ING New York City MARATHON: The Race Report

My first ING New York City Marathon, in a word it was, bittersweet. The more I look back on it the more it feels sweet, but at the time I had a little bitterness that took some of the excitement out of the day.

There was one issue that seriously got in my way mentally. I mentioned it to a few people but tried not to make a big deal about it before the race. The last time I went to a doctor she noted that I had a heart murmur (see diagram B below for a basic explanation.) I asked her if that would affect my plans to run the marathon and she said she didn't think it would be a good idea for me to do it. I decided I wanted another opinion so I went to a cardiologist with a copy of my echo cardiogram to get a better idea of exactly what risks were involved. His opinion was similar to the first doctor's. He said I had an increased risk of developing a fatal arrhythmia during extreme exercise. However, it was not a huge risk because I'm in great health with normal blood pressure and no other symptoms. As a doctor, he didn't want to give me 100% clearance. Although he did say if I really felt I had to run it, to use caution and drop out if it was too humid, polluted or if I felt dizzy. He also mentioned dehydration could increase the risks.

This was very upsetting because I had trained so well all season and I felt great. I had gotten the 9 minute mile down to a science and during my last couple half marathons I spent more and more miles in the 8:30-8:40/mile range. I got my 5K time down to a 7:30 pace and my 1 mile record was 6:31 which I hit once in practice and once during the 5th Ave mile race. I was really set on getting as close to a 4 hour marathon as possible (which would be a 9:22 min per mile pace.)

The other thing was not as big of a deal but was probably more of a consequence of my own stubbornness. I wanted this race to be a solo mission. All season I had been training with Team in Training. I ran the Hamptons Half with them as my main event so I did my duty with all the fundraising and mentoring already. I didn't do some of the fanfare with them that goes with race day. The main thing was that I didn't take the bus over with the team. Mainly because it didn't make sense since I live really close to the start line on the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano. So I got my own transportation thinking I would end up running into some people I knew in the corrals beforehand. I didn't see anyone! It was a maze of unfamiliar faces.

That aside, all my pre-race rituals went like clock work. I felt fueled, hydrated and I had a chance to empty my bladder. I decided to run with my fuel belt which I didn't want to do, but I was so paranoid about the hydration factor I really wanted the extra security. I felt really dehydrated after my last 20 mile long run and I didn't want to risk that happening again.

The route is very appropriate for my "solo mission." It is starts with a tour of all the neighborhoods I've lived in since moving to New York. Basically, the Brooklyn section starts where I currently live, goes through the neighborhood I moved from and ends in the neighborhood I lived in when I first got here. In between are an array of my favorite hang outs and stomping grounds. It's all the different evolutions that I've gone through since I moved here as a bright eyed girl from Michigan coming straight out of college. There have been different apartments, room mates, jobs, boyfriends, friends, the only common denominator has been me. It's my personal experience of the borough.

Waiting for the start they blasted Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York," through the speakers and I could already feel myself getting choked up. I was running with a heart rate monitor for the first time which was another factor in my overall race performance. They say nothing new on race day but a doctor friend of mine suggested it as a measure to keep an eye on what my heart was doing. It was the worst before the race because I would see the rate rise with every surge of anxiety that I felt. I felt extremely emotional listening to Sinatra and looking up at Verrazano, a bridge I can see from my apartment building and something I was really excited to run over. Still, I was extremely nervous and I didn't want to get too excited early on and create higher risks later in the race. At this point I decided I should try to develop more of an even kiel and stay cool in the face of this race.

I had talked to friends and co-workers beforehand asking them where they would be along the route. I figured I would see at least some of them. Not one. Somehow, I managed to miss everyone! The worst of which was my boyfriend who I missed in THREE places. I blame myself. I didn't specify the side of the road. I may have been to vague in my understanding of exactly where they'd be. Also, I was a little sad my parents weren't there, but there were some obstacles that came up for them and I told them not to worry about it. I could've tried to help them plan out a trip further in advance but I didn't. Early in the race this also weighed on me a little and again it caused me to decide to bury my emotions and keep a sense of calm detachment throughout.

My first marathon was very emotional. I ran with Team in Training in San Francisco. I ran with my friend Jess. We talked about our friends and family members touched by cancer we were running for. I saw my parents and our coaches along the route. It was more about the people than the place. New York was the opposite.

