Wishful thinking, it is part of human nature, right? There I was last night, laying awake wishing I will pull off a miracle and finish the half-marathon in 2:13, which was my best time for a half, back in 2012. But I no longer run everyday any more. Back in 2012, fresh off from a job that dragged on for 12 mostly painful years, well, there were some good ones, but near the end it was exhausting, I had much time to prepare for the half-marathon in Staten Island. Yes, I ran my best 5K back in August last year, by having a good friend pace me and I also used better breathing techniques. But it was a 5K, or 3.1 miles long, versus a half-marathon, glorious 13.1 miles. The cheering crowd in Times Square and elsewhere supposedly can give runners a good boost, but it won't make up that much to cover lack of training. Yet I dreamt a little. Then I decided I would just be socially unfriendly and not spend time on queue for porta-potty.
It was my first time running the NYRR NYC Half-Marathon. The high cost, $120+ I think, was a main factor for me to avoid it. There are so many other races to spend my hard-earned money on. Sure you don't get to run through Times Square but is that alone worthwhile the big fee? But last year I was supposed to be a guide for an Achilles runner who decided at the last minute to run with some friend of his, so I ended up at the cheer zone for my track club instead. It was nice to be out there, seeing all the energy. I volunteered at a water station for the NYC Half some years ago, but being at the cheer zone was different. I decided then that I would actually run it. It helped that I did all five races for the five boroughs of NYC to gain automatic entry into the NYC Half. I know, the NYC Half is so highly sought after you don't just register for them. You either earn a guaranteed entry or try your luck with lottery, or some other means.
There was a big snowstorm on the Tuesday before the Sunday race. Then the weather report said there would be more storm or lousy weather on the weekend. Ay yay yay, just my luck, another messy run like the Staten Island Half 2016. Luckily, it turned out there was no precipitation whatsoever. Just so very cold! I try to make the races as simple as possible so I went without bag check. First time ever I had a disposable layer on, both the top and the bottom parts of the body. I hate the idea of throwing away clothes that are still wearable but I have too many pieces of clothes anyway. Besides, NYRR does a good job of collecting the throwaway clothes for Good Will. I placed my pieces neatly on a rail, near other people's stuff, I am sure they will find a new good home. I just had the scary feeling that I left something valuables in those clothes, but I made sure there was nothing.
I was in Wave 3, Corral D. At NYRR races, a slowpoke like me is usually in Corral K, but because the NYC Half had three different Waves, it appeared like I moved up several Corrals but I know better. It was nice to bump into track club members: Jackie, who was a volunteer team leader; and Murray, who was assigned to the same Corral and Wave with me. Murray planned to run at a certain pace but we started out together and he periodically said we were too fast than his planned pace. Around Harlem Hill I went ahead with my pace, which was not that much faster, but I wanted to at least beat my 2:30 from last year's Brooklyn Half. I ran a few more Half-Marys since Brooklyn but I was sort of a pacer so my finish time was 2:45 or 3:00. I ran slower going uphill then tried to make higher leaps as I came down the hills. I walked twice to wolf down the Gu's that I brought with me, and maybe again shortly afterward to grab water or Gatorade to wash the stuff down. I think I stopped one more time at Mile 12 to get another drink, last one for the long stretch home.
I did stick to my plan of not stopping for anything other than walk breaks. I acknowledged when called but did not stop for photos. That's the extent of my being unsocial. It was good to see Jackie again around the 72nd Street Transverse in Central Park as she tried to get out of Central Park to get to the finish line. I loved how Joe at 42nd Street cupped his hand to better holler at me. I don't run with headphone and keeps my eyes open so I usually catch everything. Actually, I probably saw Joe with his cupped hands before I heard him. Also on 42nd Street I spotted Linda from the back and asked for confirmation while she was re-fueling, nom nom nom. I knew Joyce would be at Mile 9's fluid station, with the Back On My Feet group. She perched high on something so it was easy to spot her and we exchanged greetings so it was good. Another wishful thinking, I thought there might be a chance my club's cheer zone would still be around when I got there. But it was a cold day and for us Wave 3 people that would mean the cheerleaders have to be there for like three hours. I had a PPTC hoodie on so occasionally other people would call the club name and I would respond with a fist pump or such. All the words of encouragement really made a difference, even if it didn't make me finish faster, it sure kept me going.
Strava app messed up and didn't record the tunnel portion of the race. Instead, it said I went quickly uptown to Chambers Street then zoomed back at the tunnel exit. It also went bonker in Times Square. Altogether, per Strava app, I ran over 22 miles at 6 or so minutes per mile. Of course I didn't. It still said I did 2:30, but since I stopped Strava after a few steps past the finish line, it turned out I made sub-2:30, or 2:29:43 to be exact. Sigh, such is the life of a slow runner, had to forgo toilet visits, sacrifice most social interaction, i.e. no stopping for photos, just to squeak by some goal. Some fast runners would have stomach cramps, wait on long lines for the toilets, then still P.R. by 15 minutes. But with this sports, it's usually just the runners against their younger self so I'm good.
Showing posts with label Half-Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Half-Marathon. Show all posts
20 March 2017
19 May 2013
NYRR BROOKLYN-HALF 2013!
