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Post by dudesky1000 on Dec 30, 2014 2:00:06 GMT -5
2015 is upon us! For those who do not know me, my name is Evan, and I am a filmmaker and runner. At the age of 14, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and have been fighting it all throughout my teenage and now young adult life. Somewhere in the darkest recesses of an adolescent life, I discovered long distance running, and it has since become not only my personal way to fight back against my disease and the oppressing effects that it can have on a person's life, but also to see what I am capable of--and to push myself to further distances, greater heights, and inspire others in my position that they too can achieve great goals. Now at this point, you may be wondering, 'Evan, you crazy idiot!-- what else is there to prove???' Well, I wonder, what does Nagano have left to prove? What does Urushihara have left to prove? What did one of my idols, Akiyama, have left to prove, continuing to compete in SASUKE all of those years after achieving the ultimate prize? As of now, I've already run two marathons, five half marathons, and have done a lot of things that nobody, including myself, wasn't entirely sure I was capable of. Yet, there's some fire raging inside of me that makes me want to keep going--to keep improving and push myself to my potential. Like my signature says, I must keep building the tower! Now let's focus on the running itself. In the few years that I have been running, I have certainly had my ups and downs. Since 2011, I've cut my Half Marathon best by over 10 minutes, and last year in particular, I made a lot of significant improvements. But there is always one common thread to all of my training threads (no pun intended): my training has no discipline. Take a minute to research what training for long distance running is made up of. Look up how any basic training plan for a 5k or a half marathon is structured. Notice anything yet? Maybe a recurring phrase, something like 'miles per week' or MPW? Erm... well... about that. Uh, well, the truth is, I've never really done 'miles per week'. In fact, I don't really honor many of the fundamental training methods used by most runners who are aiming to run at my pace. I've always believed that there's a fine line in this sport between enjoyment and monotony, and I'll say it right now that the day that I do get bored out there, and the moment that I can think of something else I'd rather be doing with my time, you can expect an end. One thing that I believe has kept me away from that day is my largely unstructured training regimen. If I feel good today, I'll go out for a run. If I want to go fast, I'll go fast. If I want to go slow, I'll take it easy. But sometimes easy runs turn into improvised speed workouts. Sometimes long runs turn into time trials. Some weeks I'll go for 3 runs. Some months, I'll hardly run at all. I don't think I've ever had two consecutive months of maintaining a 20-30 MPW plan. Even my nice, structured, video-game-like training plan that I had e-mailed to me EVERY darn day of the Marathon training season this past summer fell apart within weeks. Part of the reason is that my body hasn't held up well--and part of it is my lack of discipline. My coaches and running buddies have always said that if I upped my mileage to 60-80 MPW, I could be running much faster. If only they knew I wasn't even putting in 20 MPW!!! So after a few years of hearing that, some part of me, that same competitive part with the desire to keep going, is curious; what would I really be capable of if I had some more discipline? That's what this year is all about. No more lazy breaks from training. Less improvised runs. More deliberate, focused efforts. Consistency. I believe all are possible while maintaining the fun and relaxing qualities of the activity. This is The Year of Discipline!
