Race Report: New Bedford Half Marathon

Last year I wrote a ton about this race. This year I'm writing a bit less but this was an interesting race.

Place Time Pace Gun Time
991 1:48:10.4 8:16 1:49:17.6

I saw the Hoyts again, really cool to run with them, they are such legends, and Dick Hoyt is a majorly driven athlete. This year's race was well run, like last year's, but this year they had start and finish times which was really nice (see above). The race did go off a bit late, but that wasn't a big deal and the day was pleasant.

There are three good hills between miles 2 & 3 and they get progressively longer. I weathered those well, and carried some good speed into the long flat portion of the course -- from about mile 4-6 it's flat, on top of a plateau, then the course drops back to sea level for 7-12 and then climbs brutally from 12-13. I was feeling good through 8, came across ten about 2 minutes ahead of last year's pace started struggling after that as I began to think about time etc, and then the wheels fell of my wagon at 11.5. I bonked despite eating some Gu along the way and hydrating.

My legs felt like they filled with blood and I just couldn't make them move. I walked for about a minute or so, got my legs back and then ran up the last brutal hill -- I broke down at the crest, took ten paces to compose myself, saw the second to last turn up ahead and found my well of strength to finish with a kick. I'd like to tap into that well more often -- I need to find it when I hit trouble spots like I did at 11.5. I'm not sure what it is -- but why I could barely move my legs 1.5 miles earlier and then I'm sprinting I don't know. I really want to find that adrenaline trigger and not require the homestretch. I'm not sure if it's just a commitment to finish strong, put on a good show in front of a big crowd (because I broke down in front of a big crowd) I don't know what it is. If I reflect on it my mind is fairly blank in those final moments, there are no mantras, no exhortations -- just a focus on the finish line and desire to.... I don't know what, be strong, finish strong, be true to myself, honor the race....

I approached today as a total trainer. If I'd trained for this in particular and bonked I'd be irate, but it was a good lesson, a good workout and a decent time. I learned that I'm not ready to run 8 sub-8 miles for 13.1 miles (11.5, yes; 13.1, no). I had one mile on the big hills early that was 9:09, but I had a few between then and 10 that were 7:30-40s.... Looking forward to 20 next week -- paying the price now for good runs in the future. Oops, wrote a bunch.

Dawn Patrol

I got out for a pair this week at about 6:10 AM. It's a major shift in my life and my body and mind are not appreciative. It's the only time I can get out there and do it and not get sucked in to the minutia of my life. I went nearly 6 miles both days, but today was lousy, i cut it off and bailed so that the run was closer to 5 -- I was not feeling it. Anyway, i was out there, and I'll go again Saturday and Sunday for 5, 10-11 respectively. I'm hoping that my crummy start to training this year ends strong whereas last year I started great and ended badly. I'll take a slower time in New Bedford for better finish in Burlington. I signed up for the Eastern States 20 from Maine to Mass on 3/28 so that should be "fun." It will be easier to do a long run if I pay for it than try and get out and do it by myself -- which always blows me up -- I need the adrenaline of a race to keep me going and I just don't generate that much on a solo Sunday jaunt through MetroWest. Surprisingly.

Noo Beffuhd Half

As AG mentioned, I too ran the New Bedford Half. He had a great lead in about the history and feel of the race. Great post there, so I'll stick to my performance.

(Interesting that I wore a watch and was all about my splits. AG didn't and kicked butt while soaking in the entire experience and surroundings. Accessory-driven perceptions?)

Anyway, my goal was to run this at marathon pace (around 7:30) for the first 5 or so miles then slowly drop down to half-marathon pace (7:04, derived somehow from my marathon goal time). Since we're still a ways out from the actual marathon, this was less about the goal than it was about seeing how things felt. I was told to think of this as a training run with friends, support, adrenaline, etc. For me, the goal was there to structure the event and give me an overall approach.

The day before the race, I did a relaxed three miler with about five "striders" built in to stretch things out. Striders are new to me. They are essentially 30 second intervals in which you built up to a sprint over 10 seconds, hold it for 10 - 15, then slow back down over the remaining time. It was a low-key run, but I noticed that my left calf was tight. Not a great sign. I awoke on race day with more tightness, but hydrated up and departed for the race.

Unfortunately, the tightness never really went away during the race. It did loosen a bit, but I was always thinking about it, which hampered me some. Still, I was happy with my results until mile 12 and change, when the leg tightened considerably. Despite plenty of fuel left in the tank and no other muscle issues, I couldn't complete a full stride and had to limp in to the finish. Disappointing, but only because of the injury. Overall, I still did well (10 seconds off my PR) and am happy with the result (minus the last mile). Now the challenge is to get healthy quickly and without relapse. It will happen.

