Back in the Saddle

Hello out there in the blogosphere! I'm sure my two or three readers have been wondering what happend to me (or maybe you've moved on to better blogs?)...

Well, since my last post I have participated* in two races:

1) I had the chance to pace some teammates to sub-1:29 PRs in the Brooklyn Half. The weather was surprisingly good for running--with coolish temps and overcast skies--but poor for a post-race day on the Coney Island boardwalk. Naturally I made up for this fact with a bottomless mimosa brunch. 

2) I ran the AHA Wall Street Run, mainly because the course goes right by my office and it would have been silly not to have done a convenient race that supports such a good cause as one of my 9+1 for next year's marathon.

I've also signed up for several races (as indicated on the right side of my blog). These include the BAA 10k in Boston in June, the Houston Half in January, and this year's New York City Marathon.

Perhaps more importantly than all of the above, however, is the fact that I've started training again. For the past two months I've been taking things easy while I continue with PT. This didn't mean I wasn't running--it just meant that every run was done at a moderate pace. My hip is bothering me less and less so last night I did my first real workout and...the hip didn't hurt!

I'm going to be careful about easing back into training but for now I feel extremely fortunate to say that I'm back in the saddle! Although training for Chicago should theoretically start next week, I'm going to concentrate on shorter speedwork training for several weeks before moving into marathon mode. With a handful of NYRR races coming up this summer, I want to put some pep in my step before I start sapping it with long marathon pace runs.

All that is to say, if you see someone trying to do speedwork along the Hudson River and you think it's me, you might not be halucinating.

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*Saying I raced  them would be a big stretch.

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.

A Tough Decision, or Taking Some Down Time

I'm kind of starting with the end on this one. I'm going to post my Brooklyn Half-Marathon race report in the next day or so, but for now let me start with what I got out of this weekend: I realized something important on Saturday during the Brooklyn half, I need to take some time off of training.

Trying out my PowerPoint skills.

In December 2010 I began training for Boston 2011. After Boston (a PR) I took a week off and then began training for Bay to Breakers 2011 which was roughly one month later on May 15. Following Bay to Breakers I did take it easy for about two weeks, but then I dove into marathon training for Chicago which dominated the rest of the summer. After Chicago (another PR) I dialed back the mileage for a week but then ramped it up again since I was running New York. Although I ran New York for fun it definitely took a lot out of me. Unfortunately, about two weeks after New York I began seriously training for the Houston Half (not a PR). After Houston I began training for Boston 2012 (anyone who reads this blog or is even slightly connected to the world of running knows how that turned out). Of course, I took a week off after Boston but then it was back to training for Brooklyn.

The point of that long paragraph? It's been a long time since I took some serious down time. After a less than stellar performance on Saturday I've realized that I need some rest. Except for one workout on Thursday (a quarterly benchmark workout that won't take too much out of me), I'm not running at all this week. Next week I'll let myself run, but my rule will be no watch, and no schedule (though I'm doing a 3 miler on next week, the Wall Street Run). Basically, the plan is to pretty much take it easy until the Portugal Day 5 Miler. I'm not going to do any speedwork between now and then and I'm going to keep my mileage light and easy. I have a feeling this is going to be tough mentally, but I think it's what my body wants.

An Incomplete History of the Brooklyn Half

This Saturday is the much anticipated (don't ask me why) Brooklyn Half-Marathon. New York Road Runners has been doing this race since 1981 and even though it's changed in many ways over the past 30+ years, this year includes what are likely the most sweeping changes in the event's history. What follows is not so much a complete history as it is a collection of random facts about the evolution of the race. Enjoy!

The 2006 start on the boardwalk from NYRR.org

In 1981 the inaugural race, which ran along Ocean Parkway, had about 1800 finishers. Back then the race was held in March, a tradition that lasted for more than 20 years. This meant that some years the runners had to deal with snow and ice instead of the heat that is sometimes a problem these days.

In the early days the Brooklyn Half was particularly competitive, attracting world-class runners like Dick Beardsley in 1983 (though he was forced to drop out at the 9 mile mark due to an Achilles injury). 

In 1996, after a showdown between the Mayor's office and then-Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, the race returned to city streets for the first time in 5 years. The almost 2,250 finishers began on Coney Island, ran up Ocean Parkway, and ended the race in Prospect Park.

In 2002 the registration cost for members was $14, $20 for non-members.

In 2004 the race was moved from March to April and it included an out and back on the Boardwalk before heading up Ocean Parkway. Since 2008 the race has been held in May with it falling as late as Memorial Day weekend in 2009.

In 2009 the direction of the race was switched, with the start on Prospect Park's Center Drive and the finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk near the Parachute Jump.

