The Good:
I PR’ed! I finished the race in 1:50:51, inching my way ever closer to breaking the 1:50 mark. About halfway through the race I realized that this would definitely happen if I ever ran a half with fresh, non-training legs. I was really surprised about this PR and you’ll read why below.
Also, with this race, I completed the 2009 Half Marathon Grand Prix, running a half in each borough. I’m so proud of myself for this accomplishment and will definitely try to do it again next year since it’s such fun.
The Bad:
Once again, the race started without me. We wasted no time getting off the ferry and checking our bags, but the potty lines were ridiculous and I was waiting for 10+ minutes, which caused me to miss the starting gun. I feel as though NYRR is not considering the timing of public transportation that well when planning their races. An extra 15 minutes would have made all the difference in the world. And I was definitely not the only frustrated runner in this position.
I also didn’t appreciate being screamed at by volunteers who kept telling me to hurry up off the bathroom line (which I couldn’t change!) or the starting line would close. Why would the start close 10 minutes after the gun if the course is open for 3 hours? That makes no sense.
Finally, my legs were really tired and tight when I started. I think the yoga made my legs feel worse since they’re so unused to stretching!! I started the race feeling blah and unmotivated, and that feeling kept growing and getting worse throughout the whole race.
The Ugly:
I like the Staten Island course except for the big hill at mile 7. I was able to power up that hill and pass a bunch of people, but for some reason after that I couldn’t recover my pace and I just watched my mile times get slower and slower and slower until I was running 9 minute miles. I ate a gel at mile 8, expecting this to help re-energize me, but instead it made me feel nauseous. As I watched my miles get slower, I felt increasingly demoralized, tired, and thought my goal of breaking 1:50 was completely out of my grasp. I began to think about just slowing down alot for the second half of the race. I started to slow down and then remembered a post I had read the other week by Flo of Girl in Motion. She talked about setting goals, not reaching them, and feeling bad. But then realizing that even though you didn’t reach your goal, you’re only off your goal pace by a few measly seconds, and really – why does that matter so much? As Flo wrote, “Crazy how a couple minutes spread out over the span of over 3 hours can make such a difference to the mind.” And I realized that I was stressing and getting upset about running slightly slower than usual instead of enjoying the race and being proud of what I could accomplish. So I tried to drop my bad attitude and pick my pace back up and run the best I could. I did well and ran pretty fast for the last few miles but I was pretty sure I hadn’t broken 1:50 or set a PR (shows what I know! despite all the negativity, I still did!).
At the end of the race I was SPENT, physically and emotionally. I haven’t had a run take such a mental toll on me in a while. I usually enjoy races for the atmosphere, but the whole day just felt off to me, starting with my exhausted legs. After I crossed the finish line, I was overcome with the feeling of wanting to cry. I tried to call O and whine, but wasn’t able to get in touch with him. So I just watched the other runners finish and tried to perk myself up.
Last week was a hard week for me in terms of my training. I felt like I was fighting off a cold, my left hip bothered me, I felt constantly exhausted, and I was insatiable! I hate the feeling of being constantly hungry, and last week I could not fill up for the life of me. I feel like I’ve lost weight, which isn’t necessarily bad, but that’s never happened to me during training (I usually gain a few pounds due to gaining muscle & eating more). I’m hoping to pull it together this week and get my marathon mojo back! Where did my excitement go??
Finally, I want to tell y’all about my gym trip today. I went to foam roll my left hip and thigh, which left it feeling better than it has all week. I’m ordering a foam roller online tonight and doing this every night until the marathon. And now the good/bad/ugly of my gym trip!
Good:
A trainer at the gym asked me if I was a professional athlete! Um, pro athletes probably don’t have chubby thighs and pumpkin ice cream guts, but thanks!
Bad:
He asked me how long my marathon was going to be.
Ugly:
The trainer was very surprised to find out that the Philadelphia marathon is 26 miles, just like the marathon in New York!
Have a great night everyone!
I am laughing my ass off right now at the end of your post with the Trainer conversation. Seriously laughing out loud!
I followed that blog trackback thingy to find your gem of a race report. Major congratulations on a PR despite yourself. I’m really flattered that you found something to use from my post, too. Totally fills my heart up.
Congrats again on the fabu PR and may Philly bring you everything you’d want in a marathon and more…no matter how long it ends up being.
(still laughing)
hilarious post. it always makes me laugh when people ask me how long my marathon will be, and then if that is longer or shorter than the last one. good job finishing!
Before Chicago, I had someone (obviously a non-runner) ask me how long “this” marathon would be. Ah….
Congratulations on finishing, let along setting a PR. The odds were stacked against you on this race, and you did a great job recovering and making the best of it!
Oh man, I hate when people ask how long this or that marathon is. Even worse is when they say “Wow, that’s a lot,” when you tell them it’s 26.2. Of course it’s a lot. It’s a marathon. Why would it not be a lot? I got that whole conversation a bunch this weekend up in Chicago.
Nice work on the PR and on finishing the Grand Prix! Do they give you a trophy or medal or anything for that?
You should be so proud of yourself for the PR!!!!!!!!
Loved the recap – thanks for sharing it!
Hey, thanks for your congrats and kudos to you too for your PR in Staten Island. It was funny that you mentioned the portapotty lines because I remember seeing the huge lines from up above at mile 1.5 after the race had already started and feeling bad that we were starting without you all.
And you’re so right about the course. It is really nice except the big uphill climb at M7-8…it really gets you physically and mentally if you’re not ready for it, so I’m glad you were able to pick your pace up afterwards and not let it affect you too badly.
Hey, good luck to you on your training for Philly. I’ll be there too…but running just the half though. All the best to you.
So . . . how long is your marathon?
Haha, jk. When I was running in a couple of 5Ks, my boyfriend’s mom told her husband that I am running in two marathons. He was like what?? And she was like, “Yeah, two 5K marathons!” Haha.
GREAT job on the half! Even with your hill issue you still made incredible time! I want to run a half in the spring/summer.