Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

United Airlines NYC Half Marathon: Race Plans, Part 2

Sorry if this update doesn't make any sense. It was mostly written in pieces on subway rides to/from work over the course of the week. Also, sorry for the lack of pictures. It's been a long day, and while I have a crapton of pictures on the phone, I don't really have the energy to transfer them onto the computer. Some of them will show up in the race recap next week.

The Big Reveal...
Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for. My bib number is ...

19770

Apparently SO/IEC 19770 is some sort of IT standard ... so it's kinda relevant. I think.
You can track me at https://liveresults.nyrr.org/e/NYH2018#/tracker by entering my bib number.
Or, if you're one of those people who think you can never have too many apps on your phone, you can download the United Airlines NYC Half App (presented by TCS). Here are some links: Google Play & Apple Store


Goals...
After some conversations about plans/approach with Coach @DopeyBadger earlier this week, I think I really have a good grasp on what my goals are for this race.
  1. Have a good time. I signed up for this race because I thought the course looked cool and I would enjoy it. If at any point I feel like I'm not having a good time, that means my priorities are wrong and I need to make an adjustment - whether that means slowing down, stopping to take a picture of the rust-colored ugliness that is the Barclay Center (or whatever else happens to be around me) (and by stopping I mean safely slowing to a walk without impeding the people around me), changing my playlist, or just reminding myself to have fun. This is the #1 goal and the only one that really matters.
  2. Finish feeling strong. In each of my first two halfs, I hit a point during the race where I was just completely #done. At my last half I didn't really have that, but I also didn't feel very good at the end. For this race, I'd like to finish still feeling strong. I think that (with lots of help and guidance from Coach Billy) I've completed the training to get me to this goal.
  3. Time - 2:26:17. Based on recent runs, the race course, and the weather forecast, Coach Billy recommends that I run at a pace of 11:10. I would love a finish time near there, but it's not my top goal.
Race Plan...
Goal pace is 11:10.
Plan is to start with my intervals (120/30) right away. However, since it's a very big race, that might not be possible. If I can't settle into my intervals right away, I'll do continuous running, also at or around 11:10. I'm hoping to be settled into intervals (at the very latest) by the end of the first mile.
Because the focus is more on the average pace than any one split, I'm going to change my watch back to average pace (right now it's on current pace) to help me focus on the big picture and not how I'm doing at any one point.
For the first half+ of the race, I will be focused on staying close to that goal pace. Once I turn on to 42nd st (right before the mile 7 marker), I'm going to give myself the option of switching over to running by effort (which is how I did most of my training), which may or may not be close to that 11:10 pace (probably will be ... hopefully).
If at any point I feel like 11:10 is too much for me, I'll slow it down. Goals 1 & 2 are far more important than goal 3 - if the pace doesn't feel comfortable, then it's not the right pace for me.
If I find myself struggling in Central Park, I might run with the 2:30 pace group if I see them. If I'm doing really well, I might try to join the 2:25 group for the last 1-2 miles, but ... that's probably not going to happen. I'm just going to run my own race and see what feels right.

Course Strategy...
I made a big tactical mistake for this race. I let myself get too caught up in experiencing the race atmosphere ... to the point where I no longer felt like I could run my own race. After attending a panel led by race pacers about pace groups and race strategy, I really wasn't sure that my approach to the race would get me to the end. Why would I run consistently when the race ends with the Central Park hills? Shouldn't I run slower early to conserve energy for later in the race?
Today I took a few minutes to re-evaluate, and I realized that I'm more comfortable at least trying for a consistent effort. I haven't trained starting slower, so that's not how I want to race. I also came up with a 3-part strategy for the race:
  1. Have fun
  2. Have fun
  3. Run whatever pace and effort feels best on Sunday (hopefully 11:10)
This race is not about doing well. It's about having fun. Do I want to try to consistently run around 11:10? Yes. Is that my primary goal? No. My goal is to have fun, and I think that following Coach Billy's recommended pace for the race will give me my best chance of hitting that goal.
In an attempt to not freak myself out more, I decided to avoid the course strategy session at the expo. Hopefully I didn't miss anything too important (they live streamed part of it on Instagram, so I got the important weather parts).

