Race Report #8: New York City Half Marathon

A few months back, I signed up to do the NYC Half with my buddy Clarke. It was going to be his first half marathon and he was pretty excited to train up for it. We did one or two practice runs together and I could really tell that he was taking it seriously which was pretty cool to see.

As the race approached, my coach Alex and I talked and decided that it was ok for me to run it provided that I throw in a little mileage at the end and didn't lay down a race effort. So, the plan was to put down a soid 90- to 100-mile ride and short run on Saturday and then just treat the half marathon like a supported Sunday long run. I could get a mile or two in after finishing and, hopefully, still catch Clarke's finish.

Race weekend, it was very hot and very humid! I put down a solid effort on the bike on Saturday but was completely wiped in the afternoon from dehydration and too much sun. When I woke up Sunday, I still felt pretty crappy from the day before and would have rather waited to run a little later in the day. In the end, doing the race worked out for the best because it allowed me to get my training in before it got really hot.

I corralled up around 6:45 and started the race with my buddy Michael. Around the 6-mile mark we came across a pro passed out on the side of the road... that's when I started to realize how hot it was. As we exited Central Park, Michael was feeling really good and I didn't want to push things so I let him take off.

Once out of the Park, we go to cruise down 7th Avenue through Times Square. What an experience! It was completely empty save for runners and you just flew through Midtown.

When I hit the West Side for the last 4 miles of the race, the heat started to get to me and I felt the fatigue form the previous day. At that point, I just cruised to the end and finished easy. There were no chips but by my watch I ran about 1:37.

After getting a little water and food, I jogged back down the course to watch Clarke finish. As he came in, I jumped back on the course and sprinted to the line with him. He had a solid finish of about 1:49--not bad for his first race!

After a little cooldown, Clarke and I met up with his girlfriend and headed home for a snack, coffee and (eventually) a beer. Not a bad start to a Sunday.

Some pictures from the race.

Cruising through Times Square. Streets are completely empty save for runners.

Coming in for the finish.

Crossing the line.