17 Mile Run - 9/20/08

This past weekend I upped the ante and got in a 17 mile run - my longest run in about 2 years. I ran it with my friend and fellow Flyer, SR. We ran the first 15 miles together (6 mile loop, lower 5 mile loop and inner 4 mile loop) and it felt great. It is amazing how much easier a long run is when you have someone running next to you - pushing you, keeping your mind distracted, keeping you company, etc. The first 11 miles just flew by. I couldn't believe how comfortable it felt. We were able to keep up about a 9:05 pace for the first 15 miles. I never would have been able to do this all by myself, as proven by the last two miles.

Like magic, once SR left I started to feel all of the aches and pains in my hip, feet and ankles. I only did a loop of the reservoir and then a half mile on the bridle path, but they felt very tough. I didn't feel drained after the run, just sore. However, I was proud to get a 17 miler under my belt. The training seems to be going well.

I still haven't signed up for Philadelphia but I think I am getting closer. We'll see in the next few weeks. I have the Newport Half Marathon this weekend in Jersey City and I'll use this as a gauge to see how I am doing.

Reach the Beach 2008 - 9/11-9/14

While many of my fellow teammates were doing either the Long Training Run or the Queens Half marathon this past weekend, I was in New Hampshire with 10 other Flyers competing in and enjoying the Reach the Beach relay - over 350 teams competing to run about 210 miles the fastest way they knew how. Although I've run Need for Speed twice, this was my first time doing an overnight, continuous relay. It is a much different experience.

I signed up for Reach the Beach in the beginning of July and was looking forward to running it. I heard only good things about it from everyone I knew who ran it before. Over the past month and a half, our 12 person team began to lose members. It seemed like every other day, someone needed to drop out and we called up the next person on our alternate list. By the time we drove up on Thursday morning, we were down to 10 runners. Therefore, instead of everyone on the team doing 3 legs apiece, 6 of the runners had to run four legs. I was not scheduled to run four legs, but could empathize with the people who had to. It is extremely taxing on your legs, body and mind to run 4 legs in less than a 24 hour period.

Unlike the hot and humid weather that struck NYC, the weather for most of the race was very good for running - overcast and cool with temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's, although there was rain on and off for a few hours during the first night's legs.

Overall, I had a great time but by the end of the race I realized that this event is pretty exhausting - running 3 legs on very little/no sleep sleep in a van with 5 other people in which there is little room to stretch out. My training over the past several months prepared me well, but nothing can really get you ready for this kind of race until you actually do it.

Being one of the faster teams, we didn't start until 2:25PM on Thursday afternoon (I believe the first team started at 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning). Our captain ES started us off on leg 1 which started at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, NH. It was definitely very exciting. It was at this point that it finally hit me that we were really doing this. Our 210 mile journey had begun.

Since we were in the "second" van, we were not going to have a runner for at least 5 or 6 hours. We drove to watch ES hand off at the first transition area and then took a rest at transition area three which was a hiking/ski lodge. It allowed us to take a small rest and get some lunch at the same time.

I was the last runner in our rotation of 10 and I had three legs that were considered "moderate to hard" overall - based on length of leg and the change in elevation on the course. This was a good description. My first leg was 4.9 miles, second leg was 9.1 miles and the last one was a relatively quick one at 3.1 miles. My first two legs were at night/early morning. It took some getting used to running in the pitch black on streets that are completely foreign to you. All of the night runners had to wear a reflective vest, light flashers, and a headlamp or flashlight (I got a Princeton Tec headlamp at Paragon).

