NYC Half

I was supposed to run the race this morning. When I laid out my training plan, this race was supposed to be a measuring stick of my progress and I expected to be fast. 7 minute miles or less would have been my goal. Anywhere close and I would be happy. Turns out this race still was a measuring stick, but unfortunately I haven't measured up.

I decided not to run this 13.1 mile event because I cannot get past 4.5 miles without pain. I would have finished the race, battling my IT band, and would have made matters worse. The NYC Marathon on Nov 1st is my goal and I had to come to terms with reality.

Reality can really bite sometimes.

I woke up at 6:30 am today (2 hours later than if I actually ran the race) to watch. I packed up my boom box, hopped on my motorcycle, and headed out to the West Side Highway at 16th Street. I don't run with ipods or music, but I do appreciate the music boost now and then on the road. So I blared some tunes for the runners as I cheered them on. It was a good mix starting with Beck, ending with The Foo Foo Fighters, and having some Beatles, RCHP, Foreigner, The Roots, and even Boyz II Men in the middle.

It's a bit frustrating to just watch and not run. But I am a fan, and I did enjoy catching the elites that I am familiar with. Paula Radcliffe of Britain won the women's side. Deana Kastor of the USA streaked by, but didn't place. And Ryan Hall of the USA took third on the men's side.

[caption id="attachment_68" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ryan Hall, just ahead of Abdi Abdirahman of New Mexico and Moroccan Ridouane Harroufi."][/caption]

Running has always been a favorite American pass time, but it has been many years since we've excelled in the long distances. The Kenyans, Ethiopians, etc have dominated. Ryan Hall is at the forefront of a resurgence of talent in the US. He placed 3rd in the Boston Marathon last April and 10th in the Olympics in 2008. He's only 26. I'm excited to see what he will do in the coming years. He inspires me to not just run, but also be part of this growing talent here in America. So again, it's a bit frustrating to be sideline. I have to be patient.

Yesterday afternoon I ran another 4.5 miles. It was my third run in a row with pain developing at 4.5 miles. I decided to go out and run again later that night. Stopping to stretch a few times, I made it 5.3 miles. So I put in 9.8 miles yesterday (so much for patience). My leg is a bit sore today, both from the run and the treatment I gave it afterwords. I'll rest and stretch today and see how things go tomorrow.