The 2011 Kaiser SF Half Marathon
This was probably my best, tactically executed race I've ever run.
I don't believe I was in proper condition to break 1:30 today. On a normal course, I don't think I could have done it. On this course, with the right plan, and the right execution of plan, I did it.
[I'll give some more context on me and what brought me to this race in a later post.]
The Kaiser Half course has a few characteristics, one which favors the runner, another which can really hurt the runner. Miles 6 & 7 of the course are decidedly downhill as we traverse JFK through Golden Gate Park (advantage = runner). Miles 11, 12 and 13 are Northbound on the Great Highway, a path that often in this race is battered by race-destroying headwinds (advantage = nature).
I didn't feel that I had the speed to run this Half Marathon under 1:30, a time that would qualify me for guaranteed admission to the New York City Marathon. I felt like keeping a 6:52 pace for all 13.1 miles was not at all likely, so I crafted a race plan based upon my 2009 splits for this course. The main premise as that I would only aim to run 3 miles at or below the 6:52 average I needed, but I would leverage the main downhill section to compensate for my otherwise slower pace.
The Race
The morning was warm. Ordinarily, I'm waiting as long as I can to ditch my last layer of warmup clothes, then doing what I can to stay warm before the start. Today, I was completely comfortable in the shade wearing my singlet and shorts.
After a few minutes delay, with impatient muscles waiting, the starting bell was rung. I was too far up in the pack considering my plan for the first two miles, and I nervously glanced at my watch every 15 to 30 seconds to check my pace. It bobbled around between 7:15 and 6:45, and when I passed the first mile marker, I was pleased with my conservative start.
7:03 split (+3 seconds) for mile 1.
Around that time, I was picked up by a shirtless runner who liked my pacing, asking if I was running 7s. I explained that I was for the first couple of miles, and he asked to keep pace with me. Monica pulled up alongside me too, also complimenting my pacing. Truly, it was my constant glances at my watch that helped me understand how to keep on pace.
As we ran down Fell Street on one side of the Panhandle, I realized why my 2009 split for this mile was fast: it is a nice downhill mile. I remarked "what goes down must come up," at least, for this part of the course.
My breathing was easy, and we turned the corners to be heading back West on Oak Street as we clocked in a fast mile 2.
6:54 split (-6 seconds) for mile 2.
Sure enough, the next mile was uphill and it was taxing to keep what was supposed to be an even-split mile. I felt my breathing starting to accelerate, and kept finding my watch telling me I was going too slowly. As we re-entered the Park, I tried to speed it up a bit, but it didn't seem to make a difference, even after the surface leveled out.
7:11 split (+14 seconds) for mile 3.
Knowing I had lost a lot of time on the mile, I felt that I just needed to get back on pace and hope I could pick it back up on the downhills. I grabbed a cup of water at the first aid station, and used my marathon practice from 2006 to manage the cup so I could sip away at it for a quarter mile. I remarked to Ashley, whom I was catching up to at the time, that this was the first time I've taken any water during a half-marathon.
This mile, interior to the Park, had some twists and turns and a little downhill bit. That, plus running a little scared from losing so much time on the previous mile, and I marked a good split.
6:49 split (-6 seconds) for mile 4.
I knew the big downhill was coming soon, but I was beginning to feel more taxed that I hoped to be as we zig-zagged around back onto JFK. As we ran back past the starting line, I took water again, not getting as much in as the previous time since I was concerned about slowing down. I felt the downhill coming.
6:56 split (+6 seconds) for mile 5.
As I saw Crossover Drive above and we crested the hill before the downhill began, I said aloud, "here we go!". I moved to the outside of the throng of runners and picked up the pace significantly. I made sure I was in control, but I knew I was 10 seconds behind pace coming in, and so I didn't mind when I glanced at my watch and it told me I was running sub-6 pace at that moment. I kept passing runners, though other runners were gunning the downhill here just as I was.
I pushed and ran fast, maintaining a solid effort. Just before the mile marker, I saw my wife and kids, waved at them, and smiled.
6:08 split (-24 seconds) for mile 6.
The split was good, and I was just hoping I hadn't burned too much energy. I was now on the positive side of the ledger, though, and if I could meet my target for this mile, I could have a shot at my goal. I did slow down a bit, and this mile doesn't have the same steepness of downhill as does mile 6, so it took another solid effort to keep the pace.
I skipped the water stop this time, pushing the last downhill section as we went down the end of JFK (or Bernice Rogers Way). I heard someone's watch beeping like we had reached a mile marker, so I wondered where the mile ended… until I saw it around the corner on the Great Highway.
