Staten Island Half - 10/12/08

The marathon training continues and is still going well. Today was my first time doing the Staten Island Half Marathon (and my third half marathon in three weeks, although last week was part of a 20 mile run). The weather was great, although not necessarily ideal. The sun was out and it wasn't humid, however the late 9:40AM start allowed for some hotter temperatures during the second half of the run. There were stretches during the race on long, straight roads with no cover from the sun, but I never felt overheated. It was an out and back course, and was relatively flat with a few major hills, the last one coming with only a few miles remaining (yikes!). I was happy to have run the race and now I can check another borough off of my half marathon checklist (Bronx and Brooklyn remain). These days, I jump at the chance to run a local race outside of Central Park and usually am able to run a good time as well. Today was no different. I ran a time of 1:43:15 (7:52 pace) which is my fastest time in two years, and only one second off of my second best time (the Runner's World Half in April 2006 - 1:43:14).

Going into the race, I didn't have a definite strategy. I wanted to run quicker than last week (which was part of a 20 miler and run at a marathon pace), but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all or not, or at least close to it. I decided to go a little bit easier in the beginning and start at an 8:30 pace (or 17:00 through two miles allowing for adjustments) and adjust my time accordingly depending on how I felt. At this point in my training, the specific pace isn't as important as being in control and feeling comfortable. The key for me is to not have huge swings in pace and to adjust my pace gradually if I want to go faster. If I am running a quicker pace, I am fine staying with it as long as it feels good and I am not straining.

I started the race at what felt like a relaxed pace. I was weaving through traffic a bit but became settled towards the end of the the first mile. As the mile 1 sign passed me by, I looked down at my watch and saw 8:00 on the dot. This was faster than I originally planned so I told myself to slow down a bit. Therefore, I relaxed a bit, so I thought, and got into a good groove. However, after going past the mile 2 sign, I saw that I ran faster than mile 1, with a time of 7:54. I did not want to tire myself out too quickly, so one more time, I tried to slow down a little bit but ended up completing mile 3 in 7:47. At this point, I realized that there was no use in trying to fight my pace. I felt good, comfortable and controlled and figured that I might as well stay at this pace throughout. It's one thing for me to try and go out at a fast pace right out of the gate (which can tire me out very quickly if I miscalculate), but if my pace naturally gravitates to a certain time then this must be my body letting me know what it can handle. Usually, I can tell within the first 3 or 4 miles how the rest of the race was going to go and this felt like a good day. It was just one of those days I guess, and I decided to take advantage of it. After mile 3, I revised my goal to around an 8:00 pace and to remain as consistent as possible. The rest of the race from that point forward went relatively smoothly - my pace hovered around 7:50 for most of the run, except for the huge hill towards the end. Nothing deflates you more than thinking you only have 3 or 4 miles to go and seeing a big hill in front of you and having no idea how far it goes.

I had my usual soreness in my knee and right ankle but nothing I couldn't run through. The turnaround point allowed me to say hi to a number of Flyers running the race. When I saw the Laminator, he was all by himself towards the front of of the pack and way ahead of me (congrats on your incredible PR). People tell me that the Philadelphia course is relatively flat with a few hills, so I am hoping that today's course gave me a small preview of what it is like to run on a flatter course. It allows me to lengthen my stride and makes it easier to keep a steady pace, since you don't have to continually adjust for hills. This was definitely a confidence booster for me, and helped me to further define what my strategy will be on race day and what pace I can handle.

Below are the mile splits from the race:

Mile 1- 8:00
Mile 2- 7:54
Mile 3- 7:47
Mile 4- 7:57
Mile 5- 8:07
Mile 6- 7:42
Mile 7- 7:57
Mile 8- 8:18
Mile 9- 7:49
Mile 10- 7:51
Mile 11- 7:55
Mile 12- 7:50
Last 1.1 miles - 7:21 pace (total of 8:05)

Total time: 1:43:15; average pace of 7:52

The key to the next week is to be smart. I have run three half marathons in three weeks and a total of 38 miles this week which is the most I have run since I last trained for a marathon. Even though I have been feeling pretty good post race, I need to get my rest days in and stay off my feet and keep up with my spinning/strength training throughout the remainder of the schedule. With my mileage increasing, rest and cross training are as important as ever to my overall well-being.