De-Jinxed: Staten Island Half Marathon Race Report

I’ve written about my half-marathon jinx before so I’m not going to repeat myself here but suffice it to say that ever since i recognized its existence, it’s always been at the back of my mind whenever i’m preparing for one of these races.  And with every race, with every non-PR, the more power it has over me until it’s all i ever think about when i’m out running most days.

I intended to put a stop to it in this race.

I’ve done this race on 4 separate occasions and PR’d in 3 of them so i thought i knew the course well enough to run it well.  My training has been going superb both in the speed and endurance front so i was supremely confident heading into this challenge.  On race day, I was well-fed, well- rested, and got to the Staten Island ferry terminal 30 minutes ahead of schedule.  I was so ready to ROCK and ROLL!  Unfortunately, the D.O.T had other ideas.  Apparently they never got the memo that there was a race today because they showed up with a boat that wasn’t able to accommodate a couple thousand of the 4000+ runners, leaving us stranded on the ferry dock.  Because the race was scheduled to start at 8:30 and it was already 7:45 when the filled ferry boat left the dock, we knew we were in serious danger of missing the start.  We were all starting to freak out!  The second boat finally came for us at 8am and by the time we got over to the Staten Island at 8:30, the race had already gotten underway.  I ran over to baggage as fast as i could, dropped my bag and sprinted to the start.  I looked at the clock and noted that i was beginning my race about 3:45 after the gun amidst the walkers in the back of the pack.  This wasn’t going well.  This wasn’t going well at all!

My impromptu race plan, composed on the ferry ride was to run the first 6 miles at my PR effort.  If I am not able to maintain my 6:25 min/mi PR at the end of my 6 miles, i was going to shut it down and look for another half marathon somewhere next week to try again.

I spent the first 3 miles just bobbing and weaving amidst the crowd.  The course had a big turn and some peaks and valleys early on, so i ran anti-tangents and used the topography of the land to avoid the crowds in order to go ahead.  I knew i was passing a lot of friends here because i could hear my name being shouted every few minutes.  Unfortunately i neither had the time or the energy to look back.  It felt good though.  It really did!  (Mile 1 – 6:14; Mile 2 – 6:14; Mile 3 – 6:20)

The crowd started thinning out a bit by the time i got to Mile 4.  I was still passing a lot of people but at least i didn’t have to move to the edge of the road in order to run past now.  I see the Verrazano hanging in the air up ahead and remembered how i used to think that this was the prettiest view of the bridge from where we are running.  I make a right onto a tough little uphill section and a left onto another small hilly avenue.  I slow down a tad to compensate while still maintaining my cadence and progression through the field.  I look at my neighbors and see that i’m among a mix of red and yellow bibs, so i know there’s still more catching up to do.

I pass mile 4 in 6:13 and mile 5 in 6:22.  This is good in that i’m still under pace but also a little worrisome because my pace is becoming dangerously close to the threshold for quitting.  But since mile 5 was largely uphill i reasoned that I shouldn’t use that mile to assess my current strength.  Mile 6 is more downhill so that would be better judge I thought to myself as I quickened the pace slightly.  The sun was stronger now and I could feel the early morning breeze dying down some because of it.  As I ran along the long boulevard that is most of mile 6, I knew how I did this mile would determine my fate.  My heart rate was holding steady at 170-2, and my legs were still feeling pretty strong so i felt if given the option i should stay and fight.  I rolled through the long downhill slide that encompassed the first half of mile 6 and carried the surge until i was almost done with that mile.  I was running amongst the blue bibs now (finally) and happy to be heading towards the turnaround point of the out and back course.  I passed the mile 6 marker in 6:09, confirming my suspicions that I won’t get to quit today.  My new goal was to get back to the big hill at mile 7.5 holding on to sub-PR pace.  I figured if i could do that, a PR would almost be a virtual lock!  So i continued fighting and running hard back down the same boulevard I had just come from before, all the while peeking across the divide to see if there were people I recognize on the opposite side.  That’s always been the fun part of this race for me.

