Fred Lebow Manhattan Half: Final Weeks of Training
Before I get to the upcoming parts of the training, I just want to point out the week starting December 17th, where, as you can see, I skipped two runs. I ended Sunday’s run with pretty bad knee pain that persisted for a few hours, so I decided to skip Tuesday’s run to give myself an extra day of rest. I ran again Wednesday and was originally planning to run Thursday, but I had a full day on-site interview/hiring event, so I decided that I didn’t want to have to worry about being behind schedule. I thought about maybe running Friday instead, but decided that I’d rather the extra rest. Good news is, my knee is mostly fine now, so I think the extra rest helped.
Now, on to the upcoming …
This week has been okay so far. I managed to do the 10 miles on Sunday in the mad cold, but today I didn’t have it in me, so I went treadmill. I’ll be back outside tomorrow (hopefully), then back to the treadmill on Thursday because of snow.
Next week should be a normal week. I’m planning to try out a new fuel for my long run (GU Caramel Macchiato). If I like it, I’ll stop by the running store when I pick up my stuff for the race and get another one for race day. If not … it’ll be a Chocolate Cherry Clif Shot Gel, because the running store no longer seems to have my beloved Mocha.
The week after that (aka the week before the race), though ...
Let’s recap the weeks before my last two halfs:
February 2017 (Central Park Half Marathon) – went to Israel, got back 6 days before the race. Didn’t run at all in Israel or the day I got back.
May/June 2017 (Narrows Half Marathon) – Shavuot (random Jewish holiday that nobody has ever heard of), which meant a few days of no running (although I did somehow still manage to get in three runs that week, my schedule was just wonky).
This race I was finally going to have a normal week before my half – no travelling, no holidays, nothing. Except … my sister invited me to come visit her that weekend. And since I have no idea when I’d get another chance to visit, I’m going. I don’t think I’m going to run while I’m with her (because a lot of reasons), so … once again, my pre-race week is messed up.
Are we taking bets on what’s going to mess up the week before the United Airlines NYC Half? (At this point I’ve just accepted that I will never have a normal week before a half)
Now that all the training stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the important part:
Race Day Plans
Race starts at 8 AM (yuck). I will have already picked up my stuff at the NYRR Run Center during the week, so I don’t have to be there super early, but I’ll probably leave the house between 6 and 6:15 because the subways are stupid, and I may get there obscenely early (according to what I’ve seen, my train will be running local so I may actually need the extra time, but I’ll check again as it gets closer).
Run & Nutrition Strategy
For my last half, the plan was to run the first and last miles and interval everything in between. Originally that was going to be the plan for this race, but then I decided I just kind of want to take this one super easy, so I’m just going to do intervals the whole way. It’ll most likely be 4 minutes running/1 minute walking.
In terms of nutrition … that’s still TBD. There’ll be a pre-race gel of some sort, jelly beans mid-race (we just opened a new jar from Costco, so my flavor options should be good), and Sport Beans post-race. Not sure what gel I will use or what my post-race breakfast will be (other than the Starbucks … I’ve already got a free drink saved up for race day).
Race Outfit
The options (yes, I named my outfit options)…
Option 1: A Skirt So Nice, They Named It Twice
*Top subject to change
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 10 months since my first half. I’ve worn this skirt for both of my halfs and a handful of other races. The pockets are half useless and half amazing (they’re too small for things like my phone, but perfect for my key, extra jelly beans, and dirty tissues).
Other big pro for this outfit is that it’s a race that’s part of a five-borough NYC challenge, and it’s an NYC skirt (con is that I don’t know that I want to wear the same outfit for this and the United Airlines NYC Half, and if I had to pick one, I’d wear this skirt to that … unless I wear the same skirt to all the races in this series).
Top could change depending on the weather. I have a few different tops I can wear with this skirt, and a final decision on that would be made a few days before the race once I have a forecast.
Option 2: Kachol V’Lavan
This outfit is in contention for personal reasons (yes, personal, not political, just putting that out there). This race is named after Fred Lebow, the founder of NYC Marathon and an early president of New York Road Runners. Fred was well known for working to make running inclusive for everyone. However, that’s not the only reason why I feel a special connection to him. It’s rare to see observant Jews in positions of influence. While Fred himself was not observant for most of his life, he was born to an Orthodox family, and his family remained observant. I want to honor that bond that he and I share by wearing colors that are often used to represent our shared religion – blue and white.
The big problem with this outfit is that I can’t layer. I can only fit one shirt under that white shirt, and anything on top defeats the whole blue and white thing (also, there are no pockets in this skirt, which isn’t the worst, but isn’t the best either).
Option 3: Can’t Stop the Colorblock
(Yes, you’ve already seen this picture. It’s the only one I have in this outfit)
This is the same style of skirt as the NYC skirt above, so it has the same pocket situation.
It’s a little harder to layer with than the NYC skirt, but it should be manageable. I can fit at least 2 shirts under that pink jacket, maybe even 3.
My red and yellow running hat (not pictured) does a little bit clash with the skirt, but I’ll survive. Also … it’s possible that the giveaway for this race is a hat, so I could potentially wear that.
Option 4: Wild Card
I could always think of another outfit I want to wear ... I do have some other clothing. Nothing really comes to mind right now, though.
Shoes will be the same for all outfits - my gray New Balance 880s. Those are the only distance shoes I have right now.
So, that's the update. I'll probably have another update the week of the race (probably after I get back from visiting my sister), and possibility a few tidbits of update between now and then,