Although the legs were very well marked with reflective arrows, all it took was one wrong turn and you could be completely lost in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, I was a little bit nervous going into the first leg, not knowing what to expect. Unfortunately, during my first leg, there were no other runners around me for the first four miles, so I didn't have anyone to focus on or "latch" onto for some company. I spent most of the run trying not to fall on the side of the road and hugging the white line to see where I was going. The only way to know that I was still going in the right direction was the other team vans passing me by. They reassured me that I was still on course and they helped to illuminate the road to see what I had ahead of me - turns, hills, etc. The leg was full of some rolling hills in the beginning, and the last 0.9 miles was almost straight uphill. I was excited to finally see some vests reflecting back at me at about mile four, signifying that I finally reached other humans on the course. Seeing people ahead of me gave me an extra boost of energy and I surged over the last mile. I passed the two people in front of me about half mile from the end of the leg and handed off to ES at the transition station. This being the first leg, I felt good and strong throughout and I was able to get the nervousness and uncertainty out of my system about running the course at night. The leg started at about 9:40PM and ended at around 10:20PM.

The second leg started at around 6:00AM and it was still dark outside so I needed to run in all of my "night" gear. At least I knew that halfway through my 9.1 mile leg, it would begin to get light outside. Believe it or not, I was happy to have a long leg since I wasn't going to be able to do my scheduled 12 mile run, so I figured that this distance would suffice.

I checked out the leg description and it didn't have an elevation chart on the page (while other ones did) so I took that to mean that the leg was relatively flat. I couldn't have been more wrong. The first 4 to 4.5 miles was one hill after the other. Once I got up a hill, it was very deflating to see another one coming up just around the bend. My team was waiting in the van about halfway through the leg to give me Gatorade. I was feeling pretty bad when I saw them. After the leg was over, I asked JG if I looked as bad as I felt, and he said that I looked pretty spent. After having some Gatorade, I labored up the hill (even walking a little bit) but luckily the course began to flatten out and I started to feel a lot better and got a second wind. There was another runner right in front of me (who passed me when I stopped for Gatorade) that I was able to hang with for several miles. The flat road and cool temperatures, allowed me to pick up my pace considerably and I felt great for the next 3 or 4 miles. I re-passed the guy in front of me and then never saw him again. I ended the leg very strong and felt good about how I was able to bounce back after a very tough first half of the leg.

My third and final leg was my first one in complete daylight. It was only 3.1 miles but I was pretty tired at this point. I wasn't sure how my legs were going to react. The leg started at about 2PM. I was hoping to have a strong leg and was hoping to do under 8:00 pace. When I got the hand off from AH, I started quick and felt the strain in my legs. The weather was finally starting to heat up and I wasn't sure if my legs would hold up. As I was beginning to tire, I told myself to stay strong and keep up as fast a pace as I could. Whatever stress or discomfort I was feeling, I knew it would all be over in 25-30 minutes so I tried as hard as I could to keep it up and I did. I passed three people along the way - feeling more and more energized after each one. It was a great feeling to see most of the team cheering for me at the transition area - especially since I knew that my race was over once I handed off the bracelet to ES.

The race finally ended for us at Hampton Beach at around 6 o'clock in the afternoon. We all gathered right before the finish line waiting for RB to appear and then all of us ran across the finish line together. We did it!

This event definitely made me stronger mentally and a better runner. For the past seven or eight years, I've been so used to feeling that the only way I could run a fast pace was if I was among throngs of people in a race atmosphere or with a group of people running to the songs on my iPod. However, this race began to make me realize that this doesn't necessarily need to be the case. On my legs during Reach the Beach, I was all by myself for most of the time, with no music, and no people to focus on or pass yet I was able to persevere using only the voice in my head and my own internal motivation. I learned alot more how to motivate myself when there is no one around. For two of these legs, I was running in the dark on unfamiliar streets with no idea about how long I had to go yet I was able to push myself through times when I felt tired, sore, etc. It was a good feeling. The spinning and strength training look like they are still working, since after the race was over, I had relatively little soreness in my legs. My ankles and achilles tendons were the only parts of me that were particularly sore. After all the miles that I have been putting in, it is time for my next pair of running sneakers.