Will any of this information help you run a better race this weekend? Probably not, but it may help you appreciate the race as a living breathing thing. Good luck to all of you running!

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.

A Low Key Weekend of Running

This weekend we had two beautiful days in New York with lots of sunshine and seasonal temps. I still haven't returned to long runs yet (next weekend?) but I did manage to get out and enjoy the weather. On Saturday I woke up early to get in a quick easy run around Harlem and Morningside Heights before heading out to Brooklyn.

Photo Credit: nycgovparks.org

Continuing my volunteer kick, I signed up to volunteer at the Verrazano Half Marathon, put on by the folks at NYCRuns.com. Somehow, I slipped through the cracks and as of Saturday I hadn't heard back from them but since I had a friend running I figured I would show up and see what happened. Sure enough, the organizers were only too happy to have another hand. I had a blast! I helped with baggage check, setting up the post-race food, and most important I cheered runners on at the turnaround point. I love these small local races because everyone seems to know everyone and the folks are all friendly. There's nothing fancy about these kind of events, they're just running for the sake of running. Still, they're well-organized and you can't beat the real Brooklyn bagels that have at the end.Of course, what really made the morning fun was a post-race visit to Spumoni Gardens for some of their famous Sicilian slices.

Sunday, I got a late start after a bit too much wine Saturday night (oops!) but I didn't let that stop me from getting in a run along the East River Esplanade. After the run, I picked up a bagel from Bagel Mill and ate in Carl Shurz Park, one of my favorite spots in Manhattan. It wasn't a super exciting weekend but it was a nice break from an intense training schedule. Now, however, it's time to get back on that training bandwagon since it's only three short weeks until the Brooklyn Half.

What Recovery Run?

The day after a long run I usually like to do a recovery run. I know many people take a rest day after a long run, but for me, getting a recovery run done the day after feels better. With this in mind I decided to meet up with Dashing Whippets folks for my run yesterday. On Sundays the group meets at Grand Army Plaza. It's a bit of a trek, but it's always nice to run with other people and to get a change of scenery.

There were two groups yesterday--the group doing a recovery run of about 3 miles at a 9 minute pace, and the group doing a long run at around 7:30 pace. Three miles sounded too short and 9 minute pace sounded too slow so naturally I went with the long run group. Initially the run felt tough but doable. I asked one of the guys with a Garmin for our pace and he said 6:50! We slowed it down later but I felt pretty good for being able to keep up the day after my Boston 21.

The run yesterday followed part of the new Brooklyn Half course before heading down to the Brooklyn Heights waterfront. I stuck with the group until we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. With 10 miles under my belt I called it a day and hopped on the subway back uptown (convenient because the ride to Harlem is much shorter from Chambers St than from Grand Army Plaza!).

It may not have been the best call for me to have pushed the pace yesterday but it did give me a nice confidence boost. If I could maintain a good clip on tired legs for 10 miles, hopefully marathon pace on race day shouldn't be so bad--at least not until Newton.
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Yesterday's Run:
10.1 miles at 7:26 pace. 

Breaking News: Brooklyn Half Announced

For those of you familiar with the New York running scene, you know that the last couple of months have seen increasing speculation, frustration, and desperation surrounding NYRR's Brooklyn Half-Marathon. For those who don't live in the NYC area or those living under a rock not familiar with the Brooklyn Half or the hullabaloo surrounding it, here's a little background:

NYRR (traditionally) does a half-marathon in each of the 5 boroughs as part of their, you guessed it, 5 Borough Half-Marathon Grand Prix. Manhattan happens in January and never generates much excitement because it's just two frigid laps of Central Park. Queens was cancelled this year (or more accurately, demoted to 10k status) and the Bronx and Staten Island races are a long ways off.

Brooklyn has been by far the most popular of the races, at least as long as I've been in the city. I admit to changing travel plans to fit the race in my schedule. Usually, like other NYRR races, details are announced well in advance and registration opens up several months before. This time around, however, NYRR announced the date back at the beginning of the year but kept all the other details shrouded in mystery, hence the aforementioned wild speculation. It even spawned a tongue-in-cheek website for those who've been pulling their hair out waiting for more info: Is the Brooklyn Half On-Sale?

Well, last night, while I slept, NYRR finally announced that the race will go on sale Monday at noon. They also announced the course which has some changes from previous years in order to accommodate the new 15,000 runner cap (last year the race had just under 6,000 finishers). The other bit of news is the new price. For Road Runners members the price is $45, up from $25 last year and $18 the year before. I still think that's a pretty reasonable price for a half, especially considering the member price for the NYC Half last weekend was a whopping $113. 

I have a feeling people are going to go crazy on Monday but hopefully after everyone has registered folks can calm down and return to running as usual, at least until May 19. Oh, and hopefully I can sign up too!