2015 GOAL SUBSET 1: Year-Long Goals1a. Maintain an average of 20 MPW throughout the year Failed to reach - 13MPW outdoor miles averaged1b. Run 1040 Miles in 2015 (697 Miles as of 12/31/15) Failed to reach - 697 outdoor miles logged2. Maintain an easy/hard ratio of 75:25 for all miles run Goal Achieved3. Average one hour of cross-training per week for the year. Goal Achieved2015 GOAL SUBSET 2: Race Goals1. Break 1:31:46 in the Half Marathon Goal Achieved @ Manhattan Half: 1:30:062. Break 3:30:00 in the Marathon Failed to reach3. Break 40 minutes in the 10K Goal Sort of Achieved @ Bronx 10-Mile (mid-race): 39:174. Finish in the Top 200 in a race for the first time. Goal Achieved @ Manhattan Half: 181st Place / 4648 Finishers5. Earn a bib number under 1000 Goal Achieved @ Manhattan Half: Bib Number 842 2015 GOAL SUBSET 3: NEW RACE GOALS
1. Break 1:30:00 in the Half Marathon Goal Achieved @ NYC Half: 1:28:412. Finish in the Top 150 in a race for the first time Goal Achieved @ Al Gordon Classic: 64th Place / 1050
3. Qualify for NYC Half 2016 Goal Achieved @ Queens 10KBonus: Continue PR Streak at Brooklyn Half Goal Achieved @ Brooklyn Half: 1:27:11
Note 1/26/15: Uhh, I guess I'm going to have to make some new goals. I'll put up new ones once I can wrap my head around how on earth I broke these already. Note 1/27/15: Added two new race goals. The Half Marathon one is one that I didn't think would be possible this year but it looks like I'll be aiming for it now. The second one is completely arbitrary but a fun one for me, I love stats and the thought of climbing up the ranks is alluring! It'll hopefully go hand-in-hand with my other goals. Note 3/18/15: Both 'new race goals' have been met. No new HM time goals will be added for this year (I've already cut down my Half PR by almost 6 minutes, that's more than 2013-2014 alone), except a bonus goal to keep PR streak alive in Brooklyn Half. Current Stats:Fastest Mile: 5:57 (5:57/mile) 8/20/13 Fastest 5K: 19:06 (6:09/mile) 10/09/13 Fastest 4 Mile: 25:38 (6:25/mile) 2/21/15 @ Al Gordon Classic 2015 Fastest 10K: 39:17 (6:19/mile) 9/27/15 @ Bronx 10-Mile 2015 Fastest 7 Mile: 49:14 (7:02/mile) 12/4/13 (I'm sure this has been broken since but I don't really have a clear record of it) Fastest 10 Mile: 1:05:16 (6:48/mile) 9/28/14 @ Bronx 10-Mile 2015 Fastest Half Marathon: 1:27:11 (6:39/mile) @ Brooklyn Half 2015 Fastest Marathon: 3:38:54 (8:21/mile) @ NYC Marathon 2014 Best Place Against Field (Below Half): 151st/8,673= Top 1.7% @ Queens 10K 2015 Best Place Against Field (Half Marathon): 536th/26,482= Top 2.0% @ Brooklyn Half 2015 Best Place Against Field (Marathon): 6467th/50,875= Top 12.8% @ NYC Marathon 2014 Awards: Henry Isola Cross Country 4M 2015: 2nd Place in 20-24 Age GroupRace Times: (underline indicates current records) Deep Creek Half Marathon: 1:45:xx (8 min/mile) May 2011 3rd Place of 24 finishers Pretend NYC Marathon 2012: 4+ hours with breaks. November 4th, 2012 NYC Half Marathon 2013: 1:38:48 (7:33 min/mile) March 17th, 2013 1,695th Place out of 14,535 finishers Brooklyn Half Marathon 2013: 1:37:50 (7:29 min/mile) May 18th, 2013 2,250th Place out of 21,427 finishers NYC Marathon 2013: 3:49:59 (lol 8:47/mile) November 3rd 2013 11,077th Place out of 50,266 finishers Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon 2014: 1:35:35 (7:18/mile) January 26th, 2014 273rd Place out of 4,027 finishers Brooklyn Half Marathon 2014: 1:34:36 (7:13/mile) May 17th, 2014 1575th Place out of 25,644 finishers Queens 10K 2014: 41:43 (6:42/mile) June 22nd, 2014 254th Place out of 8,460 finishers Bronx 10-Mile 2014: 1:07:59 (6:48/mile) September 28th, 2014 230th Place out of 9,592 finishers NYC Marathon 2014: 3:38:54 (8:21/mile) November 2nd, 2014 6,467th Place out of 50,875 finishers
Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon 2015: 1:30:06 (6:53/mile) January 25th, 2015 181st Place out of 4,648 finishers Al Gordon 4-Mile 2015: 25:38 (6:25/mile) February 21st, 2015 64th Place out of 1,050 finishersUnited Airlines NYC Half 2015: 1:28:41 (6:41/mile) March 15th, 2015 657th Place out of 19,454 finishers Airbnb Brooklyn Half 2015: 1:27:11 (6:39/mile) May 16th, 2015 536th Place out of 26,482 finishersQueens 10K 2015: 40:57 (6:36/mile) June 21st, 2015 151st Place out of 8,673 finishersHenry Isola Cross Country (4M) 2015: 26:51 (6:43/mile) August 30th, 2015 16th Place out of 256 finishers Bronx 10-Mile 2015: 1:05:16 (6:32/mile) September 27th, 2015 229th Place out of 9,351 finishersNYC Marathon 2015: 3:43:29 (8:32/mile) November 1st, 2015 6908th Place out of 50,000+ finishers Planned Races:January: NYRR Fred Lebow Manhattan Half COMPLETEDFebruary: Al Gordon 4-Mile COMPLETEDMarch: United Airlines NYC Half COMPLETEDMay: Airbnb Brooklyn Half 2015 COMPLETEDJune: NYRR Five Borough Series: Queens 10K COMPLETEDAugust: Henry Isola Cross Country 4M COMPLETEDSeptember: NYRR Five Borough Series: Bronx 10-Mile COMPLETEDNovember: TCS New York City Marathon 2015 COMPLETED
