New York City Marathon - New York, NY (Sunday 11/6/05)
Click here for full race results.

Race Totals:
2:49:36 (Chip Time - 2:49:32)
6:28 avg per mile

Misc Stats:
256th o'all out of 36,894 finishers
76th American (Male)

Splits:
1 - 6:32
2 - 5:42 (12:15)
3 - 6:09 (18:24)
4 - 6:13 (24:38)
5 - 6:12 (30:51)
6 - 6:19 (37:10)
7 - 6:13 (43:23)
8 - 6:17 (49:41)
9 - 6:21 (56:02)
10 - 6:11 (1:02:14)
11 - 6:31 (1:08:45)
12 - 6:12 (1:14:58)
13 - 6:21 (1:21:19)
1/2 = 1:22:05
14 - 6:20 (1:27:39)
15 - 6:26 (1:34:05)
16 - 6:46 (1:40:52)
17 - 6:13 (1:47:06)
18 - 6:22 (1:53:28)
19 - 6:29 (1:59:58)
20 - 6:44 (2:06:42)
21 - 6:44 (2:13:27)
22 - 6:43 (2:20:10)
23 - 6:59 (2:27:10)
24 - 7:16 (2:34:26)
25 - 6:51 (2:41:18)
26 - 6:47 (2:48:06)

This week was one of the worst pre-race weeks I have ever had leading into an 'A' event. I've been dealing with a lingering cold that has left me congested and workout hearts rates which have been through the roof (150+ at 8min miles). I had all intentions of not even going to the start line as my last 3 mile run on Saturday left me somewhat winded with just a couple surges to 6:20 race pace. How on earth did I think I could do this for over 2.5 hours? What's the point of starting if I'm going to be miserable? Thanks to my friends I came to the realization that the point is to get out there and participate! Maybe you'll surprise yourself..maybe?

Pre-race
5:30-10AM:
*4.5hrs sleep (as sleep was not a priority since I was just going to have fun and not try to PR)
*As with most big marathons, there is the negative logistic of having to wait around for hours before the race begins. Some friends and I met up at 5:45AM to head up to Staten Island to begin the waiting game.
*As the temperatures were expected to be well over 70F by the time the race would finish, hydration and electrolyte balance would prove critical.
*From the minute I woke up, I started drinking Cytomax and had about 100 calories before leaving the house. I also took (1) Lava Salt with the Cytomax.
*I prefer to have my breakfast smoothie roughly 2-2.5hrs before the start, so I blended (1) Vanilla Ultramet blended w/ 16oz Pineapple Juice, (1) banana & 16oz water and put it in a thermos to drink around 8AM.
*Continued to drink Cytomax through breakfast and in total had about 50oz (300 calories) of Cytomax before the gun.
*With my smoothie I consumed (3) First Endurance Multi-V, (4) Optygen, (2) Endurox Capsules, (6) Muscle Nitro, (3) Advil, (1) Lava Salt and (4) Joint Matrix. Each of these were consumed about 2 hours before the 10:10AM start.
*Urinated 2x from when I arrived in Staten Island and (1) more Port-o-John visit after I was on the Verrazano
*Was able to get in about 5 minutes of easy jogging before the masses moved onto the bridge.
*Drank (1) can of defizzed Red Bull and 16oz of water within the final 20 minutes before the start.

