New York City Marathon - New York, NY (Sunday 11/2/08)
Click here for full race results.

Race Totals:
2:51:08
6:31 avg per mile

Misc Stats:
430th o'all out of 37,899 finishers

Splits By Mile:
1 - 7:04
2 - 5:58 (13:02)
3 - 6:14 (19:17)
4 - 6:25 (25:43)
5 - 6:26 (32:09)
6 - 6:33 (38:43)
7 - 6:23 (45:07)
8 - 6:37 (51:45)
9 - 6:37 (58:22)
10 - 6:12 (1:04:35)
11 - 6:43 (1:11:18)
12 - 6:30 (1:17:49)
13 - 6:24 (1:24:14)
1/2 - 1:24:50
14 - 6:30 (1:30:44)
15 - 7:45 (1:38:30) - Had to stop for 1:20 for a quick pit-stop (not quick enough….details below)
16 - 6:52 (1:45:23)
17 - 6:14 (1:51:38)
18 - 6:28 (1:58:06)
19 - 6:15 (2:04:22)
20 - 6:35 (2:10:57)
21 - 6:30 (2:17:28)
22 - 6:20 (2:23:48)
23 - 6:34 (2:30:22)
24 - 6:43 (2:37:06)
25 - 6:17 (2:43:24)
26 - 6:29 (2:49:53)
26.2 - 2:51:08

Splits By 5K:
5K  19:50
10K  20:09 (39:59)
15K  20:15 (1:00:14)
20K  20:13 (1:20:28)
25K  21:46 (1:42:14) - Little port-o break!!
30K  19:43 (2:01:57)
35K  20:13 (2:22:12)
40K  20:09 (2:42:21)

Key Takeaway:
*This was probably the best executed race I've had in 20yrs of racing. NYC is not known for being an easy course to consistently split & I ran a 1:24:50/1:26:18.....if I remove the 1:25 bathroom stop at mile 14, I'm looking at a 1:24:53 2nd 1/2 marathon (3 sec difference), which I am ECSTATIC about!!! The novel below simply goes into all the details that I can recall so as to help me replicate a similar (only faster ;o) race next time. Happy reading!!

*NYC '08 was a very big race for me. It's been a full 3-years since I've made a serious effort to train for a specific event so I was IMMENSELY excited to be out there. That coupled w/ the fact that I sustained injuries in a charity ultra in the Summer '07 that had me questioning whether or not I would ever be able to run competitively again. As such, to be 99.99% back to my pre-injury running form after a 5 month period of ZERO running (Sept '07 - Jan '08), this was HUGE! As it had been so long since I'd really pushed myself, there was a bit of a question mark as to where my fitness really was. I had quite a few quality workouts leading in, so if everything went perfectly, the plan was to go out on 6:30's through the 1/2 & do what I could to maintain through the end hitting <2:55 if everything went perfect!

Pre-race
4:45-9:40AM:
*Got roughly 7hrs of sleep (HUGE bonus that overnight we turned the clocks back 1 hr)

*Before I left home, I started drinking from my 1st Cytomax bottle which was mixed at 2.5 scoops per 32oz.

*Opted to take the Jersey Shore Running Club bus to the start which made things much easier. It was also nice to chat w/ some friends on the ride up including Diane Petruzzelli (3:02 - 74th female & 11th master) & Jill Evarts who competed in her 1ST MARATHON!! (3:10:30 - 124th female & 19th master)....Jill & Geoff - thanks for the ride home!

*We arrived at the staging area about 7:15AM where it was rather cold & windy (40F). I was very happy to be overdressed w/ (2) pairs of thin gloves, (2) pairs of socks, tights, long sleeve T, sweatshirt, blanket & heavy wool hat. I discarded all of these things right before the gun w/ the exception of the hat. I expected to toss it after a few miles when I warmed up, but ended up making a fashion statement & kept it on for ~19miles (not overly pleased to have marathon pics w/ that hat, but I was comfortable!).

*I kept w/ a liquid breakfast strategy as I had used in '05 & opted for a modified version of my Iron-Cocktail. Mixed in ~20oz of water was (1.5) scoops of Cytomax, (1) scoop of Metabolol Endurance & (1) scoop of CytoCarb II. This solution was ~325 calories (CHO = 64g (21g sugar); PRO = 13g; Fat = 1g)

*With my 'breakfast' I consumed (3) Multi-V, (3) Optygen, (1) Advil & (1) SaltStick Cap.

*Continued to drink Cytomax from 5AM through breakfast and in total had about 64oz before the race start - (2) 32oz bottles mixed at ~225 calories per bottle. I also mixed in (1) SaltStick Cap in each bottle which added 150mg sodium, 42mg of potassium & 6mg of magnesium per bottle. In the 2nd bottle which I consumed over the final hour to the start, I also mixed in a 1/2 scoop of PreRace as I've used it before some of my key workouts into the marathon & felt AWESOME w/ it.