Gear Used: Brooks Ghost 6 (Silver)- NYC Marathon 2013 - Brooklyn Half 2014 Brooks Ghost 7 (Blue)- Queens 10K 2014 - Manhattan Half 2015 Brooks Ghost 7 (Black)- Al Gordon 2015 - Queens 10K 2015 Brooks Ghost 8 (Red/Black) - Bronx 10-Mile 2015 & NYC Marathon 2015
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Dec 30, 2014 22:03:27 GMT -5
Good luck with 2015! I love reading the updates even if I can't contribute jack. I love your perseverance and attitude and love the storytelling. Good luck with the Manhattan half and don't go with a hospital wristband this year!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Dec 31, 2014 12:49:21 GMT -5
Thanks! You are contributing a lot more than you think! I'll probably be going into this year's Manhattan Half with the same amount of training as I did last year (basically none) because of a couple of things that I've had planned in January that will prevent me from doing too much running. I know that sounds like I'm completely undermining everything I just said I would do this year, but there is just not much I can do about it. January 5th to 10th I'll be away on a film shoot I'm Assistant Directing upstate. And then... from the 13th to the 23rd, I'll be in Mexico! On my first actual vacation in three years. I've been working on set for basically all of my summers and January's since senior year of high school, so finally I will get to do some relaxing out in the sun. I will try to run a couple of times while I'm down there--I can't resist-- but I'll basically be coming back just in time for the race. With that said, I'll be looking forward to freezing my butt off out there again, hopefully with NO hospital wristbands, and maybe it will even be a few degrees warmer! I don't really expect to break any records--I'll be kind of sad if I don't because so far I've only improved with each race, but the streak has to end at some point. In the spirit of early beginnings, I will be getting my first run of 2015 in today!
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Post by Oti on Dec 31, 2014 17:58:56 GMT -5
Have you considered trying some other methods of training when you're short on time? The big problem with the whole "miles build champions" method is the time commitment anyway, so some alternatives like threshold training and the like could potentially be used.
Either way, I do like these posts of yours. You're one of the few people around here that seems to actually train, as opposed to just going and doing random s*** whenever you want (AKA not training). Best of luck in 2015.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Dec 31, 2014 18:26:28 GMT -5
Have you considered trying some other methods of training when you're short on time? The big problem with the whole "miles build champions" method is the time commitment anyway, so some alternatives like threshold training and the like could potentially be used. Either way, I do like these posts of yours. You're one of the few people around here that seems to actually train, as opposed to just going and doing random s*** whenever you want (AKA not training). Best of luck in 2015. Thanks Oti, I appreciate that coming from you. A lot of my runs this year will be threshold and goal pace runs. Lactate Threshold runs are actually my favorite workouts! I'll try to keep them to a minimum (usually once a week or twice at most) as they can take a toll over time, but I'm a firm believer in quality > quantity when it comes to mileage. At least that's the way I've trained. I just have to be careful not to overuse them as I have in the past (which has led me to injury). My goal this year is to be a little bit more conscious in implementing them at the right times for maximum benefit. It's also probably worth mentioning that I've built in some gym time to my class schedule--and to keep things relatively simple I plan on squats, deadlifts, some necessary little glute, hip and hamstring isolation stuff that I've learned that's kept me away from injury, and every once in a while plyometrics. Although I'm not sure lifting really translates into distance running, I do believe that getting into the habit of consistently doing these exercises will add some level of fundamental strength that I could benefit from, especially when it comes to hills, my major weakness. I'll start slow and light as to not fry my CNS, which can really suck as a runner, but hopefully should be able to build over time to give me a little extra zip in my cadence.
