An Annual Tradition: the Aramco Houston Half

It's probably a fair assumption that many runners have favorite races that they do year after year. For some it may be an annual Thanksgiving turkey trot, for others a local charity 5k. In some cases it may be a bigger race, like a local half or even a full marathon. I definitely have races in those categories--well, I still haven't found the perfect annual turkey trot--but a few of my annual traditions are a bit further afield.

Once of my favorite races each year happened last weekend, the Aramco Houston Half.* I first went to the Bayou City race back in 2012 when it played host to the USA Olympic Marathon Trials. It was supposed to be a big weekend with friends who ended up not being able to make it. Instead, I stayed with a law school classmate's aunt and uncle, neither of whom I had met before, and had a great time.

Race Report: the Narrows Half

In the 5 to 7 weeks before each marathon I try to run a half-marathon tune-up race.*  For this training cycle, I had planned on running the Staten Island Half next weekend but I mad the mistake of holding out on registration and the darn thing sold out.

With only a limited window for running before I need to start getting ready for my taper I looked for local races and stumbled upon the Narrows Half as an obvious choice. Back in April I volunteered for the first iteration of this race and as a result scored a free entry into another NYCRuns event. So, on Tuesday last week I signed up.

The course is flat as can be, a double out-and-back along the Belt Parkway Promenade, beginning and ending at the 69th Street Pier just off of Bay Ridge Avenue. If it's windy, though, it's a tough spot since there are no trees or buildings to block the wind. And with no shade, you kind of hope for overcast skies.

I had to wake up extra early on Sunday since the race was an hour away, but it was probably a good thing since it gave me extra time to digest my usual peanut butter and bagel.  By 8am I was in Bay Ridge with plenty of time for my pre-race warm-up and bathroom visit(s).

The race was scheduled to start at 9, though the race organizers delayed the start 5 minutes because of lines for the porta potties. I lined up towards the front and prepared for the horn. As soon as it sounded I took off.

In the first mile I felt great. This course is super flat and the wind was at my back so the first mile was my fastest in 6:16. The last half I did was Brooklyn which didn't go so well from a racing perspective. As such, I wasn't sure what kind of pace would be realistic but figured there was only one way to find out. I did mile 2 in 6:21, shortly before our first turn-around just past the bridge (the first out-and-back is roughly 5 miles, the second roughly 8).

I talked to another runner (I'm pretty sure he was Australian) for a bit who said it was his first half--he'd never raced over a 10k before--and I wished him luck. We both agreed that running into the sun it felt surprisingly warm.

Although I didn't feel as though I had slowed down, apparently the wind had some affect because the next three miles (3, 4, and 5) were all around 6:30. I'd finished the first 5 mile loop feeling good but knew the second longer loop was going to be much more difficult.

At this point I began picking off other runners. I was trying to stay steady, resisting the urge to speed up or slow down unnecessarily.  I did mile 6 in 6:28 and mile 7 in 6:22. I could see the turn around point, just before the Bath Beach Toys 'R' Us, but knew it was still two miles away. I hadn't looked back in a while so I had no idea how close the next runner was, but I managed to pass another one in front of me.

I did mile 8 in 6:25, and made it to the turn-around and mile 9 in 6:26. Shortly after the turn around a CPTC runner gained on me. I was getting tired at this point and kept assuming he would pass me and that would be that, but I did my best to hang on. Mile 10 was 6:33. I could see the bridge, knowing that it was shortly before mile 11.

We passed another CPTC runner who sort of fell in behind us. I was no determined not to let them pass me if at all possible. At mile 11 I looked at my watch, 6:45.00--Dang it! I exclaimed (okay, I said something else, but I'm not printing it here).

The view on the way to the finish.

Because of the winding course, you couldn't see the finish all that far out, but having run the same stretch three times already, I had a good grasp on the final two miles. I started to speed up, doing mile 12 in 6:38. With just over a mile left, I tried to pick it up again.

The wind wasn't too noticeable, except that it was much cooler running into it, but I could still feel some resistance. I could see the finish as I passed mile 13 in 6:32. I looked at my watch and realized I would have to really hustle to break 1:25, my goal for the day.

