More/Fitness Half Marathon

Race weekend is here!

I'm running the More/Fitness Half Marathon in NYC on Sunday with two friends, Bridget and Elisa. Tomorrow morning we'll head down to the city and enjoy the day before pushing ourselves through the hills of Central Park Sunday morning. It should be a great time!

Since it is a weekend in NYC, we want to have fun but, of course, we do have a race to run. Which means I should probably develop some sort of race plan. I've been putting it off and putting it off . . .

According to the McMillan calculator, I should be able to run a 1:45 half. I would love to run a 1:45 half. And, some day, I plan to do just that. I just don't think it will be this weekend. Sure, a 2 minute PR would be awesome. But, the More/Fitness course is notoriously hilly (two laps around hilly Central Park) and crowded, so the conditions aren't ideal for a PR. And, like I said, it is a weekend away and I'd like to enjoy myself with my friends.

So, I'm not gunning for a PR and I'm totally OK with that. But I would like to run well.

My goals, then, for the half look like this:

B goal: Finish in under 2 hours. My slowest half was the ZOOMA Cape Cod half that I finished in 1:59:57. It was a tough, tough race for me so I imagine that, unless something dreadful happens, I should be able to beat that time on Sunday.

A goal: Finish in under 1:55. Totally doable. That's 8 minutes slower than I ran in October so even with the hills and the crowds, I should be able to run 1:55 or faster.

I plan to pace myself over the first half of the race and run around 8:30 miles or so. I tend to take off faster than I should in half marathons, running under 8:00 pace for the first 4-5 miles. I can't hold that pace over 13.1 miles. I know this. I know it is better to start slower and not burn out. My plan is to start slower on Sunday. Run at an 8:30 pace for the first 6-7 miles and then see how I feel. Maybe I'll hold that pace for the whole race. Maybe I'll speed up. Maybe, if I'm feeling cruddy, I'll slow down. Whatever happens, as long as I run a smart race for the day and the situation, I'll be pleased.

So, that's the plan. Now, I can continue obsessing about race day weather and what to wear!

(Yes, it looks like perfect racing weather. Still, I obsess.)

The forecast could not be more perfect!

Are you racing this weekend?

Good luck to everyone who is!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by.