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Post by Oti on Dec 31, 2014 19:46:40 GMT -5
You answered yourself right there. Things like squats and deadlifts will translate over to endurance running by making running easier, especially up and down hills. You may also notice that keeping your normal pace will become easier, as each stride will now require less of your overall maximum effort. Enjoy dem gainz. Obviously an endurance athlete like yourself doesn't need to squat 500, but getting a little stronger will definitely help. Your plan is solid. Lyle McDonald over at www.bodyrecomposition.com has several interesting articles about endurance training methods, performance, etc. I highly recommend them. Lyle knows his stuff. EDIT: Ah. So. Lyle's site is down right now so he can redesign it, it seems. Anticipate, then, I guess.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 1, 2015 12:23:21 GMT -5
You answered yourself right there. Things like squats and deadlifts will translate over to endurance running by making running easier, especially up and down hills. You may also notice that keeping your normal pace will become easier, as each stride will now require less of your overall maximum effort. Enjoy dem gainz. Obviously an endurance athlete like yourself doesn't need to squat 500, but getting a little stronger will definitely help. Your plan is solid. Lyle McDonald over at www.bodyrecomposition.com has several interesting articles about endurance training methods, performance, etc. I highly recommend them. Lyle knows his stuff. EDIT: Ah. So. Lyle's site is down right now so he can redesign it, it seems. Anticipate, then, I guess. Awesome! Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for sure. Woke up to a little surprise this morning in my inbox. Apparently, I wish every New York Road Runners member a happy new year!
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Jan 1, 2015 18:16:37 GMT -5
Wow Poster boy! I told ya that was a great photo!
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Post by wrestlingfan55 on Jan 2, 2015 13:45:12 GMT -5
Next time you finish a marathon do the Mobot
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 7, 2015 12:14:04 GMT -5
Week 1 is done and done!
Dec. 31st-Jan. 6th
Wed: 5 Mile Regular Run, East River. 41:46 Thurs: OFF Fri: 7 Mile Regular Run, East River at Night. 57:01 Sat: OFF Sun: 12.1 Mile Long Run, East River + Manhattan Bridge. 1:40:26 Mon: OFF Tues: 4 Mile Recovery Run, Treadmill. 35:00
Weekly Mileage: 28.1 Miles Time on my feet: 3:54:13
Comments: Pretty good week to start the new year. As we get closer to the Manhattan Half, I'm really aiming to just get my legs adjusted to a lot of volume so I can get back into the endurance framework. I'll be taking 11 days off starting next week (hello Mexico vacation!) so I want to get the miles in NOW. Started to do this by adding a 7 Mile regular run into the mix and going straight to the long run...ah yes, the long run, that always feels good.
For the first time, I decided to throw in a bridge! The Manhattan Bridge to be exact. The East River has been like a best friend, but it offers very little in the way of hills. It's not a challenging path. The race I'm training for has A LOT of hills, so the next best thing to training on the actual course (not sure why I haven't bothered to do that yet), is to throw in a long, tough incline toward the back end of a long run. It was really cool, and a nice little challenge, but the bridge itself was so difficult just to get to, that I probably won't be doing it very often. Maybe I will as its own workout (like hill repeats, except bridge repeats) sometime in the future. To get to the entrance I have to navigate through none other than crowded Chinatown! It's kind of difficult.
Anyway, looking forward to a strong week two with a Half-Marathon-Pace run before I take off for my vacation.
