This race sucked. End of story. There’s no other way to describe it. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Yet it was character building and I wouldn’t have changed how the race unfolded. Sometimes you need to be to knocked down. It helps you get back up stronger. Going into the race weekend I was riding on a high thanks to the progress I was making with the NYC Marathon training program plus my performance at the recent Bronx 10 Miles. The ORC Seaside Half would be the pre-marathon rehearsal, using it to see how I’d progressed since training started in June. Maybe I was over confident. Maybe complacent. Maybe both.
Coach Sam suggested finding a half marathon 4-6 weeks out from NYC to check progress. Ocean Running Club has an annual 5k and half marathon centered around the Seaside Heights boardwalk, timing was ideal and the course looked flat. So I signed up. Also I signed up for the 5k, the plan being to use it as part of my pre-half warm up. Registrants for both races were part of the Seaside Challenge (with an extra medal!), a nice bonus!
Ahead of the race weekend the weather was my main concern. Rain is fine, heat would be a challenge, but wind from the Atlantic ocean was my fear. The course is two loops starting from the boardwalk, around Seaside Park and then back to the boardwalk. 7-8 miles of the race would be run on the boardwalk next to the ocean and potentially into the wind.
The start of both races was outside the Sawmill Cafe and come 8am the 5k was ready to go. The plan was to take it nice and easy. There was no need to push and use up energy before the half. Just aim for a 20-22 minute finish. At the start I took off at around a 7:30 pace. With many runners coming by me it felt like I was standing still. I had to resist the urge to race, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t important. The 5k was a straight out and back on the boardwalk. One thing I noticed was the varying boardwalk surfaces, from even to uncomfortably uneven to sandy / slippery. All good to know ahead of the half. At the 2 mile mark I picked up the pace and added in a few 20 second strides. The race finished (results here) as I planned and immediately thoughts turned to the half.
The Half Marathon started around 40 minutes after I’d finished the 5k. It gave me enough time to hydrate, fuel up and stretch out. My race plan was pace around 6:30 and push toward the 1 hr 25 min barrier but most of all enjoy the race. Just before the start I looked at my bib and noticed that I’d been given the wrong number, I was wearing the bib of a 55 year old lady. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be slightly annoyed, however it was a minor error and too late to do anything. It made no difference to the race and whatever happened I would resolve after I finished.
Shortly after 9am and following the National Anthem the half began. It had been a very long time since I lead a race outright, and I lead for the first hundred feet. It felt good. Now it was time to concentrate on the race ahead. I settled in to a 6:20-6:25 pace for the first couple of miles before planning to back down to a 6:30. The weather at the start of the race felt cool. There was little wind from the Atlantic. It felt ideal for racing which enabled me to pace comfortably. At 5k the weather changed, going from cool to warm and humid. Humidity continued to grow and by 5 miles I began to feel it. Pace started to drop, not by a lot but enough to put the race plan in jeopardy. I kept pushing. On to the boardwalk to complete loop one is when I was met with headwind. Not fun! Pace fell into the 6:40s, then the 6:50s, into the 7:00s and kept getting slower. This wasn’t what I’d planned on. I was struggling and was starting to question reaching the end. Approaching mile 9 I did something I’d never done in a half marathon before. I stopped and walked. I had to rest, take on some water. The heat and humidity was terrible. After 30 seconds I was running again. Once more I stopped for water and then focused on the final 2-3 miles of the race. Going back onto the boardwalk for the final time was agonizing. Just another 10 minutes of racing. Just another 1-2 miles of headwind, of bumpy, uneven, slippery boardwalk to go. There were too many negative thoughts in my head. I was mentally broken. Yet in those last two miles my pace picked up.
As I crossed the finish line I received a high-5 from a race steward, thanks ORC! It was over. Relief and disappointment set in. I knew I went out too hard. I didn’t account for the heat and humidity. I kept pushing instead of backing off earlier. Complacency had defeated me. Even so, I’d run my second quickest half marathon (results here) and was only 45 seconds off my PR. It wasn’t a 1:25 but it was near my PR, which was remarkable considering the challenges I’d faced. That made me happy.
In every race I try to learn about myself, my ability. What I learn I can use the next time. The race sucked but I wouldn’t have changed anything. Races like these are necessary for personal development. Next stop the NYC Marathon!
Thank you Ocean Running Club for the great races, see you again in 2018! Also an extra special thanks to my Dad for joining me at the race and being my one-man cheer squad!
Kieran's Running Tales 