Three A.M.! That was when I had to get up to be able to be in Prospect Park to volunteer at Water Station #4 of the NYRR Brooklyn Half-Marathon, with my PPTC friends. As a morning runner, I am used to getting up early, but earliest I did, for running, was 5 A.M. Back when I had a full-time job anyway. Some years ago I decided to give Black Friday shopping a try and got up at 4 A.M. to spend some time waiting in queue then some more hours inside the store later on, trying to get the tired store clerk's attention. I came home empty-handed and had a nasty headache for the rest of the day. What a complete waste of time that was. I hated shopping even more ever since. With the volunteer gig with friends, it was totally different. Sure I had to risk riding the bike at 3:30 A.M., complete with front and tail lights since it was still dark, but I hated to be at the mercy of the MTA's weekend construction work. The ride was not so bad, as once I got to Ocean Parkway to make the journey north, along the way I pedaled past NYRR crews setting things up. What's more, it was outdoor and I was surrounded by so much positive energy.
I was at the meeting place, East Drive near Lincoln Road, just as some of the PPTC folks arrived. But there was no tables etc for the water station. It was a good thing I came on bike, as I was able to zip around to see what's going on, and finally we found out that we were given bad info. Or the water station was moved. It was actually a bit near the big hill, a little past Center Drive. With my bike, I was stationed for a while at the meeting point to re-direct anyone who came in later. And a few did. By six o'clock I decided it was late enough, I went to the water station and helped with setting up the paper cups. Three tiers of cups on several tables stretching as far as the eye can see! Bring on those 22,000 runners already!
With the expanded field, this year's Brooklyn Half had two waves of runners. When they came, they came strong, even though we were near Mile 5 of the 13.1-mile course. Unlike the NYC Half, when I was at Mile 11 on a cold day, runners at the Brooklyn Half sure made use of the water. It was overcast and cool, but when you run you get hot quickly. Before long one of us got splashed, cups were all over, and we worked feverishly to keep up with the demand. As cups on the front rows got snatched and gulped down, we moved the ones in the back further forward. We were well-staffed so I had some moments to snatch photos of the runners.
I went home along Ocean Parkway, pretty much the same way I came. Vehicular traffic was jammed everywhere along the parkway, and even the bike path was not spared from the disruption. Every now and then there would be a medical tent right at the corner, completely blocking the bike path. I wonder if they really had to do that. I had to go around the medical tents then hefted the bike over the railing to get back on the bike path. Sure I could use the service road, but even with few cars nearby every now and then one would silently stalk me, I didn't want to deal with that.
While it was great that I did not have to deal with car traffic at intersections, there was plenty of pedestrian traffic. Walkers on Ocean Parkway are normally mostly ignorant of the bike path, i.e. they walk in the bike lane when there is a separate walking lane. With a big event like the Brooklyn Half, it only got worse. It did not help that every now and then there would be a police cruiser completely blocking the ramp to the bike lane, or some officers standing in the bike lane. Oh well, just have to use common sense and go around the obstacles. Not like those cyclists barreling down the Manhattan Bridge toward Chinatown that I saw on Friday while volunteering with Transportation Alternatives. You would think if you see a lot of people at the foot of the bridge, then you should slow down.
See more photos at
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5879864055100555393
Last but not least, with the two volunteer gigs over, on Sunday I was able to finally resume making GPS art (gwriting) on a run. I promised a runner in the Run Junkees May Challenge to spell her name, "Miriam", and on Sunday I carried out the work. It was the first time I wrote the lowercase "a" this way and it came out good. Unfortunately I cannot say the same thing for the "r" and "i" being connected at the top. I knew that it's best to connect the letters at the bottom but I thought I could get away with "r" and "i". Instead, they look more like a fat lowercase "n". I will try again!
I was at the meeting place, East Drive near Lincoln Road, just as some of the PPTC folks arrived. But there was no tables etc for the water station. It was a good thing I came on bike, as I was able to zip around to see what's going on, and finally we found out that we were given bad info. Or the water station was moved. It was actually a bit near the big hill, a little past Center Drive. With my bike, I was stationed for a while at the meeting point to re-direct anyone who came in later. And a few did. By six o'clock I decided it was late enough, I went to the water station and helped with setting up the paper cups. Three tiers of cups on several tables stretching as far as the eye can see! Bring on those 22,000 runners already!
With the expanded field, this year's Brooklyn Half had two waves of runners. When they came, they came strong, even though we were near Mile 5 of the 13.1-mile course. Unlike the NYC Half, when I was at Mile 11 on a cold day, runners at the Brooklyn Half sure made use of the water. It was overcast and cool, but when you run you get hot quickly. Before long one of us got splashed, cups were all over, and we worked feverishly to keep up with the demand. As cups on the front rows got snatched and gulped down, we moved the ones in the back further forward. We were well-staffed so I had some moments to snatch photos of the runners.
I went home along Ocean Parkway, pretty much the same way I came. Vehicular traffic was jammed everywhere along the parkway, and even the bike path was not spared from the disruption. Every now and then there would be a medical tent right at the corner, completely blocking the bike path. I wonder if they really had to do that. I had to go around the medical tents then hefted the bike over the railing to get back on the bike path. Sure I could use the service road, but even with few cars nearby every now and then one would silently stalk me, I didn't want to deal with that.
While it was great that I did not have to deal with car traffic at intersections, there was plenty of pedestrian traffic. Walkers on Ocean Parkway are normally mostly ignorant of the bike path, i.e. they walk in the bike lane when there is a separate walking lane. With a big event like the Brooklyn Half, it only got worse. It did not help that every now and then there would be a police cruiser completely blocking the ramp to the bike lane, or some officers standing in the bike lane. Oh well, just have to use common sense and go around the obstacles. Not like those cyclists barreling down the Manhattan Bridge toward Chinatown that I saw on Friday while volunteering with Transportation Alternatives. You would think if you see a lot of people at the foot of the bridge, then you should slow down.