Although I tried to sprint home, I could beat the clock and crossed in 1:25:06. The two CPTC runners crossed shortly after me and I congratulated them. We all thanked each other for the extra push in the final miles.

While I certainly would have liked a faster time, I was happy with the result. I hadn't given myself much of a taper--I did an easier track workout on Thursday and took Friday off--and had 50 miles on my legs for the week. a 1:25 is exactly where I need to be for the marathon and it was better than my Brooklyn time, and more importantly, it felt much better too. Now I have two more weeks of solid training before the taper. Hopefully all goes well.
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*A post on tune-up race, when to do them, and what purposes they serve is coming soon.

Photos are from NYCRuns.

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: 2012 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon

When I signed up for the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon last year I really wanted to use it as a PR race but that wasn’t in the cards this weekend. First a shout-out to my wonderful hosts, the aunt and uncle of a law school classmate of mine (who was supposed to run too but had to cancel her trip last minute), who could not have been more welcoming (the aunt also ran the race and PRd with a 1:41!!!).

I’ve been battling a cold for the past two weeks so I had B and C time goals in mind. Friday night my flight out was delayed several times so instead of getting in before 9, I got in near 11. By the time I got to sleep it was well past midnight and unfortunately my brain didn’t realize I didn’t have work the next morning because it woke me up around 5:15 am! When I did my 3 mile shakeout run later in the day my legs still felt kind of heavy—not light and fresh the way they were supposed to.

In order to get downtown on Sunday for the start we had to leave by 5 am which meant a 4:15 wake-up and another night of not enough sleep. I had my usual bagel with peanut butter (having had my ritual pancakes for breakfast and pasta for dinner the day before) and we were out the door right on time. We cruised downtown with no traffic and found a spot in a garage by 5:30. At 5:45 we left the warm car and headed over to the convention center. There weren’t any port-o-potties in sight so, after ditching my warm clothes, I headed to the corals for a pit stop. It was a little chilly, but not cold and with clear skies, the weather was absolutely perfect.

Although the half has around 11,000 people, there are only three corals, the A, B, and open corals. I thought it would be a mess but it worked surprisingly well—I managed to get almost to the front. After several running celebrities were introduced, a prayer was offered, and the anthem sung, the gun went off.

In spite of the large number of people I experience no crowding at the beginning. You run immediately over the freeway on a bridge which constitutes the biggest “hill” of the course. To your left, you can see the full marathoners who merge onto the same bridge. At mile 1, I realized I had started my watch too early and for the first time in my running history the course clocks were behind my watch! I knocked out mile 2 in a PR pace but I could feel the effort—the last time I ran a PR, the whole race felt effortless so I already had doubts.

The areas we were running through definitely had a inner-city feel, but after seeing so much suburban sprawl, it was a nice change. We were now running with the marathoners but the course remained very open. At this point my legs started to feel tired. My breathing was great but my body wasn’t giving me the speed I asked for. My pace didn’t change too much for the next couple miles, but I was having serious doubts since nothing felt right.

Just after mile 5, we turned onto what is essentially a long straightaway that lasts for 4 miles. I began asking myself if I shouldn’t just slow down and treat the day as a long run. Nevertheless, I kept going, reminding myself that I was still on track for my C goal and that my B goal was not impossible.

Because of an out-and-back spur, at mile 7 you start seeing faster half-marathoners running towards you on the other side of the street. At this point I began counting the minutes until I would may the turnaround and join them. Around mile 9, just after the turnaround another guy was running right beside me. I picked up the pace a little to match him as he increased speed and stuck with him. He told me I was doing great and I returned the compliment. He definitely kept me moving faster than I would have on my own.

Just before mile 10, the course makes a right turn onto a parkway and begins heading downtown. From this point onward, I had one goal: finish! I lost my supportive friend somewhere along the parkway but I tried to keep up my own pace. Thes were slower miles but with the downtown skyline drawing me in, I found more energy than I thought I had.

Finally, I could see the convention center which signaled the finish line. I knew I would meet my C goal with no problem but I still tried to speed up when I saw the 400 meters to go sign. I crossed the finish in 1:24:37, my slowest time since 2009, but felt great about it. I had run the race without throwing in the towel and had a great time overall enjoying the spectators, the other runners, and the city itself. I hope to return next year for a second chance at this race!