When I first signed up for New York I put my estimated time as 4:30 because I wasn't confident in my goal at that point. As a result I was in a slower corral than I've been used to the last year or two. The crowd was so thick and I was running slower than I had run in a race in well over a year. I was running slower than I had run in any of my training runs by a minute and sometimes over. That was both hard and frustrating. There were so many people it was tough to do anything different from the pack. Plus worrying about my heart made me paranoid about taking off too fast too early. Interestingly a few of the times I tried speeding up my heart rate actually went down. I really do feel like there is such a thing as running too slow and that it is almost as hard as running too fast. Unfortunately the nature of the course and all the people made it difficult to ever find a truly comfortable rhythm.

That's all the bitter, now for the sweet. The race fans were awesome!! Even though I couldn't find my friends there was no shortage of complete strangers cheering me on at every turn. I loved seeing all my familiar neighborhoods and how they fit together. It was like putting together a puzzle I always missed when riding the subway.

Then of course there was the music!! I really got excited by all the bands. Of course you would only get a small taste of each of them while running, but the ones with a lot of guitars and a good beat always got me really excited.

That's what gives me hope and makes me not too sad about the heart murmur thing. I still want to be a part of the marathon experience even if I don't end up running another one. The thought of putting together a new band and playing more races in the future definitely got me going.

Running so conservatively through Brooklyn and Queens meant that when I got to the 59th street bridge I still felt pretty good. First Ave was great of course with the cheering crowds and the road opened up so it didn't feel so packed. Getting to the Bronx was pretty sweet because it meant we were turning back toward the finish.

Fifth avenue was tough because it was so long. Also, a lot of people were reduced to walking at this point. There were so many walkers that at one point they actually blocked the entire width of the road and I had to slow down and squeeze in between people to get through. It was awful.

I also faced the mental block that I had been hitting in the last few half marathons. That last 3 miles is my worst. I know I'm close and that makes me want to stop and I'm not close enough that I feel comfortable picking up the pace because 3 miles is still pretty far. This is what I was feeling as I entered Central Park. I was starting to feel how sore my muscles were particularly on my right side. The rolling hills and the fact that the finish was not in sight made it feel impossible to speed up. It wasn't until the finish was actually in sight that I felt I could pick it up a little.

As I crossed the finish line the time was the same as my first marathon 2 years ago 5:37:30 (or there about) but I started an hour after the clock started (plus the time it took me to cross the start line) my official time ended up being 4:35:51 (10:31 pace per mile.)

For the first time in long time I decided to get an official post race shot with my medal (I usually skip these in the regular NYRR races.) The look on my face is utter relief and elation. I did not die and I did not feel the least bit dehydrated or injured! However, all the muscles in my legs were screaming as I waddled into the flock of slow moving runners being very gradually herded to our bags and out of the park.

At this point I saw my friend Jess, which seemed appropriate since she was the person I ran my first and only other marathon with. It was good to re-connect with her after not seeing her in so long.

In the end it was overwhelmingly a positive experience. I think even on a day when I was not worrying about my heart I probably wouldn't have run a 4 hour marathon. My guess is it would have been closer to 4:20 or maybe 4:15 given all the thick pack, hills, and my lack of experience at this distance. The weather was perfect! You couldn't ask for better!

Now I'm looking forward to perfecting my half marathon and 10K times. I don't want to go through that worry again over the marathon distance. The doctors said it was fine for me to keep running, it was just the distance that was dangerous.

I want to make my contribution to the marathon experience be the music. I can live with that.

Speaking of which, I have teamed up with Hella Sound Premium Running Music and PRS Fitness in contributing to a series of running music workouts. The first one is a collaboration between Jonathan Jones of Linwood Studios and I called, "Strides: Choose to Run." It is a 25 minute, 180 bpm tempo running rock music set that contains a warm up, 6 x 30 sec "stride" intervals with 1 minute recoveries and a cool down. I used it through out my marathon training as a sort of maintenance run between my more intense speed/hill work and the long runs. I found it really helpful.

The thing that differentiates "Choose to Run" from other types of running music is that there is a narrative story line through out the work out. I really want to create more pieces like this. It's a different way to relate to a piece of art, by actively moving with it. Plus, you're getting your speed work in. There are more of these in the works. Please try it out and give me feedback on how it goes! You can tweet me @lady_southpaw or join the Lady Southpaw Running Music Facebook fan page and comment on the wall.

