Michael_Shelley's Blog by Michael_Shelley

When I was given the opportunity to run the New York half marathon I was really excited firstly to run in such a big race and secondly because it is a city I have always wanted to travel too.

After a long travel from Australia it was great just to get straight into bed. Although when I I first woke up I thought I had slept through the night to only have my dreams shattered that it had only been 2 hrs and I was wide awake. Slowly as the week progressed my body adjusted to the time changes and I was able to get some good sleeps.

Training in Central Park

Training in Central park was great! From my jog in at the park there seemed to be a buzz about being fit and healthy, even the dogs you could tell loved it. The part of the park I enjoyed most was the loop around the reservoir. The next couple of photos are taken on the trail.  This is a 2km loop that shows off the Manhattan skyline that is viewed in many movies.

Training with Lisa Weightman a couple of days before the race

Another photo of a trail in Central Park

New York City Half Marathon

Early race starts mean early wake ups. The morning of the race I woke up around 3:30am to have a little snack and to be ready to go.

With the start time getting closer and closer Central Park started to become a hive of activity as people made their way to the start line in readiness for the start. The race started and there was a mad rush to get away and find a good spot 

With Peter Kirui (the eventual winner) Deriba Merga and Fiyesa Lilesa set a cracking pace (4.27 mile!) and I was lucky to be able to run in the second group. Passing through the first 5km in 14:19. After a few more rolling hills we passed the start line for first lap of the park. It was quiet in the park apart from groups of runners who were yet to start their own race. This cheering was great and a welcomed distraction before we exited Central Park. Just before we left the park the 10 km mark clicked over in 29:07.

The chase group running through time square

Image retrieved from: http://www.letsrun.com/photos/2012/nychalfmarathon/index3.php

Still in a large pack of about 12 -13 people we headed down Seventh Ave towards Times Square. It was a quite a unique experience as just the day before when I was doing my last jog the footpaths were packed with people and the roads were busy with traffic. This morning we had Times Square all to ourselves!

Passing 15km in 43:46 the group was still fairly large, which was a bonus because I was starting to feel my legs getting a sore.

With 1km to go the pace of the group started to pick up and I was just trying to hang on as long as possible. As we turned into the final straight I tried to pick it up again but it felt like I was just running the same pace I had been for the previous 21 km.  Crossing the line in a new pb of 1:01:27 I was very happy to see the training is really paying off.  New York has been my first half marathon in 3 years so to run a new PB anytime you have to be happy with that. Congratulations must also go to Ben St Lawrence and Collis Birmingham who also set new pbs. Ben on debut ran 62:51 and Collis 63:10. Lisa Weightman (who is also trained by my coach Dick Telford) ran a very good time of 1:10:10, so it was a fairly good day for the Aussies!

I would like to thank the New York Road Runners for inviting me over to race.  It was a great race and a great course. Anyone that is thinking about running a race I would definitely recommend it as it was a great experience.  

Tourist Time

Now that the job was done it is time to really enjoy the city. Lisa, her husband Lachlan and I, were trying to see as many of the sights and activities as possible. Visiting Time Square, a New York Knicks game are my highlights so far.