Bronx Half
I'm kind of burnt out from racing, but I've been skipping midweek runs because of the cold. I figured signing up for this race would make sure I got my long run in this weekend. That was the primary goal.
I went with a couple of friends this morning, and we got there right before the race. 3,261 finishers as per the NYRR - quite a big turnout for a race that's hard to get to. Big traffic jam at the baggage drop off.
I started the race holding back, because I didn't want to push myself. By a few miles in, I was really struggling. I wasn't going too fast, but I was just dreading how much further I had to go. By mile 4 or so, I decided I'd take a bathroom break, and at the same time rest for a bit. By mile 5 I still hadn't seen a portapotty, and now my left shoelace was untied. Hmm, don't remember that happening before in a race. I pushed on, still planning to stop once for bothe the bathroom and my shoelace.
Just after mile 6 we passed the start area, with about 30 portapotties. Nice! I stopped, tied my shoe, used the facilities, and got back out there. I think the total time spent was about a minute, but I felt better.
For the second half of the race, I tried to work on keeping my breathing steady. I wasn't pushing to run faster, but I was trying to feel like I was not out of control. It kind of worked, and by mile 11 and 12 I think I felt the best I'd felt all day. My splits were faster on those miles than all the earlier ones!
The last mile we hit a lot of wind in the wrong direction, and it made finishing with a kick tough. I told myself I wasn't really "racing" so I didn't push too hard. I think I ran the last 0.1 mile a little faster.
My splits:
8:31
8:23
8:07
8:19
8:20
8:16
9:14 (bathroom break)
8:15
8:12
8:11
8:05
7:56
8:02
0:51
Total: 1:48:43, for an 8:17 pace.
I finished tired, but happy I'd come. I'm definitely looking forward to a 3 week break from racing though. Coogan's, which is in 3 weeks, has traditionally been a good race for me. I'd been looking forward to smashing my 5K PR. Now I've been skipping my speedwork, and putting on weight. I'm definitely slower than I was a few months ago. I'm going to try and reverse these trends and see if I can still pull off a 5K PR on March 2nd.
In other news, my Colon Cancer Challenge fundraising is not going so well. I've recruited a few new team members, but my personal fundraising total is stuck at $5. Pathetic. I definitely have to work on improving that.
I went with a couple of friends this morning, and we got there right before the race. 3,261 finishers as per the NYRR - quite a big turnout for a race that's hard to get to. Big traffic jam at the baggage drop off.
I started the race holding back, because I didn't want to push myself. By a few miles in, I was really struggling. I wasn't going too fast, but I was just dreading how much further I had to go. By mile 4 or so, I decided I'd take a bathroom break, and at the same time rest for a bit. By mile 5 I still hadn't seen a portapotty, and now my left shoelace was untied. Hmm, don't remember that happening before in a race. I pushed on, still planning to stop once for bothe the bathroom and my shoelace.
Just after mile 6 we passed the start area, with about 30 portapotties. Nice! I stopped, tied my shoe, used the facilities, and got back out there. I think the total time spent was about a minute, but I felt better.
For the second half of the race, I tried to work on keeping my breathing steady. I wasn't pushing to run faster, but I was trying to feel like I was not out of control. It kind of worked, and by mile 11 and 12 I think I felt the best I'd felt all day. My splits were faster on those miles than all the earlier ones!
The last mile we hit a lot of wind in the wrong direction, and it made finishing with a kick tough. I told myself I wasn't really "racing" so I didn't push too hard. I think I ran the last 0.1 mile a little faster.
My splits:
8:31
8:23
8:07
8:19
8:20
8:16
9:14 (bathroom break)
8:15
8:12
8:11
8:05
7:56
8:02
0:51
Total: 1:48:43, for an 8:17 pace.
I finished tired, but happy I'd come. I'm definitely looking forward to a 3 week break from racing though. Coogan's, which is in 3 weeks, has traditionally been a good race for me. I'd been looking forward to smashing my 5K PR. Now I've been skipping my speedwork, and putting on weight. I'm definitely slower than I was a few months ago. I'm going to try and reverse these trends and see if I can still pull off a 5K PR on March 2nd.
In other news, my Colon Cancer Challenge fundraising is not going so well. I've recruited a few new team members, but my personal fundraising total is stuck at $5. Pathetic. I definitely have to work on improving that.
posted by Danny on Sunday, February 10, 2008
4 Comments:
Nice Race.
And keep on truckin' with the fundraising. It's not easy, but it'll be worth it.
Get creative! Do a 50/50 or a square raffle or something. :)
Outstanding performance. I know it was cold, and I just couldn't get out of bed for the race!!!
view my blog at neverquitneverstop.blogspot.com
Another fine effort!
I'll be sure to stop by the Colon Cancer Challenge site here soon.
well done! considering you weren't really racing!
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