See more photos at
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5879864055100555393
Last but not least, with the two volunteer gigs over, on Sunday I was able to finally resume making GPS art (gwriting) on a run. I promised a runner in the Run Junkees May Challenge to spell her name, "Miriam", and on Sunday I carried out the work. It was the first time I wrote the lowercase "a" this way and it came out good. Unfortunately I cannot say the same thing for the "r" and "i" being connected at the top. I knew that it's best to connect the letters at the bottom but I thought I could get away with "r" and "i". Instead, they look more like a fat lowercase "n". I will try again!
17 May 2013
NYRR BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON: THE DAYS LEADING TO
Tomorrow's NYRR Brooklyn Half-Marathon is all the rage in recent weeks. Here is some more fuel to keep the excitement going! Now I better go to sleep, need to be in Prospect Park at 4:30 AM (!) to volunteer with PPTC for NYRR at water station near Mile 5. Will earn a free race as a result, yay!
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| Brooklyn Bridge as viewed from a knoll in Brooklyn Bridge Park. |
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| My latest GPS art, stretching over 9 km. If I made the "b" uppercase, maybe it would be an even 10 km. |
28 April 2013
NYCRUNS VERRAZANO FESTIVAL OF RACES
"Pay it forward" is the idea of doing someone a favor after someone else did one for you. I like that concept a lot. Some years ago at the NYCRuns Inaugural Brooklyn Marathon, I overdressed and after either the first or the second of the two small loops had my outer layer, a yellowish hoodie, removed. A staff person saw that the piece of clothes was too big for me to carry for the rest of the race and offered to take it from me and I gladly accepted. It helped a lot not to have the hoodie with me, else my bad finish time would be even worse. Yesterday, I worked at NYCRuns' Verrazano Festival of Races and got the chance to pay it forward. I served as a bike marshal and traveled up and down the waterfront beneath the Verrazano Bridge many times. On a trip back to Owl's Head Pier, where the start and finish lines were, I saw that a runner was carrying a balled-up jacket in her right hand. Earlier in the morning it was probably cold, especially with the wind blowing and runners just milling about waiting for the start. But once they run, they heat up very quickly. I offered to take the jacket back for the runner and she accepted. I dropped it off with Bag Check and later on I saw that it was not there any more. I hope it helped the runner not to have the extra item to carry for the rest of her 5K or 10K race.
As usually, I took a few photos of the race, mostly of the volunteers but there are some of runners.
For the entire, small album, visit
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5871630378743787345
What I really like about the Verrazano race is that it is in my neighborhood. I did not have to take the subway and be at the mercy of the MTA weekend road repair schedule. Instead, I got to the race on bike and brought along the $200 bike trailer that I used to ferry my son around for fun. It was used to put out the mile markers later. I should have used it, too, when collecting the markers from the 5K and 10K races once the Half-Marathon was underway. By themselves the signs are light, but with 10 or 20 of them they became heavy and unwieldy.
When the race was over and everything taken down, there were four tall paper bags of bagels leftover. I took them home in the bike trailer in hope of passing by some food pantry or soup kitchen in my neighborhood. A quick Google search revealed none. At home after a late lunch I did find a pantry not too far away, but I had to make sure they would accept the bagels. I left a voicemail with the place and no one called me back. So late in the day, there was little chance I would be able to donate the food for human consumption so I made a little piece of art out of them.
The good news is I recalled someone asking in Freecycling Network for bread and such for some chickens in her neighborhood. I contacted her and it turned out she works not too far from where I live. We met today and I was able to give her one bag of bagels, transferred into double plastic bags for safer carrying, as the paper bag that the bagels come in break easily if not carried properly. I look forward to giving her the rest of the bagels over the next few days. Hooray for freecycling!
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| Volunteers of the Food and Drink Table. |
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| Volunteers at Bag Check. |
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| Two of the Bike Marshals. |
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| Volunteers at Water Station #1. |
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| Volunteer and staff of Water Station #2. |
For the entire, small album, visit
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5871630378743787345
What I really like about the Verrazano race is that it is in my neighborhood. I did not have to take the subway and be at the mercy of the MTA weekend road repair schedule. Instead, I got to the race on bike and brought along the $200 bike trailer that I used to ferry my son around for fun. It was used to put out the mile markers later. I should have used it, too, when collecting the markers from the 5K and 10K races once the Half-Marathon was underway. By themselves the signs are light, but with 10 or 20 of them they became heavy and unwieldy.
When the race was over and everything taken down, there were four tall paper bags of bagels leftover. I took them home in the bike trailer in hope of passing by some food pantry or soup kitchen in my neighborhood. A quick Google search revealed none. At home after a late lunch I did find a pantry not too far away, but I had to make sure they would accept the bagels. I left a voicemail with the place and no one called me back. So late in the day, there was little chance I would be able to donate the food for human consumption so I made a little piece of art out of them.
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| Bagel Art |
17 March 2013
NYRR NYC HALF-MARATHON 2013
Volunteering with the group near Mile 12, as opposed to doing it as an individual near the starting line, gave me an extra half hour of sleep. I still had to try to get to the water station by 6 in the morning. Much as I love the subway, and cycling, neither options are great if you have to go somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, on a very cold day.
The water station was referred to as near Rector Street and the West Side Highway but it was not that near. More like one long avenue block south of Rector, on a traffic median outside the exit of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. I bumped into a medical table and asked for direction. I almost went the wrong way to some other station at Canal Street. I suppose if the sun was out I could have seen better the so-called Rector water station a few blocks away.
