Personal Course Record set at the BAA Half

The short story

The hours leading up to the race were warmer than usual (in the mid 60’s during the early morning hours), but the temperature kept dropping throughout the race into the high 50’s which made the race comfortable.

I finished in 2:04 and a few seconds by progressively ratcheting up my pace from 10:00 on the first mile to 8:30 in the last.

The full story

This is the race that started my obsession with Half Marathons. Originally, I got the idea to do a full marathon while watching the Boston Marathon, which races through my town and only 4 or 5 blocks from my house. On that day, however, I wisely chose to first complete a Half Marathon to see how I fared.

The set up

I set my sights on the 2004 BAA Half Marathon, the little brother of the Boston Marathon (which is also produced by the BAA) four years ago. I began training sometime that summer, only 6 or 7 weeks before the race and predictably, I turned in a mediocre time of 2:07 and looked like death warmed over at the finish. Family members who witnessed me cross the line express concern (they thought I was about to die).

More importantly, this race also because the start of my quest for a 2:00 or better finish time. I’d come back to this race 2 additional times since that day and prior to 2007’s race. In 2005 I finished in 2:06 and in 2006 a disappointing 2:15.

This race has since become one of my favorites because it’s local (and conveniently located), it’s well supported, it’s run on Boston’s Emerald Necklace and because it always takes place when fall is starting to show its colorful face in Boston. It’s also run on Columbus Day weekend, when people celebrate the discovery of the new world, which is not unlike my discovery of the new world of Halves.

This race also happens to be the most prestigious event in New England, mostly because of the prize money: $30,000 to the top ten runners overall. The field of runners includes many international professional racers, including a large group of Kenyans who tend to pocket a good part of the money each year.

Race Details

I started at nearly the back of the pack (3,600 runners) because last minute race logistics (bathroom, warm-up laps, stretching) kept me from taking a position until nearly race time. The gun went off and I stood, and stood, and stood for over a minute. When my group of runners finally had some space to jog we did…for 15 seconds, then we stood again. This is not an issue because I don’t start my watch until I cross the starting line and because this race measures Net Time using the ChampionChip.

At race time the temperature was a comfortable 62 degrees F, although I prefer it to be in the 50’s. But as luck would have it, as the race progressed, the temps dropped into the high 50’s. The sun was covered by a thick layer of clouds that the forecasters had said would shower us. In fact, it never rained, but rather misted finely – my ideal conditions because I stay coolest without developing blisters.

My goal was to finish in 2:05 this race, and I’d created a simple “time budget per mile” that started out quite slow (10:00 min/mile) and finished much faster (9:15 min/mile). This little budget, printed out onto a slip of paper I keep in my hand and my Garmin watch, allow me to monitor how well I’m keeping to plan.

Because I was so far back in the pack, I found I was having trouble keeping up a 10 minute pace on my first mile, so I pushed past the throngs running sidewalks where possible. As it turned out I finished the first mile at 9:45 – a little too fast but not that bad.

The second mile was supposed to be run at 9:45, but again I ran 15 seconds too fast. On mile 3, I finally got close to my target of 9:45 by running 9:43; this was especially good because the first serious incline makes itself known here. Mile 4 is mostly flat so it’s not surprising I ran it in 9:10, 20 seconds ahead of goal pace.

The next two miles are where the greatest inclines challenge the runner, with a net 100 foot incline. It’s especially difficult going into the Franklin Park Zoo, where there is an incline that lasts a long time, and is known to cause some to walk (not me) before cresting. However, I turned in a 9:35 and 9:20 pace (on the hilly mile) so I reached the half way point at just under an hour.

More importantly, I felt pretty good. It was also at this point that I started telling myself at the beginning of each mile “I know I’ll probably hit the wall somewhere between mile 8 and the end of the race, but it’s not going to be this mile”. I would also run at a slightly faster pace than I had planned at the beginning of the mile, and ¾ of the way through the mile, would evaluate whether I would still be on track if I finished the remaining ¼ in 3 minutes (a 12 minute pace – a slow jog). If I could, I would actively rest (run at a comfortable pace). If I couldn’t I would pick up the pace. I never had to pick it up.

In fact, this strategy worked well, because I ran each mile at a 9:17 pace or better (8:50 on mile 10) – on target or better. Often I would look down at my watch thinking I was probably running much slower than I though only to find that I was running at a better than 8:30 pace (sometimes 8:00).

I was breathing really hard (and loudly, literally sucking wind) but never felt like I couldn’t keep it up. But the closer I got to the end of the race, the easier it became to push myself, because I knew that shortly I’d be resting.

By the time I got to the last mile, I knew I would turn in a pretty good finish if I could keep it up. Alas, though, I lost satellite reception and my Garmin watch stopped telling me the current pace. I was flying by sight (and feel).

I don’t know how fast I ran the last mile and a tenth, but I know that for the first time ever at the BAA, I sprinted through the finish line and it felt really good. I passed people left and right and must have been a (good) spectacle, because the race announcer, who was randomly calling out the names of runners, called mine out.

My finish time was 2:04:52 – just under my goal. I actually thought I was on pace to finish much better than that, especially since all of my paces on the second half bested those of the first half of the race AND I was under an hour in the first half of the race.

Lessons Learned

1. If I can set a comfortable goal for the first half of the race, then buckle down on the second half, I will finish much stronger and with a better time.

2. Overcast days in the low 60’s high 50’s and a slight mist are the ideal Half Marathon conditions.

3. It’s ok to slow down a bit going up hills if you make it up going down.

4. A Half Marathon is actually 13 one mile races plus a small sprint at the end. Never think beyond the current mile.

5. Work hard at the beginning ¾ of the mile and rest on the last ¼.

I look forward to putting these lessons to work on my next race, the Lowell Half Marathon, taking place next weekend.