Team Results -

• Overall: 65th place out of 355 teams;
• Mixed Open Division - 19th place out of 166 teams;
• Average team pace - approximately 7:53 pace (although the first few runners had a pace that was considerably less)

My results:

• Leg #1 (4.9 miles with significant elevation) - 7:59 pace;
• Leg #2 (9.1 miles with huges hills one after the other in the beginning and then flattening out in the middle) - 8:40 pace;
• Leg #3 (3.1 miles - relatively flat) - 7:32 pace.
• Overall pace over the total 17.1 miles - 8:16

Kudos to everyone on our team for a great race and thanks to our captains ES and BH for all of their hard work.

15 Mile Run - 9/7/08

Well, today was the longest run (15 miles) I have done in nearly the past two years - the last time being when I ran the NYC marathon in 2006. It was an extension of my now usual West Side run. Instead of starting at Engineer's Gate and running north to 96th street, I ran south to 72nd street and took it along the transverse and out of the park all the way to the West Side Highway, then making a left and running along the water to the World Financial Center (and then retracing my steps back to Engineer's Gate).

Although I have not signed up for a marathon, I am following one of the training schedules (just in case) to increase my mileage and pass various "checkpoints" to track my progress. While I am probably physically able to run a marathon at this point, I am in the process of getting back in the game mentally. So far, so good. I did a 13 mile run two weeks ago and a 15 mile run today - both with good results. For now, the times aren't as important to me as getting the mileage in and increasing my confidence. I began this morning's run with a fellow Flyer. I was happy to have a partner since it is very tough to do a run this long alone. It is great to have someone there next to you to push you along, help pace you, keep you company, etc. Unfortunately, a couple miles into the run her knee was hurting her and she had to stop and head home (hopefully she will be fine). We figured it was best for her to not force the issue and make things worse. With her going home, I was on my own for the remainder of the run. That was tough enough with the heat increasing, but in addition I didn't have my iPod with me since I was doing the run with someone else. Heat and no music - what am I going to do. I was pleasantly suprised to see that I was able to get along just fine without my music. I am used to having my musice on every run that I go on, but I have been easing myself off of my musice dependence over the last few weeks and it has been eerily nice.

I was trying to keep up a consistent pace throughout the run. It was slower than I usually run but the miles were the most important thing. On the run back, I made sure to take a lot of Gatorade and water breaks. My breathing felt good throughout the entire run and my legs held up very nicely with minimal pain or soreness. The part that has been given me the most discomfort lately has been my ankles/feet. It is probably time to move on to my next pair of sneakers.

The run was a success and I can now "check" off a 15 mile run on my road back to running. This week I cracked the 30 mile barrier for the first time in 2 years as well. With the increased mileage, I have to make sure and keep up my stretching religiously and to give my body the rest it needs, no matter how good I am feeling. All it takes is one stupid move or overly aggressive week to derail my training up until now.

Looking forward to Reach the Beach at the end of this week!

Team Championships - 8/16/08

I haven't been blogging lately since I was just concerned on building back up my miles slowly after my treatments, scans, etc. So far, so good. I've been able to run 20-25 miles per week with relatively little problems for almost a month and a half now and I see that my speed is starting to come back too. I'm back to my usual times on the weekly group runs, although I've been slightly slower than before on the long runs, but that is probably more attributable to the heat and humidity that we've had over the past month rather than sluggishness or fatigue. The only race that I ran recently was the Park to Park run in July which got me "back in the game" and I was looking to do another one.

