Coney Island in the rain

It had sounded so good at the time. The Maccabees and Mumford & Sons at MCU Park, a small minor league baseball stadium just on the other side of the beach at Coney Island. A nice Summer night in June, shorts, tee....
Well, it was nice weather the few days before but it rained heavy the night before and it lingered all day long making it a little bit cold and damp, a bit of a novelty at this time of year as it's normally still warm when it rains as it's more thunderstorm weather.
I'd never seen so many ponchos at an event!

Anyway, it didn't ruin the gig. The venue was really cool with the Coney Island theme park stuff in the background. Both bands sounded awesome and after a bit of initial shuffling position we got a really good view off to the side.

Brooklyn Half Marathon

A kind of main race for the year but not really... but kind of.
I entered this race before I had fully committed to doing the marathon at Bear Mountain but then thought with all that training I could get away with doing very little in the two weeks following the marathon and have a crack at reducing my PB from 2013.

It hadn't gone wuite to plan in the build up. I had gotten the cold again two days before Bear Mountain and although it was just in my nose and didn't affect me that much during the race I was laid out for the two days following, even having to take a day off work on the Monday.

The race, the cold and bike to work month meant I biked the 14mile round trip 9 times in the two weeks but only managed three runs of 4-5 miles during which I felt pretty shit and heavy legged.

Race day night I decided to go for it from the start and see if marathon training could keep my form and legs going towards the end. I also decided it was easier for me to gently cycle the 1.5M to Grand Army, lock my bike and jog the other 3/4 mile to the wave 1 check in area for the 7am start!

With the size of event it was, 26,500 finishers, pretty much the largest half marathon in the states, you had to check in your bag, go through security then enter your coral where the toilets were (no outside toilets), then wait. I think partly for security and partly to get people into the corals early instead of them hanging about.

I got near the front of my coral and in the end I was standing beside the 1.20 pacer which was a bit too much as the gun went and they disappeared into the distance. Indeed, the 1.25 pacer went past and slowly pulled away which was a little disheartening as I was running strong for the first three miles with some good splits of 6.18, 6.17 and 6.05 heading into Prospect Park. A 5K split of 19.26 was a nice surprise as all I could remember from looking at 2013's even splits were they were around 21 minutes.

The start is nice and scenic, slightly downhill, slightly uphill, round Grand Army Plaza and back downhill and into Prospect Park.

Grand Army circle

The Brooklyn Library at Grand Army

Some good signs on the course again, didn't really see many as I was really concentrating on this one, ha ha.

Up the dreaded hill in the park, but with the downhill exit out of the park onto a dual carriageway road, Ocean Parkway, ALL the way down (6miles) to Coney Island.

Park entrance/exit

I passed through the 10K split just before exiting the park in 40.17.

Once on Ocean Parkway I was determined to not look at the Avenue roadsigns that basically count down from Avenue A all the way to Ave Z and try and just get into a focused straight line run aiming for 6.30 pace. At this point there is much more room to run so I moved out a little and just did my own thing.

Rocking the PPTC kit

6.25, 6.30, 6.22, 6.28, 6.32, catching the 1.25 pacer, now in sight but feeling really tired. The last mile was pretty tough. I just wanted it to be over at this point.
I didn't feel I was going any faster but managed a 6.17 split up onto the boardwalk and as the 1.25 mini group crossed the line I gave it everything and finished not too far behind them and cracked 1.25, taking nearly two minutes of my last time in 1.24.46.

The last few hundred metres on the boardwalk

Really struggling

Am I gonna puke??

380th place but 29th in my age group which was fairly decent I thought.

It had been a little humid during the race but a nice temperature. There had been a chance of rain and indeed just as I walked to get my bag it started to rain. By the time I got my bag I was fast walking to get some shelter as the heavens opened. The other runners and especially wave 2 which didn't start until 7.40am got drenched. Although the way the weather is here, by the time I got the train back to my bike it was around 24 degrees and bright sunshine.

The family meet up and post-race 'party' was inside the MCU Park (minor league baseball) stadium.
It looked like this when I entered to take a sneak inside.

And when I seen the pics from later it looked like this!

Took the train back to my bike, bought a danish pastry at the farmers market and enjoyed a leisurely cycle home. My legs are sorer then after Bear Mountain though, must be the roads!

The novelty of an empty train

The winner

21M's and award

Despite some windy weather I had a great session on Friday night. 11M's from work to home with 7 of them around 7.15 pace. I felt so strong, I think the cool weather helps, no sweating!

Then Sunday I did my next 20M run.
It was a little overcast and my gloves were on and off as much as my sleeves were rolled up and down. I revisited last years routes to Coney Island and ran to the beach!

'insert ice cream here'

It was a lot quieter than last Summer! Also not as many toilets were open :-(

It actually ended up being 21M as I reached the bottom of the park at 20M and decided to go up and over the little trail hill for the last mile. I just hit the corner of the local St Patrick's day parade as I went straight into the local muffin shop. I scoffed a danish pastry and some Gatorade on the walk home. Other than being a bit hungry, I felt pretty good. Just got to add the hill part to it now.

Today after work I popped by the office of the Cherry Tree organisers and picked up my age group award!