The race was to start at 7:30 AM, some 12 miles away, but we had to be prepared for the onslaught of thirsty runners. Water was run from a huge hose into big plastic bags housed in plastic bins. Pitchers were made out of used Gatorade powder bottle and used to pour water into individual paper cups. Have too many empty cups out and the wind would just blow the empty cups away, so I found it best to have the same person pour water and place the partially-filled cups down. Runners shouldn't drink a whole cup of water, so the cups were only half-filled, or less. Old signs were used to create tiers to have a total of three levels of water. We had a lot of time, and many capable hands, so the work was done soon enough. We were not even supposed to hand the runners water, they just have to snatch the water off the table themselves. We had to leave some room so that the runners could easily pick up one cup without having to touch the neighboring cups. Once the three tiers were filled with water, not much left to do but stand back and wait for the runners to arrive.
And arrive they did. First were the hand-operated recumbent cyclists, just a few of them. Then the elite runners with their first-name bibs. Fast runners from local clubs, like Central Park Track Club (CPTC) and West Side Runners (WSX), were not far behind. Since we were not supposed to hand out water, there was not a whole lot to do other than cheer or take photos, and took photos I did. A fellow PPTC member had some runner-tracking app but it didn't work for me as I missed the fastest PPTC person. I managed to snap photos of a few others. I stood on a low wall of the median to see farther down the road but it was not a good angle and I usually had only a few seconds to get ready to shoot. Once or twice the PPTC runner would wave at the exact second I snapped the photo. Other times some other runner would get in the way. Oh well, things happen when many thousands fill the road.
Ideally I should be on the course, just off to the right of the runners, like the pro photographers with their big cameras. My measly camera won't rapid-fire and capture every single runner but I would at least have a good view of the runners from far away, but with enough time to have second-chance shots. But being on the course would mean totally abandoning the water station, even if there was not much work to do. Eventually, the number of runners decreased greatly and we started to rake the discarded cups etc. Beside getting the big task done piecemeal raking also got the body warm on this cold day. In the end, most of the nicely stacked three tiers of water was wasted and we had many blue plastic bags of waste.
It was great to be caught up in the excitement. I definitely going for a long run tomorrow.
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| Lots of ice-cold water awaiting for the thirsty runners just a tad past Mile 12 of the NYRR NYC Half-Marathon. |
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| Some of my fellow PPTC members at the NBR-sponsored water station. |
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| It was cold enough for icicles to form while the runners were still further up the road. |
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| Elite runners! At least the ones I managed to snap photos of. |
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| Here comes the elite runners with their first-name bibs! |
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| Fast local runners were not too far behind! |
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| F1, F2, and F3, aka Top Three Female finishers. |
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| PPTC members showed up! V is for Victory, or Vinny! I missed the fastest PPTC runner of this race, could really use a spotter like in that snipers duel scene in The Hurt Locker. |
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| Nicole of PPTC ran the rest of the way to the finish line. |
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| Another sub-2 PPTC finisher! Go David! |
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| There were three tiers of water per table but it was a cold day, look at those ice on the table surface! Not that many took the water, both because it was a cold day and it was Mile 12 of a 13.1-mile race, but a few people actually poured water on themselves. I would do that, too, but on a hot summer day, not a cold day like today. Hope those people had dry clothes waiting for them. |
See the complete album at
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5856394848360301985
15 October 2012
NYRR GRETE'S GREAT GALLOP HALF-MARATHON 2012
Is greed good? I don't think so, but for today's Grete's Great Gallop Half-Marathon I wished that I would further break the new P.R. achieved in Staten Island just a week ago. The route consisted of two big loops of NYC's crown jewel Central Park, clockwise. Before the race, a friend from PPTC told me that the Central Park course was tougher than Staten Island Half's. That didn't stop me from wanting to break the one-week old P.R. of 2:14:39.
The Great Gallop is probably one of the few, if not only one, NYRR races that does not start early, say 8 AM. It was a family event with the Great Gallop being the third of three events so it started at 10:30 AM. I still prepared everything the night before and left the house in the morning at 8ish. Getting bagel and coffee for breakfast put me in the subway station near my house around 8:30. In Manhattan, the D train ran on 8th Avenue instead of its usual 6th Avenue route. I was going to get off at Columbus Circle anyway and walk the mile or so to the race area, us runners don't mind walking. However, since the D ran on the A train's route, making all local stops, it dropped me right at 72nd Street and Central Park West, perfect. Another good thing with having another race before the race I registered for is that there was a whole bank of portable johns with no lines. To make sure I won't need to go during the race, I visited the much less crowded bank of johns on the West Drive a few times during the down time before the race.
At the Great Gallop in 2011, I had a compression pants and perhaps two layers of shirts. I recall some runner remarked to me, somewhere between Mile 12 and 13.1, "You must be burning in all those clothes." I already used bag check that day to shed a sweater but was still wearing more than necessary. After all the races in the past two years, it finally dawned on me that I get hot easily and don't need anything more than a singlet and a running shorts. It helped in Staten Island and I hoped it would too in Central Park.
As usual, I was in the last corral, labeled 9000+. I think the race was not sold-out so during the singing of the national anthem the runners in the back were able to move up to the 6000 corral. It still took me about ten minutes to cross the starting line. Funny thing is during the wait I found myself standing right next to a man I stood next to at the Bronx 10-Miler in early September. We had a brief chat then and today, too. Small world, eh? Not only that, I also recognized two other people I photographed at the NYCRUNS.COM Narrows Half in late September. One of them had the clever writing on his yellow shirt that read "Here's my number", right above his bib. Admit it, you were thinking, "Call me, maybe", were you not? The other person I recalled well because at check-in for the Narrows Half, he said loudly that he was never that late. Sure enough, he was the few late-runners after most people already passed the start mat. In these races with thousands of people, what's the chance of seeing three people I saw before, eh? Actually, make that four, as I saw the 74-year-old Mr. James Lu while chatting with other PPTC members before the race, but he has his unique looks that cannot be missed.
