100th Race: Brooklyn Half Recap

You know how there is an unwritten rule on how long you can wear your medal after a race? Well, the same thing applies to finishing your 100th race. I am going to savor this one just a little while longer than I normally would, feel it, and thank a lot of people for their help before I move past the 2014 Brooklyn Half.

In no particular order . . .

Thank you to this blog's readers, as we have almost reached 100,000 page views -- about a thousand for each race. I try to read as many other running blogs as I can and it means everything to know others take the time to look at this one.

Thank you to Melinda and my friends at ASICS. They shipped me a box of gear to help me celebrate my 100th race in style at the 2014 Brooklyn Half Marathon. I started in ASICS and I stay in ASICS.







Thank you to the weather. There were 25,587 finishers and I hope every one one of them said a special thanks for our conditions on Saturday. A powerful storm system had canceled the Yankees' game the night before and pounded our roof through the entire night. Then it stopped raining around sunrise and what was left behind was the most glorious day in late spring a runner could imagine. Here are shots of the Brooklyn Museum start at Prospect Park and the finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk.





Thank you to my new Garmin 220 for the help maintaining my pace, a first for me in my sixth Brooklyn Half. My splits were :31:04 for 5K, 1:06:38 for 10K, 1:41:33 for 15K and 2:18:14 for 20K. My finish time of 2:25:57 represented a course PR for the Brooklyn Half. I'm well in the back of the pack as usual, but to quote the Black Eyed Peas: "The race is not for the swift...but who really can take control of it."

Here are my Garmin splits. It recorded a slightly longer distance and thus a minute longer, but it helps to see my splits and match it against elevation and so forth. I can see where I wear down a little in the long homestretch but I was able to finish with two straight negative splits!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	2:26:05.3	13.28	11:00
1	9:35.6	1.00	9:36
2	10:23.1	1.00	10:23
3	9:40.2	1.00	9:40
4	10:45.4	1.00	10:45
5	11:28.2	1.00	11:28
6	11:44.6	1.00	11:45
7	10:08.2	1.00	10:08
8	11:35.6	1.00	11:35
9	10:48.5	1.00	10:48
10	11:28.1	1.00	11:28
11	12:08.7	1.00	12:09
12	11:47.7	1.00	11:48
13	11:25.3	1.00	11:25
14	3:06.1	0.28	11:01

Thank you to Coach Andrew Kastor. His mantra of "Everything Forward" was someone I said to myself every time my mind wanted to wander or worry. I would look down at my body and identify every body part that was moving forward -- shoulders, knees, thighs, stomach, penis, ankles, shadow, shoes...each time I did that another minute or so ticked by and I was closer to the end of that mile. Most importantly, it made me think about leaning forward with my form -- like Meb did in winning the Boston Marathon.

Thank you to the Big Cats Running Team. This is the MySpace group I joined at the start of 2007 after I began running. It was national and we each had to pick the name of a big cat species (no duplicates) to enter. Most common ones were taken then, so I chose Monster Cat. I became known as Monster Cat to many other runners. For my 100th race, I went back to that identity with my stripes and roar, and it was great to be reunited in this race with Big Cat runners Roxy (below) and George (in Mile 8).



. . . you remember MySpace . . .



Thanks to Brooklyn, to Coney Island and specifically to Nathan's Famous. We stood in line for close to an hour after the race just for the sake of hot dogs, because hello it is Coney Island and they are worth it. The soles of my feet ached in doing so but I was wearing cushiony ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16s so they were up to it.



When I finally got to the front of one of the many lines, I had Lisa snap a pic to show I had another big finish. I got two chili cheese dogs, fries and a large Blue Moon. (Funny side story: Just as I reached the front of that line, I noticed some guy sidle up alongside our line and tell the woman with a baby behind me that he was going to pay for her whole meal if she would get him a couple of dogs and a drink. She said yes so he had to wait like 60 seconds in line.) We then camped out on the sand and enjoyed.





Thanks to NYRR for the opportunity to race year-round. I have averaged about a dozen races a year. Thanks especially to Mary Wittenberg for her leadership and relating to runners.