Expect a pre-race post for the Manhattan Half soon!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 12, 2015 21:41:43 GMT -5
The year of discipline has already begun--and the first race, much like last year, is what I like to call the 'Half Marathon on Ice', the Fred Lebow Manhattan Half 2015. I leave for my first vacation since 2008 early tomorrow morning, but I wanted to squeak in a short little pre-race report before disappearing--because I'm purposefully cutting myself off from the internet and social media until I return to the states-- and this pre-race post is important for me to come back to as I attempt to return to the competitive mindset. First, a little bit about the race itself: This will be the second time I have run this race, but the bazillionth time I have run the 'course', which consists of two 'classic' full 6.2 mile loops of Central Park, hills and all, plus a bit more to make it a complete 13.1 miles. From what I remember last year, this was a pretty brutal course for racing--and it was so freezing that day that dozens of us runners used a public bathroom for a shelter from the windchill! NYRR official results website says it was 18F that day, but it seemed a lot worse to me. And did I mention the hills?! And how much I still hate them...especially the dreaded Harlem Hill at the top of the park, that we'll have to do twice. It's probably the most challenging Half Marathon NYRR currently has to offer, although I can't speak for the Staten Island Half, which I opted not to do last year. Therefore, my expectations are mixed. I always want to keep improving with every race. The time goal that I'm hungriest to break this year is definitely to finally crack the 7:00/mile barrier in the Half Marathon, clocking a time under 1:31:46. It's a full 3-minute leap from my current best, which is quite daunting, but not insurmountable. I am confident that if I am disciplined enough, I can achieve this in one of my three Half Marathon attempts this year--but I have to go into this race knowing that it most definitely will not happen here. On one hand, I feel experienced in Central Park and feel raring to go, but on the other hand, I can't realistically expect myself to make that big leap in two weeks from now. And on the other hand, I feel as though I've significantly improved since last January. In the last couple of weeks, I've had some pretty good training runs as well. With all of that taken into consideration, my goal is pretty simple for this race: beat last year's time by one minute. Success here would mean two things for me: the obvious one is that it would be an improvement over last year's race, hopefully reflecting my improvements since last year. But, interestingly, if I can beat my time by exactly one minute, and run 1:34:35, that would also be a one-second improvement over my current Half Marathon best--a bit ridiculous but it would allow me to continue my streak of improving in every race. Anything faster than that time would be gravy! My strategy will be similar to last year's, although I will need to find a way to cut off approximately 4.5 seconds off of every mile. Here are my splits from last year: 1 8:09.3 2 7:43.4 3 7:05.6 4 7:18.6 5 7:28.0 6 6:58.5 7 7:10.2 8 7:13.8 9 6:39.9 10 7:14.6 11 7:32.5 12 6:51.7 13 6:59.3 .18 (after 13th mile) 1:08.4 Rather than try to 'put time in the bank' by starting faster, I think I'll put most of my effort into cutting down the time in miles 5 and 11, which are the same exact mile (the three rolling hills after the big Harlem Hill), by really digging into the downhills. I think I'll probably be able so shave a few seconds in mile 3, considering how hard I was able to kick mile 9 (these are also the same mile). Between those, and just going a tad bit faster in general, I should be able to reach my goal! That's all for now--I'm off to Mexico! Word on the street is that there's a running path in Campeche--think I might just have to check that out for myself. Adios amigos!
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Post by arsenette on Jan 12, 2015 22:23:56 GMT -5
Have a safe trip and don't drink the water!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 24, 2015 16:33:33 GMT -5
Just a quick little update:
Just came back from my vacation--one of the greatest adventures in my life! Mexico is very misunderstood. We traveled through and spent time in Valladolid, Campeche, Merida, Izamal, and finished up in the 'resort-y' Isla Mujeres. Very humble but dignified cities with a culture rich in identity and hardworking, highly hospitable people. It was very eye-opening for me as a filmmaker.
Now back to running--I got in only one run during the trip, in Campeche on the Malecon there (it's a running path by the coast, AMAZING! Wish I could train there every day). It was awesome getting to run in the hot weather again.
