After the 2018 NYC Half, I kind of figured I had peaked. Sure, this version of me is (a little) obsessive about executing training plans. But also, I really like chicken fingers and have zero desire to stop liking them.
Still, I was pretty optimistic after my build-up for the 2018 Brooklyn Half. And by “optimistic,” I felt that if everything went well, I could run 1:40 or slightly faster. “1:39:59 would be so cool,” I told anyone who would listen. “But a lot of things would have to fall into place for all my wildest dreams to come true.”
So, did things fall into place? Here’s the part where I force you to read on to find out!
Nutrition Plan
If you know me at all, the nutrition plan below won’t surprise you:
- Goal for this build-up: Don’t eat dessert every day.
- Result: Eh, maybe next time.
Training for the 2018 Brooklyn Half
With the exception of a very relaxing drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, I managed to do everything the weekly Whippets emails said to do.
Peak week for the 2018 Brooklyn Half looked something like this:
- Monday: 45 minutes of easy running
- Tuesday: Rest (Jess’ birthday!)
- Wednesday: 9 miles of easy running
- Thursday: 4 repeats of 2K at 15K pace
- Friday: Attempted early long run, which turned into a not-so-easy 5 miles
- Saturday: Rest again for more birthday things
- Sunday: 14-mile long run
I also did a decent job of doing the strength training exercises that I learned in physical therapy. Walking around the gym with a resistance band around my ankles probably didn’t win me any popularity contests, but when have I ever won a popularity contest?
…Actually, that reminds me. At the beginning of my senior year of high school, I somehow made the top 10 for homecoming king. “If you make the top 5, you’ll get the nerd vote and win,” one of my classmates said to me. The problem was that to make top 5, I had to write an essay. I was a little jerk about it and ended up submitting 1000 words about how I felt that our public school system had failed me and my friends. To nobody’s surprise, I did not make top 5.
Anyway, I digress. I was more prepared for a half marathon than I had ever been, and given the net downhill of Ocean Parkway, sub 1:40 seemed realistic.
Race Morning
A lot was said about the weather for the 2018 Brooklyn Half—by me. After writing 677 words about it, I think I did a pretty good job about not freaking out about the potential for a Sharknado.
But I still wanted to be prepared for a soggy morning in the corrals. Earlier in the week, Joe mentioned that he planned to pack a second pair of socks in a Ziploc bag, and I 100% stole that idea. I also remembered that the post-marathon poncho from last year’s NYC Marathon was buried in the back of our closet. When I suggested digging it out to wear in the rain, Jess was very supportive.
So, about the weather. Our friends Brett and Christina offered us a ride to the start, and we gladly accepted. It wasn’t exactly The Day After Tomorrow when they picked us up, but the rain was pretty steady. As I made my way through security and into my corral, I was very glad to have my marathon poncho. One guy next to me had nothing but his race clothes on, so he grabbed a dirty umbrella out of a trash can to keep him dry. At least a dozen people around us said, “I wish I had thought of that.”
My 2018 Brooklyn Half Experience
Because I nearly destroyed my shins at the start of the 2018 NYC Half, I wasn’t confident in my ability to run a conservative first mile. But I couldn’t find any familiar faces in the corrals to keep me in check, so I said to myself, “Weeeeeeee, let’s just see what happens!” This, as you can probably guess, is not the smartest way to start a half marathon.
The first mile of the Brooklyn Half is mostly downhill. My goal was to run it in 7:35, and I wouldn’t have been disappointed if it was more like 7:45. So when my watch read 7:00 flat at the 1-mile marker, I panicked a bit. “That was way too fast,” I said to myself. “Maybe today’s the day I end up in the medical tent for the first time!”
Miles 2-4 were more of the same. The good news was that I knew that my watch was probably off by 50-100 meters per mile. That, or I was taking some bad tangents. Either way, I felt strong-ish by the time we got out of Prospect Park, so I decided to hang on at whatever pace I was running for as long as I could hold on. Or, as would become a theme for the rest of the race, hold it.
I have a notoriously small bladder. Last year, I saw my doctor because I was afraid it was something more than a small bladder, especially now that I’m in my 30s. That doctor’s visit confirmed that I’m 100% fine, but it hasn’t prevented me from getting to the 7th or 8th mile of a race without wishing that a tech start-up would develop a portable, uh, porta potty.
As we got onto Ocean Parkway, my breathing seemed under control and I felt like I had a bit of kick left in my legs. But by mile 8, I seriously considered taking a pit stop. “Shalane and Des made these breaks look really cool in Boston,” I thought. “Why shouldn’t I stop?”
At the same time, the miles were clicking away faster than usual. I took a quick glance at my watch, and even though I’m awful at math, I knew that I could go under 1:40 if I didn’t stop to use the restroom. I weighed the pros and cons for a while, but before I knew it, I hit the “1000m to go” sign. At that point, I decided to book it for the finish—and for a restroom.
The Results
My official time was 1:36:01. I uncharacteristically gushed about this on The Gram. There were lots of people to thank, especially Jess, who stood in the rain for all morning just to see me heel-strike my way to the finish line.
So, to answer my question from earlier this year, I guess following an actual training plan for a half marathon does make a difference. I also think this means that before I say that I’ve peaked, I should shut my mouth and just see what happens.
Leave a Reply