So off we went round and round Central Park, which has only Harlem Hill and Cat Hill, no? Or so I thought. Even right off at the beginning, at Mile 1, which would be Miles 7 and 13 as well, there was a hill. Then there was some other hills before we got to Harlem Hill. I did take full advantage of the down-hills to speed up. Around Mile 4, the lead runners started to pass us slow runners. I think around that time I had my first Gu, too, without water. I already had the urge to go early in the race so to be safe I only had a sip or two of water at two of the stations. It worked out that I had two more Gu's, one at Mile 8 and another at Mile 11. Having the third Gu helped me run faster for the finish line. However, with the finish line in sight, I actually felt something in my chest and had to slow down. Maybe I should have brought along the chest monitor that I rarely used. I still resumed sprinting once the finish mat came into view and luckily didn't have any discomfort. 2:15:28. Not better than Staten Island's 2:14:39, but certainly better than the 2:27:56 at last year's Great Gallop, same course, of course.
The Great Gallop is probably one of the few, if not only one, NYRR races that does not start early, say 8 AM. It was a family event with the Great Gallop being the third of three events so it started at 10:30 AM. I still prepared everything the night before and left the house in the morning at 8ish. Getting bagel and coffee for breakfast put me in the subway station near my house around 8:30. In Manhattan, the D train ran on 8th Avenue instead of its usual 6th Avenue route. I was going to get off at Columbus Circle anyway and walk the mile or so to the race area, us runners don't mind walking. However, since the D ran on the A train's route, making all local stops, it dropped me right at 72nd Street and Central Park West, perfect. Another good thing with having another race before the race I registered for is that there was a whole bank of portable johns with no lines. To make sure I won't need to go during the race, I visited the much less crowded bank of johns on the West Drive a few times during the down time before the race.
At the Great Gallop in 2011, I had a compression pants and perhaps two layers of shirts. I recall some runner remarked to me, somewhere between Mile 12 and 13.1, "You must be burning in all those clothes." I already used bag check that day to shed a sweater but was still wearing more than necessary. After all the races in the past two years, it finally dawned on me that I get hot easily and don't need anything more than a singlet and a running shorts. It helped in Staten Island and I hoped it would too in Central Park.
As usual, I was in the last corral, labeled 9000+. I think the race was not sold-out so during the singing of the national anthem the runners in the back were able to move up to the 6000 corral. It still took me about ten minutes to cross the starting line. Funny thing is during the wait I found myself standing right next to a man I stood next to at the Bronx 10-Miler in early September. We had a brief chat then and today, too. Small world, eh? Not only that, I also recognized two other people I photographed at the NYCRUNS.COM Narrows Half in late September. One of them had the clever writing on his yellow shirt that read "Here's my number", right above his bib. Admit it, you were thinking, "Call me, maybe", were you not? The other person I recalled well because at check-in for the Narrows Half, he said loudly that he was never that late. Sure enough, he was the few late-runners after most people already passed the start mat. In these races with thousands of people, what's the chance of seeing three people I saw before, eh? Actually, make that four, as I saw the 74-year-old Mr. James Lu while chatting with other PPTC members before the race, but he has his unique looks that cannot be missed.
So off we went round and round Central Park, which has only Harlem Hill and Cat Hill, no? Or so I thought. Even right off at the beginning, at Mile 1, which would be Miles 7 and 13 as well, there was a hill. Then there was some other hills before we got to Harlem Hill. I did take full advantage of the down-hills to speed up. Around Mile 4, the lead runners started to pass us slow runners. I think around that time I had my first Gu, too, without water. I already had the urge to go early in the race so to be safe I only had a sip or two of water at two of the stations. It worked out that I had two more Gu's, one at Mile 8 and another at Mile 11. Having the third Gu helped me run faster for the finish line. However, with the finish line in sight, I actually felt something in my chest and had to slow down. Maybe I should have brought along the chest monitor that I rarely used. I still resumed sprinting once the finish mat came into view and luckily didn't have any discomfort. 2:15:28. Not better than Staten Island's 2:14:39, but certainly better than the 2:27:56 at last year's Great Gallop, same course, of course.
07 October 2012
NYRR Staten Island Half-Marathon 2012
Somehow I had the feeling that I would achieve a personal record (P.R.) at the NYRR Staten Island Half-Marathon 2012. It was the first race I ran after becoming unemployed. I had some extra time to run more often and longer, usually in the morning, with the afternoons spent on tweaking resume, submitting it to job engines etc. The cool weather, below 80° with no sun, helped, even if it was no where near the 9°F that helped me PR at the Manhattan Half-Marathon in 2011. For that race, I dressed in layers, with gloves, and was soaked in sweat by the time I finished, in 2 hours and 23 minutes. I had to run continuously, both to save time and also because I had not discovered on-the-run nutrition. For today's race, by race time I only had one layer, a singlet and a running shorts, with the long-sleeved layers with baggage check. Usually I don't eat at all before a race, but since there was much time available, while waiting for the ferry I had a bagel and coffee. Better training, cool weather, fewer clothes to better dissipate the heat, and pre-race nutrition, all that combined to get me to have a P.R. of 2:14:39, nine minutes from my previous P.R.
The night before, I got everything ready. D-tag wrapped around left shoelace, bib pinned to the Prospect Park Track Club singlet, cell phone and GPS watch fully charged, eyeglass case, home keys, some money, MetroCard, Gu packs etc stuffed into a fanny pack that I will wear across my chest. For the pre-race down time in the cold, I set aside an outer layer of long-sleeved garments.
