This morning I did the NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix Presented by Continental Airlines: Queens in College Point, Malba, Whitestone, and Beechhurst, Queens, NY. I finished in 1:27:30, meaning my average miles were 6:40s, a new record for me for this kind of distance.

For a video roundup of the race, click here.

For this race, the circumstances were such that after I did it, a few people were concerned for me. Yesterday was my long-run day, and for it I did a 23-mile run in Central Park. I knew that the next day was this race, which I never really ruled out. I'd long told my running friend Michelle to keep bothering me about the race as I might do it but I'd need to decide at the last minute. And pretty much at the last minute, I did: I decided as 12:30am today to commit to the race.

That left me with only 2 hours of sleep. I had to get up at 4am to get ready to get out to the remote location, which for a change was not in Central Park. The change was actually quite entertaining. We were jogging through eastern Queens suburbia. It was my first truly "rolling" course, with small hills upon small hills. While Michelle (who also did the race) thought the hills averaged out, myself, it seemed to be heavier on the downhills. I did what I could to exploit the downhills by speeding up on them. It proved a very good strategy as I was able to keep a pretty solid pace throughout the race.

I had some pretty exciting stats. First off, I'd never done a half-marathon race before, and I actually broke 1:30, which is something I don't think I'd done for that kind of distance when in Central Park. I came in 113th place which doesn't sound all that impressive until you realize there were over 5,000 finishers. My pace per mile was 6:40, which is really very, very good for me come to think of it, especially considering the distance. And my Age Graded Percentage (which is a strange measure you'll just have to look up) was 67.7 %, which was my highest ever.

Despite the 23-miler the day before and the 2 hours of sleep, I managed these stats. This would be more surprising were it not that consistently, on the days after my long runs, I often set personal records in my running. It is a counterintuitive reality to my running that has been with me for years.

For my finish, I had a bit of humor. I pulled away from the nearest runner and got the lane all to myself as I plowed toward the finish line. I was in a cavern of onlookers and cheerers. I locked into my "robot" stride, which is the stride I get into with arms pumping mechanically and legs pumping too, as if I were a machine. From what I could tell I was sprinting very fast and getting cheered as I came in. I crossed the finish line, then heard the announcer refer to me as Forrest Gump! Ha! I let out a huge laugh but was also thinking, I just finished a half-marathon! I don't want an insult at that point!!

At racetime, the temperature was 65, maybe a little chillier, but essentially perfect. The sun blinded the runners on some of the turns but I didn't step in any potholes. This race was a great gauge for my marathon training. I'm very close to being on-target for achieving my goal of qualifying for Boston. I'm only about halfway through my training and I continue to improve.

That's all for now. Let's hope my body is healthy after running 36 miles in two days. Next weekend, I have two races. Check back!

NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix Presented by Continental Airlines: Queens
Half-Marathon Race (13.1 Miles)
Finished: 1:27:30
Pace: 6:40


 

 
September 21, 2009 (Monday)

This evening I performed a comic improvised sermon as The Reverend Raymond Nader for the variety show "Blue Plate Special" at The Barrow Group's Mainstage Theatre.

The suggestion I received on which to base my sermon was "The Devil's Threesome." Video should be online early tomorrow in the following section:

Acting > Videos > Comic Improvised Sermons > "The Devil's Threesome"

 

 
September 23, 2009 (Wednesday)

Today I played a hipster pedestrian and stood in on Episode 20006 ("Human Flesh Search Engine") on the television series Law & Order.

 

 
September 24, 2009 (Thursday)

Today I worked as a juror and as a stand-in on Episode 11007 ("Anchor") of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

 

 
September 25, 2009 (Friday)

Again today I worked as a juror and as a stand-in on Episode 11007 ("Anchor") of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

 

 
September 26, 2009 (Saturday)

This morning I did the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile along 5th Avenue in Manhattan. I finished in 5:19, the fastest mile I think I've ever run in my life.

For a video roundup of the race, click here. I'm not in the video in any obvious way.

This race runs south along 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side. A few days before the race when I had some time to kill, I ventured up to the beginning of the course and walked it. I noted where there were downhills and uphills and took pictures of the course in hopes of memorizing and strategizing it since I couldn't run it beforehand, what with its being open to traffic.

Such research was definitely helpful, but what I didn't realize was just how fast this race is. Emotionally, I figured it would feel much longer, but in fact, it was remarkably quick--you could see the finish line from quite a distance away.

I started off this morning by eyeing just exactly where the finish line was on E. 60th St. Taking it in, I decided to jog on 5th Avenue to the start line (ahem, one mile) as a way to warm up but also as a way to take in what it's like running on that avenue. When I got over the only place where there is an uphill, I decided to run back over it so my legs could get a sense of it from the proper direction. It wasn't as bad as it looked. I then moved to the start line and registration tent.

The race itself was exciting. I got a little angry just before the start, serving to motivate and focus me on this madmaking task ahead of me. When the gun went off, I was only about 4 people behind the start line. As I started, I was shocked to find that I was in the lead group of about 25 or so people! In no way did I think I was going to pace with these people but it was a relief and a joy to see myself open this way, especially since I wasn't trying to. But going downhill from 80th St. I started to slow around 75th St., reflecting that I was somewhat sprinting and essentially not going at a survivable pace. And it was only a block later when I was to hit the uphill ...

I did start to slow down around this time, complicated more by seeing fleeter-footed men pass me by. I thought to myself, Darn! I thought I was a better runner than this! Still, once atop the uphill at 71st St., the clock for the 1/2 mile wasn't far away, and I saw that I was doing a better pace than I had expected. What time was I shooting for? 5:45. My fastest pace this year for a mile in a race was 6:22. I'm pretty sure I'd run some 6:15s this year. And the fastest I've ever known to go was a 6:00 on a treadmill in Toronto hotel last year.

The downhill after 70th St. was great and I was pretty much home-free. I just had to sustain my pace and fight myself from slowing down. At the 3/4-mile mark, I saw that I was at 4:00 ... This made me think that running a 5:00 or even a sub-5:00 was possible! However, I knew the last leg was flat rather than downhill, and I was coming off of a downhill which had made me speedier. Still, I set my sights on running the last 1/4-mile in 1 minute.

You could see the finish from quite far away which was motivating. I knew I couldn't sprint that distance so I didn't; I just tried to push myself to, at very least, sustain. Even hitting the tempting "200 meters to go" sign wasn't motivation to sprint. It was inside that zone that I did. I saw a guy creep along me in a sprint, and at that point I turned on my afterburners and pulled ahead of him. My running friend Michelle apparently saw me cross the finish line looking really focused and intense. I thought I had crossed the finish line at 5:17, with a 2-second lag from the gun time. But the NYRR says I ran 1 mile along 5th Avenue in 5:19. I more than beat my prediction.

Am I happy? Yes, I suppose. I'm a little irritated that it's not 5:15 (which is what I thought I ran) but 5:19, but I now have a sense of just how (surprisingly!) fast I can run a mile. NEVER did I expect I would be the type of runner who could bust out a 5:19. Heck, back in May when I started running again, I was shocked to be running, what?, 7:30s or 7:45s! Anything in the 5-minute range never seemed fathomable to me. And here I sit, a pretty decent runner.

Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile
1-Mile Race
Finished: 5:19
Pace: 5:19