*Urinated 2x from when I arrived in Staten Island including a quick Port-o-John visit & again at the start line

*About 90mins before the start, took (2) Endurox Capsules, (5) Muscle Nitro, (1) Advil & (1) SaltStick Cap.

Pre-Race Notes/Changes for Next Time:
*Good idea to bring the blanket if it's going to be this cold again.
*Wearing ultra light racing flats provided zero warmth despite wearing (2) pairs of socks. Next time think about hot-hands if it's this cold.

Race (9:40AM Start):



*Weather was definitely on the cold side for my liking, especially in the 'pen' before-hand (maybe 40F at the start & 47F at the finish w/ a lot of wind).

*We moved from the corral to the start line about 9:10AM & after a few start/stops, were at the line about 20mins before the gun. I kept all my gear on until about 5mins before the start as I wanted to be as warm as possible.

*Finished off final 6oz of the Cytomax/PreRace right before the start.

*I was able to weasel my way very close to the start & believe it took me <10sec to get to the line (I haven't seen chip times yet to confirm).

Miles 1 - 5:
*At the gun, there was some shuffling over the 1st 400m or so, but I found a lot of open space fairly early & the crowds were a non-issue. It was rather windy though on the bridge, mostly a cross wind, so I didn't notice much difficulty w/ regards to the wind. It's probably best that the toughest hill is so early in the race as you don't really feel it w/ the excitement. I split a 7:04 up the bridge (low 6:50 from the actual start line) & a 5:58 down, relaxed & trying to settle into a 6:30 pace.

*NYC is a really difficult marathon to evenly pace as it's constantly undulating, so perceived effort (PE) is really key. The next few miles felt comfortable 6:14, 6:25, 6:26 & I was determined to continue backing off & maintain that 6:30 avg at the 1/2.

Miles 6-12:
*Mile 6 I took an Accel Gel chased w/ water & split a 6:33 following it up w/ 6:23, 6:37, 6:37 & a 6:12 10th mile which has a little downhill.

*Split at 10 miles was 1:04:35, just 25sec ahead of schedule, so I continued to back down the pace a little to try & hit the 1/2 on target. This is a little tough to do from a psychological perspective as you're getting passed by A LOT of people when you start backing off. The positive though in a 'race' like NY, is you're essentially only 'racing' yourself.

*I still had my goofy wool hat on as I hadn't warmed up too much.....


Fashion Statement

My toes had warmed up, but every time I contemplated tossing the hat, I got blasted by the wind & opted to keep it on. When the wind did pick-up in our face, I tried to tuck into a group to avoid it as best I could.

*Something else I noticed over the last few miles is I really had to the feeling to urinate. At that point I knew I was either going to run the remainder of the race really uncomfortable or stop for a few seconds & get some relief. My thoughts were to forego this until after the 1/2 marathon mark so I'd only have to stop once.

*Took my 1st caffeinated GU at mile 12 and definitely felt a little pick me up afterwards.

Miles 13-17:
*The next few miles I evened out the pace around the 6:30 mark (6:43, 6:30, 6:24) & hit the 1/2 marathon right on schedule at 1:24:50 & feeling very controlled.

*1/2 Marathon Split:  1:24:50 (6:29 /mile avg)

*Took a sip of Gatorade Endurance  chased w/ water at (2) aid stations in the 1st 1/2 probably at ~4 & 10.

*I also got another huge mental boost exchanging some positive words/energy w/ Matt Long on the Pulaski Bridge. For those who don't know Matt's story, definitely give this a read as it will move you to get your a## off the couch regardless of what you've been through!

*If there was a negative (aside from the pending bathroom stop), the uphills were definitely work for me & I was losing time on any upgrade. I felt fine, but my pace was backing off much more than those around me. I knew this going in as I had been avoiding too much hill training due to my knee injury. Nothing unexpected, but definitely a point of note for next time around.

*I felt really good coming through the 1/2 & split a 6:30 for the next mile and figured I would hit the port-o-john now, planning to have a good run up the Queensboro Bridge & then settle back in on 1st Ave.

*Being the geek that I am, I took a split on the bathroom break & was in there for 1:18, so the stop probably cost me about 1:25 in time, but I felt 100x better afterwards! I essentially replicated my pre-race fluid intake of '05 (which went well). The problem was that it was 20-25F cooler than '05 & I probably didn't need that much hydration….mental note for next time!

*Mile 15 ended up being a 7:45 w/ the stop & I also passed my friend Ryan McGrath heading up the bridge as he was having a rough 1st time marathon….still qualified for Boston though.

*Felt like I wasn't pushing at all up the bridge & was surprised to split a 6:52 as it felt much slower. One of the other keys to running NY is not killing yourself on the downhills, so I ran a 6:14 down the bridge onto 1st Ave….a challenge to back off the pace w/ the bridge & CRAZY CROWDS!!!