The day started early at 4:30 AM and I was out the door by 5. I got to the ferry terminal before 6 and would catch a 6 AM ferry, per the schedule on the wall, but the P.A. said the next ferry would be at 6:30. I had time to go grab an everything bagel, toasted with cream cheese, and a large coffee with milk and sugar. By the time ferry-boarding was allowed, I was mostly done with breakfast. In Staten Island, I had time to go the restroom then spent about an hour inside the warmer St. George Terminal. Out on the waterfront, I had some time to take photos Manhattan Island then the 9/11 Memorial. Last year I only had time to check the bag and jumped into the race some time after most runners were already left the corrals. This year, I had time to remove the outer layer of clothes to check them and even went back to the ferry terminal to use the restroom a few more times. During such a trip, I met Mr. James Lu, a local runner who is regularly seen at NYRR races and well-known for his handbells and for starting to run late in his 60s.
Early in the race, I saw that I was running at about 6:23 minute per kilometer. That's a bit fast compared to the usual 7:xx I maintain during the almost-daily workout. I didn't want to lose steam so I actually slowed down but somehow I was still going sub-6:xx min/km. Probably the excitement of running in a big group. At one point, the right knee felt weird, just briefly, while at some other point, in the first few miles, the left calf felt a little tinkling, so I had to slow even further, both to avoid any cramps and to avoid injury before the New York City Marathon mere weeks away (on November 4th)
I normally consume a Gu pack every hour, instead of the recommended 45 minutes. I was going to go with the recommended time but still end up missing actually having a Gu at around 53 minutes into the race, around Mile #5. Just before that I discovered my right shoelace was loose so I had to stop to re-tie it. Since I already stopped and a water station was visible, I had the first Gu then, washed down with Gatorade and water. On the way out to the turnaround mark, about 7 miles out, I looked for fellow PPTC runners to give them a shout-out. I purposely stayed near the median of Frank Cappodono Boulevard to better spot any PPTC runners but without my glasses I probably missed a few. Some I caught in time as we passed each other and I was able to greet them loudly, other times they recognized me first and we just waved. The "game" helped me get to the turnaround mark quickly. It was already past Mile 7!
I recall last year around Mile 8 the runners entered Fort Wadsworth then exited onto Bay Street. For whatever reason, this year we ran along the outside of the fort. The hill at Mile 8 was brutal but after that it was mostly downhill. I had another Gu after that hill, again with Gatorade and water from the fluid station. Around Mile 10 all that Gatorade and water had to be expelled but I resisted the urge. Knowing how fast I can go, given the distance left, I was sure I would P.R., only if I keep up the modest pace I was running at. Best not to have any more Gu breaks, but I did grab a water after the bridge around Mile 12. The last mile, as usual, felt pretty long, with one more hill to surmount.
Further back around Mile 11 I started to see finishers walking or running against the runners trying to finish. None had a medal around their necks, so I thought there would be no medal. It would be big slight to the borough of Staten Island if there was no medal for the half-marathon finishers, since even the Queens 10K gave out medals. After Mile 12 I saw many finishers with medals so I had the extra incentive to finish even sooner. I only have a handful of medals so they are big deals to me to have. Perhaps this year the trip out was further than before, as the finish line seemed to be closer. So ran faster I did, a lot faster than usual, even faster than my usual finish-line sprint, I think. 2:14:39 it was indeed, a P.R. indeed, by nine minutes! Normally, shaving a minute or two from a P.R. is a big deal. Almost ten minutes is a really big deal. With better training and losing five pounds or so, perhaps some day I can reach the sub-2-hour mark for a half-marathon!
As a slow runner, I usually don't have my photos taken by the photographers along the route. Them photographers usually just hang around for the first few thousand runners By the time I make my way to the finish line, there would be no photographers along the route, just some at the finish line. Today I decided to do a favor for the runners that came after me. On the way to the ferry, I stopped to take a bunch of photos for these later finishers. I would take more but the rain was getting heavier and there was a ferry to catch. The photos don't appear as good as I wish, as the bib numbers don't show well, but hopefully the runners can recognize themselves. Below are the photos but they are also shared at
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5796734866780894465
The night before, I got everything ready. D-tag wrapped around left shoelace, bib pinned to the Prospect Park Track Club singlet, cell phone and GPS watch fully charged, eyeglass case, home keys, some money, MetroCard, Gu packs etc stuffed into a fanny pack that I will wear across my chest. For the pre-race down time in the cold, I set aside an outer layer of long-sleeved garments.
The day started early at 4:30 AM and I was out the door by 5. I got to the ferry terminal before 6 and would catch a 6 AM ferry, per the schedule on the wall, but the P.A. said the next ferry would be at 6:30. I had time to go grab an everything bagel, toasted with cream cheese, and a large coffee with milk and sugar. By the time ferry-boarding was allowed, I was mostly done with breakfast. In Staten Island, I had time to go the restroom then spent about an hour inside the warmer St. George Terminal. Out on the waterfront, I had some time to take photos Manhattan Island then the 9/11 Memorial. Last year I only had time to check the bag and jumped into the race some time after most runners were already left the corrals. This year, I had time to remove the outer layer of clothes to check them and even went back to the ferry terminal to use the restroom a few more times. During such a trip, I met Mr. James Lu, a local runner who is regularly seen at NYRR races and well-known for his handbells and for starting to run late in his 60s.
