2011 New York Marathon Race Report

26.2 Miles
5:00:12 Time
11:28 Pace

13.1 Miles First half
2:15:07 Time
10:19 Pace

13.1 Miles Second Half
2:45:05 Time
12:36 Pace

I didn't put much thought into how I would run this race. I figured 4:30 would be tough but doable. I thought I could just run with the 4:30 group, and maybe if I had problems the second half I might be near 4:45.

I had confidence going into this race.

1. I ran a 4:42 marathon in less than a year after starting to run. My splits were like 2:13-2:29 and I ran that without a pace group, a watch or with the help of spectators. While I ran slower the second half, I didn't feel I hit the wall, though I did some walking and got tired.

2. I ran the Yonkers half, which is known as a hilly course, in 2:09:39 with no taper and initially intended that to be a training run. My last two miles in the race were run at a sub 9 min mile.

3. I thought I ran hills well: I logged many miles running the hilly Van Cortlandt trails, the Bear Mountain half marathon and I usually speed up the Greenwich Ave hill during my weekly running group runs.

4. I had a better base for this marathon. While I didn't train much harder (both marathons I ran like 39 miles a week in the 20 weeks prior to the races) I had averaged about 35 miles in the 40 weeks prior to this race as opposed to just 29. Maybe how much you ran that long ago isn't as important.

5. Training went smoothly, without any injuries.

Pre Race

I thought I would be getting there too early with the 6:03 train. I didn't spend much time at all waiting for the race to start. I got into Grand Central around 7. Then I got the subway down to Bowling Green and I was at the ferry line by 7:30. It was around 9:15 when I got to the start, after taking the ferry to Staten Island and the bus to the start. I went to drop my bag off and was surprised to hear them say it was closed at 9:30 with so many more people coming. Not sure if anyone had issues. I had some coffee and a banana and by then I had to go to the bridge!

Breakdown

Miles 1-2 (Verrazano Bridge) Very quiet with some nice views. I ran the lower level so I guess there were some nicer views I missed.

Miles 2-6 (Brooklyn) I got warmed up and into a good groove. I was running pretty consistently, like 10:20-10:30 pace. (Thank you NYRR for showing the mile by mile splits! I didn't use my phone app during the race.) I think I heard someone call "Aron" during this time. I was excited when I heard this, I knew spectators cheered for runners but with so many runners I wasn't sure anyone would cheer for me. It happened a lot during the race! The 4:30 pacer guy I was trying to follow was like a minute ahead of me. I could see the balloon in the distance.

Miles 6-11 (Brooklyn) I tried catching up to the pacer but it was tough with the crowd of runners. Then things got strange. I lost sight of the 4:30 pace guy and his balloons. Then I see the 4:20 pacer pass me. Maybe the pacer I was looking at during miles 2-6 was the 4:15 pace? I don't know. I did have a pacing card with me but I didn't really use it. I did at times toward the end of the race, but not often. When I used it then, I was seeing what my time would be if I walked the rest of the race.

Miles 11-13 (Brooklyn) I think around this time I saw my favorite sign of the race. It said "<- NYC Marthon SVU Marathon ->" SVU as in Law & Order Special Victims Unit. They have marathons like 5 times a week on USA Network. This sign beat "I got 99 problems but a marathon ain't one" and "You trained longer for this than Kim Kardashian was married."

Miles 13-15 (Queens) I saw the brother of Tracy, the blogger of the site GoTracyGo.com, one of the few blogs I read, and someone who I have run with on occasion. It was hard to miss as he had a sign for her. I said "hi" to him.

Mile 15 (Queensboro Bridge) The 4:30 pace guy flew by me. At this point I realized I would be running my own race. I didn't slow down much on the bridge. I felt like I could handle the hills. I did fine on it, but I think it drained me more than I realized.

Mile 16-20 (Manhattan - First Avenue) It was surreal to run with so many people watching on this street. You could see so many runners in front of you as well. I could even hear people cheer for me even though I wasn't too close to the side of the street. I saw my Dad near mile 19 and got a picture with him. Part of me liked Brooklyn better in the sense you felt closer to the spectators, as the roads were more narrow and some spectators were on the street but First Avenue was still awesome.

Mile 20 (Bronx) I almost slipped on a banana peel, or rather I slipped but I regained my balance. I guess running when there is ice out helped me prepare for this. By this time I was starting to feel sick. Maybe not sick, but I had a sugary/sweet taste in my mouth. I had taken like 4 gels and Gatorade at like every other stop. I didn't think it would be too much. I didn't cramp up or anything but I decided just to drink water the rest of the way.

Miles 21-22 (Manhattan - Fifth Ave) I started to get tired. Let's put things into perspective: miles 1-13 were run at a pace less than 10:49, miles 14-20 were run between 11:18-12:26 pace and mile 21 was run at 13:02 pace. Yes a 13 min pace. I don't think I hit 13 minutes during my first marathon.

Miles 22-24 (Manhattan - Fifth Ave) The wall was in full effect. It took me 44:02 to run this distance. There was some walking and some running when the spectators cheered me. Ok a lot of walking.

Miles 24-26.2 (Central Park) I got a second wind and started running again. It took me 26:33 to run from mile 24 to the finish, about a 12 min pace.

When I crossed the finish I had to sit down and drink some water. Medical and police discouraged it so I would drink a little and then continue and then sit down on the side for a minute or two. I didn't feel faint but if it was worse I would have felt that way. When I got out of the park I felt better, and had some food and a beer with my Dad.

I am disappointed I ran a 5:00:12 race but accept it as I thought it would be easier than it was. I trained well, I just didn't plan accordingly.

Summary

I have no plans to run NYC again. I actually didn't plan on running it, I got in via the lottery by chance. If I run another marathon it will probably be a smaller one. Maybe not 800 finishers small like Ocean Drive, but running a non mega marathon with a scenic course would be nice. I am happy I got to run NYC, the spectators are amazing, its just I would rather experience something new next time. I will say I am concerned with the direction the New York Road Runners is going, as they are trying to be more international and less New York. Not sure it will be a two day 100K runner event like the organizer wants, but there is such a thing as being too big and people are already complaining they weren't happy running a race with this many runners.

I am happy other people could relate to how I felt. This are the highlights from this race report.
"Guys, I have to say that after 7 marathons, including 2 run as a charity runner, that was by far the toughest race course I have run...I swear that I felt as though I was running uphill all race...My goal was to break 3:30 and I see now that goal was totally unrealistic, not knowing the course at all."
http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/races-places/new-york-city-marathon/one-tough-mother

I am also happy I wasn't too sore the next day. I walked about a half mile to get some breakfast and the New York Times. Then I took a nap. I so hungry when I woke up. I don't eat much meat and I often go vegan, but I got an Italian combo, chicken caesar salad, fettuccine alfredo and a two liter bottle of soda, which *is something I rarely drink. That was my lunch and dinner, and possibly my lunch Tuesday as I didn't finish the alfredo. I plan on running easy again later in the week. We will see how it goes!

Congrats to all the other finishers!

More race pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59540935@N08/sets/72157628093680668/