Here's an excerpt we put on Youtube:

Race Report Part 2: The Regularly Scheduled Nike Human Race Report

Had I waited in the line in part one for 5-10 minutes the Nike Human Race Report would have gone something more like this:

Today I took part in the Nike Human Race NYC! This is probably the quickest I have churned a race report but the event is centered around the idea that people are running this race all over the world today. There is something pretty cool about that.

My goal for this race was to set a new P.R. for the 10K. I ran my last 10K with a total time of 59:06 and a pace per mile of 9:31. I figured after running a 5 mile race at an 8:51 min pace and a half marathon at a 9:25 min pace, I was due for a better 10K time. I seem to think more in pace per mile than total time. So for this race I was thinking I wanted to run as close as possible to a 9 minute per mile average pace.

The other test was that I had my iPod for the first time ever in a race situation! I figured this would be one race where they wouldn't mind if I was tracking it with my Nike+. Therefore, I shall breakdown this race in the form of my playlist:

Track 1: "You'll Find a Way," by Santigold

I used this in an iMix last summer and I swear I remember it clocking in at least the high 170's beats per minute (bpm) wise. I put it first because it usually gets me jazzed up and I figured the slightly lower bpm (from my usual 180) would be O.K. as a sort of warm up track. This may be true in a training run, but at the start of the race I was bursting with adrenaline. The slower tempo was really aggravating. In fact, I just re-measured it and it is actually closer to 165. So it turns out I tapped out the remix before and then downloaded the original version, genius. I can't believe I didn't notice that before today.

Track 2: "Why I Run," by Lady Southpaw

Of course as long as I was testing running music in race situations I was going to try out my own songs. The 180 bpm came as a relief after the Santigold incident. I started getting my footing and feeling more comfortable. It felt so good I hit the back button to repeat it but my iPod actually rebelled! A couple seconds into the song and it skipped to the end of the song. The weird thing was when I tried it again it did the exact same thing. I still have no idea how that happened but I gave up and let it go the second time.

Track 3: "Run On Sentences Volume 1.1," by Jonathan Jones

I have gotten to know Jonathan Jones through twitter in the last couple months. He writes scenic, inventive instrumental rock and is a great social networker and campaigner for independent music. He's been trying his hand at running music with a series of songs called "Run On Sentences." Volume 1.1 is my favorite but they're all good. Check them out at http://www.ReverbNation.com/JonathanJones. Also we've been collaborating on a project called Shock Pilot. Check that out here.

Track 4: "Flying On Glass," by AudioFuel

Again, thanks to the world of social networking I found myself writing back and forth with Sean from AudioFuel. He sent me this track he was working on. It is a remix of a Philip Glass piece at 175 bpm. Despite the slightly low bpm, it has become my absolute favorite track written for running. Of course I am going to be glowing about all of these songs there's a reason I put them on the playlist but I mean it, this one is amazing. Some of the credit goes to Mr. Glass's composition. It is just so smooth in the way it transitions from one variation to another. There is a lot of really blatant repetition in it, which is really soothing, something Glass is known for but most musicians tend to shy away from (myself included) for fear of boring the audience. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where you can get this particular track but definitely have a look at AudioFuel. They are a running music project in London. Apparently some of their composers worked on the Matrix soundtrack. This song really helped me get up Prospect Park's tough "North Hill."

Track 5: "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," by The Ramones

This song came on once I got over the big hill and was a great reward. Running to it is like eating candy. It's quick, light and fun. I especially liked the line "New York City really has it all," during this race because we were representing the NYC version of the race.

Tracks 6 & 7: New song + "How To Turn Around a Bad Day," by Hella Sound

O.K., this is the last twitter reference. Although, I have to say it makes something as seemingly obscure as "running music" seem like a growing community. John Frenette from Hella Sound sent me their new track to give a test run. I thought this would be a good time for it before I decided I would be detailing these choices in this blog. So, I'm not sure how much I should say about the new song because it hasn't been released yet. I will say this, it is the light fun side of Hella Sound. I could imagine running to this song on a beach somewhere and chilling out with a pina colada afterwards. Then at some point it turns a bit CSI Miami-ish, like there was a murder on the island that needs to solved by some Tom Selleck type character. Ha, how's that for a review John? When it finished I listened to "How Turn Around a Bad Day," for a bit until I got closer to the end of the race. Hella Sound songs are always a go to for training runs. They're long and consistent and crafted with some solid song-writing skills.