Pretty soon though I passed mile 7 (in 6:24) and I knew the shenanigans were over.  It was time to climb!  Up, up and up over the big hill I went.  Because i was tempering my expectations here and taking short and even strides, it wasn’t as bad an experience as i had remembered.  Still i was pretty tired by the time I crested the hill.  I turned and found myself running over yet another hill, even if it wasn’t as steep or long as the first.  Although I managed to still be moving faster than those around me, I still felt like I was dying a slow death here.  After what felt like a mile even if it was actually more like a few hundred feet, I finally finished climbing and recovered by coasting through a series of short steep downhills.  Mile 8 was 6:31 which I was willing to accept given the monster hills.  The question was whether I’d burnt my quads and killed my chances or if I could just hold on to sub-6:30 pace for 5 more miles.  I hadn’t yet deciphered my answer when a runner pulls up even next to me and shouts “No, don’t slow down.  I’ve been following you for a mile.  You have good form…short strides, quick feet.  You look so strong!” I thanked him for his kindness but beckoned that he should run ahead.  He doesn’t at first, so I quicken my stride and try my best to play the role of rabbit a little while longer.  He follows for about another half mile.  I pass mile 9 in 6:19 (which I never would have done if he hadn’t been there!) and he reluctant pulls ahead on the rollers at mile 10.  I hung back, choosing not to be too aggressive here.  I needed to save something for the last few miles, which are notoriously hilly.  I reminded myself to run my own race and I slowed down a tad bit more to take a gel and prepare myself for the epic battle of the last 5K.  Mile 10 was 6:28.  That’s just about where i expected my tired self to be.

Mile 11 was flat, which ironically did not translate to a faster time for me.  Instead I felt a twitch in my right knee and had a freak out moment where I thought I was on the brink of a debilitating injury and would have to drop out – 2.5 miles from the finish. Could I really DNF now?!  Some of the runners around me were now suffering too.  I could tell by the grit on their faces and the loud grunts emanating from their throats.  I forced my mind to relax and keep the negative thoughts at bay.    I eased the effort down to a more manageable pace in hopes that my knee would cooperate and allow me to finish my race.  Mile 11 was passed in 6:34 as we made a left and approach the final set of hills leading toward the finish.  These hills were short but very steep.  I see my rabbit friend from a few miles ago up in the distance and that encourages me to catch up to him.  It didn’t take me long to do so which I interpreted to mean that he was really struggling.  I pull up even with him and gestures for him to just follow me.  He tries but he doesn’t and I had to let him go.  I am saddened but suddenly felt more energized for a few moments by the interaction.  I tried powering through the hills thinking only of the impending finish but each little hill, connected in series, was so troubling for me.  My sole inspiration in attacking them bravely was in knowing that there would be a shiny new PR waiting for me when it all ends.  I make my way finally to the mile 12 marker in 6:35, which is the exact time I ran the mile before.  So despite feeling completely exhausted by the effort, my pace actually did not suffer as much as it might have seemed.  Still, by that point, I was seriously DONE and was begging for mercy!

When the uphill finally did end a quarter mile later, I knew all that separated me from killing my jinx and reversing the curse was one final downhill mile. I took off with the remaining strength I had and kicked it in hard to the finish.  I thought about Craig Alexander winning the Kona World Championships and setting a World Record at age 38.  I thought about all the adversity I had to overcome just to make it here today.  I thought about all the failed half marathons I ran between my last PR and this one (8 in total) and for the first time in a long time, I felt really proud of myself and my effort.  When I finally crossed the finish line in 1:23:20, I held up a V sign to the crowd.  I have done it. The jinx is gone.  The curse has been lifted.  Victory at long last is mine!

Statistics
Weather – Temp 67F, Humidity 59%, Sunny, Wind E1.9MPH
Mile Splits – 6:14, 6:14, 6:20, 6:13, 6:22, 6:09, 6:25, 6:31, 6:20, 6:28, 6:34, 6:35, 6:17, 0:38
Avg HR Splits – 169, 169, 172, 172, 170, 172, 175, 170, 171, 172, 177, 177, 180

Official Time – 1:23:20 (0:55 PR!)
Avg Pace – 6:22 min/mi
Overall Place – 47/5300
Age Group Place – 13/589
Age Graded Percentage – 71.9%
NY Flyers – 1st