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.

A Rough Go - NYRR 8000 and March 2008

Lack of motivation and an oblique muscle injury highlighted my pre-race preparation for the Central Park Challenge: NYRR 8000 this morning, but I was able to fight through the pain both physically and psychologically and set my PR (33:00/6:38 pace) in an 8K race. For the first time ever, all kinds of emotions went through my mind after I crossed the finish line -- not because of my time, but how the race unfolded.

A lot of stuff happened after the Bronx Half in February – I probably injured my left oblique muscle on March 2nd after I ran a half marathon training run on the trails in Central Park, and I made it worse at the gym the night after. In between I also managed to make a very poor decision that Monday afternoon, which has been an unknown issue since then.

As a result, I had to stop running altogether. I was only able to work on the CrossRamp machine to keep myself active, and I ran on the treadmill a couple of times for only a mile. Honestly I always tried to put my heart and soul to prepare myself before the race (and anything important to me), not this time.

And yes, I had a few “beverages" with my ex-colleagues last night it was my "I.N.A.G.D. Night #4". In fact, I woke up very late this morning I almost missed the start! Since the start time of the 8000 was 7:30 am, I had to get to the start on the East Side by 7:15 am. Walking out the door on the West Side at 6:50 am was bad, and not having a M86 bus at the stop made the situation worse. Basically I had to race walk about 2 miles to get to the baggage area in order to drop off my stuff, and then I had to rush to the starting corral. To add insult to injuries, I forgot to bring my PowerBar (breakfast) with me, and not enough pins to secure my bag. It was a total mess and I had to run the race with very little fuel in the tank.

Thankfully, I was able to get to the baggage drop-off area (in the mud) by 7:18 am, and I was able to get extra pins to secure my bib and my bag.

Expectations were high the day I signed up for the race last month. I was hoping to run 34:30 in order to improve my time in a 5-mile run (Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 2007). However, I understood the term “when it rains, it pours”, and all of the sudden I had no expectation whatsoever.

Due to time constraint I wasn’t able to settle down in the corral, and here came the start. The track was sttill wet after the morning rain and rooster tails were coming out from runners ahead of me. Entering the 102nd Transverse, I was in good shape where my pace went down to 6:28 and the runners around me were very professional, in which I was able to find a clear path without running around the traffic. I didn’t notice much pain on my oblique muscle, and I was able to use my modified strides to hang with the group.

Though, I started to feel the pain as we crossed the 2-mile mark. Remember what happened in Manhattan Half back in January? I started to feel lose and by the time we approached the water station near the Time Warner Center entrance, I didn’t know if I should take the fluid or not. I pulled in thinking to get a cup of water, but decided to skip the very last second.

Since we were running anti-clockwise in Central Park, we had to tackle several uphills on the East Side – including the Boat House Curve. Knowing that I was running under a 7:00 pace, I continued to keep the pace but the pain began to get worse. I tried to compensate by landing my left foot differently, but my left calf started to ache.

Despite the pain, the 5k split time gave me a little boost. When I looked at the clock I was running at a 6:32 pace, so I didn’t lose too much speed between mile 1 to mile 3. Moreover, I was still running below my best 5K pace (NY Mets Run to the Home Plate 2007) I just couldn’t slow down.

As I entered the final stretch on the Fred Lebow Straight, I spent sometime thinking about the "situation", and it carried me to the finish. My oblique and my lower back hurt, but with a downhill run to the finish I picked up my legs again and blew past the runner ahead of me. I knew I did well in the race, but the joy clearly wasn't there.

I probably learned a lesson here – perhaps I need to understand how to stay positive, have faith and see how the chips are going to fall. These are the only things I can do at the moment.

There were two professional races after ours – including the USA Men’s 8K Championships and the Women’s 8K Invitational. I’m glad that I stayed in the cold for an extra hour because both races were spectacular, and I was able to congrat both winners – USA Olympic Team hopefuls Jorge Torres and Shalane Flanagan at the finish.

My next race is going to be the adidas Run for the Parks 4M in late April, follow by the Brooklyn Half. I just hope things are going to come around in April. With Easter coming up, it might be a good time for me to reflect.


Stats
Overall Place: 110/1780
Finish Time: 33:00
5K Split: 20:16
Pace/Mile: 6:38 (PR)