the case the night before a race).

The next morning I had my ritual bagel peanut butter and a glass of Gatorade before we drove to the race. One of the great things about EMT is that it starts and ends at the Brookdale Community College Gym. That means you can wait inside where it's warm before the race and shower afterward. Bettina and I picked up our numbers and t-shirts and tried unsuccessfully to find our friend Kelly who was also running.

After my usual 50+ bathroom visits, we headed to the start line. Thankfully, Bettina had given me a garbage to wear while waiting since it was 39 and I was wearing only shorts, a singlet, and a new pair of arm warmers (I lost my old one's in the wash!). I also owe Bettina because she lent me her extra Garmin since I had forgotten my old-school Timex at work on Friday.

Although the race was timed using b-tags, there was no start mat so everyone would be going by gun time. I tried to get as close to the line as possible before the official said, "GO!"

Some of the runners took off like bullets as we ran out of the community college. I just picked a pace that felt like I could hold and didn't worry about who was in front of me. Mile 1 went by in 6:15.

The first mile or two go through residential areas and if it weren't for the fact that there were only a handful of folks spectating, it would have felt a lot like Boston. Mile 2 went by in 6:21.

Pretty early on I found another runner to talk to who also lives NYC. It turns out he's from Brooklyn and will also be running Boston. Although his half and full PRs were much faster than mine, we happened to be going the same pace and the conversation made for a good distraction.

My only real complaint about the race has to do with the water stops. The first one, near mile 3, was on the right side, off the road. Trash cans blocked easy access and instead of standing forward with cups, the volunteers were hunkered behind the table. Grabbing water wasn't easy and I think it slowed me down a little. Mile 3 was 6:27.

Over the next mile the course narrowed a bit (we were running on roads still partially open to traffic) and a hill slowed me down to 6:34 for the mile. I got through 5 miles in 32:03 according to the official clock.  I always try to run the tangents but unfortunately the second water stop, right by mile 6, was on the wrong side of the road just before a turn. For the next few miles, I hit the lap button at the wrong time so I don't have accurate splits.

At mile mile 6 my new found running buddy apologized but told me he had a killer playlist for the final 7 miles of the race. I told him no problem but began to inch ahead. The course was now pretty rural with fields and horse farms. At once point we passed what looked like an apple orchard.

The real hills in this race happen in miles 6 to 10. I also feel that a half marathon starts around mile 7 when you've got about 10k to go. In spit of some tough hills, I felt pretty strong during this stretch. Just before Mile 10 when you hit the last and probably toughest hill of the race, I caught up with another runner. I told him "You got this." He said, "No, I don't, but you look like your in it for the long haul." That made me feel pretty good. I had run miles 5 to 10 in 32:32 (6:30 pace) which was slower than I would have liked, but I did feel good in spite of some challenging hills.

The final 5k goes through the paved trails of Thompson Park and there is a lot more winding back and forth than the course map above indicates. At any one point you can look forward and see runners snaking one direction or another in front of you, deceptively close. These seemed like the longest miles of the course even though they were the flattest. Nevertheless, I had now settled on a goal of sub-1:25 (my permanent back-up half goal) and I knew that was going to happen if I could just stick with it. Just after mile 12 as we turned back into the community college, a spectator said to me, "Not much left." I wasn't sure if he was talking about the course or me!

I also got passed by a kid (I later found out he was 17) but I couldn't keep up. Still, I felt pretty strong and knew I would have a surge left for the final .1. Sure enough, at Mile 13 I picked it up and covered the final stretch at a 5:32 pace. I crossed the finish line in 1:24:54.

It was slower than my time at Houston (1:24:37) and my time from last year (1:24:11) but I didn't feel bad about it. Last year, I had taken a long time off following the New York Marathon and begun an 18 week Boston program at the end of December. This time around I took almost no time off, but only began doing speed work again a few weeks ago. Considering how strong I felt during this race, I'm pretty confident that I am on the right track for Boston.

It may not have been my best day, but somehow, even though I cam in 28th overall, I was third in my AG.* That means I got to take home a cool trophy (see left). Even better, Bettina shattered her old PR by almost 5 minutes, running a 1:36:27!!! That was good enough for 2nd in her AG! Even our friend Kelly, whom we finally found after the race, set a PR.