The Team Championships were this morning and I was looking to use this race to see how I have been progressing. I wasn't planning on going all out, but once I was on the road it was another story. I would have been happy with a 7:40 pace (plus or minus), but I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that I PR'd today (my previous best 5 mile time was back in 2004). This is the third distance in which I PR'd this year (the others being at 4 miles and the 10K). I started the race in the fourth corral today, which is farther back than I usually start, but that is due to the fact that today's race was only club teams and the pace times are alot faster than other races. I was actually happy to start further back. At this race, people tend to be aggressive at the start and go out very fast. I didn't want to get sucked into that and tire myself out right away. The weather was pleasant and rather comfortable as the race began. I went out pretty hard during the first mile and glanced at my watch and saw that I ran 7:30. I wasn't looking to PR at this point, but I was glad to see that my speed didn't leave me after these past few months. The next two miles were both at 7:19 - I didn't feel that I was going this fast but I was working hard to keep my pace consistent. The weather at this point was starting to get hotter and I knew that Cat Hill was still coming up. I didn't lessen my effort during the next mile, but I knew that this was probably going to be the slowest mile of the race for me due to the combination of the 2 Hs (hills and heat). I ended up running mile 4 at 7:40 - slower than the other miles but better than I thought I'd run. With only one mile to go, I started to calculate if a PR was possible and I realized that I was running at or near my exact PR pace of 7:27. After pressing on through the northern part of the park (8o's and 90's), I picked my pace up a lot and was glad to see a bunch of Flyers cheering us on right before the finish line - it was a big boost for me. I think I emptied the tank just a little bit too early and I struggled a bit with about 50 meters to go. I even feel slightly nauseous for a few seconds after I crossed the finish line but that just proves that I ran a very hard race and I had nothing left to give. I ran the last mile in 6:52 (only the third time I've run a sub 7:00 mile in a race).

Below are the split times (I erased my times after the race by mistake so these are from memory):

Mile 1 - 7:30
Mile 2 - 7:19
Mile 3 - 7:19
Mile 4 - 7:40
Mile 5 - 6:52
Total time - 36:41 ; pace - 7:20

No End to the Heat - Week of July 14th

Unfortunately, there wasn't a respite to the heat this week and getting in the mileage was going to take a little more planning than usual. This is the problem with summer running. There is always a stretch of a few weeks in which the heat doesn't relent. You want to get in your miles but you don't want to bake in the heat at the same time. While running early in the morning or late at night does provide some relief, it is still very tough.

I wanted to keep my momentum going and get in another good 20 mile week which I was happy to say I accomplished. I used the beginning of the week to get in my weights and spinning, while taking a day off on Monday. The Thursday group run was a scorcher and I think scared off the regulars since there was only three of us there. However, it allowed me to get in a "tempo" type of run and me, JG, and LL were able to run at about an 8:41 clip. I was busy on Friday night, and I am usually not able to get up early in the morning by myself, so I was forced to run during the peak "heat" part of the day starting at 3PM right after work. I ran about 6.6 miles but made sure to get in a bunch of water breaks and run at a slower pace than usual - the miles were more important than the time (approx a 9:07 pace). I relaxed a bit at the beach on Saturday and then was forced to get in my long run on Sunday. The weather report was not looking good. Accuweather had the temperature in the 90's all day long and a "real feel" of over 100 degrees. Therefore, I decided to wait as long as possible and waited until 7:30PM to start my run. I ran a combination of the bridle path (6.6 path used during GW and NH marathon training run a few weeks ago) and reservoir and was able to get in 8.2 miles.

Other than feeling hot and sweaty during the runs, my body actually felt pretty good. No real feeling of fatigue and my breathing was relatively calm and consistent - no huffing and puffing. It looks like my recovery mileage build up is coming along as I had hoped and I am hoping it will continue.

For the week: Mon - off, Tues - weights, Wed - spinning, Thurs - 6 miles, Fri - 6.6 miles, Sat - off, Sun - 8.2 miles

Thyroid Blog Link

Since I use this blog strictly for running, I did not write about my thyroid issues except when they affected my training. However, as I was going through the treatment process over the last several months, I found it practical and somewhat therapuetic to write down what was happening. I wanted to have a personal account of my diagnosis and treatment, but didn't feel the need to make it public. I didn't want people to worry unnecessarily. Now that the process is over for the time being (with good news - scans came back looking good, no spread and now just need to go for follow ups and be monitored), I transfered the information from a Word document to a blog form to make it easier for me to navigate down the road.

http://bulgingneck.blogspot.com/

It is rather long, so I don't expect most people to read through it. However, I know how much easier it is to go through an ordeal with some knowledge of what to expect, so I am hoping that this blog will help out someone else going through the same thing. Therefore, if any one you know of going through a similar situation, please feel free to pass on the link.

