I had been looking forward to this race for a long time. Since, I wasn't selected to compete in the NYC Marathon, this would be my premiere event of 2007. I had tried to get my mileage up from 9 miles to at least 12 miles before the race but after running hard a few weeks I lost the will. I actually stopped halfway through a couple of my runs and with a heavy head hopped on the bus home.
Though it had been a few weeks since I had run I was going to show up to the race anyway. I had paid for it I might as well go through with it. Worst case scenario I would walk part of it. As long as I was moving faster than a 14 min/mile I wouldn't get disqualified. Besides, it was an exciting course, much more than the ING Marathon in November.
Other than running, I did everything else I needed to do to run a marathon. I began carboloading several days before the race and drank lots and lots of water. It turns out that glycogen, the stored carbohydrates in your muscles, don't only store energy but also water. For every 1 gram of carbs stored there are 3 grams of water. This, I was sure, would come in useful on a hot and humid August day.
The course starts in Central Park near East 86th Street and loops the park counter-clockwise and then empties out onto 59th Street at the Seventh Avenue exit. It then courses down Times Square and turns west on 42nd Street where in continues all the way to the West Side Highway. Runners then follow the Hudson River four miles to the end of the race near Battery Park, the southern tip of Manhattan.
The race was scheduled to start at 7:00am yesterday morning but the racers had to be in their respective racing corrals by 6:15am. Because I live in Morris Park I couldn't count on NYC Transit, they always take my train line out of service on the weekends, so I decided I would take a cab to the race. I called the taxi company the night before to schedule a cab but they told me just to call ten minutes ahead the next day.
I woke up at 4:30am, called and scheduled a cab for 5:30, hopped in the shower, caught some news while stretching, drank more water and went through my checklist: Championchip, racing bib, Garmin, energy gels, heart rate monitor, extra water. My girlfriend and I went outside at 5:25 to wait for our cab; we waited for half an hour. It didn't show up until 5:55. Obviously, I was beginning to get a bit stressed. The penalty for not getting to your corral by 6:15 was starting the race at the end of the pack.
We made it to 90th Street with very few minutes to spare. I could hear the organizers announcing the closing of the corrals. I ran over to the baggage truck that pertained to my bib number and dropped off my messenger bag only to find out that I had I had forgotten a label that needed to be affixed to my bag. Fortunately, I had a few safety pins left over and made my own label with my number, name and cell #. I gave them my bag, kissed my girlfriend and ran off into the park.
When I entered I noticed that there was a long line to get into the corral and all the porta-potties seemed to be fenced off from the runners. It looked like if I had to go I would have to do it before I hopped on line. There was no way that I was going to line up before disposing of my excess water, I had already drank about two liters of water and Gatorade in just the last hour. I begged to use the porta-potty at the first aid station and then lined up.
When I found my starting area I just went over my strategy in my head. Start off slow, pace yourself, pick up the pace leaving the park and kick in the rest after mile nine. I sat, I stretched, I took my first of four energy gels and focused on getting this over within two and a half hours. That was my goal, 2:30.
We waited in anticipation for forty-five minutes, then the national anthem. First race I ever heard that being played. Then a few introductions and "Thank You"s could be heard over the loudspeakers and then it began. Because I was lined up in the six thousands, bib number 6461, it took a while after the start for my group to start moving. We were about four blocks from the starting line. We sat there and listened to some horrible song that was being pushed out of the speakers. A few minutes later we began walking towards the start. As the pace picked up to a jog our DJ played the theme to Rocky, perfect! I crossed the starting line, clicked my Garmin and did my thing.
I had read that I should run the first half slower that the second, so I decided before hand that I would run the first six miles at an 11 min/mile pace. That proved harder than expected. Every time I checked my Garmin I was doing a 9 min pace and I intentionally slowed myself down. Watching hundreds, then thousands of people pass me was very difficult but I reminded myself that if I stayed honest to my strategy I would meet them later, before the race was over. I kept my pace, except for downhills where I let gravity do the work, but I was still clocking in faster than I had planned. After the third mile I felt great but I knew that I had ten more miles to run. I had never run ten miles in my life. I knew I shouldn't get too cocky.
Near the fourth mile I began to hear the panting and near the fifth mile I started to see a few people walking. The crowd wasn't passing me as quickly as before and I was beginning to pass a few but I had to try to keep my pace slow, though the temptation to speed up was stronger than in any other race I've been in.
I reached mile six in a little under an hour
At the seventh mile, the course pours out into the city. We exited the park at 59th Street and 7th Avenue. The experience of running out from under the blanket of trees that is Central Park onto a cleared out NYC avenue with Times Square dead ahead, is nothing less than surreal. I'm sure every runner was awed, regardless of how long they may have lived here. We were greeted and accompanied the rest of the way with the cheers of thousands of onlookers. This was the perfect time to up my pace. With all the energy around me there was hardly a choice.
I ran down the center of the avenue as I ran towards Times Square. Almost as soon as I hit Seventh Avenue I spotted one of the ABC News crews embedded with a brass band. I looked for but couldn't find my girlfriend at our predetermined spot near the Jamba Juice site. As I approached 48th Street, I realized that the race was being televised on the jumbo screen on the NASDAQ building. That was very cool. Times Square was filled with cheering, music and runners. It was absolutely an amazing sight that not even the NYC Marathon could match.
Surprisingly, I found my girlfriend Kimberly amongst the crowd. I ran over, kissed her, exchanged a few words, then I was off. Considering that I felt as good as I did, halfway into the race, I knew spending a minute with her couldn't hurt.
After clearing Times Square we headed down to the river. The wonderful thing about the last leg was that it was all downhill. Now reaching the West Side Highway everything would be flat and sunny, hardly any shade for protection. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day for running and the breeze from the river was helpful at times.
I was surprised that after mile nine I was doing so well. I decided at this point to find someone with a quick pace and just follow them to the finish line. I noticed a very fit looking woman pass me and I decided I would tail her the rest of the way. Approaching mile 12 she started to wane so I pushed on realizing that my breathing was fairly stable and that I still had lots of energy left. I pushed my pace to an 8 min/mile.
As I neared the World Trade Center I realized that I was closing in on the two-hour mark and I was so close to the end. I started pumping my arms and kicking in to anaerobic mode. I wasn't planning on leaving anything on the course, especially if I could get in under two hours. I'm not sure if I looked silly or incredible to the spectators but I was passing everyone, really quickly. As I reached the underpass by the Merrill Lynch building on Vesey Street I started to feel the burning in my lungs. I knew that I had already passed the 2:00:00 mark but I just kept on pumping. I believe I sprinted at least half a mile at the end. I crossed the finish line to huge cheers.
After catching my breath I knew that I had much more energy to run with but unfortunately, the race was over. I know now, for next year, that I should not start the race off as slow as I did. My goal of 2:30 was a much slower time than necessary and next year I plan on finishing at a 1:40 max. Regardless, the NYC Half Marathon has been of the best experiences of my life. I can't wait for next year's race.
5K Time – 0:31:58
10K Time – 1:03:03
15K Time – 1:30:45
20K Time – 1:56:50
Finish Time – - 2:02:04
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