*Took another caffeinated GU at mile 17 & was feeling really good splitting 6:28 & 6:15 for the next (2) miles.

Miles 18 - 26.2:
*At this point I had crossed 19 miles & was still feeling really good. Not as good as I was at mile 5, but running at/near 6:30's & there was still a lot left in the tank. I held off from running any faster & made the decision that I would hold the effort through 21 miles & if I was still feeling good at that point, let it start to roll. NY has a lot of rolling hills over the final 5K, so it definitely helps if you have another gear.

*Mile 21 I popped (1) Motivator w/ a sip of Gatorade Endurance  chased w/ water

*Mile 22 I got another boost seeing Earl Walton, Tom Dolan & the many of the TriLife Team & took (1) more GU to help crank through those final few miles.

*Hands down, I have NEVER felt so good, so late in a marathon. There's no doubt my fitness was better in '05, but due to a better pacing strategy, this year I was really ready to push these final few miles….racing & not just waiting for the finish to get there.

*I came through mile 22 in 6:20 & then a 6:34 & 6:43 for mile 24 on what I feel is the toughest mile in the race, coming south next to Central Park in what feels like a mile uphill.

*At mile 24 you cross into Central Park & hit all the rollers & I felt absolutely unbelievable.


Crossing Mile 24

At this point, if you're feeling good there's no more pacing as you can sense the finish line w/ just over 2 miles to go & the crowds in the park are great. After coming through mile 24, I knew a PR was not on the table (something I wasn't even contemplating at 9:30 this morning, so to be even remotely close was great!), so considering I didn't think I would be ANYWHERE near sub 2:50, everything from here on in was icing on the cake.



*The last (2) miles were solid hitting a 6:17 & 6:29 and enjoying 59th Street & back into the park for the finish in 2:51:08.



Post-Race:
*I hooked up w/ our crew from the JSRC who escorted me back to the bus where I pounded 500 calories of Ultragen & had another 350 calories of it about an hour later on the drive home.

*I also want to thank Mike & Alex Villane, Mike (BB) Miceli, Jim O'Connor, Grace McLaughlin & others I'm for getting for making the trip into NYC & darting around via subway to give me some 'shout-outs' on the course. Anyone who's raced before knows how fantastic it is to know there are others you know out there supporting you - THANKS!! With that, I believe I also had about 10,000 of my closest friends on 1st Ave as well - just AWESOME crowd support out there!

Summary/Key Points to Remember:  
*There's absolutely ZERO doubt in my mind that I was in better shape in '05, but despite this year running ~90sec slower, it was a FAR better race for me. Comparing the final 8 miles of '08 vs '05 (in parenthesis), leaves no doubt in my mind how important proper pacing is as I covered those final 8 miles nearly 3 MINUTES faster than I did in '05. That gives me HUGE confidence in my fitness leading into my next training block:

Mile - '08 Split ('05 Split) Difference
19 - 6:15 (6:29) + :14
20 - 6:35 (6:44) + :9
21 - 6:30 (6:44) + :14
22 - 6:20 (6:43) + :23
23 - 6:34 (6:59) + :25
24 - 6:43 (7:16) + :33
25 - 6:17 (6:51) + :34
26 - 6:29 (6:47) + :18

*I also believe that the training consistency I've had over the past few months enabled a solid upward trend in my fitness. I could count on (1) hand the # of days off I took from running over the past few months and they were only due to flare-ups of an injury so we thought it best to take a recovery day.

*For my next marathon, I think I will go w/ a little heavier weight racing flat as the Asics Piranha SP's were just a little too light. They feel UNREAL, but I think I need just a little more support & will most likely race in the Hyper Speed 2 in January in Miami. Post-race, my feet are ok w/ just a little tightness in my left ankle, but in the latter stages of the race, the bottoms of my forefoot were definitely feeling it.

Weeks Ahead:  
*It's just over 11-weeks until the Miami Marathon where I hope to have a crack at getting in the low 2:4x or possibly dip under it, if things go exceptionally well (assuming we don't have a brutal November >> January in the Northeast!). The next (2) weeks will just be getting my legs back under me & build back into a 50-60 mile week by week 3 (no workouts, just z1 effort).

Thanks for reading if you made it through & I'll probably continue to add more to this as I think of it….these reports are more for me than anyone who reads them. As such, I would strongly suggest you doing the same thing after any key race as it's remarkably helpful to review these notes when prepping for your next event as well as in the final day(s) of the race itself (I even printed out the report from NYC '05 & re-read it waiting in the corrals at the start as it helps when mentally rehearsing the day).

Brian Shea
President/Head Coach
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

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Brian Shea is the President of Personal Best Nutrition and a certified triathlon & running coach. Mr. Shea is also an accomplished endurance athlete 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