nyc half marathon Archives

Last year, my approach to running the NYC Half Marathon looked something like this:

Three weeks out: “I’m running a half marathon, everyone! Let me tell you all about it!”
Two weeks out: “I’ll run home from work once or twice. That’ll be enough to get me ready!”
One week out: “Oh shoot, I have not done enough running.”

But last summer, I started running with the Dashing Whippets, which made me wonder if I should follow an actual training plan. At the time, I was knee-deep in a pretty basic Hal Higdon training plan for the 2017 NYC Marathon. Because I’m paranoid about everything, I decided not to switch gears mid-cycle and do what all the other Whippets were doing.

Instead, I targeted the 2018 NYC Half Marathon as an experiment. Could I get faster if I didn’t just force myself to run 8-minute miles every time I stepped outside for a run? Is it possible for a putz like me to run a half marathon in under 1:40? Let’s find out!

I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with half marathon race expos.

What do I hate about them? Actually…not much, except for the fact that I know I’ll find at least a dozen things priced at over $100 that I’ll want to buy. My favorite gels are now available in a chicken nugget flavor? Put me down for a pallet. Running shoes made out of sourdough bread that scientists say will help me beat my 5K PR by 10 seconds? Give them to me, and give them to me now.

In most cases, I make mental notes of things that I want to shop for on Amazon. Then, I forget those mental notes because they never make the transition from “mental” to “written down.”

This year, my friend Sheraz decided to sign up for the 2018 NYC Half (his first half marathon!!!). I decided that it would be fun to keep a running tally of all the crap that we considered picking up at the expo. Did we cash out our 401Ks to buy moisture-wicking running belts? Let’s find out.

2018 NYC Half Marathon Race Report

A Trip to The 2018 NYC Half Marathon Expo