With more than 12 half marathons under my belt, in the words of Ramon Bermo, “I’m no Rookie”. I knew exactly what to expect from this race since it was my third time running it.
What I was a little more uncertain of was a challenging yet realistic race goal. My fastest recorded ½ marathon was a 1:50:01 in the Staten Island ½ Marathon in 2006. I email Mike Conlon to get his input and he told me I should shoot for a 1:45. A five minute difference from my fastest race but I felt it was doable. 8:01 pace. Sounds good to me!
I new I wanted to get a good night sleep leading up to the race so I had some pasta and salad for dinner and was in bed before 10pm. I sent my alarm for 5:45am (more than 7 hours sleep) to give myself enough time to putz around in the morning, have a cup of coffee, eat a banana and get to the van pick up spot by 6:55am.
I headed out the door around 6:30am and had enough time to leisurely walk to the corner of 34th and Lexington while eating my PB&J (typical pre-race/workout meal). We get to Brooklyn in record time thanks to Heather since she arranged a van to take a bunch of us to the race start. What a relief avoiding mass transpiration. The morning was off to a good start. The weather was perfect for racing, my nerves were calm and I was ready to do this.
With plenty of time once we got to the race start there was time for multiple trips to the Porto-Johns before our stuff had to be dropped in bag check and the gun went off. I had a light blue bib number (8:30 pace) but went up to the light yellow (??) corral with Lynn and Amanda. Being up at the front of the crowd certainly help. There were quite a few people but nothing impossible to maneuver around.
Mile 1 ended up being 8:05 which for the most part was right on target of what I wanted my first couple miles to be. I felt relaxed but aware that I didn’t want to go out too fast and not be able to sustain my pace for the entire race. I hit the turn around and Amanda and Lynn were still with me. No words are being exchanged between the three of us but it was certainly nice to have the company of fellow teammates. Now that I was running the opposite direction on the boardwalk I wanted to look for people I knew coming the other direction but remember being told that crowd scoping can waste energy and I didn’t want to expend any unnecessary fuel.
I pass mile marker #2 with a split of 7:50. Ikes! I’m speeding up. Not what I wanted to do. I don’t freak out because I’m feeling pretty good and my heart rate is in check. I can tell Amanda felt good as she makes her way through the crowd and off the board walk. I’m trying to stay conservative so I scope the crowd for people I feel are maintaining a steady pace.
Always aware of my pace and those running around me, I make it to Mile 3 with a split of 7:53. Still faster than my targeted 8:01 pace but I go with it. I take an Espresso Love Gu since I haven’t had anything to eat since about 7am. This was a little earlier in the game than I typically start to take in calories but felt it was appropriate given the faster pace.
As each mile goes by I’m more and more impressed with the pace I’ve been able to sustain. This is crazy!!! I’m starting to think about my pace and the fact that I’m ahead of my 8:01 targeted goal. Interesting I think to myself… if a consistent 8:01 pace would bring me at 1:45 I’m starting to realize the possibility that I may beat my goal time. Knowing that the hardest part of the races is that last 3 miles I continue maintain the pace I’ve been at for the first half of the race.
Mike Conlon passes me around Mile 7 and notices that I’m ahead of my plan. He reminds me of what’s to come and tells me to stay within a 10 second window of my target pace. One step in front of the other… counting at times 1-2-3-4, to remind myself of my cadence I head into Prospect Park. I take another Espresso Love Gu to ensure I maintain my energy for the last part of the race.
Remembering that the hill is still ahead but knowing I only have 3 miles left to go – it’s time to kick in an extra gear. I think we pass mile 10 right before the beginning of the hill. Keri Stone passes me looking strong and reminding me that the race isn’t over yet. I keep my eyes on her back as I climb the hill and focus on maintaining my form. Mile 11 my split is 7:46 – sweet! I felt strong going up the hill (thanks Scott and Ross for making us run them).
I’m almost there… ensuring that I leave everything I have out on the course I start to focus on the backs of other runners and try to pick them off one at a time. My legs are starting to feel a little lactic burn so I know I’ve done my job. Passing Mile 13 with a split of 7:42 I’m please that my efforts are resulting in negative splits come the end of the race.
Hell yeah! I finish in 1:42:35. Faster than my 1:45 goal. I’m elated… proud… pleased with my effort. However, I think I’m more amazed at the strength I’ve gained while training with TriLife. What a huge improvement from my fastest ½ marathon. It’s nice to finally see a recognizable change in my fitness and strength.
For reference, the Brooklyn ½ Marathon was my very first ½ marathon.
What I was a little more uncertain of was a challenging yet realistic race goal. My fastest recorded ½ marathon was a 1:50:01 in the Staten Island ½ Marathon in 2006. I email Mike Conlon to get his input and he told me I should shoot for a 1:45. A five minute difference from my fastest race but I felt it was doable. 8:01 pace. Sounds good to me!
