Masters Running

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Brooklyn HM RR (Read 194 times)

    As part of my training for the Vermont City Marathon, I ran the Brooklyn 1/2 Marathon this morning. A certain well-known pace calculator said that a 3:20 time in a marathon could mean a 1:34:50 HM, or about a 7:15 pace/mile. What really impresses me about you veteran Marathoners is your sense of restraint when it comes to the pace you set, and I was determined to hold (or see if I could hold) a steady 7:15 throughout a pancake-flat RR. I have a suspicion (maybe a delusion of grandeur) that I could run it faster, but decide to run 7:15's and see what I feel like at mile 10. Bang!.....off I go.... I forget to hit my garmy 'lap' button frequently. I am a poster child for adult-onset ADD. Miles 1 & 2: 14:37... cool. 7:18's. Hey look! It's called a boardwalk because it's made of boards. Whooda thunk? Miles 3 & 4: 29:06...7:10's. Easy, buddy. 5:...36:14/ 7:09 6: 43:29/ 7:15.........I feel pretty good. I get a water and manage not to wet myself. Note to self: stick to water lest you spill gatorade and get all sticky. 7: 50:49/ 7:17 8: 58:10/ 7:22 9: 1:05:32/ 7:16....it feels like I'm struggling a bit to hold my place....another part of me also seems to feel pretty good. I have a feeling that just holding my place for the last bit will be effort enough. 10 & 11: In Prospect Park now, folks are cheering and there is a roller or two, nothing huge. 1:20:08/ 7:19's 12: I do feel good and decide I can speed up: 1:27:06/ 6:58 13: 6:44......weeee! Look what I pull from my "Suitcase of Pain." (It's more like a coin-purse) 1:34:31 chip time, or 7:12's. Average HR of 167 (a little high, maybe?)...I'm just as pleased as punch but do get screamed at by the "bagel marshall," who slaps my hand because I am on the wrong side of the bagel box. I lack the nerve to ask her for cream cheese. So.......the NYRR puts on a good race. Plenty of porto-pottys, a t-shirt, chip timing, baggage transport and clear streets all for 30 bucks. I was lucky to get seeded near the front (there were 5,000 there and I, at #497, voluntarily took a slower corral lest I get mowed over). I still think a 3:20 at Burlington is a little ambitious, but I did do better than I expected at my first half-marathon. Thanks for reading. Walter.
      Wow....sub 7"s at mile 12 & 13......Fantastic! Well done and good luck with your marathon goal!
      Personal Records 5K - 21:35
        Great race and report....whooda thunk...that cracked me up! Big grin
        Quit being so damn serious! When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. "Ya just gotta let it go." OM
        huskydon


          Great job! Wonderful pacing and saving energy for the fast finish. If I was Race Director, I would assign the bagel lady a different task next time.... huskydon
          HermosaBoy


            Excellent race!!!

            And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx

             

            Rob

            SteveP


              What an awesome 1/2!!!! Thanks for the RR

              SteveP

              coastwalker


                Hi Walter, Just goes to show that keeping to your pacing targets can set you up for a great race with a strong, fast finish. Very well done! Remember how you ran this race when planning for VCM, and you'll do fine. Jay

                Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

                  Sweet racing and strong miles in here throughout! Congratulations! CNYrunner
                    Great race with great pacing and a strong finish. Given your HM a 3:20 marathon may very well be in the cards. I have found the prediction formulas to be so accurate as to be scary. We will be cheering for you in Vermont!

                    Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.

                    Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way -->  http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/


                    King of PhotoShop

                      Good work. I would be encouraged about this re Vermont. The calculators tend to be accurate predictors if you have the mileage base, and that is an important caveat. Still, if you lighten up your pace to 7:35's and can hold that for the full, you have a good chance at it. The big difference is the endurance in your case. You sure do have the speed. Very well done. Spareribs
                        Thanks, Ribs....I was hoping you'd chime in, since you seem to know (politely) that I'm a 40-something middle-distance runner with a little too much ambition Big grin I've got a couple more long runs before my taper, and I'll see how they go. I've never done a full Marathon, but I'm pretty sure that you can't "hide" anything from it. Still...I'm having a great time training for it (now that it's warmer), and am thinking about one in the fall. I think it's alright to work backwards from McMillan, which goes along with your "base" theory. But if I plug in my 5k PR, I get numbers that I know I can't do. later Walt
                        Mariposai


                          What an awesome HM. Now you know what you are capable off for the Full. You will do great. Keep up the great work.

                          "Champions are everywhereall you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard

                            Great half, Sir. You are ready for a fantastic marathon. Congratulations. TomS
                              Great race and yes I believe 3:20 is posible if you have put in the long runs and you are healthy. Great report and solid pacing at the front end and great racing at the end. Best in Burlington Tall

                              Recent Best times: None recently

                              btb1490


                                SirWalksalot, Prospect Park has more than just a few rollers in it, and you pulled some of your strongest miles through there near the end of the race. That sure is a good sign of things to come in your upcoming marathon. Best of luck to you.
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