Naples Park to Park 10K - 7/13/08

This was my first race in over a month since the Japan Day 4M on June 1st. I was happy to get back on the road and get my legs moving again. I wanted to use this race as an unofficial status check to see how I was doing after on again/off again running activity for the past several weeks. I didn't want to go all out per se, but I was planning on running this harder than a training or tempo run.

I wanted to be smart about this and not come back too hard too soon for absolutely no reason. This was about getting acclimated to racing again and running a quicker pace. Even though I had a red bib and could have started in the second corral, I decided to line up at the back of the yellow corral so I didn't feel compelled to go out too fast right out of the gate. I purposely took the first mile a little slower than usual and allowed myself to ease into the race, which was a smart move since the first mile included the Harlem Hill and it was already pretty hot outside. Although I don't enjoy running in the heat (the start of the race was in the low-mid seventies with very high humidity), I believe it forced me to control my pace and stay hydrated throughout the race. Usually, I would only take one cup of water during a normal 10K, but I made sure to stop at a few water stations along the way to drink a little and dump the rest on my head and face. I noticed that my mouth was pretty dry throughout the race (still some minor side effects from my treatment). My first race back in the middle of the summer was not the time to go all out.

All in all, I was happy with my performance. I had a goal of running at or about 8:00 min/mile pace and I ended up running an 8:02 pace, with mile splits that were relatively consistent. I was happy to see that my breathing was not really a problem at all, but I had a feeling of body fatigue midway through the race, which was expected. This race wasn't easy but I felt that it was a good sign that I am still in relatively good shape after a few week layoff. My goal now is to slowly build back up to 20-25 miles a week, including a long run which I have been able to do so far. I still have a few weeks if I decide to do marathon training this year. The summer is tough to run in and goals/expactations should be adjusted accordingly.

The splits for the race were:

Mile 1 - 8:35
Mile 2 - 8:05
Mile 3 - 7:49
Mile 4 - 8:00
Mile 5 - 8:04
Last 1.2 miles - total of 9:14 for a pace of 7:42
Overall time - 49:51 ; pace - 8:02

Totals for the week - Monday - 4.8 miles, Tuesday - off, Wednesday - spinning, Thursday - 9.3 miles, Friday - off, Saturday - off, Sunday - 6.2

On the Road Again

Starting on June 26th, I was finally able to go off of my low iodine diet and go back on my thyroid medication. It was a long four weeks, but I am now hopeful that my life will begin to get back to normal. I was keeping up a modest running schedule for the first couple of weeks before my scans (17-20 miles per week until June 8th, with no run longer than 5 miles), but I haven't had a "normal" running schedule for approximately 3 weeks.

Although I was able to eat normally again and was back on Synthroid, I knew that I couldn't thrust my body back into a 20 mile per week schedule right away, along with cross training, and I made sure to ease back into a routine. The last thing I wanted was to get injured and have to take off even more time. I ran 4 miles on June 26th and 6 miles on June 29th - my first 6 mile loop in almost a month. I was able to get in a time of 52:38, not including two water stops. I was definitely happy with this time. The week of June 30th was my first "complete" week back. I was anxious to see how my body would react. I was getting used to not running and spinning for several weeks, so I knew that the first week back would be hard. However, the longer I waited, the harder it would become. Therefore, last week I ran with the downtown group for about 6.8 miles (ran a slower pace than usual of about 9:10-9:25) , went to spinning on Tuesday, took a day off on Wednesday, ran 6 miles with the Thursday group (time of 51:34 with the help of GW), took off on Friday, did weights on Saturday, and ran about 8.2 miles with GW and NH's marathon training group (very hot and humid, but happy with time of approximately 9:05 pace). While it will take several weeks to get back to "normal" I was satisfied with my first week back.