 |
| Mr. James Lu, the venerable late-stage runner. Near his left hand are the hand-bells he is well-known for. |
Early in the race, I saw that I was running at about 6:23 minute per kilometer. That's a bit fast compared to the usual 7:xx I maintain during the almost-daily workout. I didn't want to lose steam so I actually slowed down but somehow I was still going sub-6:xx min/km. Probably the excitement of running in a big group. At one point, the right knee felt weird, just briefly, while at some other point, in the first few miles, the left calf felt a little tinkling, so I had to slow even further, both to avoid any cramps and to avoid injury before the New York City Marathon mere weeks away (on November 4th)
I normally consume a Gu pack every hour, instead of the recommended 45 minutes. I was going to go with the recommended time but still end up missing actually having a Gu at around 53 minutes into the race, around Mile #5. Just before that I discovered my right shoelace was loose so I had to stop to re-tie it. Since I already stopped and a water station was visible, I had the first Gu then, washed down with Gatorade and water. On the way out to the turnaround mark, about 7 miles out, I looked for fellow PPTC runners to give them a shout-out. I purposely stayed near the median of Frank Cappodono Boulevard to better spot any PPTC runners but without my glasses I probably missed a few. Some I caught in time as we passed each other and I was able to greet them loudly, other times they recognized me first and we just waved. The "game" helped me get to the turnaround mark quickly. It was already past Mile 7!
I recall last year around Mile 8 the runners entered Fort Wadsworth then exited onto Bay Street. For whatever reason, this year we ran along the outside of the fort. The hill at Mile 8 was brutal but after that it was mostly downhill. I had another Gu after that hill, again with Gatorade and water from the fluid station. Around Mile 10 all that Gatorade and water had to be expelled but I resisted the urge. Knowing how fast I can go, given the distance left, I was sure I would P.R., only if I keep up the modest pace I was running at. Best not to have any more Gu breaks, but I did grab a water after the bridge around Mile 12. The last mile, as usual, felt pretty long, with one more hill to surmount.
Further back around Mile 11 I started to see finishers walking or running against the runners trying to finish. None had a medal around their necks, so I thought there would be no medal. It would be big slight to the borough of Staten Island if there was no medal for the half-marathon finishers, since even the Queens 10K gave out medals. After Mile 12 I saw many finishers with medals so I had the extra incentive to finish even sooner. I only have a handful of medals so they are big deals to me to have. Perhaps this year the trip out was further than before, as the finish line seemed to be closer. So ran faster I did, a lot faster than usual, even faster than my usual finish-line sprint, I think. 2:14:39 it was indeed, a P.R. indeed, by nine minutes! Normally, shaving a minute or two from a P.R. is a big deal. Almost ten minutes is a really big deal. With better training and losing five pounds or so, perhaps some day I can reach the sub-2-hour mark for a half-marathon!
As a slow runner, I usually don't have my photos taken by the photographers along the route. Them photographers usually just hang around for the first few thousand runners By the time I make my way to the finish line, there would be no photographers along the route, just some at the finish line. Today I decided to do a favor for the runners that came after me. On the way to the ferry, I stopped to take a bunch of photos for these later finishers. I would take more but the rain was getting heavier and there was a ferry to catch. The photos don't appear as good as I wish, as the bib numbers don't show well, but hopefully the runners can recognize themselves. Below are the photos but they are also shared at
https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5796734866780894465
 |
| Bib #9829. |
 |
| Bib #9605. |
 |
| Bib #8032. |
 |
| Bib #8089. |
 |
| Bib #9599. |
 |
| Bib #8514 etc. |
 |
| Bib #9248. |
 |
| Bib #9095. |
20 May 2012
NYRR BROOKLYN HALF MARATHON 2012
NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon (BMH) 2012. Another half-marathon completed, no Personal Record (PR) broken, but there are a few nice things to write about.
Below photo is my preparation for the big event. 15,000 spots and all was sold out in about 10 hours! I happened to be near a computer at the 9th hour and got in just in time. The picture is somewhat misleading as I did not run in the race shirt. Instead, I debuted the team singlet I just got in the mail mere days before the event.
Weekend races are usually made more challenging thanks to the MTA's ongoing subway repair schedule. There was no work done on the D line so I took it from home to Pacific Street. I should have taken another subway to get to the starting area, Washington Avenue and Eastern Parkway, near the Brooklyn Museum. I knew very well that my corral, the 18000, won't be anywhere near the start. I incorrectly assumed that the corrals would stretch along Washington Avenue so a walk from Pacific Street may actually get me to my corral faster. It turned out the corrals stretched along Eastern Parkway. No problem, us long-distance runners don't mind a few miles of walking to get to our corrals.
I envy those people who have a running partner. My life schedule only allows me to run real early in the morning, like 5 a.m. or 7 a.m., and no one I know can accommodate that schedule. I made some good friends on DailyMile.com, social media for runners, and have great interactions with others on Facebook. Still, I think to advance to the next level I need to run in a group, somehow. The group I decided to become a paid member was the Prospect Park Track Club (PPTC). I've seen their banner and table at some races then joined their FB group and learned more about them. I should be able to join one of their weekend group runs one of these days. For the Brooklyn Half, I debuted the PPTC team singlet.
I knew that there would be a PPTC cheering squad at the entrance to the park where Coney Island Avenue meets Prospect Park West etc. The new course for the BHM went down Washington Avenue, up Flatbush Avenue and around the Grand Army Plaza, back down Flatbush again and along Prospect Park's perimeter to enter the park Coney Island Avenue. One big loop of the park then exit at the same place to get to Ocean Parkway then all the way down to Coney Island. I think even before I got to the PPTC cheering squad I already got some cheering from those who recognized the PPTC shirt. At the park entrance I thought I recognize Michael from PPTC but without glasses I was not that sure. I waved at the group and Michael gave me some words/sounds of encouragement. I worried that by the time I got back to that spot, to exit the park, the cheering squad would not be there any more, as I understood they had to rush to Coney Island to cheer the team leading runners. Luckily, they were still there when I exited the park and I even got a few photos taken of me. What a perk for being a member! Thank you Patty and PPTC!
