A Tale of Two Beaches (Part II)

Recovery was the key after the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, as I had 26.2 miles to go the next day. Unfortunately, I went out of my PowerBar Recovery Mix and I desperately tried to find something with a "#3" on it after the race. I didn't want to go to Paragon at Union Square because I needed to get some rest, and didn't want to make an extra stop in between Brooklyn and home, so I went straight back to the Upper West Side and hoped Super Runners had it.

Nope, they didn't. I did chat with one of the salespersons there (I assume he's a Kenyan runner) and we talked about the Goofy Challenge I was doing. He said a friend of his was going down to Jersey to qualify for Boston, and I was like "If I didn't run today, I would try that, too." He then suggested me to go to GNC for some recovery drinks.

On my way home I saw a Mister Softee truck, I was like "What the heck, I need some calcium!" so I bought myself a vanilla cone before I headed home and hit the shower. After a brief recess, I trekked up to GNC but they didn't have what I wanted... no PowerBar #3 shake, no Amino Vital Pro, but I found Accelerade. I never tried that before but I really had no choice (and no time) so I bought a bottle. For dinner, I had Barilla Plus pasta and chicken, which I bought as a Manager's Special at the Food Emporium. I shop there like, once a year?

Since I had to get up at 1:30 am to catch the 4:00 am train, I pretty much had to force myself to sleep early. Though, the damn Mets were on I had to stay up for that. In the end, I was only able to catch like 2 hours of sleep and my six alarm clocks roared in the middle of the night.

I quickly packed my stuff and jetted out of my apartment around 2:40 am. Since there was only one special train going down for the New Jersey Marathon I didn't want to (and couldn't) miss it. When I stepped into Penn Station, I reunited with all the drunk kids from the [Long] Island. I used to work the graveyard shift and take the 3:49 am train back to Central Islip, seeing kids lying on the floor all over the place at the station was a norm to me. But the NJ Transit entrance was locked up, as it turned out the "Marathon Train" was also a "Hush-Hush Train" because it was free. I bumped into two runners and we had to look for the train on the platforms -- a scavenger hunt in the middle of the night. Finally, we found it and it was on track 13.

It was a lonely ride down to the Jersey Shore as the train was only about 5% filled. Thanks to my iPod I had some entertainment during the 1-1/2 hour trip, but I wasn't going to read anything because I was tired.

We finally made it to Long Branch, and the weather didn't look too promising at the time. It was very humid with the Atlantic mist and fog filling the air. My digital camera didn't work properly because of the moistures, but the good thing was that the staging area was in a hotel and we had a nice shelter to drop our bags and going to the bathroom like 3 times, before we headed out to the start.

People were very energetic before the race and the race itself had a good crowd. Unlike the NYRR races, there were no seeding corrals (just like old times), and the fact that we started with the half-marathon and the relay runners made it a bit tricky. I heard a lady said, "Just don't get sucked in." She was right, the half-marathon runners only needed to run 13.1 miles, and the relay runners only needed to run 10k/person, and we were going to run 26.2 miles!

And just like old times, we had to deal with slow runners who elected to start from the front. Thankfully the field wasn't huge we quickly went through the dodging stage by mile 2.

I started to get down to 7:30 pace, but I urged myself to start to save fuel on mile 6. Since I had experience running a marathon before I knew what my weaknesses were, and with the 13.1 miles I had the day because I knew that I couldn't go all out for too long. Meanwhile, I had to keep myself from thinking about the half I had the day before because it would affect me psychologically. The whole time I kept reminding myself that the Brooklyn Half was a week ago.

And then I saw two guys in fluorescent green singlets, "Aussie" and "Gee" from Team for Kids. Of course I ran for them last fall so they were kinda my teammates. I first passed Aussie and then Gee, but we went back-and-forth for 3 or 4 miles. We also caught up with the 3:30 pace group by mile 11.

Looking back, I think I ran too fast 1) battling with the TFK duo and 2) holding the 3:30 group behind me before the half. I didn't like running anywhere near the pace group because there were too many people running as a pack, and there wasn't any breathing room in between. Anyhow, we returned to the shoreline to finish our first lap (the NJ Marathon is a two-lap race.)

I started to slow down a bit after the half, as I just completed a full marathon in 2 days and now I had 13.1 miles to go. My pace began to fall back to 8:12. "Aussie" and "Gee" were pulling away and I couldn't hold the 3:30 pace group anymore. They eventually passed me around mile 15.

I had to maintain the pace, but I quickly consumed the two PowerBar gel packs on me and had nothing left. I was vulnerable. By mile 18 I had to stop for bathroom but the johns were so far off the course! I had to walk through a grass area for that and lost some time there.

