NYC Marathon 2023

The NYC Marathon was the best consolation for not getting into Boston. I took a couple of weeks off after the race in August to give my legs and my brain a second to recover. I decided that breaking 3 hours again was the goal, but I also wanted to a chance to run without so much pressure in my hometown race. The spring is when I'll take on the ace race. An honest shift on race day was all I could ask for especially with friends and family coming to cheer!

I ended up running 3:01:03.

This was short of the goal, but I couldn't have asked for a more exhilrating race. I was overcome with waves of fatigue, inspiration, and emotion. I executed my race plan as well as I had hoped. The course is no joke, particularly the last 3 miles up 5th Ave and into Central Park. It was a party the entire time, and it's so inspiring to be out there with thousands of others. The fans make the New York Marathon. I'll never pass up the opportunity to run this race.

Tunnel Marathon: BQ but not quite

The journey to qualifying for Boston continues into 2024.

A better late than never recap.

In August 2023, I completed the Tunnel Vision Marathon in Snoqualmie, WA. We stayed out in Washington for an extra week after a wedding, and the course was rumored to be a BQ dream: 2000 ft of entirely downhill and cool summer running temperatures. The downhill part was accurate, but there had been a heat advisory issued with temperatures in the high 70s and 80% rH by finish time. I finished in 2:58:35 and absolutely beaming with joy going under sub-3 in my first marathon. Realistically, I had only processed this after crushing salt tablets with a cold towel under the medical tent.

The course is incredibly unique with views of the Snoqualmie mountains (ski resort in the winter), an old 2 mile railroad tunnel illuminated by runners' headlamps, and the sound of packed gravel crunching beneath your feet. It is a small race (510 marathon finishers) with only a handful of fans and park goers cheering you on. However, there is something comforting and simple about dumping your race bag on a tarp and then lining up for 26.2 miles without going through security, loading areas, or corrals of gates. What a contrast to even the smallest NYRR races in NYC. It also attracts an overwhelmingly friendly group of runners, volunteers, and fans! I couldn't recommend it enough especially if you're looking for something totally different from a large road race. Did I mention there is a large dunk tank and cake at the end of the race?

Many things learned as a first time marathoner. The old adage -- the race starts at mile 20. I don't think I've physically willed myself to do something harder than trudge the final 6 miles of the race especially after 24 mile never seemed to end (the marker went MIA). My hamstrings were locking up, and I was starting to do my signature dead runner lean to one side. I went out too hot in the first half (1:27 split) and paid for it in the second half as the heat, dehydration, and fatigue caught up. The last 4 miles were particularly painful and consisted of internal expletives. I will not forget the post-race shower and nap. Glorious!

Unfortunately, the Boston Marathon had record all-time applicants for its 2024 race. I fell victim to the cutoff. I actually wasn't even close (2:54:30ish) which made me feel better honestly. Seconds off would've killed me. So revenge race it is spring 2024.

NYC Half Marathon, BQ Fitness Test

NYC Half Marathon

Training

I started training for the NYC Half Marathon in early December, giving myself about a 14 week block. I took about two and a half weeks easy after the Staten Island Half to let my plantar issues subside. I decided to go with Hansons Advanced Half Marathon as my training plan. It has a good variety of workouts across 6 days a week including 1 interval workout, 1 tempo workout, and 1 long run. It peaks at about 55 mi/week. A nice thing about the plan is that you don't need to worry about going too fast on recovery days because you'll need them. I found the 3x2mi workouts at 10K were probably the hardest to pace out correctly. The long tempos (7-8mi) at slightly faster than target HMP (6:30) seemed to translate best to the race. I was always concerned with my cutdown long runs because I never quite managed to go fast enough, but I always did them late in my long runs to train running on tired legs.

Race Day

The conditions for the race weren't the best, roughly 28F at start with a 12-14 mph west to east wind. But overall, I'll take the cold over the heat any day. There's a picture of me wearing throwaway khakis and a hoodie to the start line. Unclear if I was racing or going to work... The course had quite a bit of elevation across the Manhattan Bridge and the segment from the UN building to Times Square. Central Park also has rolling hill segments, especially right before the finish line. The beginning of the race was a bit chaotic having to pass alot of folks who were going a bit slower. My heart rate and pace were all over the place as I worked to keep the 1:25 pace group in sight. I banked up some time on the downhill towards the Manhattan Bridge, kept my heart rate under control over the bridge, and then banked up some more time on the downhill. I tried to make up some time on the flat portions of the FDR knowing the uphills towards the end. The FDR section was probably the hardest as there was no wind protection, and it was dead silent.

The turn on to Times Square was such a unique New York moment: the roar of the crowd, the flashing lights, and all the buildings enveloping you. Even while gasping for air, I took some moments to appreciate running over the Manhattan Bridge, the FDR sightlines to the UN and Brooklyn, and then through a closed off Times Square. For this race, I didn't take any water and barely managed to get a quarter of the UCAN out of its packaging. The cold numbed the need for water, and I would've probably choked on water and miss my goal.