Obviously I am coming into tomorrow's race with fresh legs, and the forecast is actually looking kind of promising! Should be much warmer than last year, and sunny, a little rain tonight notwithstanding.
I DID manage to successfully already complete one of my yearly goals already! My bib number for this year's Fred Lebow Manhattan Half is 824-- my very first bib seeding in the top 1000!!! Pretty thrilled to have finally made the jump. It's a really big leap from when I started in the high x000's.
The pressure is certainly on, though I'm trying not to put too much of it on myself. I'm itching to get out there and I'll do my best!
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Post by arsenette on Jan 24, 2015 16:55:36 GMT -5
Good luck tomorrow! I won't go to Mexico the abduction capital of the world (sadly) but happy you are safe and back home. Happy your trip was good!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 25, 2015 10:10:06 GMT -5
Just got home from the race of my life.
Smashed my personal best by 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
Finished in 1:30:06.
Am I dreaming???
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Post by arsenette on Jan 25, 2015 10:22:24 GMT -5
Yay!!!!!!!!! Congrats! Can't wait for the big write up!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 25, 2015 10:48:53 GMT -5
Thank you!!
I don't even know what to say! I am speechless. I have no idea what happened. I didn't think I could run like I did today. I'm just so happy.
From now on, I'm going to Mexico every year before this race! The Mayan gods must have been smiling on me.
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Post by arsenette on Jan 25, 2015 11:00:56 GMT -5
Thank you!! I don't even know what to say! I am speechless. I have no idea what happened. I didn't think I could run like I did today. I'm just so happy. From now on, I'm going to Mexico every year before this race! The Mayan gods must have been smiling on me. I thought you were going to say that. LOL!!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 25, 2015 13:39:10 GMT -5
First post has been updated with the official results-- Finally broke the top 200 by placing 181st overall! Broke 3 of my yearly race goals in the process. Guess I didn't need discipline after all!
That marks the end to this thread I guess! See you next year!
Just kidding, full race report and revised goals will come soon. In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate with my brother. IHOP here I come!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jan 26, 2015 14:20:38 GMT -5
FRED LEBOW MANHATTAN HALF 2015 RACE REPORTLast year, I remember a few things about this race: It was freakin' cold, there was snow and ice everywhere, I could barely sleep the night before, and it was FREAKING COLD!!! I was on a mission after being hospitalized, and I didn't care about the cold (well, maybe just a bit) because I was more interested in having the last laugh over Crohn's disease after a few weeks of health issues. I surprised myself, improving my personal best by a couple of minutes and coming within touching distance of the 1:35 barrier, as well as placing pretty high amongst the field of runners. Before I knew it, I was hooked to racing-- I found myself registering for every major NYRR race I could get into with a thirst for improvement! I did indeed improve, finally broke the 95-minute half-marathon barrier, and managed to finish the year earning myself a top 1000 bib-seeding for the first time with good results in the Queens 10K and Bronx 10-Miler. And in the end, I guess you could say that 2014 was my first 'full season' on the NYRR tour of races. Turning the focus to 2015Given this was the first race of this new year, with my highest bib number ever (824) and an entire year of discipline ahead of me--I actually didn't really put much thought into this years Manhattan Half! Especially in terms of time expectations. I was very excited to run after a couple of weeks off, but after a very relaxing and creatively inspiring vacation, I've had a lot of other things on my mind than running. For once, the night before a race, I actually got a great night of sleep. When I woke up, I felt really good. I didn't stress out about getting the perfect breakfast, boarding a precise train, or studying my splits ad nauseum. I just kind of got up and went. The sun was out, the wind was minimal, and the roads were free of ice and snow. A few people even recognized me from my marathon photo. One guy even came up to me to ask for a photo with me! Putting expectations into perspectiveAs I said in my pre-race report, one of my big goals this year was to break 1:31:46 in the Half Marathon (which is to complete the race with an average pace of under 7:00/mile), but I never really considered this race to be a viable attempt to reach that goal. My last Half Marathon was last May, a half a year ago, and if you read my race report for the Brooklyn Half 2014, you know that I had to