I returned to the track and I was praying for one more gel pack in order to boost my energy. Thankfully when we reached the Theater District a kid handed me 2 packs (I dropped one) and I kept it in my pocket for latter use. I then caught up with a runner and he said "Hey, good job!" and I told him I had to slow down because I was doing a Goofy. I was kinda rude though (or I didn't have the sense at the time) to encourage him to keep on going as I jetted away. Bad manner for me, poor guy...

I definitely hit the wall between mile 18 and mile 22, but that GU gel pack helped me to get through the final 4 miles. I spilled some gel on my hands and they were now all sticky! I just didn't like that and I had to look for water to wash that off. In the final four miles, my pace went back down to the 8-minute range again and I felt better as we returned to the shoreline one last time.

I knew I was going to break my PR by then, but I was determined to have a strong finish. The sun just broke through and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity for a nice finish. I finally crossed the finish line with both of my arms in the air, where I broke my PR by 11:43 at 3:45:04 (Previous PR: New York City Marathon 2006 at 3:56:47.) It was a pretty good achievement.

Like the NYRR 8000, emotion took over I just couldn't believe what I did. And I kept my promise to my partner that I was going to finish under 4 hours. Though I wasn't able help her to break the barrier because she couldn't run in this race.

I truly enjoyed the experience I had in New Jersey. The event was well organized and gave a lot of value to us -- the runners. I might want to run this race again next year!

Next Race: 6/1 - Japan Day @ Central Park 4-Miler

Stats
Overall Place: 432/1703
NYF Team Place: 2/9
Finish Time: 3:45:04
Pace/Mile: 8:35 (PR)

A Tale of Two Beaches (Part I)

To be honest, I can't believe I did that myself.

A lot of things happened in March and April, and the New York Road Runners didn't make my life easy as they moved the Brooklyn Half-Marathon April 26th to May 3rd -- the day before the New Jersey Marathon due to Passover. Like the role I had in the Philadelphia Marathon, I was supposed to be a pacer in the NJ Marathon, but well... things happened and the deal fell apart.

For the longest time I went back-and-forth of whether I should run the Brooklyn Half or the NJ Marathon because I signed up both. At one point I was going to drop New Jersey for an obvious reason, but then I revisited the opportunity and asked myself, maybe I could do both.

I really had no long distance training since the 13.1-mile training run on March 2nd at Central Park, where I slightly hurt myself running on the trails. Though, judging from the performances I had at the NYRR 8000 and the Adidas Run for the Parks 4-miler, I knew that I was in mid-season form and I shouldn't pass this opportunity to really challenge myself. Moreover, thanks to the NJ Marathon organizer where they added a special "4 a.m. Marathon Train" from Penn Station on race day, I didn't have to worry about overnight accommodations. Eventually I decided to do "The Goofy" on May 3rd and 4th. Actually it was like racing in the Indy 500 and then the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend!

The anxiety of running both races didn't really sink in until Thursday afternoon at my softball game. I was thinking about the races during the game and tried to preserve myself as much as I could in order to build up my endurance. Though, I had some Brooklyn Lagers at the Dive Bar that night... Brooklyn Lager and the Brooklyn Half? What a match!

On Friday, I first went to NYRR headquarters on the Upper East Side to pick up my Brooklyn Half packet, and then took the NJ Transit to Long Branch, NJ to pick up my marathon packet. Long Branch was a really nice town and I truly enjoyed my brief stay down there! When I picked up my packet in the "Big Tent" people were very friendly. As a matter of fact, it was so relaxing down there I didn't really want to take the train back to NYC! But I had a race Saturday morning in Brooklyn so I had to go back.

I got up bright and early on Saturday because the subway ride to Coney Island was... looooong. I got on the Q train at Times Square and it took forever to get down there. Whoever invented the iPod, thank you!

I was assigned to the first corral (#0) based on my Run for the Parks pace (6:23), but I wasn't sure if I was going to go all out because of the marathon the next day. Well, when you got the adrenaline rush you just couldn't back down and I didn't. We started on the boardwalk and since I ran the same race twice before, I knew how to tackle the crappy wood logs and it was actually a nice run next to the beach.

On the boardwalk I was focus, and consistently ran at 6:45 pace for the first two miles. And since I started from the front it was a smooth sail early, as we stormed down to Ocean Parkway for the yawner. Ocean Parkway was pretty much a flat straight and you had to run flat for four miles. Since I had a few flat traning on the West Side Highway the flat section didn't bother me anymore, and the whole time I was just trying to keep the pace and occasionally looked for people to draft to save some energy. Though, near the end of the straight I wanted to have some PowerBar gel on board and when I reached the back pocket of my new shirt, it wasn't there! I guess I dropped it somewhere, oh well...

As we entered Prospect Park, my previous Brooklyn Half experience came into play. The NYRR often falsely advertised the Brooklyn Half as a flat half-marathon... not true. When you hit Prospect Park you would realize that you run uphill 90% of the time. Lesson learned, as I saved enough fuel early for the final 4 miles in the park.

