RACE REPORT: The NYC Half-Marathon

Date: 8/16/2009 7:00 AM
Type: Race
Course: RACE: NYC Half-Marathon
Distance: 13.1 miles
Duration: 1:48:17
Pace: 8:16 / mile
Equipment: Brooks Infiniti 2 (Copper/Silver/Bl)
Weight: 158 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement: 1755 / 10167 (17.3%)
Age group: 40 – 44
Group Placement: 206 / 740 (27.8%)
Gender Placement: 1346 / 5032 (26.7%)
Weather: 77° F, Humid
Statistics: Calories: 1565 VO2 Max: 41.1

The important thing to remember is this:
When you run, have fun.
When you race, keep pace.

After the letdown I had in Brooklyn a few months back, where I ran too hard in Prospect Park, I figured to do things differently here. Just like at the Brooklyn Half, the first half of this race was running around the park, followed by running on the streets for the second half. In Brooklyn, I was spent by the time I came onto 4th Avenue. I had no gas left, and died out in the last 3 miles or so. I did not want to do this to happen in Manhattan, so I applied a more even keel pace.

I was not accepted to run in last year's NYC Half, but I did come down from CT (where I was working over the weekend) to cheer my friends from the club who were.
Typically, it is hot every year this race takes place. Today was no different. 77 degrees and just as high for the humidity too.

Though the race outside the park would be flat, Central Park was providing much needed shade to me. We exited the park near Columbus Cirle, and there were plenty of people who were either cheering, or wondering what was going on.

Completing my 9th mile was an amazing accomplishment. I think it was the crowd near Times Square, but the excitement had me do the mile in under 7 minutes.

I did falter as a result though. My two next miles were 8:27 and 8:51, which were easily my worst. Funny, I remember a time where 8:51 in a half-marathon was awesome.....

Fortunately, I remembered to run on the left-hand side of the southbound of West Side Highway, which completely blocked out the sun, thanks to it being tree lined and all.


I was motoring




Here are more stats and a graph:

Type Distance Time Total Time Pace Avg HR Max HR Notes
Mile 01.................7:59.9..... ........7:59.9 ............best 6:09
Mile 02.................7:56.42........ 15:56.32..........best 5:59
Mile 03.................8:16.11........ 24:12.43.......... best 6:07
Mile 04.................7:41.79........ 31:54.22.......... best 6:20
Mile 05.................8:11.48........ 40:05.70 .........best 5:03
Mile 06.................8:25.34........ 48:31.04..........best 6:10
Mile 07.................8:06.83........ 56:37.87...........best 5:43
Mile 08.................8:23.44..... 1:05:01.31..........best 4:42
Mile 09.................6:57.36......1:11:58.67...........best 5:09
Mile 10.................8:27.32..... 1:20:25.99..........best 6:12
Mile 11.................8:31.02..... 1:28:57.01...........best 7:00
Mile 12.................7:47.68..... 1:36:44.69...........best 6:02
Mile 13.................8:11.94..... 1:44:56.63...........best 5:28
Mile 13+.0.48.....3:24.07..... 1:48:20.70...........pace 7:01 best 4:04




After the race was over, I got my bag and went back to the finish line to look for Karen.
It was very difficult to find her in the sea of runners, and she, in fact, somehow went past me and to baggage. We finally communicated over cellphone, and met up at Battery Park for the announcement of the winners, and the raffles.

Well, we didn't win any raffles, but Karen was laughing how the top women finishers were each throwing their flowers into the audience, as if it were a wedding reception. I had this crazy idea in mind and asked her if she wanted any. She smiled and said of course, but that it would be crazy. Crazy is my middle name.

So the next to last bouquet of flowers actually were swiped from me by some latino and his little boy in front of me. "Isn't this supposed to be for women to catch?", I thought and then added, "Well then what the hell am I doing here then?"

The last bouquet was thrown. It was coming at me. I leaped and made sure that no one else was getting it. I grabbed them in mid air, and fell down into a roll, knocking other contenders aside. I heard laughter, probably for acting more like a wide receiver at the Super Bowl over something as ridiculous as flowers, but hey, it was for my gal.

When I walked back to Karen, she was crying hysterically. "YOU ARE CRAZY!" she laughed at me.


As expected, Paula Radcliff easily won the women's race, but what was not expected was Ryan Hall finishing in 3rd, or Deena Kastor finishing in 6th. The best time? Tadese Tola from Ethiopia. He was no Haile but he did do it in 1:01:06. For those keeping score, that is equivalent to a pace of 4:40 per mile. Times 13.1 miles. Insane.



And in the end it was all about the medal. Interesting sewer manhole type of medal too....