really dig as deep as I possibly could to get 1:34:36, which was a one-minute improvement over last year's Manhattan Half time of 1:35:35, which at the time was my personal best. In my mind, there has been a pattern: every half marathon I've done since the NYC Half in 2013 (1:38:48), I've managed to improve my time by about a minute. And every time it has been more and more difficult (as it should be, pace and effort are NOT linear by any means!). But not everybody improves with every race, so there is also a lot of luck involved. This particular course is also very challenging, with two very hilly laps of Central Park including the daunting Harlem Hills--twice! So at best, I was hoping for another sub-1:35, maybe if I was lucky a new personal best, and at worst, well, here in the cold, it can get pretty ugly. At worst it would have been a slice of humble pie that frankly I could probably use at this point. Start your (frozen) engines!As the race began, the first thing I remember is feeling how awesome it was to be in the first starting corral at the head of the field. 824 was the highest bib number I've ever gotten, so I had never been so close to the competitive scene at the start of the race. Standing beside me were some really serious looking guys. As the gun went off, some of them just belted ahead like horses (were they even cold???). Even though it was kind of frightening to watch (I didn't really want to get trampled that day) I got really enthusiastic about it all and went for my own fast start. I clocked in my first mile at 7:40-- a really great start for me, who usually needs a lot of warm-up time. My first mile in 2014 was 8:09, so I was already making a 30-second difference. Then, I hopped over the first major hill and I ran my second mile in 7:17, another almost 30-second difference from last year's split of 7:43. With a big downhill portion coming up, and feeling pretty good, I realized that if I could just match all of my splits from last year's race and not burn out, I could set a new personal best! Or I could just... Let it Go-- Half Marathon StyleI love downhills. I've learned to completely let my body loose, stretch my legs to the longest strides they possibly can, and let gravity carry me down. If running up hills is my weakness, then running down them is my greatest strength. Though I'm not sure you can call them a strength, because I don't aim to exert myself. The key is to literally chill out! I guess that's what I do best. Mile 3 in this race is a series of awesome downhill slopes. Last year, I ran a great 7:05...this year, I clocked a screaming 6:36. It felt AWESOME. Surprises a la modeNormally I would have worried that I was starting a little too ambitiously, but for whatever reason, I just still felt really energized and positive. I was really surprising myself. As the big Harlem Hill came up, for once, I didn't feel winded. Once I passed that, and enjoyed another fun downhill segment, I knew that I wasn't too much further from completing the first lap, so I just kind of continued going at the same pace. One thing I do have to my advantage in this race (as does nearly everyone else) is that we're all extremely familiar with the course. It's routine Central Park! And as I came round to start my second lap, there was another nice surprise--my mom and brother were braving the cold to cheer me on! The sun really started coming out, I tossed my hat away, and entered 'the zone'. The Magic Mile and the BreakthroughAs I came to the downhill slalom for the second time at Mile 9, I realized that I was not only crushing my past time but had a serious chance for breaking the 1:31:46 barrier. I thought it almost too good to be true...was I still asleep somewhere on a beach in Mexico? Was this really happening? And did I really feel so good or was it just my body giving me a nice last few minutes before suddenly collapsing? I didn't really think. Again, I just let go, and flew down the hill, feeling like an icy comet. I clocked my best ever mile in a half marathon race, 6:19. Suddenly, I was not only beating my 2015 Half Marathon time goal, but I could just begin to taste the all-alluring benchmark of a sub-1:30 half marathon, a result I have dreamed of since I began running. For amateur runners like myself, a sub-1:30 is often heralded as some kind of badge of honor--a truly impressive result for someone who did not grow up running in school or for a team. It was going to be my goal for 2016, IF I could manage to break 1:31:46 this year (not a given). And seemingly out of nowhere, on a day and on a course I would not have thought it possible for me, I was coming dangerously close. With just over 3 miles to go, I cautiously sped things up, climbed the Harlem Hills for the last time, just starting to feel a little tired and clutched as hard as I could. The Chilling CountdownI've written about this before, but there's just nothing like watching the clock tick before your eyes as you approach to the finish line--especially