One thing I remember from the 2011 BHM was that there was little cheering along the way on Ocean Parkway. The 2012 race, from my perspective, had more spectator support along the Parkway. Maybe it was a result of better publicity, or the earlier start time of the race somehow fitted better with spectators' schedules.
I was hoping for a new PR but it did not happen. I avoided the mistake I made with the Verrazano Half and did not run any extra, sweat-laden pieces of clothes. Just the shorts and singlet, but it did not help. The finish time of 2:26:21 is actually worse than the Verrazano Half's 2:25:30, but of course the course for the BHM was hillier. It was also a hotter day, that's for sure. I did experience the onset of cramping during the BHM, but it happened at almost the very end, with about 200 meters to go. Again I could not sprint for the finish line but then I did not walk either. The finish line was just around the corner and then within sight, it would look really bad to walk to it, so I just kept running and hoped for the best.
PPTC cheers and photos made the BHM extra nice. The other nice thing with the race was medal award. With NYRR, as far as I know, runners get medals only for THE Marathon in November and the NYC Half Marathon in March. Both cost an arm and a leg these days. The Brooklyn Half is the only other race that offer medals. From the list of available volunteer positions, runners learned about "medal distributors" and much excitement was generated before the race. I don't recall seeing any official confirmation from NYRR about medals for the BHM, so as I saw finishers walking in the opposite direction on Ocean Parkway, I tried to see that they had medals around their necks. No one I saw seemed to have a medal, but a finisher answered in the affirmative when I asked about the medal as I ran past him. I only have a few sports awards so medals are great mementos for me.
Below photo is my preparation for the big event. 15,000 spots and all was sold out in about 10 hours! I happened to be near a computer at the 9th hour and got in just in time. The picture is somewhat misleading as I did not run in the race shirt. Instead, I debuted the team singlet I just got in the mail mere days before the event.
Weekend races are usually made more challenging thanks to the MTA's ongoing subway repair schedule. There was no work done on the D line so I took it from home to Pacific Street. I should have taken another subway to get to the starting area, Washington Avenue and Eastern Parkway, near the Brooklyn Museum. I knew very well that my corral, the 18000, won't be anywhere near the start. I incorrectly assumed that the corrals would stretch along Washington Avenue so a walk from Pacific Street may actually get me to my corral faster. It turned out the corrals stretched along Eastern Parkway. No problem, us long-distance runners don't mind a few miles of walking to get to our corrals.
I envy those people who have a running partner. My life schedule only allows me to run real early in the morning, like 5 a.m. or 7 a.m., and no one I know can accommodate that schedule. I made some good friends on DailyMile.com, social media for runners, and have great interactions with others on Facebook. Still, I think to advance to the next level I need to run in a group, somehow. The group I decided to become a paid member was the Prospect Park Track Club (PPTC). I've seen their banner and table at some races then joined their FB group and learned more about them. I should be able to join one of their weekend group runs one of these days. For the Brooklyn Half, I debuted the PPTC team singlet.
I knew that there would be a PPTC cheering squad at the entrance to the park where Coney Island Avenue meets Prospect Park West etc. The new course for the BHM went down Washington Avenue, up Flatbush Avenue and around the Grand Army Plaza, back down Flatbush again and along Prospect Park's perimeter to enter the park Coney Island Avenue. One big loop of the park then exit at the same place to get to Ocean Parkway then all the way down to Coney Island. I think even before I got to the PPTC cheering squad I already got some cheering from those who recognized the PPTC shirt. At the park entrance I thought I recognize Michael from PPTC but without glasses I was not that sure. I waved at the group and Michael gave me some words/sounds of encouragement. I worried that by the time I got back to that spot, to exit the park, the cheering squad would not be there any more, as I understood they had to rush to Coney Island to cheer the team leading runners. Luckily, they were still there when I exited the park and I even got a few photos taken of me. What a perk for being a member! Thank you Patty and PPTC!
One thing I remember from the 2011 BHM was that there was little cheering along the way on Ocean Parkway. The 2012 race, from my perspective, had more spectator support along the Parkway. Maybe it was a result of better publicity, or the earlier start time of the race somehow fitted better with spectators' schedules.
I was hoping for a new PR but it did not happen. I avoided the mistake I made with the Verrazano Half and did not run any extra, sweat-laden pieces of clothes. Just the shorts and singlet, but it did not help. The finish time of 2:26:21 is actually worse than the Verrazano Half's 2:25:30, but of course the course for the BHM was hillier. It was also a hotter day, that's for sure. I did experience the onset of cramping during the BHM, but it happened at almost the very end, with about 200 meters to go. Again I could not sprint for the finish line but then I did not walk either. The finish line was just around the corner and then within sight, it would look really bad to walk to it, so I just kept running and hoped for the best.
PPTC cheers and photos made the BHM extra nice. The other nice thing with the race was medal award. With NYRR, as far as I know, runners get medals only for THE Marathon in November and the NYC Half Marathon in March. Both cost an arm and a leg these days. The Brooklyn Half is the only other race that offer medals. From the list of available volunteer positions, runners learned about "medal distributors" and much excitement was generated before the race. I don't recall seeing any official confirmation from NYRR about medals for the BHM, so as I saw finishers walking in the opposite direction on Ocean Parkway, I tried to see that they had medals around their necks. No one I saw seemed to have a medal, but a finisher answered in the affirmative when I asked about the medal as I ran past him. I only have a few sports awards so medals are great mementos for me.
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