Cold Weather Plan...
So, it's going to be a little chilly at this race. Like ... depending on what weather forecast site you trust, high 20's to low 30's at the start. I know for most of you that's like short sleeves and shorts weather, but for me ... that's a lot of layers.
Based on some research and recommendations, here's what I've decided on:
- Planned outfit (including fleece tights and possible capris underneath) + throwaway layer on top. I bought a $10 shirt at Old Navy that I think will fit on top of my gray jacket, so that will probably be the throwaway layer ... unless I decide to do that under the jacket and do the jacket as the throwaway layer. I'm more willing to lose the new shirt, because I really like that jacket, but ... I've had it for a long time. If I have to ditch it, I have to ditch it.
- Maybe old pajama pants for the corral? Not sure if that will work with the skirt, but I'll try it Saturday night and see.
- Mylar blanket in the corral. This is actually something I saw people doing at Disney a few years ago, and something that the NYRR people recommended. I still have my heat sheet from the Fred Lebow half, so I'll bring that and ditch it (safely on the side) before I hit the start line.

Expo thoughts...
As you may have guessed, I went to the Race Experience to get my stuff tonight. I'll talk about it more in the race recap (maybe), but here's a short summary that I wrote up on the train:
I definitely tried to just take it all in, take advantage of everything. Even with the people, the lights, and the environment, I was feeling good.
Got advice from a pacer, avoided the course strategy session (because I was afraid it would freak me out), and just soaked it all in.
Not the best expo I've ever been to, but I had a good time.

So ... that's the update. You may or may not hear from me again before Sunday.
 
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Have fun! And trust yourself when it comes to pacing. Remember that hills will make you slower than 11:10 if purely based on effort, and that's ok. That's what you want. Maintain effort and not necessarily pace. I'm excited! :car:
 




Have fun! And trust yourself when it comes to pacing. Remember that hills will make you slower than 11:10 if purely based on effort, and that's ok. That's what you want. Maintain effort and not necessarily pace. I'm excited! :car:

Thanks for the advice! I think I'm going to change up my plan and run 10:30 continuous throughout the whole race, even on the uphill. How does that sound?

(Sorry, I know nobody else finds me funny, but I crack myself up)

Have so much fun this weekend! Can't wait to hear about the experience!!

Thank you!

Best of luck and have a great time!

Thank you!!

I love this. I think you'll have a great race (both fun and time wise) with this mentality!

Thanks- I hope you're right!

I loved your posts of the expo on insta- can't wait to hear more about it.

I went in planning to post even more pictures ... but then I remembered how bad i am at takign good pictures. I do still have a few more to share in the recap.

Cheering for you this weekend!! Have a great race!

Thank you!
 
Great plan for the race and I can’t wait to read all about it. I just know you’ll do great and most of all have fun!!
 
You are so organized! I love it. I love how you know the course route so well. I go into my race days like "Uh I am gonna start at the start and hopefully finish at the finish..." Can't wait to see how well you do! HAVE FUN!!!
 
Great plan for the race and I can’t wait to read all about it. I just know you’ll do great and most of all have fun!!

Thank you!!! I'm excited :)

You are so organized! I love it. I love how you know the course route so well. I go into my race days like "Uh I am gonna start at the start and hopefully finish at the finish..." Can't wait to see how well you do! HAVE FUN!!!

The course is basically why I signed up for the race, so I kind of have spent a lot of time looking at it and figuring out which parts I think I will like.
Although ... I think it might be better to start at the finish and finish at the start for this one. Central Park hills at the end of the race are going to be a fun adventure...
Thanks!

New Plan: 11:15-11:20 in Brooklyn, then decide once I hit Manhattan if I want to stay at 11:15 or ramp it up to 11:10. The stuff about running by effort once I hit 42nd street sticks, though. Also, I will have to run super fast through Times Square so that I don't have time to yell at the tourists. I hate tourists.
I'm sure this will change again by tomorrow morning.

And now I'm off to write tomorrow's blog post (I have a semi-tech-related blog that I update every Sunday) so that I can finally start focusing on packing for the race...
 

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