if you're so close to making it or breaking it. It's a very silly aspect of running jargon, but there is a big difference between having a PR of 1:30:01 and being able to say you've run 1:29:59. To just have that silly little number 20 in the minutes section instead of 30 is the difference between a 'class' of runners. I think it's ridiculous, but cannot deny that there is something really satisfying about being on the favorable end of it. You see, runners really like to brag, and they'll take anything they can get. Even if it's just a measly two second difference, those are the two seconds us runners train to conquer, so we can reach 'new personal heights', whether that's two seconds short of a two-hour finish, a four-hour finish, or a one-hour finish for even the most elite athletes. This is only a phenomenon you see among repeat runners of course, who have already finished the distance at least once (hell, just finishing a half marathon is a major achievement). For those who take it seriously though, it's hard to answer the question...where in all those 13.1 miles, over an hour and a half of running, could I have just gone 6 seconds faster? Was it that cup of water I slowed down to drink? That one old guy in front of me I had to run around? That time when I had to scratch my nose after sneezing? LOL As I passed my family just before the finish line, with 1:29:00 on the clock, I really thought that I had it. But as the seconds began to dwindle down, the finish line seemed further away than I remembered it being last year, and I knew that it was going to be really, really close. I was already extremely happy, and shocked that I had even done this well. Either way I was going to come away from this race with a tremendous result. With about 10 seconds left and a lot of ground to cover, I began to sprint with everything I had--I could almost touch the finish line--and, while I began to laugh at the absurdity of my efforts, a little piece of my heart screamed out in despair as I watched the giant digital clock tick past 1:30:00...01...02...03...close, but no cuban cigar for me. Still, I was thrilled with my time, so in tradition, I threw my arms up in the air and gave a celebratory battle cry. It was a wonderful race for me! Take-away from the TundraNo doubt about it, this was the greatest race of my life. I've never felt so composed and strong for such a long time, and I can't think of a better way to validate for myself that 2014, the year of improvement, was a great success. I think that coming from a very relaxing, stress-free vacation proved to be highly beneficial, and despite some of the challenges of this course, I actually think that it played right into my strengths. The conditions were also very nice compared to last year. My result yesterday is also a bit of a wake-up call for me and reinforces that with a little discipline in my training--how far can I go? It took me almost two years to cut 4 minutes off of my Half Marathon record, and until today, I had been improving by about one-minute with every race. This time however, I smashed my previous record, set in May, by a whole 4 minutes and 30 seconds--a huge jump for an amateur runner such as myself. A lot of people would be very disappointed in missing the 1:30 benchmark after coming so close, but to be honest I'm almost glad that I did. Now, with the entire year ahead of me, I have my dream goal to shoot for, and having had just a taste of it, I am more motivated than ever, and I can still celebrate yesterday's result as a dream-come-true for me. It's a sign that I am really capable of doing something I couldn't imagine myself doing back when I ran my first Half in 2011, in just over 1:45:00. I feel as though I've come a really long way, and yet, the jump from this race to my last is so promising that I have reason to believe that I may even be able to put up even crazier times--with enough discipline. This race also marked the first time that I finished in the top 200, placing 181st in a field of 4,648 finishers. As always, I'm really happy that I was able to defend my bib number and hope that my seeding will keep going down! As always, here are my splits: 1 7:40.7 2 7:17.9 3 6:36.5 4 6:54.4 5 7:13.2 6 6:29.8 7 6:45.2 8 6:44.3 9 6:19.1 10 6:51.5 11 7:02.9 12 6:35.9 13 6:40.5 .16 (after 13th mile) 0:56.1 Bib Number: 824 Overall Place: 181st Place out of 4,648 finishers Overall Finishing Time: 1:30:06 (6:53/mile average) Next up is the NYC Half, which I missed last year (didn't qualify), but will be returning to for my first time since 2013. It was my first official race ever, and the first time I broke 1:40 in the Half Marathon--and this time, watch out Times Square, I'm aiming for sub-90!!! And on a final note, yep, the NYRR media team is at it again: In this race's official photo album...Evan 48 strikes again! They included 3 pictures of the finish line: the overall male winner, the female winner, and then this:
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