I turned into the sun, wishing I had worn a hat, and began the push.
6:33 split (-2 seconds) for mile 7.
The fact that the mile marker stand was bowled over towards the South made me wonder how hard the wind was going to be coming up. The sun beat down and I figured that I had about 15 seconds to spare relative to my plan, so if I could just keep to my target of 6:55 all the way down, I would be able to give back 5 seconds a mile on the way back up.
I kept looking at my watch every 20 seconds as I slowly eased up on my pace. 6:40… 6:45… 6:50…. 6:55 -- there, I had the pace I needed to keep, but it started to feel hard to keep. I pushed on, with some doubt starting to form, but was bolstered when I reached the mile marker.
6:52 split (-2 seconds) for mile 8.
I stared to spot Danielle ahead, and was surprised that I was starting to bring in Adam. I just focused on click off the mile, starting to see my breathing getting harder, and starting to feel like I might be losing my grip on the race as I glanced at my watch a couple of times and saw 7:12 for my pace. Still, I pressed on, battling the sun.
I took a cup of water at the next aid station, and, failing to get more than a sip, I dumped the cool water on my head. Again, this is nothing I have ever done in a half-marathon, but the heat was beginning to take it's toll. I had moments of fear of failure, remembering for a second how I tried to push in mile 10 of the San Jose Half and lost 20 seconds on my mile, pondering in a split second what I would have to do to qualify for New York when my race fell apart here. I knew I had to hold pace for the rest of the race, but I was bolstered by my split.
6:56 split (+1 seconds) for mile 9.
One more mile before the turnaround and the make-or-break of the race, I told myself. A good cushion could make this last. I bore down and started to push a bit harder, counting stride for pacing and checking my watch to keep on target. I kept pushing as I started to see runners coming back the other way on the other side of the Great Highway.
A mirage surfaced: the race-path merged left of the divided highway at Sloat, and I thought for a moment that I had reached the turnaround. Instead, there was more left. As we got closer to the turn, I saw Galen coming back. He said "catch me, Brent!" And I thought: "I don't need to. I just need to hold pace".
After the turn, I braced for the wind. It wasn't bad, and even a bit cooling! I marked the split.
6:53 split (-2 seconds) for mile 10.
I saw Danielle ahead, and felt like this race would never be over. The wind wasn't punishing, but my efforts to keep the pace were beginning to freak me out. I felt like I might not be able to hold on, and though I had a 20 second cushion, I could blow it with just one slow mile.
I kept Danielle in my sights and just tried to pull in a good mile. It felt like a long one.
6:51 split (-4 seconds) for mile 11.
The split surprised me. It was so hard to get there, and yet, now I realized that at any moment, my body would go into desperation-push mode and drive me to the finish. I kept my arms pumping a bit more, started counting off strides again, and reached Danielle. She gave me encouragement and I kept waiting for that instinct to kick in.
I looked down at my watch: 1.6 to go. It kicked in.
I no longer felt like I had anything to hold back, and I was pushing harder and harder with every stride. I was feeling slow, but knew I just had to keep going and I could make it. I was far enough ahead that all I had to do was not collapse or stop or slow down to a crawl.
I kept looking at my watch. 1.4 to go... 1.25 to go. I could see the mile 12 banner as I pushed along.
6:59 split (+4 seconds) for mile 12.
I was in striking distance. Though I had lost some ground, I knew I had enough of a cushion to do it. I just had to do it, now.
The stretch between Lincoln and JFK went by quickly, and before I realized it, I was heading back uphill into the Park and on my way to the finish line. I glanced at my watch and was surprised that I was heading uphill at 6:50 pace, and I kept pushing hard. Man, that hill seemed forever long, and I forgot that it came in two parts.
After reaching the leveling out part on the first hill, I kept wondering where the hell the finish line was. I knew it was around a corner and I wouldn't see it coming, so as I kept desperately trying to hold my pace and running with all I had left, I turned that corner and saw the finish line approaching. I pushed, I dug, I kept going hard, not wanting anything to fail me in the final stretch.
I frantically looked at the finishing arch, looking for the clock. There: 1:29:35! I can bring this in! I pushed harder and gave it my last set of strides, and...
...crossed the finish line before the clock read 1:29:45!
I was exhausted.
I was toast.
I was done.
I did it.
I have qualified to run the New York City Marathon.
Official Time: 1:29:41.