Training Weeks 7 & 8

Week 7 started off fine enough with an early morning 9M run to work but the next day I had the beginnings of a sore throat! Oh no, I thought, the usual 2-3 week mildly annoying cold/flu starting again.
I quickly bought some throat medicine (didn't really read it... helps you sleep... sore throat, yup) but I think it had something that made you tired as I took the next three days of running and left work 3 hours early on Friday as I literally had no energy.
A two hour sleep when I got home and I felt better for Sat and managed just over 10M, I worked Sunday so no running.

Week 8 was a step up. Including 9M on Monday then on Wednesday it was the last of the PPTC 5K's. These have been the only "speedwork" sessions I've been doing the last few weeks and I've been steady around the 18.50 mark. This time I decided to go off hard from the start and see if my training strength could help me hold on. I managed splits of 6.03, 6.03, 5.40 and .33 for a new 3 second PB of 18.19!

Friday Heather and I went to see a Jeff Koons flower "sculpture" at Rockefeller Plaza then went out for dinner on the way home. Chicken Ramen and birthday cake flavoured soft serve ice cream.

Then the hardest weekend of training so far. 9M at around 7.21 pace and then on Sunday I did around 18M in 2 hours 52mins which due to the fact there was a thunderstorm due later meant as well as it being really sunny, it was also more humid than it's been lately.
The decision to run last weeks long run route in reverse proved a wrong one as there was no shade for pretty much the last 10 miles.
I stopped at a water fountain with around 4 miles to go and the water was so cold I just wanted to stay and drink forever!

The last few miles were a slog, my legs were actually not bad it was just the fact I was a little dehydrated and wanted a cold glass of water as well as a short lie down followed by a cold shower.
I tried taking some energy drink with me along with one of those Honey Stinger waffles and the usual gel and water but I don't think I got the timings right as my stomach was a little sore/tight for the last half of the run.

18M couldn't feel so different to the 17M run I did two weeks previous. Plenty still to try and fine tune before I try for my first 20M next Sunday.

Week 7: 24M
Week 8: 51M

Training Weeks 5 & 6

Another busy week of planning runs around work, either leaving kit and food at work so I can run early or running after work, taking the train back into Brooklyn then getting off on the other side of the park to run home.

I worked Saturday. It was also one of the Summer Streets Saturdays. Where they close one long road in Manhattan form the Brooklyn Bridge up to Central Park from 7am-1pm.
I left the house at 7.30am and ran down and over the Brooklyn Bridge. Wow, lots of groups of inconsiderate runners. The pedestrian path is really narrow and all these runners were coming the other way and filling the entire path 2 or 3 abreast. I literally shoulder barged two runners at one point. Never again will I run that bridge at the weekend.
I ran part of the Summer Streets, I thought that would be the worst part in terms of crowds but apart from a few tourists strolling along the road while the pavement was empty at 8.30am it was fine. I only went a little way past work before turning back.

Sunday I ran my longest run ever (again), 16M, 2 hours 20mins around Brooklyn.

The penultimate PPTC 5K was this week. A good 18:47 feeling very strong towards the end.

Then I planned out this Sunday's 17M run over a mostly entirely new run route complete with a little sellotape laminated piece of paper with my directions on it!
It was good, running longer but in a new place so I had things to take my mind off it plus a lot was the Shore Pathway so although a little boring it was pan flat with no traffic lights and little pedestrian traffic.

My loop around Coney Island and the Sheepshead Bay area was fun.

13M selfie

15M selfie

Week 3: 47 Miles
Week 4: 45 Miles

To the beach

The thermometer has been creeping up recently. It's been hovering around 20º but over this weekend it was up to 26º. Difficult to get up early this weekend to run in slightly cooler weather as I played soccer on Friday night and kick off wasn't until 10.45pm therefore I didn't get home until around 1am! Plus we were a player short so I ended up running a lot more than normal.

Saturday I did a 7M run with a 5M tempo in the middle, sticking near the cemetery and then the park perimeter. That was hard going especially the last mile being slightly uphill and I was laid out on the couch later that day.

This morning was an easy 8M-ish and for a change I decided to run somewhere different, the beach!
We are about 6 1/2 M from Coney Island and the last stop on the F train runs there so I could just take the train home.

Ran over to the park and then down through some streets with really nice big houses. Then onto Ocean Parkway where the Brooklyn Half route goes. The downside is it's just one long straight blast all the way, counting off the lettered Avenues from about K through to Z. The plus point was for most of the route there was an element of shade from the trees and I even started running on the grass for a while.

I perked up a little when I could feel the ocean breeze and the thought of seeing some new-ish scenery. Plus I got to top up on water and soak my cap.

In the end I did just short of 8.5M and because it was going to take 30mins to get home I thought I better get a little food in me.

When in Rome....

That was a nice change for a run, I spent about 20 minutes hanging out on the boardwalk while watching the people piling off the trains headed for the beach. When we start marathon training I'm going to need some new routes for the long runs. As much as I love Prospect Park I need a change especially if I'm running there during most of the week.

And now I'm on the couch again, trying to keep my eyes open but so far we are resisting turning the air conditioner (money burner) on as it's not really humid yet.

This will be our newest cats first summer and she is already finding it getting warmer in the house. At night we find her lying in the dark on the mat in the bathroom and probably not connected but we recently found that she finds the bathroom tap intriguing. She tries to drink out of the tap but it runs down her face as she chases the water stream.