First race of the year

Today's Manhattan Half was not one of my best efforts. Muscle cramps (dehydration, perhaps), between miles 8 and 9, made me stop and for awhile I contemplated giving up the race, since the pain did not seem to go away. I had to re-start 3 times and get some Gatorade into my body before the for the pain became bearable to continue.

But from my 3 mile warm up run I sensed that a PR was not going to be in the books. I had a disastrous Thursday run that was cut from a planned 10 miler into only 2. So I ran both Friday and Saturday more than 10 miles each day to compensate. Though the runs were not really hard, I was missing a spring in my step during warm up and I knew this was not going to be the day I went under 1:23 in a half.

Coming to my corral just in the nick of time before they closed them, I quickly lowered my expectations and would be happy to run something close to 1:25. The race starts and the first mile is crowded. By the time we make the first pass at the Cat Hill I able to spot Helen, who was trying to run under 1:30 and just missed it by 3 seconds (yikes!). I kept running steadily in the 6.20-6.30 range for most of the first CP loop. I was hoping to spot and join Robert at some point but that would only happen after the race. While he would go on to run a 1:23.46 half, abdominal pain would start bothering just before the 102nd St. transverse. I would stop and try to run at least 3 times until I could go on. The funny thing is that while I was trying to see if I could continue, I kept on passing the same runners a few times. One of the runners tired of seeing me pass by, gave me this startled 'not you again' look.

Final time was 1:27.15 which was not bad given the circumstances. I will have another go at the half PR in couple of months at the NYC Half. I should be more prepared and further in my Boston training. Also the weather will much nicer!