With a big race in the books from this past weekend, it seems as good a time as any to resume my blog!
2013 has mostly been a throw-away year of injuries and running disappointments. As usual though, I’m committed to getting past all of that, getting healthy again, and training for serious distance races. My last marathon was 21 months ago. I’m not happy that I was not able to run a marathon in 2013, my first year without a marathon since 2006.
Where I currently stand is that I still have a pretty stubborn case of plantar fasciitis, which while not awful, reminds me daily that it is still there. Also, after my ankle injury a year ago, I’m finding that long distance runs really tax my ankle. I have an appointment to see my foot doctor next Monday, the same guy who healed my PF the last time I had a stubborn case of it, which was 2004.
With that said, I’ve been stepping up my running, but trying to manage it such that I’m not pushing too much so that my foot issues remain under control. I ran 44 miles in October and 47.5 in November, modest monthly totals, but the first time I’ve hit those monthly levels in over a year. I currently sit at 209.8 miles for the year. 2013 will be my lowest running year since 2003, when I only managed 123.2 miles for the entire year. My number of runs for the year (currently at 56) and average miles per run (at 3.7) will also be my worst since that year of 2003.
I’m ready to turn the page. And that’s why I’ve been slowly building up my distance, with three runs greater than 8 miles in the last two months. I felt I was ready to tackle the half marathon distance again. It is my favorite long distance length race because with the right training I feel like I can run hard the entire race without hitting that dreaded wall so typical in the marathon. When I saw that NYCRuns was holding a half marathon along with their Ekiden race, I signed right up.
Race morning was cold, with temps in the low 30’s, but not very windy, so the conditions were just fine for December. I remembered how to dress for this type of race, and so I was comfortable.
The funny thing is that my headgear consisted of the handouts I received each of the two times I ran the Cherry Tree 10 mile run. The 2010 edition featured a thin skull cap, good for under a bike helmet or a base head layer when cold out. The 2012 edition featured a cap with a brim that has ear coverings. The hat wicks sweat and is quite warm. It is dorky looking, no doubt, but this is exactly the kind of event where that kind of a hat is perfect. Click here for a view of the hat.
Before the race I was struck by just how pleasant it is to run NYCRuns races. I could pick up my number and shirt right at the race site, bathroom lines were not long, bag check was easy, and all the participants of the race could probably fit into a single NYRR race corral.
As far as the race itself, I fell into a very consistent pace, one that felt conservative. I focused on pushing the uphills and cruising the downhills. That is the only way to approach a long race in Central Park, where the hills are relentless. The race started in the 72nd Transverse heading west, and consisted of a full loop, a ‘lower 5’ loop and a 1.7 lower loop, finishing near Tavern on the Green.
My foot definitely acted up at times, but there were also times where it felt just fine. The last 3 miles were torturous. The most I ran in training was 9.9 miles so my body wasn’t prepared for the full 13.1, but again, I pushed each uphill and tried to take it easy on each downhill. My foot was a lot more achy in those last couple of miles.
What was cool was that I generally passed a few people on each uphill, and maintained my position on the straights and downhills, so I felt like I passed a lot of people overall. Also cool was how consistent my splits were and besides the first mile, all miles were under 9:30.
I could not be more pleased with my 2:06:20 finish, which was my 17th fastest out of 37 total half marathons. Not bad at all considering my foot is still messed up, and I was not properly trained.
Splits:
- 10:04
- 9:34
- 9:44
- 9:26
- xxx
- 19:08
- 9:42
- 9:21
- 9:38
- 8:29 (mile marker I think was .1 too soon – or maybe I lapped in wrong place?)
- 10:45 (affected by bad mile marker)
- 9:48
- 9:42
- 1:00 (last .1)
My overall place was 534 out of 864 and in my division I was 61 out of 87!
I’m very excited that even though I was not properly trained, I ran a very respectable race. I’m also glad that while my foot was in some pain afterwards, I don’t think I injured it any worse than it was going in. Looking forward to getting proper treatment for my foot from my doctor, and continued training through the winter!