Anyway, enough talk. Here are the splits, which tell it all:
mile 1: 6:43 (adrenaline)
mile 2: 7:24
mile 3: 7:16
mile 4: 7:27
mile 5: 7:13
mile 6: 7:11
mile 7: 7:13
mile 8: 7:04
mile 9: 7:35
mile 10: 7:12
mile 11: 7:09
mile 12: 7:24
mile 13: 8:43
Total: 1:35:39

Off to the races. Looking forward to the next one.

Call Me Ishmael

Once upon a time in America New Bedford was one of the wealthiest cities in the country owing its riches to the whale ships that set out and then the fishing industry. Whaling is no more in this country and the fishing industry in the North East is more than moribund (New Bedford once had that largest commercial fishing fleet in the US, into the 70s). This leaves New Bedford, or Noo Beffid, or Noo Bedfid depending on local accent in a rather precarious state. It's gritty and run down nowadays and was even in the days of Melville -- the opening chapter of Moby Dick contains a pretty memorable description of the NB waterfront that still fits today, though the major import into NB these days is heroin etc.

Anyway, in an effort to boost civic pride and bring visitors to NB they hold a big half marathon each year that draws a good field, one month prior to Boston. There were lots of fit runners and the field was quick. It was a fun race and I really enjoyed the distance (my first half) and seeing VTR and Mrs. VTR was great. It was nice to know there was a friend in the field. I felt good coming into this. VTR noticed I was in thee zone based on my expression, though I didn't even realize I had the game face on -- a good sign.

Prior to the start I was calm and collected and I felt a good energy inside of me. I really intended this to be a training run, knock off a bunch of 9s and see what I had in the last couple. Well, I covered the 10K in about 50, not blazing but not bad. Seven rolled around in 58 and change and 8 came up in 66-7. I crossed 10 in 83, the fastest 10 of my life and I knew the New Bedford Half was going to be a special run. I burned the final 5K in 24 minutes and change -- a nice 5K for me on any day. My time as I crossed the finish line was 1:47 and change. My goal had been 1:57, so I was pumped.

The bummer was there were no start line time mats so my time was gun time. I've not been timing my runs since December so I my splits are what I remember as I ran by the mile markers. I ran with Dick and Rick Hoyt from about miles 3-5. Dick and Rick are legends and as I passed them up the first big hill at mile 3 I told him "it's an honor to be on the course with you, sir." He smoked me on 4-5 and I passed him again around 6 -- Dick was laboring a bit. Miles 7-9 were sort of brutal behind the breakwater, but also exposed to a stiff onshore breeze from 8-9. I was trying to follow VTR's advice and run with a pack but I couldn't stay with a group. Cool thing from this part: giant storm surge doors behind the breakwater. Mile 12 was almost all uphill and it was a grind. I'd been running with this woman in her mid-late-twenties for most of the race. She made a move at the halfway, I caught her again passed her at 10 and then she smoked me up the 12 mile hill. I congratulated her on her kick and she seemed pleased.

I had a great time. I was strong and in the zone and I enjoyed that (the wheels never fell off the wagon, though I was wondering if they would). They need mats at the start. New Bedford is far from scenic, but I'll go back next year and do it again. I've also completed my race for March and I'm now a quarter of the way though my race/month goal in 2009.

Where I've Been

So, I've been gone for two weeks. All is well, just worked through a series of stomach bugs on the Quarter Acre that set me back about a week or so. So, Mrs. A went down hard on Sunday (3/1) and I went down fairly hard on Monday (3/2). I slept from 2 PM Monday until 7:30 AM Tuesday after shoveling all morning with a sour stomach and lots of aches. The rest of the week was not great, so there was no running.

Last week I went out on Sunday (3/8) for a lousy, wind sucking and weak-legged 5 with Child Two. I was sore on Monday and busy as heck Tuesday and Wednesday which left me concerned about the New Bedford Half. I headed out Thursday for another 5 or so and felt OK. Inexplicably, I decided that I needed to run 10 on Friday in order to remember what it felt like to go double-digits before Sunday. So, I went 10 and felt pretty good. Saturday I was a bit stiff but active with the kids and was feeling good for Sunday -- I was going to treat it as a training run, which it was. The New Bedford Half Marathon, however, gets its own post.