I put in solid mileage leading up to this race. Having raced twice in my base phase (2nd place in a local 5k, 11th and 1st place AG in the NYRR Manhattan 10k), I felt ready to have fun to see what I could accomplish. I never really race in January and February. I experienced layering my clothing for the first time for shorter events. Yes, runners can still run fast in full tights and long sleeves!

I set my goal races for the first part of this year in May. So while I took the race seriously, I approached it flexibility in regard to pacing. Generally, I’ve felt good thus far with training despite the cold winter. I hit 90 miles per week for the first time and only missed a week of training due to sickness and travel. I felt a little tired and flat two weeks before, but recovered well headed into the week of the race.

While this year’s edition included a special course change headed up the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, it also signified running this race as my first half-marathon ten-years ago. Back then, it started in Central Park and ended racing down the flat, West Side Highway. At the time I completed it in 1:29 and eventually lowered my time to 1:13. Although my goal half is the NYRR Brooklyn Half in May, could I set a personal record on this challenging course?

The warm for the season and misty conditions felt good, as I typically run well warmer. Although I felt strong aerobically during the race, I could never quite switch gears the way in which I would have liked. Though to my surprise, I ran nearly perfect even splits for each of the 5 kilometers. Truth told, I actually run better at the Brooklyn Half than this one. It felt like one of those runs in which you just grind it out. It went by fast, though. I crossed the line in 1:15:06 to average just under 5:45 per mile. My 2nd fastest half-marathon and an event personal best.

With 7 weeks to go until my goal 5k and 9 weeks until the Brooklyn Half Marathon, I feel that I’m in a good spot with my training. Further, this run informed me on what I need to work on as I enter the race-specific phase of my training. Like this race, I have to play it out to see if I arrive in time. I’m confident that I can draw from my experience and knowledge gained throughout the years from participating in this sport.

Lastly, my lessons from this experience: never give up and watch how things play out.

Often times, we take ourselves out of opportunities when our perception of how events play out doesn’t match our expectations. Sometimes, we just have to grind through it to see the other side ok.