As always, every race is a learning experience. I'm really glad I did this one and now I'm pumped for my final month of serious Boston training! I think doing all my long runs on hilly terrain has paid off but now it may be time to increase the speed work, particularly the MP miles.

 *There's really no mystery here. The overall winners weren't eligible for AG awards which bumped me up a couple of slots. I'm not complaining though!

Race Report: 2010 Jersey Shore Half-Marathon

Let me start off by saying that I now realize how spoiled I am! Most of the time I race in Central Park and can get away with leaving the house 45 minutes before starting time. No so today. such luck today!!! I woke up this morning at 4:45, went over my checklist for the millionth time, did my usual race morning routine, grabbed my bagel with pb and out the door to Penn Station by 5:30. I was on the 6:07 Jersey Coastline and let me tell you, there were some fun faces--tons of kids who had clearly spent the night partying in the City and were still going strong. After a scenic ride of about an hour, I got off the train and found Betina--very easy to spot in her red MCM jacket, with her fire engine red car!

It always great to go to race with someone. We chatted it up on our way to the race after we picked up Bet’s friend who was a half-marathon neophyte. On the way we scoped out the Dunkin’ Donuts situation for the way back--it pays to think ahead. We got to the race about an hour early which was great because we all had to use the bathroom and the lines were long. It was windy too, so we stayed in our warm clothes as long as possible, but when 8:45 rolled around, it was time to strip. I wasn’t sure a singlet and split shorts had been the best idea, but there was no going back.

The starting area had no corrals or anything, it was just a mass of people sorting themselves out. The three of us split up at this point and I head towards the front. There were some speedy looking people, but it was way less intimidating than the average NYRR race where I know on any given day there are at least a dozen sub-elites racing. After the national anthem, performed by a trumpet and drum--crowd sing-a-long encouraged, we were off.

I tried to start our conservative--the race was a double out-and-back (with the first out-and-back being 7.1 and the second being 6)--and I wanted to save myself for the second half. I was a ways from the leaders and for a while was running behind a couple people, and the first mile went by in 6:22. Mile 2 was about the same at 6:23, but then I started to edge up. I realized I was just following the pace of the people around me instead of setting my own pace. Mile 3 went by in 6:15 and I was running by myself, the leaders were far ahead, but there was no one right behind me. I knew the first turn around was coming and that definitely helped my speed. At this point we went by some barracks (there’s an army base on Sandy Hook) which were pretty cool to look at.

At the turn around the 15 mile-an-hour wind that had been in my face was not at my back which meant I stopped noticing it as I cruised through Mile 4 in 6:10 (I think this is where I first saw Bettina and we yelled to each other) and Mile 5 in 6:03 where I met up with a couple guys who were running together. They seemed to be going at the perfect pace so I stuck with them. We had a nice chat and they told me they ran together a lot because only one of them had a Garmin. The best was when the younger one said to me, “Your breathing too easy, the least you could do is fake it.” Ha!

At this point, either there were some mile markers missing, or I just got sloppy because I have no more splits on my watch. We got to the turn-around for the second mile and I was still feeling great but my two new friends started going a little faster and with 6 miles to go I stayed back a little. The second half seemed to go by in a blur though around Mile 10 I caught with a guy in a red beanie who’d been out ahead for quite a while. We each complemented the other but he was starting to slow so I didn’t talk to him for too long. As mile 11 passed I knew I was in the home stretch and that a PR was possible and more importantly that a guaranteed entry into next year’s NYCM was possible (sub-1:23 for my age group). Around this point a guy passed me who had been behind me the whole race. I was ready to go all out yet but I complemented him on his kick and kept at it. At Mile 12 I started counting down the minutes. Once I realized that I was within 800 yards of the finish I started to pick it up and when someone yelled 400 I started my kick. I felt great as I crossed the finish line--the guy who passed me between 11 and 12? He threw up right in front of me!!! Oops. I’m still smiling from ear to ear with my 1:22:12.28 (13th place, no vomit).

After some water, and I bagel I head back to wait for Betina. When I saw her approaching I let out my loudest “GO BET!” and scared the people around me. She had a really strong finish. I would not want to mess with Bet on the race course--super tough! I’m just grateful she let me cross the finish line ahead of her. Next time she might not be so courteous! We then got to watch her friend finish her first half! She did a phenomenal job too, though she said there were definitely no marathons in her future. All in all, it was a wonderful day at the Jersey Shore.