From Half to Full
Yesterday was the Bronx Half Marathon and, as I'd already mentioned, I was determined to do it. My first race since December, first Half since Staten Island, and the first Half that I actually raced since Queens, last spring, before I got injured. Plus, the last time I did the Bronx was a year and a half ago, in the heat, and I wanted to see how I'd fare in the cold. And I was much slower back then. My net time in July 2005 was 1:43:32.
Despite my hatred of the cold, it was better running this race yesterday at 10ºF than it would be at 90º. The first couple miles were brutally cold and I honestly didn't think I could handle the entire 13 mile in that weather, but eventually, I warmed up, and the fear of frostbite subsided (I've had genuine frostbite before, and it's not pretty).
But I went out too fast. I went out at my Queens Half pace: sub-sevens. I held on to this pace through until about 6 or so miles, and then gradually started to fade on the Grand Concourse. By mile 8, I slowed to 7:11, and at 10 miles I was down to a 7:23 pace. My last mile was a veritable crawl at 7:38. I averaged 7:12 for the race and finished nearly as well as I hoped, with a 1:34:34, if I recall correctly. Then I jogged out back a bit over a mile and a quarter into the course and back, so that I finished the day with about fifteen and two-thirds of a mile.
Back at the finish area, I caught up with runner26 and chatted while waiting in line for bagels and hot chocolate. She told me about her running the race as a tribute to the memory of her dog, which I thought was very sweet. We parted ways and I ran into another west side Flyer on my way to the D-Train and we rode down to 125th St. together, where I disembarked and trotted home.
The results of this race were encouraging, and I sat down today to work out a training schedule for the New Jersey Marathon. NJ is 10-11 weeks away, and that still gives me some time to ramp up for a marathon. This week, with the upcoming snows (but yay for snow, anyway!) might be a little difficult for running. I'm hoping to cover 45+ miles by week's end. Wish me luck!
Despite my hatred of the cold, it was better running this race yesterday at 10ºF than it would be at 90º. The first couple miles were brutally cold and I honestly didn't think I could handle the entire 13 mile in that weather, but eventually, I warmed up, and the fear of frostbite subsided (I've had genuine frostbite before, and it's not pretty).
But I went out too fast. I went out at my Queens Half pace: sub-sevens. I held on to this pace through until about 6 or so miles, and then gradually started to fade on the Grand Concourse. By mile 8, I slowed to 7:11, and at 10 miles I was down to a 7:23 pace. My last mile was a veritable crawl at 7:38. I averaged 7:12 for the race and finished nearly as well as I hoped, with a 1:34:34, if I recall correctly. Then I jogged out back a bit over a mile and a quarter into the course and back, so that I finished the day with about fifteen and two-thirds of a mile.
Back at the finish area, I caught up with runner26 and chatted while waiting in line for bagels and hot chocolate. She told me about her running the race as a tribute to the memory of her dog, which I thought was very sweet. We parted ways and I ran into another west side Flyer on my way to the D-Train and we rode down to 125th St. together, where I disembarked and trotted home.
The results of this race were encouraging, and I sat down today to work out a training schedule for the New Jersey Marathon. NJ is 10-11 weeks away, and that still gives me some time to ramp up for a marathon. This week, with the upcoming snows (but yay for snow, anyway!) might be a little difficult for running. I'm hoping to cover 45+ miles by week's end. Wish me luck!
posted by Skylight at 9:37 PM
2 Comments:
skylight, you were one the "fast people sprinting, seemingly effortless" that i mentioned. I'm serious--it looked effortless. But great job! I think you will be ready for NJ, no problem!
Fabulous! It's been so encouraging to read about your recovery as I use it as motivation for myself. Good luck with getting ready for NJ! I think you'll be ready.
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