My goal coming into the race was sub 1:25, and I started having my doubts with the headwind and cold. But after checking my pace band at around mile 7, I was on pace for the time! I really had to clamp down on the austere FDR segment and double down on the goal. Flip the mentality to really get after it. I locked in to chasing the pace group ahead of me and passed them with about 800m left. I managed to finish in 1:24:48. I positive split the race, but I'm happy with the time considering that I felt like I was barely hanging on starting at mile 9. This was also my first half-marathon with the Alphaflys, and I must say that I am a believer, placebo or not. Legs just turnover, and I actually think they helped leave my legs intact after the race.

What's Next:

I told myself that I would only try to BQ this year if I managed to get sub 1:25, and I was actually really nervous that I would have to deliberate if I fell short. Thankfully, there's no discussion necessary! So now I'm excited to begin the Pftiz 18/70 plan for my next training block leading to the Tunnel Vision Marathon in August. The course in Washington is a steady downhill so I should have a bit of help hitting sub-3. Looking forward to the next block but will miss the days of running in cooler weather. Until next time!

Starting the BQ Journey

Running was never something I considered my thing, but it’s always been something I’ve done for a reason.

Middle school: never did organized sports but cross country had a low enough barrier of entry. And after school sports accommodated a better pick up time for the fam.

High school: needed to fill out that resume and ended up making some really great friends along the way. We spent a ton of time together running cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. We were a bunch of lanky guys goofing off who happened to have moderate success on the track.

College: took a hiatus, got tired of being a twig, lifted heavy instead.

Post-collegiate: I continued hitting the weights for all the years after school but the pandemic happened in 2019. I finally was able to cancel my New York Sports Club and dusted off the old running shoes. I was pretty careless with my training (too much volume, too soon), and injuries derailed any consistency.

9 + 1

So late 2021, I decided that I wanted to run the 2023 NYC marathon by qualifying for 9+1 in 2022. As I ticked off the races throughout the year, I came to regain enjoyment for not only the grind but also competing. The early morning nervous energy, the warm up songs, the pre-race strides. Unlike in years past where I was competing for place or for points, now I can solely focus on beating my own goals. I didn’t want to declare any BQ (Boston Qualifying) ambitions until I had some evidence that I was physically capable of it.

I set breaking 1:30 in the half marathon as my first proof point. BQ times in the 18-34 age bracket are 3 hours or faster for a full marathon. I needed to be able to run at least the half marathon split time. My first attempt was at the NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon, and my effort fizzled on what was a tragically humid and sweltering day. I finished with a 1:33:54 (7:10 split). It’s easy for me to blame the heat, but I actually think I might’ve been close or short on the goal.

Staten Island Half Marathon

I put down another solid training block through the summer interspersed with some incredible destination runs (the Tiber River in Rome, the Arno River in Florence, the walls of Lucca). I peaked at roughly 50 miles per week mixed with doing 2 quality runs per week (intervals and tempo runs) along with a weekend long run (16 miles peak). It was hot and humid during most of my training, and so it was difficult for me to gauge my workouts on time so I trusted the heart rate monitor. My last hard workout before taper was a 45 minute tempo at roughly 6:35 pace. I felt a bit better after this, but my split times on workouts were wildly erratic. I was nervous headed to race day not knowing my fitness level.

Race day came around on a perfect October Sunday, roughly 50 degrees at race time with a light breeze. We had a nice ride on the Staten Island Ferry, and I stepped foot on SI for the first time in my 8 years of living in New York. I knew the course had two major hill sections roughly at miles 4 and 8. People warned of the mile 8 hill as making or breaking their race. There was also a punishing uphill section with about 800 meters before the finish line.

My race strategy was to start a bit behind the 1:30 pacers and keep them in striking distance for most of the race. Starting behind and then eventually catching or passing the pacers would almost certainly guarantee a 1:30 finish. The strategy worked, and I completed the race in 1:28:37 (6:46 split). I will admit the strategy was shaky early in the race where it felt like I was not making up any distance. I typically run better with rabbits to chase, but it was important to not make up the stagger too soon. I’m really proud of my pacing through 10 miles — I really ran within myself, well controlled efforts, and not responding to being passed. Heart rate was in target and breathing felt good. The race was mostly quiet because most extended segments were not fan friendly. There were highway underpasses, parking lot loops, and industrial centers.

With about 5k left, I dropped the hammer and drained whatever I had left in the tank. Unfortunately, this only got me to 12 miles. The last mile, uphill, was hellish and I definitely paid for it. I cross the line and looked at my watch. I saw 1:2x:xx and was just thrilled with the effort. Mission accomplished.

BQ Next:

With a sub 1:30 in my pocket, I feel a little bit more comfortable committing to BQ-ing. There’s a ton of of work left to do and progress to be made, but I’m looking forward to grinding the axe. The NYC marathon is in November 2023 but am hoping to take a swing at BQ-ing on a flatter course before this. I’ll continue to ponder my training and racing plan but continuing to cross my fingers for healthy running.