Race:
*Weather was perfect for me, about 60 at the start and in the mid 70's by the end. Most feel this is too warm for a marathon, but if I could script my day this is what I would choose.
*As mentioned, my expectations were ZERO and I had all intentions of running through the 1st few miles at my GRP (Goal Race Pace) of 6:15-6:25, feeling terrible, and dropping back to meet my friend Trina who was aiming to get her slot for Boston in 3:40.
*To say the start of the NY marathon is exciting would be an understatement. You're standing at the foot of one of the largest bridges in the World, there's 37,000 athletes, each with the same degree of nervous tension, if this doesn't get you pumped - check for a pulse! It's awesome!
*Game day was on for me, I went into my usual 'meditative' state before the gun and was ready to push myself for the next 26.2 miles. That is what I had trained for, that is what I was ready for. That's the best thing about endurance sports, never say I hope to run XX:YY, run it! When you're a football player, you can't make the team win, you can contribute, but you can't control it if Johnny Quarterback misses a pass. In endurance sports YOU control how fast you go. You want to break XX….do it?!?
*I received some very good advice before the race which I intended to follow as closely as possible. Go out for the 1st 5 miles just settling into a pace…whatever pace that may be - not hard, not easy, just comfortable. After 5 miles, start to concern yourself with splits, pacing etc… which is just what I did.
*The miles seemed to be clicking off so quickly 6:32, 5:42, 6:09, 6:13, 6:12 and just felt so comfortable. My goal was to try and run as close to 6:15-6:20 for as long as possible and when the wheels start to come off just minimize the losses.
*I did notice something different which I hadn't experienced in previous marathons as I had a major sweat going by mile (2). I adjusted my fuel intake slightly and opted to take in slightly more of the Gatorade on course about every other mile (maybe 3oz +/-) chased with water.
*NY is a challenging course in that there are a lot of false flats. I find the elevation profile deceiving as there are no monster climbs, but there is a sense that you're continually going up or down for most of the day.
*Every (5) miles I stuck with my pre-race strategy of (1) 'hit' of Accel Gel chased with water. The change I made for this race was I emptied (1) Lava Salt into the flask with the gel. I have never taken a single salt capsule in a race before, but in my prep for NY and JFK, I was returning from my long runs just covered in salt. I have never experienced this before and I guess I am just going through some physical changes and my system may now be requiring additional salt. Being that the weather was going to be so warm, I didn't want to take chances.
*Mile after mile, things were just clicking - 6:17, 6:13 6:20. I really wasn't feeling my cold except with a lot of mucous and what I perceived was a higher than normal HR.

*1/2 Marathon Split:  1:22:05 (6:16 /mile avg) and starting to work, but feeling well within myself



*The next few miles in NY are challenging as you hit that psychological barrier that you still have over 10 miles to go and you may not feel that great. Also, in NY you hit the 59th Street Bridge at mile 15 which is nearly a mile long uphill. I believe this was my downfall last time in NY as I tried to push the pace up this the entire way and paid for it for the final 11 miles. On Sunday I simply adjusted my gait to a slightly shorter stride, let what seemed like scores of people run by and still ended up splitting a 6:46 up the bridge, 6:13 down the bride and then settled into a 6:22 and 6:29 up 1st Avenue where the crowds are ridiculous. Where else on earth can a regular Joe have people 5 deep screaming at the top of their lungs cheering you on, just amazing!
*After 1st Ave there is a section which has slightly less crowds and as in any marathon this is where the 'How bad do you want it' factor sets in.
*I again listened to my friend Mike Aiello's advice, 'If you run a slow mile, don't try to make up the time, just try to make sure the next mile isn't any slower.' As my 'comfortable' pace had slipped from a 6:20 (+/-) to a 6:40 (+/-), that's just what I tried to do and clicked off a 6:44, 6:44 and 6:43 with (4) miles to go. I had also finished my final hit of Accel Gel and was now going for my 6oz flask of defizzed Red Bull which I was counting on for those final 25 mins of running where things can get ugly. I also dissolved (1) Lava Salt in this flask as well.
*You start doing the math and I'm thinking just don't slow down and you'll crack 2:50 (and to think my friends had to talk me into getting my sorry a## to start!)
*6:59….7:13 up a long, gradual uphill so I wasn't too put off, then back to a 6:51
*I had 8:50 to do 1.2 miles and get <2:50.
*I didn’t think run hard, I though mechanics - weight forward, land midfoot, face loose….it's all mental at this point
*Crossed 26 miles at 2:48:06 and knew I could enjoy that last .2 knowing I was going to get <2:50 - WOW!
*Official clock time was 2:49:36 and if you would have bet me a million $$ at 7:30 this morning that I'd break 2:50, I'd have taken it in a heart beat. 16 minute PR?!? How did that happen after being sick, 4.5hrs of sleep, WAYYY too much sushi last night??



