Manhattan Half-Marathon 2009

One of my biggest flaws is the fact that I always want to do beyond my best, unfortunately most of the time I get negative results from trying too hard. In running, the ING NYC Marathon was the best example -- the harder I tried the worse result I got. It was a really rough week, but I committed to run well in the Manhattan Half-Marathon so I had to fulfill my own obligation to kick off a new running season with a good race.

I missed three days of running due to severe shin splints on my right leg, and my training didn't go well prior to the downtime, so I was a bit hesitate to set up a goal before the half. Additionally, the temperate dipped to teens over the weekend and it felt like single digit when you were outside at 7 in the morning, it was brutal. Thankfully there was no wind or it could’ve been worse.

I wasn't going to take a chance and wore 3 layers for the race, and 2 more light jackets for pre-race. Shorts were not an option so I kept my running pants on. My gloves were unable to block off the cold and my hands were freezing, and red.

With the new course in Central Park, the baggage area was pretty far away from the start. I waited and waited and finally had to remove the extra clothes for the race. NYRR Staff Bill told me I should walk around or warm up, but my heart definitely wasn't there this morning so I just stood there until I headed to the start.

The start was relatively clean because runners from Corral #0 mostly knew what they were doing. Though, some runners who weren't supposed to be there sneaked in and they weren't fast -- we had to weave around a few of them as we began to loop around the park twice.

Like the Great Gallop, my aim was to keep a good running form early in the race and maintain it throughout. I also wanted to stay under a 7 min pace so I could count 7, 14, 21, etc. on my Garmin. At one point I was a minute and a half under the 7:00 pace, which was roughly about 6:50 pace or so and I felt pretty comfortable at that pace.

Running Central Park anti-clockwise was tough because of the hills, and going up the Cat Hill and Harlem Hill twice were definitely brutal. Though, I was able to suck it up and ran with the flow, so I didn't lose too much time going up the hills.

The other challenge was that I couldn't take any fluids at the stands because they were cold if not icy, and I didn't want to freeze my lungs or put water on myself. Knowing that my sweat was turning into ice, I definitely didn’t want to put water or Gatorade on myself.

Late in the race I really thought about things that took place during the week and the night before. It was a moment where I could reflect and running was the only sport that could provide the space for me. If you ask me why I run, here’s your answer.

The finish was at the 72nd Transverse and I thought about Race for the Cure back in 2007, it was a good day. As I approached the finish line, the runner in front of me was too far ahead and I had to settle and pace myself to the finish.

I could compare this finish to the Brooklyn Half last year. My finish time was 1:31:06 (6:57 pace), which wasn't too bad, but at the baggage area Bill could tell that I was disappointed. Though, I did try my very best and with the icy sweat and little tears perhaps from the cold, I had to be OK with my performance.

My friend Annie also ran the race. I intended to watch her finish but since I was freezing, I stayed for 5 minutes and bailed.

My next race is going to take place in two weeks in the Bronx. I just hope it's going to be warmer because the Grand Concourse is very unforgiving when it’s cold and windy.

NYRR Thursday Night at the Races - Men's 1-Mile 1/8/2009

So I did it. I bought my new Asics spikes and took them to Washington Heights for my first NYRR race of the year - an indoor track event at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory. It was the first time in 18 years I ran in an indoor track event and I was really nervous before the race.

To be honest, I knew the field was really competitive as more than half of the field would run sub-5 minutes in an one-mile race, add to the fact that I hadn't ran a miler since the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile in 2006 (5:41), I decided to keep my real expectation relatively low... although I wanted to run a 5:30 in the race.


The Armory was really a first class facility and I was really impressed. I arrived early and ran 2 laps on the open track to warm up. My spikes were new and I pretty much had to adapt on the fly, like I said I hadn't ran with those in 18 years!

The atmosphere was pretty tense before the race, and this guy came to me and asked me about the race format since it was his first time to run in this venue. When I asked him what his Fifth Avenue time was, he said 4:52... I was like okay brother you'll be fine. Anyhow, it was a long wait before I got to do the draw because there were so many dudes racing in the miler, and I think I took the track in the seventh heat out of nine tonight.

I drew 11th before the race, that means I had to start on the outside lane and had to cut in before the first turn. The start was really smooth I didn't really push it and I was able to cut in second after the cone. I tucked in before the leader and ran closely behind him for the draft. In the first half of the race I had this determination like I had in the marathons, it was a great feeling and it brought back a lot of childhood memories especially when we made the turns.

Though, my lungs started to struggle after lap 4 and I began to fade slightly. It turned out the leader wasn't a rabbit as he started to increase his lead and my form started to collapse. After all, it was the first time in 2 years I ran like this so it wasn't a surprise to me. By lap 6, three more guys passed me and two more passed me on the final lap, so I finished 7th out of 14 in the race and my finish time was 5:32.8 -- a 9-second PR in a miler.

It was rough in the last 200 meters because I didn't have the kick I normally had in road races, and I couldn't stop coughing after the race. Originally I signed up the 800m as well but since my cough didn't subside, I didn't want to push it and withdrew from the race. After all, my priority is road racing, although it was a great experience back on the track.

Now I want more. For sure I'm not going to kill myself doing this but this is something I miss dearly. I'm going to do it again on Feb. 26th and hopefully I could do both 1500m and 800m next time.