Brooklyn Half

Yesterday I ran the first race since St. Louis. I only resumed running 3 weeks ago and it showed. The race was tough and rough.

Robert and I started our hike down to Prospect Park at 6am, which we thought would leave us with plenty of time. But trying to find the baggage drop off place and queuing up for the toilets, left us just barely enough time to go to our start corral. In a way, this initial hustle actually helped me take my mind off my the race jitters.

I knew coming into the race that I was not going to perform to the best that I could. I was still trying to get back in shape after taking a few weeks off after the marathon, but also my right knee and left shin are still bothering -- these are the same injuries that were plaguing me before St. Louis. Therefore, I set the goal of running the half under 1:30, or 6:52 per mile pace.

And that's exactly what I did. The first part of the race in Prospect Park was crowded. There were about 10,000 runners and the second loop around the park was chaotic. The slower runners took over both lanes and I found myself trying to dodge them the best I could. Up to that point I was running at 6:51 pace according to my Garmin 405 (Yes, I finally succumbed to the pressure and have named it "Sillitoe" - a literary reference for those curious about it.)

Getting into Ocean Avenue was a relief. No more human traffic. But then for me the most challenging aspect of the race started. First it was hot, hotter than I expected. It was probably in the high 70s, low 80s (at least it felt like it). And fluid stations were few and far between. And though I kept running well (I was at one point running a 6:47 pace), I knew I would not be able to sustain it. I kept looking at my watch and hoping that the next mile marker would arrive. Also the flatness of this part bothered me, I wanted some hills or something to get me going. Mentally it was not good for me to see ahead how much more it was left till the end and quite daunting that there was quite a lot.

Mile 10 to 12 were the hardest, I started to feel a bit light in the head and was afraid I would pass out. At one point as well, I almost puked but since the only thing I had to eat in the morning was yogurt, nothing came out. I realized that I slowed down, but tried to keep on moving forward and follow whoever was in front of me. I even stopped at a fluid station to get a drink - something that I usually do not do. But Mile 12 came and I knew I would finish. I picked up the pace a bit once I hit the boardwalk in Coney Island and was able to finish in just under my goal at 1:29.51.

The knee or the shin never really bothered me. I am hoping that with the strength training and stretching I have been doing they will just go away. But getting used to long distances is what I need to work on as well as doing speed work.

Afterward Robert and I bumped into an old running buddy of ours, Baker, and the three of us sat down on a table along the boardwalk. We had beer and saw the other runners finish their race.