Post-Race:
*Immediately after the race I grabbed a 500 calorie bottle of Ultragen with 5 grams of additional Glutamine, got in a stretch and chatted with friends before heading to a suite which my friends Bryan and Moira Horan had arranged (THANKS!!!).

Summary/Key Points to Remember:  
*Writing this I am still shocked as I literally had to be talked into even starting the race and to PR by 16 minutes was beyond what I could have expected.
*As I am obviously very long-winded, just some quick points:
*I made some strategic corrections this year that I did not in '02. Taking it easier on the uphills paid big dividends in the last 10km as I was still able to run 6:30-6:40 pace. That's how I train…run uphill until my HR gets to it's target and back off. I never surge through the top of that zone.
*Nutrition including hydration and electrolyte replacement is critical. The attrition I saw at the end of this marathon was akin to mile 20 at Kona. So many elites either walking or staggering. I've never seen that before at a marathon.
*On the warmer days, use the shade whenever possible. I consciously tried to stay in the shade when I could do so and still run the tangents.
*'Physical Inventory' is key. Periodically I go through a head to toe evaluation: How are my feet landing, wha's the position of my hips, how relaxed are my hands, is my face tense. Awhile back I read a very interesting book on mental preparation. One of the key points I took from it is that if your mouth and lips are relaxed, this tends to have a calming effect on the rest of the body. The author felt this was one of the reasons why Michael Jordan, even when in critical moments of a game, could still stay so relaxed and focused.
*NY is the only marathon where at mile 20 you'll see an 80yr old guy, w/ his wife at his side in a lawn chair while he's hooked up to an amp cranking out tunes on his xylophone! Gotta love this marathon.
*Preparation: Getting ready for NY should include a significant amount of hill work. The final 10k has a lot of rolling hills and when you're 2+hrs into an event, your hip flexors are already fatigued. The ability to still have high knee lift will help with drop off in those latter stages.

Weeks Ahead:  
*Just 13 days until the 50 mile run at the JFK 50 in MD. I feel very good 24hrs later and will probably get in a few miles on the bike on Tuesday and once the blisters on my feel are better will go for a run on Wednesday or Thursday before headin down to FL for the MiamiMan Clinic.

Thanks for reading if you made it through. Please post a reply to this post if you have any questions at all about the report - see you at the races!

Brian Shea
President/Head Coach
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

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Brian Shea is the President of Personal Best Nutrition and a certified running & triathlon coach. Mr. Shea is also an accomplished endurance athlete himself having competed in over 100 triathlons and marathons, including the Ironman Hawaii World Championships™ with a 9:31 personal best. Most recently, he was honored for his achievements with an All American ranking by U.S.A Triathlon. As a coach, he has worked with athletes of all abilities from the United States and abroad, formulating training and sports nutrition programs for optimum performance. He can be contacted at Brian@PersonalBestNutrition.com

Brian Shea wrote on Nov 7^th, 2005, 4:41pm:


I forgot about him -- but wasn't it an accordian?  That kept me laughing during the marathon for a couple of miles, and just gave me a good laugh again this morning.  

Brian,

Awesome job in NYC!!!  I will be running it this year (2007) and really appreciate the tips you mentioned in your race report.  It will be my first trip to NY so I am pretty excited about it.  My goal is to break 3 hrs and the weather will be key, so I hope it will be cool.......

What was that reference on mental preparation?  That was a really good tip about keeping the face, lips & jaw relaxed, and I'd like to read more.

Also, for a marathon like NYC, how often to you take the Optygen?  Do you just take it on race day or build it up in your system first several days in advance?  What other supplements do you use in the days prior to a marathon say during the carbo-loading phase?

Lastly, what shoes did you wear for the race in NYC?  I am considering Adidas Adistar Comp 4 or Asics Gel Hyperspeeed 2, but someone mentioned going over the bridges is hard on your feet and not to wear racing flats.

Thanks.

Phil Trumbly