Is This Hell?: 2019 Popular Brooklyn Half Race Recap

The 2019 Popular Brooklyn Half was my fourth race in four weeks. As I get to the end of this recap, you will see that this is many races to run in four weeks, and perhaps too many races to run in four weeks.

This fourth race was a good learning experience. I was tired in ways I had never felt. It was by far the hardest race I’ve ever run, including both of my marathons (one of which, by the way, was one of the four races I ran in this four week period).

You Call This a Storm?: 2019 Fred Lebow Half-Marathon Race Recap

A year ago, I ran my first half marathon: the 2018 Fred Lebow Manhattan Half. Like the non-profit organization Fred’s Team, it is named for Fred Lebow, a man so legendary he is, to the best of my knowledge, the only runner to have a statue in his likeness standing in Central Park.

I was living on Long Island last year. I drove an hour into the city for the race, just as I did for the 2017 Ted Corbitt 15K. I wasn’t sure how fast I could run a half, but I tried to maintain a pace I could hold comfortably while still feeling like a solid effort. I finished that race in 1:53:14 and felt pretty good about being able to hold an 8:39 pace in my first attempt at the distance.

Embrace the Suck: 2018 Popular Brooklyn Half Race Recap

I ran a half marathon Saturday morning. It took me an hour to get there. Four hours and 13 minutes of sleep. Up at 4 am. Rained the entire time. Chilly. Damp. Wet shoes, wet socks. No headphones, no music.

IT RULED.

The Brooklyn Half is the largest half marathon in the country. This year’s race had 25,386 finishers. This is… very a lot. The size of the race made for a few inconveniences – mostly in terms of waiting times – but once it began, it never felt too crowded or unmanageable. I had a blast. I’m so glad I did it.

Running Up That Hill: 2018 Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Race Recap

What a beautiful day for my first half marathon!

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect morning. The traffic was great, the weather was flawless, and I felt strong.

Well, this is a recap, so let’s do it.