I am happy that I did not sign up for the NYC marathon. Doing so would have put too much pressure on myself to rush back and get right into marathon training with no grace period. I will "allow" myself a month or so to ease back into base mileage and evaluate how I am doing at the end of July. If I am feeling good and strong and have the urge to do a marathon, then I will still be able to register for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd and not lose any significant time of the full 4 month training regimen.

I am looking forward to getting back on the roads and running with everyone again.

Need for Speed Relay 2008

Well, based on the weather reports we were all seeing for the week prior to the Need for Speed Relay, this year's version would be unlike last year's. The weather was supposed to be hot, almost record heat, and unfortunately the forecasters were right. It was going to be in the low to mid 90s all day long.

I was debating for weeks whether or not I would be doing the relay since I really did not know how I was going to feel when off of the Synthroid for several weeks and the effects of the low iodine diet (especially no salt). I kept up my running (albeit at a more relaxed pace and shorter runs) for the last couple weeks and felt surprisingly fine. Based on that information, I figured that I would not have a problem running the relay, especially since I was running the shortest leg - 2.9 miles. I originally was planning on stepping down from the team but they gave me the option of doing the shortest leg, coupled with the fact that if I were unable to run due to health reasons, someone already on the team would run for me. Even though I did not have the pressure or worry of having to sustain a long leg, the hot weather was worrying me a bit. Besides just the strain the heat puts on a normal runner's body, mine would be in a slightly weaker condition than the others. I thought as long as I play it smart, I would be OK. I made sure to eat and hydrate extensively the night before, and eat bananas, fruit, nuts, and water before and after my leg. I felt I was prepared to run.

I ran the fourth leg this year, a 2.9 mile run through both trails and paved road. This was a big difference from last year which was 6.5 miles, largely on trails with the infamous "wall" in the middle of it. Although I enjoyed my leg last year, I was happy not to have to run an extensive leg in the heat this year.

As I was in the transition area waiting with the rest of the teams, I was getting a bit nervous watching my teammates, all of which are great and experienced runners, having trouble in the heat and conveying how tough it was out there. Although this was a short leg, I made sure to keep on drinking and dousing my body and head with water as long as I could before the handoff. At about 12 o’clock or so, LL came storming into the area and I readied myself to take off. Luckily, he came in about 5 or 10 seconds behind another runner and I was glad that I would have someone to concentrate on during my leg. While I knew it would be difficult to pass him, I made sure to at least keep him in view. Otherwise, I would be all by myself with my own thoughts, which was the last thing I wanted.

I knew it was going to be one of those days when it was tough for me to put together a strong pace, even for the first mile or so. The effort was there, but mentally the conditions were hard to overcome. The first mile or so of the leg was on paved roads through a residential area with limited shade cover. The runner in front of me was getting a little further away but I could still see him. I was passing several walkers, which gave me a slight mental boost (you need small victories wherever they come). All I was hoping to see soon was the sign for the halfway point - once I passed it I knew that I only had to muster another 1.5 miles. No matter how I was feeling, I knew that I could do that (thinking that others had to do three times this amount). Luckily the middle part of the leg offered some help from the trees and a small respite from the sun. As I came out of the trails, a volunteer was waiting with a cup of water (bless her heart) and directing me into an open field with no trees, only direct sunlight. At that point, I checked my watch and crudely figured that I only had about 5-6 minutes left to go and kept telling myself to stay steady and put one foot in front of the other. This would be over soon enough. Luckily, halfway through I heard the cheering of the transition area - this was a beautiful sound. I didn't know where exactly it was coming from, but I knew that the end couldn't be too far away and the struggle would soon end. This gave me the motivation to keep on going and muster a strong finish for my teammates. Once I left the grass and hit the paved road, the cheering of the teams was getting louder and louder and I knew that I was almost there. I saw the smiling and encouraging faces of my teammates and happily handed off to GW.

