So, one of the goals that I set for myself this year is to run at least one half-marathon every month, and I signed up to run the Fred Lebow Manhattan half as my January race. When I signed up for this race it was the third event on my calendar, but with race switches, cancellations and transfers it wound up being my first event of the new year.
With being sick for the last three weeks, I was a little nervous about jumping into 13.1 miles. Don't get me wrong - I am finally getting over this cold, even if I hardly have a voice, but I am far from 100%. The night before as I pulled my gear together for this race I was nervous, and was dreading the race the next day. What if I couldn't finish?
Thankfully, Dad agreed to drive me to the race, and hang out in central park while I was running. We left the house around 6 am, and I tried to eat a peanut butter sandwich and hydrate as we traveled. We got to central park around 6:50, and Dad started circling around as he looked for parking. At 7:00, he dropped me off by the entrance to the park so I could pick up my race bib while he continued to look for parking.
I headed into the park with several extra layers on. It was easy enough to find race day central - I just followed the masses holding gear check bags and wearing sneakers. Race morning bib pickup was a dream, with no wait to get my hat and my bib. At NYRR races they use a QR code for quick pickup, and I learned today that every runner is assigned one QR code, which is used for all of their events - it's not a different code for each race as I had previously thought. So, I'll share the tip I got from the woman who was working bib pickup today: screen shot your QR code and save it in your phone, that way you always have it on race morning.
I grabbed a gear check bag even though I wasn't checking anything, that way I could throw my coats in it and easily pass them off to Dad when the race started. I made a quick pit stop at the porter potties, and then headed towards the start area and hung out on a bench near the start line while I waited for 8:00, when the race was scheduled to begin. By this time, Dad had found a parking spot and met me in the park. There were runners all over the place, and lots of people walking their dogs. Before 9:00 am it isn't required for people to have leashes on their dogs in central park, so there are always lots of people out with their pets on race mornings.
At 7:45 I started to get all of my stuff together. I took my pre-race Gu and loaded three more into my SPI belt, along with some Sport Beans in case I wanted a mid-race pick me up. I also set up my headphones and stored my inhaler in the back pocket of my leggings. Dad and I headed towards the corrals, and I handed over my jacket. I made a last minute decision to keep my gloves and headband because I was cold at the time, but knew I would be sick of them by mile 3.
Once I was in corral E I only had time to take my inhaler before the national anthem was sung, and we were off. Dad texted me that he would be on the left side of the course just before mile marker 3, so I made a mental note of that as I got moving.
I didn't have big expectations going into this race. I figured that I would aim for a pace in a 10:00 - 10:30 range, and hopefully feel okay. I didn't pay too much attention to my pace in the first mile, I just tried to settle into the pace of the runners around me. As we approached the first mile, my watched buzzed and let me know that the pace had been a 9:11, and I felt pretty okay. I had gotten caught up in the excitement of the race starting and had gone out faster than expected.
With the second mile came Cat Hill, and I slowed my pace a little as I took on the first hill. I knew I would be hitting this hill two more times and had two trips up Harlem hill in my future as well. Mile two slipped away, and I spotted dad for the first time just before mile three, and flailed around a little to make sure he saw me approaching. Sure enough, I had ripped off my mittens and ear warmers before mile three, and attached them to my SPI belt, where they would live for the rest of the race.
Next, the race headed around the north end of the park, and Harlem hill approached. As I trotted up the hill there were more spectators than could be found elsewhere on the course, some with signs and some just cheering runners on as they headed up the hill. Mile 5 came in at 9:38, which would wind up being my slowest mile of the race. As I conquered the hill, my watch buzzed with a text from Dad that he would be just before the water station that was near the start line, where I would complete loop one of the race. I wasn’t too far from there when I got his text, and caught him by surprise as I ran by.
Had to get a selfie with the Fred Lebow statue as I ran by!
As I made my second loop around the park I was feeling really good, and when I hit the halfway point of the race I considered my mile splits – they had been pretty good so far, ranging from 9:12-9:38, and I wasn’t feeling excessively strained, so I decided to pick the pace up a notch. I ran by dad again just before mile 8, and this time he was ready for me to run by and snapped some photos.
With the pace sped up, the course and its hills had become instantly more challenging, but I was ready. I kept my fueling strategy consistent, taking a Gu every 4 miles and some beans when I felt like I needed an extra push. Around mile 10 I got sick of hearing music as I ran, and the headphones got shut down so I could just enjoy the sounds of the park, the people, the runners feet pounding the pavement.
When my watch hit 11 miles, my time was at about 1:43…. 2.1 miles left to cover - if I could do that in 17 minutes I would break 2 hours. Now, my half PR is 1:58 and change, and the fact that it was possible to finish anywhere near that pace today blew my mind. So, I picked up the pace one last time, in hopes that I could at least finish the race in just under two hours – but what I didn’t consider here was that my watch was running about 0.15 mi ahead of the course mile markers.
I really pushed to get through the last two miles, which despite the hills came in at 8:42 and 8:12. When my watch hit 13.1 miles, the time read 1:59:38. But at this point I quickly realized that I still had a bit more to run before I came upon the actual finish line, which I crossed in an official time of 2:01:03, and I was elated. I had not only finished, but I had finished in a time that was (at least in my speeds) fast!
Was it a PR? No. But for me, it was a personal best, even if I had not hit a record. For the first time, I had managed to run negative splits for a race. I felt great at the finish line, which was a victory in and of itself after how I felt at the NYC marathon finish line. Most importantly, I felt strong, and was reminded that I needed to stop telling myself that things are impossible – because I can complete races that once felt impossible.
I collected my medal and walked happily through the finishers area. I had missed Dad at his last on course location, which was just before mile 13, as I was more focused on getting to the finish line. When I started this race, I questioned what kind of day I would have. Heck, I had even considered not doing this race, but boy am I glad that I ran it.
So let this be a reminder to you: You can do impossible things, you just have to give yourself the chance.