I new I wanted to get a good night sleep leading up to the race so I had some pasta and salad for dinner and was in bed before 10pm. I sent my alarm for 5:45am (more than 7 hours sleep) to give myself enough time to putz around in the morning, have a cup of coffee, eat a banana and get to the van pick up spot by 6:55am.
I headed out the door around 6:30am and had enough time to leisurely walk to the corner of 34th and Lexington while eating my PB&J (typical pre-race/workout meal). We get to Brooklyn in record time thanks to Heather since she arranged a van to take a bunch of us to the race start. What a relief avoiding mass transpiration. The morning was off to a good start. The weather was perfect for racing, my nerves were calm and I was ready to do this.
With plenty of time once we got to the race start there was time for multiple trips to the Porto-Johns before our stuff had to be dropped in bag check and the gun went off. I had a light blue bib number (8:30 pace) but went up to the light yellow (??) corral with Lynn and Amanda. Being up at the front of the crowd certainly help. There were quite a few people but nothing impossible to maneuver around.
Mile 1 ended up being 8:05 which for the most part was right on target of what I wanted my first couple miles to be. I felt relaxed but aware that I didn’t want to go out too fast and not be able to sustain my pace for the entire race. I hit the turn around and Amanda and Lynn were still with me. No words are being exchanged between the three of us but it was certainly nice to have the company of fellow teammates. Now that I was running the opposite direction on the boardwalk I wanted to look for people I knew coming the other direction but remember being told that crowd scoping can waste energy and I didn’t want to expend any unnecessary fuel.
I pass mile marker #2 with a split of 7:50. Ikes! I’m speeding up. Not what I wanted to do. I don’t freak out because I’m feeling pretty good and my heart rate is in check. I can tell Amanda felt good as she makes her way through the crowd and off the board walk. I’m trying to stay conservative so I scope the crowd for people I feel are maintaining a steady pace.
Always aware of my pace and those running around me, I make it to Mile 3 with a split of 7:53. Still faster than my targeted 8:01 pace but I go with it. I take an Espresso Love Gu since I haven’t had anything to eat since about 7am. This was a little earlier in the game than I typically start to take in calories but felt it was appropriate given the faster pace.
As each mile goes by I’m more and more impressed with the pace I’ve been able to sustain. This is crazy!!! I’m starting to think about my pace and the fact that I’m ahead of my 8:01 targeted goal. Interesting I think to myself… if a consistent 8:01 pace would bring me at 1:45 I’m starting to realize the possibility that I may beat my goal time. Knowing that the hardest part of the races is that last 3 miles I continue maintain the pace I’ve been at for the first half of the race.
Mike Conlon passes me around Mile 7 and notices that I’m ahead of my plan. He reminds me of what’s to come and tells me to stay within a 10 second window of my target pace. One step in front of the other… counting at times 1-2-3-4, to remind myself of my cadence I head into Prospect Park. I take another Espresso Love Gu to ensure I maintain my energy for the last part of the race.
Remembering that the hill is still ahead but knowing I only have 3 miles left to go – it’s time to kick in an extra gear. I think we pass mile 10 right before the beginning of the hill. Keri Stone passes me looking strong and reminding me that the race isn’t over yet. I keep my eyes on her back as I climb the hill and focus on maintaining my form. Mile 11 my split is 7:46 – sweet! I felt strong going up the hill (thanks Scott and Ross for making us run them).
I’m almost there… ensuring that I leave everything I have out on the course I start to focus on the backs of other runners and try to pick them off one at a time. My legs are starting to feel a little lactic burn so I know I’ve done my job. Passing Mile 13 with a split of 7:42 I’m please that my efforts are resulting in negative splits come the end of the race.
Hell yeah! I finish in 1:42:35. Faster than my 1:45 goal. I’m elated… proud… pleased with my effort. However, I think I’m more amazed at the strength I’ve gained while training with TriLife. What a huge improvement from my fastest ½ marathon. It’s nice to finally see a recognizable change in my fitness and strength.
For reference, the Brooklyn ½ Marathon was my very first ½ marathon.
Mile 1 - 8:05.3
Mile 2 - 7:50.6
Mile 3 - 7:53.8
Mile 4 - 7:43.1
Mile 5 - 7:50.9
Mile 6 - 7:58.1
Mile 7 - 7:54.6
Mile 8 - 7:52.5
Mile 9 - 7:50.1
Mile 10 - 7:51.2
Mile 11 - 7:46.1
Mile 12 - 7:30.9
Mile 13 - 7:42.3
Mile 13.1 - 0:47.4
Mile 4 - 7:43.1
Mile 5 - 7:50.9
Mile 6 - 7:58.1
Mile 7 - 7:54.6
Mile 8 - 7:52.5
Mile 9 - 7:50.1
Mile 10 - 7:51.2
Mile 11 - 7:46.1
Mile 12 - 7:30.9
Mile 13 - 7:42.3
Mile 13.1 - 0:47.4
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