When I signed up for this race, I fully expected to set a new PR.  I am approaching the end of my first marathon training cycle and have averaged about 50 MPW in the 12 weeks before this race.  I averaged less than 25 MPW when I set my old PR (1:36), so I was expecting something big. However, as race day approached, I was feeling really sluggish and did not feel great about my prospects.  My goal is to do well in the NYCM 6 weeks from now, so I was not going to taper for this race.  I figured I would just do my best and at least turn it into a solid training run.  As things turned out, it was much better than that.

Pre-Race

I went to bed early on Saturday and got up at 5:15 for an 8:30 start.  I braced myself for soreness when I walked down the stairs, but, much to my surprise, my legs actually felt pretty good.  I went through my ordinary pre-race routines and left home at 6:15.  The drive to Jersey City took 15 minutes longer than it should have because of some police activity, but I managed to get there at 7:15, which left me plenty of time to pick-up my bib, use the portajohns and do my warm up.  I jogged two miles, did a few strides and felt pretty good. The weather was excellent.  It had rained hard overnight and the forecast called for more rain, but instead the sun was coming out, it was 62 degrees and humidity was low. It was a good day to run.

My plan was to run 7 minute miles if I felt up to it.  A week before the race, my goals were to PR (sub-1:36), go for 1:32 if I felt good and 1:30 if I felt great.  As I got ready for the gun, I decided to go for it, but be prepared to ease off if I felt signs of early fatigue.

The Race

I lined up with the 7 minute milers, but still had to dodge a few people in the first half mile.  I did not think I was running fast, but I saw a 6:10 pace early on.  I forced myself to slow down and finished mile 1 at about a 7 minute pace.  The first four miles felt pretty good, but they seemed to take forever.  I had no signs of distress, but I wondered if I could really maintain this pace for 13 miles.  My tempo runs have been rough under Pfitz.  I have felt pretty sluggish and have rarely run faster than 7:40, so I have not done much running at this kind of pace.

Mile 1: 7:03

Mile 2: 6:54

Mile 3: 6:59

Mile 4: 7:01

They had water and Gatorade every two miles or so.  I grabbed water early on and then Gatorade the rest of the way. I don't think I missed a water stop until the last few miles of the race.  My drinking technique has definitively gotten better.  I managed to get in plenty of fluids without slowing down too much.  I carried a Gu, but didn't bother to use it as I was drinking plenty of Gatorade.

These next few miles were challenging.  I felt strong enough to run a bit faster, but I didn't think I had the stamina to hold it. I ended up staying around 7 minute miles. I never really found anyone to run with for more than a mile or two, so I just concentrated on maintaining my pace.  This is a lovely course, but it has so many twists and turns. It was impossible to run all the tangents and my Garmin was beeping well before each mile. As such, all the splits I list are off by a bit. On average, my actual pace was about 7 seconds slower than my Garmin recorded.

We entered Liberty Park around mile 5.  This had a lot of sharp turns and some large puddles that could not be avoided.  As we approached the Hudson, I could feel the first sign of a strong wind.  Around, mile 6, we turned a corner and headed straight for the Statue of Liberty. It was an amazing view and it gave me the strength to fight through a tough crosswind. The course turned north when we hit the Hudson and the crosswind turned into a brutal headwind.  I tucked in behind a few other runners and managed to keep up the pace.  I started to gain confidence and no longer feared blowing up. I was determined to finish strong.

Mile 5: 6:59

Mile 6: 6:56

Mile 7: 6:58

Mile 8: 6:57

Mile 9: 6:51

By mile 10, I recognized that I would have to pick up the pace to go sub-1:32. I knew my Garmin was off and I didn't know the exact pace required, but I figured I would get there if I could close with 6:45 miles. I did pick up the pace a bit, but I couldn't go as fast as I wanted.  I was not in distress, but I just couldn't get my legs to go any faster.  The wind was also very strong. It was generally at my side or in my face for the last few miles, but I kept on pushing. When I finally rounded the corner to the finish, I knew I had run well, but was not going to run sub-1:32.  I sprinted the last 30 meters to the finish and ended up with a time of 1:32.39.

Mile 10: 6:52

Mile 11: 7:04

Mile 12: 6:54

Mile 13: 6:54

Mile 0.4 6:44 (Garmin showed 13.35 miles)

Official Time: 1:32.39 (7:04 pace)

Takeaways: I am very pleased with this race.  My goal of 1:32 was very aggressive and pretty arbitrary, but I actually came close to reaching it.  I ran an evenly paced race and never lost focus.  My legs were actually very strong during the race.  I probably would have benefited from a taper, but my mid-week concerns were unfounded. On race day, I was fit and ready to go. To run faster, I may need to risk more early on and try to run 5 - 10 seconds per mile faster.  No matter how strong I feel, I can't shift down to 8K pace in the last couple miles. Although this was a good race, it was not my goal race.  I need to stay focused on the NYCM, which is now just 6 weeks away.  I took one afternoon to celebrate and now it is back to the grind.  Thanks for reading.

Awesome speed, congratulations!

Thanks FreeSoul and Lily!

Jack - I guess my goals were all over the place. 1:30 A goal, 1:32 B goal and 1:36 C goal.  That said, my plan was really to aim for 1:32 all along.  I never really thought I could do 1:30, but I wasn't completely sure since I hadn't raced in months.  My legs were really sore in the days before the race, so I considered adjusting my plan, but in the end I didn't have to.  I just went out there and ran a bunch of 7 minute miles.  I probably did not have to drink as much as I did, but I wanted to practice for my upcoming marathon.  I wanted to do well in this race, but I was willing to sacrifice a few seconds here and there to try some things out.  Many thanks.  I am looking forward to reading about your marathon too.

TAH, what a fantastic race and way to smash your goal!

You should be very very pleased!

Congrats on such a strong race! I almost ran that this weekend, I watched it last year and it was super duper windy.

Very impressive time given that you are in the dog days of marathon training!  That you finished strong suggests a 6:45 pace half marathon is not a question of if, but when.

Thanks Damaris.

Just B.S. - Thank you.  It has been more than 24 hours, but I am still pretty happy about it.

Oski - Thanks.  I probably ran faster than I deserved to on low mileage.  This time I earned it.

lilac_jive - I highly recommend this race.  If you were a spectator, you have a good sense of what to expect.  The wind and all the turns made it challenging, but the views were great.

Thanks Rondog!

LRB - Thank you.  I won't race another HM until next spring, but I think I can get faster if I keep up the mileage.

She Can - Many thanks.  I hope to be well prepared for the NYCM, but I'll take all the luck I can get.

Congrats TakeAHike!

That was a very descriptive report, I felt like I was right there with you.  Excellent pacing and well-run.

Good luck with the rest of your training and at the NYCM.  Very exciting stuff.