Unlike the previous years, the hills weren't as steep solely because I had something left in my tank. I was able to re-pass some runners who used up the power2pass on Ocean Parkway, and it really helped my psychologically. In the end, I crossed the finish line at 1:32:57 (7:05 pace), which set a new personal record that I set two months ago in the Bronx Half-Marathon (1:34:11). I actually felt pretty good after the race as I walked back to the finish line to watch other people crossing the wire.

But unlike the Manhattan Half-Marathon and the Bronx Half, I was by myself when I exited the park, and tried to get ready for the next race within the next 20 hours.

Stats
Overall Place: 483/5832
NYF Team Place: 7/109
Finish Time: 1:32:57
Pace/Mile: 7:05 (PR)

Rear View Mirror - Bronx Half-Marathon

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have much training before the Bronx Half due to my illness. In theory it wouldn’t make a difference if you walked to the starting line sick, so it was wise to put myself in recovery mode and pray for the best.

As it turned out, I recovered just in time before the race. However, like many things in life some other things popped up the night before, and I didn’t get much sleep before the race Sunday morning.

The Bronx Half -- it was a very significant race to me in many [bad] ways. I ran three of these prior to the 2008 edition, and I had zero good memories about this race. The first one was in 2005, and it was my very first half marathon. I wasn’t really ready for running 13.1 miles and I finished poorly at 2:06:54. I walked and suffered, and I asked myself “Why am I doing this in July?” But believe me or not I learned one thing or two that day. In 2006 the race was by far the hottest as we ran in the 90-degree heat the whole time. The sun was out and despite having a few showers on Grand Concourse, the race was simply brutal. I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t return the next year.

Ultimately, I ran the 2007 race. The NYRR was nice enough to move the race from July to February. Now Instead of battling the extremely heat, we had to fight the extreme cold. The temperature of the 2007 race was around 20 degrees. And I survived.

For this year’s race, I had to get up earlier in order to catch the 2/3 train at 6 in the morning. Naturally there were some crazy characters in the subway and this guy just scared away a female runner in the middle of Harlem. What else is new?

This year they moved the baggage area away from the start/finish line, which made it very difficult for people to navigate the area. Thankfully I was there early so I didn’t have to fight the extra elements, but I was distracted. I was distracted the whole time until 10 minutes before the race, and I had to force myself to put my focus in the race.

The weather was mild compared to recent years and I actually had my running shorts on. Off we went at 8 am, and I quickly picked off people one by one on the outside of the road. The traffic wasn’t bad at the start and I was able to hit the 7:00/pace earlier than expected.

I picked up the speed after the 4-mile mark and I felt good running uphill on Mosholu Parkway. Thanks to my broken arm last April I stopped all my upper body training until the end of 2007, but I was able to pick it up again in 2008, and it definitely helped my running. Unfortunately, my left forearm still hurts at times, and I still can’t put more than 22 ½ lbs or the metal plate and the seven screws are going to pop out right through my skin.

Going back to the race… My pace dropped down to 6:55/mi and it was time to maintain my speed, especially the fact that there were 3 people running at the same speed so it was good to run as a group.

I encountered a slight problem when I arrived the 6-mile mark. I went into the corner way too hot (it’s an auto racing term, meaning too fast,) and the water stands were right there at the exit (another auto racing term.) I was unable to grab my water twice, and I had to put on my brakes to stop. I almost slipped and dropped dead. Thankfully I didn’t injure myself, and the journey continued.

Now we were entering Grand Concourse for the most difficult 4-mile in all of 5-Borough Half Marathon Series. Not to mention that the headwind picked up all of the sudden and we had all kinds of issues running forward. I was still with my group and we started to duck behind each other for shelters – a real energy burner right there.

It was the first time I ran up front with not too many people running around me in a half marathon. It was a nice feeling. Though, I was still distracted when we turned around on our return trip on Grand Concourse at the 8-mile mark. I was still looking for someone on the other side of the road.

I looked at my watch and my pace went back to 7:00/mi. I tried to maintain my speed but fatigue started to sink it at the 12-mile mark. I struggled a bit but I was able to maintain my form until the final front straight. With the finish line ahead of me, I saw a runner 20 feet ahead of me and I was determined to pass him before the line. With the help of my iPod (I wore it for the first time in 46 races, and I was listening to What Hurts the Most from Cascada at that moment,) I used my final boost to pick him off and I was able to past him. I crossed the line at 1:34:11 – about 1:30 faster than my previous PR, which was set at the 2006 Staten Island Half-Marathon.

My next race is NYRR 8000, which will take place on March 15th. I added this race because of my poor performance at the Manhattan Half. In the meantime, I’m starting to prepare for the New Jersey Marathon on May 4th. I just ran a 13.1-mile training run on Sunday at 7:46/mi pace I think my condition is quite good. We’ll see what happen.

Stats
Overall Place: 268/3265
Finish Time: 1:34:31 (PR)
Pace/Mile: 7:11