United Airlines NYC Half Recap

I don’t run many half marathons and I certainly don’t race many but I was fortunate enough to snag a bib in the lottery for this year’s United Airline NYC Half this past weekend. I figured it would be a good tune up and a test of my fitness heading into this year’s Boston Marathon.

The Goal

My primary goal for the race was to run a hard effort and to challenge myself on the hills. I haven’t been a very strong runner on hills in the past and have incorporated more hill work and strength training to try and fix that. The course profile offered me a great opportunity to put my recent training to the test. 

My secondary goal was to run under 1:36. This would qualify me and give me guaranteed entry into next year’s NYC Marathon. I would be happy with anything under that as long as I ran with courage and left it all out on the course.

No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn

The race started in Brooklyn not far from the Brooklyn Museum on Washington Ave. I arrived about 6:00 am to beat the crowds and was happy that I did. I didn’t have to deal with any crowds on the subway and was able to quickly make it thru security. Although it was on the cool side, around 50 degrees, I was plenty warm with my throwaway clothes that I picked up at Goodwill. 

I was in wave one, corral C and my start time was 7:20. After the singing of the National Anthem, the start command was given and I was off. After a short downhill on Washington Ave, the course made a right hand turn and headed into Prospect Park. Things were really tight thru here and runners were packed shoulder to shoulder. I wasn’t worried so much about my pace at this point as I was about making sure I stayed on my feet. 

Up Flatbush to Battle Pass Hill

After another quick right hand turn we started our first climb of the day up Flatbush Ave. This was about a half mile out and back section so we got to see the faster runners coming back down the hill on the other side of the road. Being very early in the race the climb didn’t feel like much at all. After making hairpin turn and returning down Flatbush Ave I hit mile marker one in 7:15 and was pleased with that. I passed the first test of the day and was feeling good. 

Shortly after that we started our second climb of the day up Battle Pass Hill. This definitely felt like a climb as it was longer and steeper than the first one we encountered. During this climb I just tried to focus on having high leg turnover and to keep my breathing and heart rate in check. I clocked mile two in 6:54 and shortly thereafter I created the hill and started heading downhill for mile three. 

Grand Army Plaza

Mile three took us thru Grand Army Plaza and was downhill the entire way. On the downhills I tried to stay relaxed and take advantage of gravity by picking up the pace. I guess I was successful as mile three had a 6:30 pace. Shortly after passing mile three I was told we passed the Barclay Center. I didn’t mention it earlier but the fog was thick and heavy so I didn’t see much of anything along the way. 

The View and The Brooklyn Bridge

The next mile had some rolling hills and I continued to focus on keeping an even effort. Mile four clocked in at 6:44 and everything still felt good. Shortly after passing mile four the climb up the Brooklyn Bridge began. This is the first time ever that a NYRR race has used the Brooklyn Bridge for a race and I was super excited to run over it. Unfortunately due to the fog I could barely see the bridge, let alone any views of the NYC Skyline. 

This was the longest and steepest climb on the course. I took my only gel of the race at this point. I don’t think I needed it really but I’m still working out fueling for my upcoming marathons. I anticipated my pace dropping off a little but was happy when I got the top of the bridge at mile five with a 7:19.

The FDR

I was feeling strong as I crested the bridge and picked up the pace once again on the downhill. Mile six had us looping back towards the East River with another little climb on the on-ramp for the FDR. This would be our home for the next few miles. My pace for mile six was 6:36. 

The next three miles were on the FDR. It wasn’t flat but there weren’t any climbs either. I used this stretch to focus on having good running form and tried to keep my pace up. I usually do mental math to figure out what pace I have to run to finish in a specific time. For some reason each of my miles were clocking in well over a mile as I manually lapped them. 

The UN Building and The Turn

Couldn’t really see much of the river as the fog was still rather heavy. The next landmark I was hoping to see was the United Nations Headquarters. This would signal our turn off the FDR and onto 42 Street. 

The 42nd Street Grind

Mile ten was a bit of a grind up 42nd Street taking us past Grand Central Terminal. I was definitely feeling like I was having to work a bit harder at this point to keep my pace up as I clocked a 7:11 for this mile. 

The Bright Lights of Times Square

Shortly after passing mile ten the course took a turn onto 7th Ave and headed into Times Square. I don’t think the fog lifted but because of all the lights I was finally able to see some of the sights. The crowds were decent during this stretch as this was the first I noticed them all morning. Mile eleven clocked in at 7:07. 

7th Ave and Central Park South

I knew Jill would be at the corner of 7th Ave and Central Park South so I started looking for her. I think I ended up running too far to the right so I didn’t get to see her as I made the turn. This makes two New York races in a row where I somehow missed her. We will definitely have to work on that before this year’s NYC Marathon.

As I made the turn into Central Park I passed the mile twelve marker with a pace of 7:14. I knew from here to the end there would be some rolling hills and my legs were definitely feeling it. Fortunately there were plenty of spectators and some great signs to keep me going. 

Central Park and the Big Finish

Turning onto the 72nd Street Traverse I just dug in and tried to hold my pace. I knew I was going to easily beat my goal time of 1:36 but more importantly I felt that my training had done a good job to prepare me for the hills. I passed mile thirteen with a pace of 7:21 and made one last turn before hitting this finish line. 

The Results

Thanks for following along. I would highly recommend this race and look forward to coming back to run it again. I’m even hopeful I’ll get to see some of the sights along the way next time. If you haven’t already, sign up for free to follow us on all of our upcoming adventures.