I felt that I was going at a pretty slow place (9-10 minutes per mile) but according to the results page, I ran my leg in 23:10 (7:59 pace). I was totally surprised by that. However, I really didn't care. As long as I was able to be out there in the race contributing to the team, that is all I wanted. Once again, it is amazing to see the power of the mind. I would guess that nearly everyone out there began their leg worrying about the heat and how their body would react. However, everyone was miraculously still able to finish and finish well. It shows you what you are capable of doing when you just put one foot in front of the other.

Even with all the heat and worry, I was glad that I ran the race. Once again, we had a very cohesive and supportive team that was a lot of fun to be around. Luckily, everyone came out of the heat in one piece and was able to recover nicely.

I Hate the Heat

I was only able to make it out to two runs last week (week of 5/19/08). One was the regular Thursday night group run. I have been pleasantly surprised to see that as the weather has gotten warmer, the number of people has been increasing, to an average of about 10-12 people. This past Thursday was a much smaller group, only about 5 of us. As the Laminator mentioned on his blog, we spent the entire run chatting back and forth, mostly him giving me some very helpful tips (as well as confirmation) of my current treatment. It was great speaking with him and being able to bounce some questions of him. The other three speedsters in the group were well ahead of us to the point that we lost sight of them about a quarter into the run. I didn't really mind at all. Even though the Laminator and I were in the back of the pack, we ended up running 50:33 for the loop - about an 8:25 pace which is really good for me (a bit slow though for the Laminator). Even though I didn't feel like I was going that fast, it is amazing how running with someone else can allow you to go faster than you think.

In order to get my long run in for the week (and to make up for the fact that I only ran one other time during the week), I extended the run to 11 miles instead of 10. Although I started the run at 10:45 in the morning, it was already hot outside, which was not a good sign for me. I hate running in the heat - I tend to overheat very quickly and wear down mentally in high heat and humidity. I am much more of a cool/cold temperature runner. I planned on running my usual West Side route down the West Side highway and back (adding a half mile in each direction). The first half went pretty well, but I realized right away that the West Side had very little shade and it was going to suck out my energy on the way back. I tried to keep up a good pace and stop off at the few water stations to keep myself hydrated. Although I kept up a relatively consistent pace for the first half of the run, I knew that the second half would not be pretty. My split for the first half was 47:39 for 5.5 miles (about an 8:40 pace). I usually run about 8:25-8:30 pace when running my usual 10 mile run. After taking my PowerGel and a three minute rest, I started the second half of the run at about 11:45 or so and it was hot, and I knew that I probably had a struggle ahead of me. As I began my run back north up the West Side highway, I was desperate for some shade and found myself weaving back and forth to try and catch any sliver of road out of reach from the sun. Mentally I was in trouble. The sun was beating down, I was stopping at every water fountain, and I was well aware that I had another half hour or so still to go before the end of the run (this was feeling eerily familiar to my Nike Half 2007). I took a few walking breaks along the way (running up the hill back into Riverside Park and along the side streets on the way to CP), which I usually don't take, and kept on pushing myself any way I could to get back to Engineer's Gate. My time for the second half of the run was 54:15 (9:52 pace). This was the first time in many, many months that I found myself feeling sluggish, and struggling considerably (the heat was a huge factor for me, as usual). Given the weather conditions, I was not unhappy with my overall time of 1:41:55 (9:16 pace), but rather how I paced the run. My first half was about 7 minutes faster than the second (huge gap), in which I struggled considerably on the second half of the run. I went out too fast given the weather conditions and paid for it. Hopefully this is not a sign of the summer heat to come - because I won't be able to take it.