And most of all, thanks to my family. To my three sons Matthew, Benjamin and Joshua, because when I started running after my Dad passed away in 2006, I told myself I was going to live as long as possible and set a good example for my sons. Thanks to my beautiful wife Lisa for always being so supportive. Thanks to my stepdaughter Rachel, for encouraging me with my nutrition and fitness and for taking up running as well. Thanks Pennstress the McThinstress and Liam the Mango Tickler for joining the 100 bash, and to the hippie who sold me a Sinatra album on the boardwalk though I have no turntable. Dream the Impossible Dream forever.

On this perfect day, Lisa and I even munched on mango sticks. Ever tried those? Yum.

Here's to the next 100. Amazing things keep happening when you just run.

PLEASE ALSO FEEL FREE TO READ:

• 50 Lessons Learned In 100 Races
• My 100: Race By Race List

How many races have YOU run?

Why the Brooklyn Half is The Best Finish In Running

One month ago yesterday, I finished strong at the ASICS LA Marathon in Santa Monica, alongside the Pacific Ocean. It was an idyllic, Forrest Gumpian finish -- and all the better if you stayed at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows right there at the finish line, courtesy of my ASICS friends.

My first Brooklyn Half in 2007

As I approach my 100th race, I think back now to so many beautiful finish-line settings like that one. I finished the Paris Marathon on Avenue Foch, near L'Arc de Triomphe. I finished Miami (twice), Fort Lauderdale and New Jersey marathon along scenic water. New York City Marathon, winding up at Tavern on the Green in iconic Central Park. One of our MLB All-Star 5Ks finished where the Angels play. St. Louis, you're in the shadow of the Arch. Race after race, my own or those I read and hear about, feature wondrous landmarks, surf or something cool at the finish.

But when it comes to The Best Finish Line In Running *, the argument stops with the Brooklyn Half.

The Boardwalk at Coney Island, Cyclone wooden roller coaster, Atlantic Ocean, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, the Party, a great PR-opportunity course with an uncontested No. 1 for a finish. I mean, it's Coney Island!

The New York Road Runners' second-best race of the calendar year, behind only the TCS New York City Marathon, the Brooklyn Half is coming on May 17. It is part of the NYRR Five-Borough Series, and if you run at least four of those five or the NYC Half (so four of those six total), you are guaranteed entry into the following year's NYC Half.

Look, the NYC Half is amazing and goes through Times Square and you must run it at least once (I've run it three times). But to me, Brooklyn is the best Half not only in the NYC area, but in the world -- thanks to its finish. It has the most perfect-weather returning power and charm of any NYRR event other than NYCM. I have run them all multiple times, so technically this qualification process is backwards -- it should be to qualify for BRKLN -- but that is just my opinion and that is not why I'm blogging about this.

Finishing 2010 Brooklyn Half on the Boardwalk

I will be running Brooklyn for the sixth time (2007, '08, '10-12), setting my Half PR there in '07 and then breaking it in '08 (2:15:46). I know the race intimately and have seen it change over the years, and can tell you why it now deserves this title of The Best Finish In Running. There is no better place for me to celebrate my 100th overall race since I stopped smoking and joined NYRR and became a runner for life.

When I started running it in '07, the Brooklyn Half began on the Boardwalk. We would gather at Central Park and ride buses in the dark to Coney Island, and then I would sit on the sand with gulls looking at the sunrise on the ocean before the start. That was pretty cool. But there were some disadvantages. For one, I was watching runners trip on the uneven planks on the Boardwalk during the crowded start, dodging one woman who fell in front of me, and once my shoe caught on a plank. Secondly, and more importantly, Coney Island is the place to finish. NYRR was able to remove the bus component by starting it around Prospect Park, easier access. There is now a Pre-Race Party presented by New Balance, so this finish is the culmination of a three-day festival that brings out the best of Brooklyn for runners.

We now start near the Brooklyn Museum and run the first couple of miles past the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and around Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza before entering Prospect Park. After a loop around the moderately hilly park, we exit in Mile 8 from the southwest corner onto Ocean Parkway and cruise toward the world-famous finish. You have to contend during that long five mile stretch with direct sun beaming down on you and the pavement, and the unfortunately alphabetical countdown of blocks: Avenue Z, Avenue Y, and so on. But it is all worth it for what happens next.