Track 8: "Half-Cocked Concepts," by P.O.S.

To use Nike+ jargon, this is my "Powersong." It's a song that always gets me jacked up and makes me want to start running fast no matter how tired I am. Whenever anyone asks me what I listen to when running I usually have to mention P.O.S. I'm not sure how well known he is, but I totally enraptured by his music. He's a punk influenced rapper from Minnesota. His beats and samples are just sickly cool and his lyrics are so entertaining. This song perfectly sums up the anger around the time Bush was elected for his second term. I love listening to it now with the perspective of how things have changed in the oval office. It's empowering and humorous at the same time. Here are just a couple lines:

"Busy bees making our honey but ski ball tickets still don't count as real money. It's something so ridiculous, funny so f*ckin sick of this consistent lack of vision from children claiming they're listening." "Holler if you hit the bottom running..."

"Lean back and relax and tell 'em: Get up, get up, get up and get something, put the mother f*cking Fresca down!"

Track 9: "Engineering Masterpiece," by Lady Southpaw

I had to end with this song because it is all about coming up to the finish line and summoning that last ounce of strength. I have to say I was pretty exhausted at this point and it was pretty cool to listen to something I wrote.

So my final time was 57:25 with a pace per mile of 9:14 per mile. I succeeded in getting a new personal record. However, I still think I could run a faster average pace if I did it again.

My conclusion on the racing with iPods is that it can be enjoyable. I did not feel out of touch with what was going on around me. Similar to most races I had moments of speeding up and slowing down. However, I don't feel like it improved my performance at all. It was similar to running with a companion sometimes it boosts you other times it holds you back but the difference is not as significant as you would think. Overall, I still think running solo without music is best in race situations because I like having it as a special time to test your metal as an individual and perform to the best of your ability in that moment. I might feel differently about a marathon length race, but anything shorter is better unencumbered.

At the same time nothing beats a good running buddy or a great song when you are training. They can make the world go round on endlessly long runs.

Song #6 - So Cold

Back in the US-s... A

I had a fantastic time trekking the Italian Dolomites. While we were there they were declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

It was great to go with a member of a huge Italian family. Everyone spoiled us rotten with their kindness. I think I ate my weight in gelato, pasta, polenta, wine and cheese, oh so much cheese. So yea, the carb loading part of my training is covered, just roll me to start line of the Manhattan Half Marathon.

While I was gone ReverbNation invited me to participate in a Microsoft sponsored promotion that offers free downloads from unsigned artists. The artists get paid when their track gets downloaded. Since I was away from the internet I didn't push it too hard; so I was shocked to come back and find I already hit my cap! That means enough people downloaded it that I'm getting paid the maximum amount possible for this campaign. How cool is that? I won't be paid for further downloads but if people keep downloading it next time I could earn a higher cap. I encourage you to check it out at this url:

http://www.myspace.com/windows?homepage=ladysouthpaw

The song I chose for the promotion is called "So Cold." It is the last of the 6 Songs For Running to be written up on this blog. Actually, it was the first song I wrote for this project way back in February when trying to run in the frigid cold was high on my mind. I put it third in track order but it was my first official attempt at writing to the tempo of 180 beats per minute, the "optimal cadence for peak performance."

Which reminds me, my running pal Jess pointed me toward this running music article that was in the NY Times while I was away. It sites some of the players in the growing trend of making music for running. Jack Tupper Daniels the elite running coach and exercise physiologist responsible for the concept of the optimal cadence for peak performance has teamed up with musician Patrick Crowden to create a running music training program. Hellasound was also reviewed. I've been passively stalking them on twitter since their first running release a few months ago so it was cool to see them get some good press. Overall the article was further encouragement that there is a place for music that is conscious of the running experience and still plenty of room for growth. I already have tons of ideas churning for the next set of running songs that I am writing so it's exciting to get back to work on this.

Good news! If you want to add any of the Songs for Running to your running playlist they are now available for download on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, emusic, and Rhapsody. If you take them for a run, please let me know how it goes. Your feedback will help me in writing the new songs.

Thanks!
ladysouthpawmusic(at)gmail(dot)com