You see the Atlantic Ocean up ahead. You make a right turn for a short distance and then a sharp left up onto the Boardwalk. Then an immediate right (as I'm eyeballing in the photo above) and maybe 400 meters to a glorious finish line. The loud music is pounding. The ocean breeze is uplifting. The scenery to your left is breathtaking, in a charming Coneyesque kind of way, beachgoers parked on sand or carrying their chairs and coolers. You cross the finish line with your arms raised triumphantly, a big smile on your face.

And at that part you are just starting.

Next comes a great medal, a tradition that began just two years ago. Walking through the finish chute, you turn right and make your way to the fun. Nathan's is the world-famous home to the Hot Dog Eating Contest. You jump into the long lines there and celebrate with a Coney dog, chili and cheese.

Last year, my friend Karla Bruning (@KBruning), host of NYRR's great "On the Run" show, did a segment with an Eating Contest alum who was running the race and they brought out 13.1 hot dogs to the finish line.



Watch that episode to get a full sense of the 2013 Brooklyn Half and all the festivities:



You can celebrate with beers as part of the post-race party scene courtesy of Brooklyn businesses. If you don't believe me, then take it from my friend and fellow runner Shannon Moriarty:

@marathoner AGREED! Last year's boardwalk finish was followed by an epic parking lot dance party w/ other runners. So. Much. Fun.
— Shannon Moriarty (@shan_moriarty) April 10, 2014

And if you want, you can just hang out on the beach, play some Coney Island games, lay in the sand and cool yourself off by wading out into the refreshing surf. You have just seen The Best Finish In Running.



I will be driving to Prospect Park that morning, so getting back to my car will mean jumping on one of the subway trains right there at Coney Island. It's a lot of stops but it's worth it for that finish. It keeps me coming back every year, except for last year, which I missed due to my son's law-school graduation. The race itself is very conducive to PR's, and the ending always makes me look around to see if there are any other races that can possibly compare to the way this one ends. To me, there is none that compares.

It's Coney Island!

* - excluding any races in which I proposed to my wife Lisa at the finish line.  :)

What do YOU think is The Best Finish In Running?

Best finish in running?

What is the best finish line area of any race you have run? For me, it is hard to beat the Brooklyn Half - Coney Island boardwalk, Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, music, Atlantic Ocean, Nathan's hot dog, beer, medal.

I just ran it in 2:29 this weekend. It was my fifth BH, 71st race overall, most times I have run any single event. Chalk that up to the amazing finish experience - "Most Fun Finish In Running." Memo to my friend Mary Wittenberg, you can feel free to use that slogan next year!

This time we started at the Brooklyn Museum, and entered Prospect Park at the 3.5 mile mark. Insane number of runners; sold out within 10 hours. Mile 6 is tough (course is fast but no pancake!) - long gradual ascent, but 7 is revenge. Exit park at mile 7.5 onto Ocean Parkway and then it is a straight shot to the boardwalk.

It was hot, but shade was abundant.

Now for the fun. New layout moved the boardwalk entry farther down, entering next to the famous Cyclone wooden roller coaster. Sprint the boardwalk to finish. We got medals for the first time.

Famous Nathan's dog, check. The lines are so long, I call it mile 14. But we just proved we can handle it.

Brooklyn Half

Saturday is my 71st race since I traded KOOLS for ASICS in December 2006. It is my 62nd New York Road Runners event, and of those it is my fifth Brooklyn Half Marathon -- the NYRR race I have run the most. What race have you run the most and why? If you love the Half, you MUST run this. I like it even better than the costlier NYC Half, which takes you through Times Square. Brooklyn has a great vibe. The first 7 miles are around Prospect Park, then a straight shot down Ocean to the Coney Island Boardwalk. You finish to great music, the Atlantic Ocean surf and beer -- just a great, great race. Based on last week's 10K I am guessing I will finish around 2:35 . . . . need to lose weight and work on my core, and a little worried that left ITB issue still hanging around as I have backed off of all that physical therapy stretching and hip-strengthening that helped get me through Paris Marathon. Outer left knee area barks when I sleep.

Previous Brooklyn Half finishes:
2007: 2:22:35
2008: 2:20:24
2010: 2:49:59
2011: 2:38:00