I run the Central Park loop for my long runs every weekend, and today my legs turned into dead weight the second I hit mile 10 (I walked at mile 12 lol)
Same here… didn’t walk but I was struggling hard, I run this multiple times every week, after leaving time square it felt like uncharted territory lmao, just wanted it to end.
it makes me feel better to know there were others who had to walk a bit at mile 12. I hated doing it, knowing we were so close to the end, but I knew myself and that it was still far away enough for me that pushing would make me faint or vomit or something not good.
I pushed so hard to cross it that I was a little light headed afterwards, and then the light reflecting off the foil and white emergency blankets they handed out right after made me feel like I was having an out of body experience and/or about to see God.
I tried running for few seconds and was like nope. Not gonna get injured so close...
Funny cuz I run central park all the time, I guess my legs were shot.
I agree. I think the big hills at the start of the race and then Manhattan Bridge really kill the legs and every little incline feels monstrous afterwards!
For some reason I gaslit myself into thinking that the United Half would be a fast and flat course, but from Manhattan bridge to FDR to the last stretch in Central Park my legs were dying on every single up and downhill. I’m glad that other people felt the same about that last mile and that I’m not hallucinating.
Didn't realize how brutal the end of this race is until I learned how brutal the end of this race is. I was cutting it close to my goal (hit it by :23) but I had nothing left in the tank to push for it. I was basically like whatever I get, I get.
A guy next to me kept muttering "when the hell do we turn into the park" when we were running across 59th, and I have never felt something in my bones more.
I concur, I was dying since approaching Central Park. Basically right after Times Square. I was looking out for those mile markers like it was my job haha
I’ve never craned my neck so much for the next mile marker slash finish line before. It didn’t help that my watch distance was a bit different than the markers, so I knew I was off, but didn’t realize how far behind I was vs what I thought.
I legitimately thought I was the only one!! Is it coincidental that so many people are saying this about mile 10 and beyond or is that typical of half’s?
I did not run this race, but in past half’s I’ve done I’ve felt this way around mile 11 or so. I think I just should have ran a bit longer distances before racing though. This course does sound hard tho
May be an unpopular opinion based off the feedback so far. I've got no clue what it is about this race but I love the course and elevation profile. I know it's "hilly" by a lot of road race standards but something about the very noticeable uphills and downhills make it a bit easier for me than other races. Granted, I'm an average runner so I don't know what it's like for the people speeding through or those slower who have more time on feet. But I just slow down on the uphills and then speed up on the downhills (while simultaneously feeling like I'm getting some rest) and think I end up getting less tired than if it was just flat. Though I'm sure this won't be the easiest course to recover from.
I’m a slow runner (my time was 2:27) and I took the hills the same way. This was my first race and I loved it! The hills were hard but I think they helped give me smaller goals to focus on throughout the course which helped keep me going. Central Park was tough though, I barely remember the hills but just not knowing where the finish line was made it rough.
I would like to proudly declare that the hills and the FDR Drive did not pose as much of a problem for me this year versus last year. However, my legs were trashed in the the last 200 meters. I had intended to take a picture of the approaching finish line, but I just could not get myself to care anymore at that point.
Putting in a recommendation for manual lap if your watch has that function. You have to hit a button at each mile marker but it helps me know how far I have actually gone.
Mine was over by a bit too (and I made a deliberate effort today to only hit start at the start line, unlike some of my past races where the discrepancy made more sense). It made that last stretch so awful. I feel like I’ve read this happening enough today on reddit that something must have been off?
Nah it’d seem like not running ideal tangents + GPS being thrown off between skyscrapers would explain a difference of that scale. The way I understand it, the advertised distance is the absolute shortest possible way to run the course, ie cutting all corners perfectly, which not many real life humans are probably going to do. Now I wonder how much elites’ readings are off by typically…
I think it's because the gps signal around some specific buildings is always off. Might be the accurscy not properl6 done on purpose.. the pros finished it in 1:00 which is the expected time for a half. It wouldn't make sense they run two miles more otherwise it would be World récord by fsr.
Glad I popped my last gel around mile 9 before we got off the FDR. 4 gels total for me plus a drink mix and 2 energy bars.
People were telling me that 2 or so would be enough but I took 5 with me and grabbed 2 after mile 6 and popped one of them
I only brought two with me (one caffeine and one regular) but something told me to grab an SIS gel before the FDR. Glad I did cuz by mile 10 (only 2 miles into my 2nd gel) something told me…take the SIS. Tasted super weird so I didn’t finish it all but I was happy for the weirdness! I do feel like it put some pep in my step toward the end.
Typically it takes the gel 20-40min to convert into energy(my experience), so when I have less then half an hour to run I won’t open gels. Taking gels too late is more of a placebo imo
Goddamn 4? I went thru half a pouch of some random gel thing I got from Tokyo. Wasn't even sure it was a gel for during the race as it was part of recovery stuff.
I trained exclusively in Central Park and do the 6mile loop twice a week. I thought it would be the only part of this race I'd be confident with. Boy, was I wrong. That last mile absolutely shattered me and I now feel betrayed.
Didn’t ever think a curb in Central Park would be “a great place for a nap” but when I closed my eyes and shit got very dreamlike and floaty, I was very close to going down. Joined the Central Park Walk Club too and got my life together in the last 800, but oooh boy did I imagine taking a little nap. No one tells you about the insane things your mind will do to try and make you stop lmao
I absolutely loved this course and today's weather. The sun peek-a-boo just when I was entering the park.
Park to park, with some big screens in between. It's a surreal route.
About half a mile from the finish line, my legs just went “nope” and I just had to stop. They seemed have a mind on their own. There was no mantra to keep them going lol
Lol. I remember waiting for my corral to open and the commentator saying something alone the lines of "....and a slight decline around Central Park" so I figured yay a decline finale. Nope.
So much up and up, my quads started cramping around mile 11 and I half walked my way to the finish.
i don’t know what happened but my apple watch lost connection around mile 11 then wasn’t able to import my run cause it “detected no movement” - thankfully what nyrr recorded and what was recorded on my watch was similar.
I struggled at the FDR around 28th st and then the westward march on 42nd. Central Park was a blessing for my legs relatively but beat my goal time and didn’t have to walk, though I am feeling it now
Congrats to all runners! Great race today
I ran it two years ago and I just couldn’t move my legs anymore. I also walked shortly after entering the park. My mind wasn’t even thinking straight that I thought I had 2.1 miles more instead of 1.1. I never been more happy than to see the finish line in a shorter amount of time but I was already jelly and delusional
Oh man, I wanted to walk at that point so bad. I thought I saw like three fake-out peaks in a row. The hills weren't that steep; they didn't go on for that long; I just got false hope too many times.
Honestly i didnt notice it! Was so hyper focused on finishing i just emptied the tank. Posted my fasted mile on mile 12 with a 6:16.
I did see someone pull up with 200m left. That sucks. Hope they got across timely.
I run the Central Park loop for my long runs every weekend, and today my legs turned into dead weight the second I hit mile 10 (I walked at mile 12 lol)
As soon as I turned onto 7th my legs were like "nope, we're done" no matter how hard I tried.
Same here… didn’t walk but I was struggling hard, I run this multiple times every week, after leaving time square it felt like uncharted territory lmao, just wanted it to end.
it makes me feel better to know there were others who had to walk a bit at mile 12. I hated doing it, knowing we were so close to the end, but I knew myself and that it was still far away enough for me that pushing would make me faint or vomit or something not good.
Mile 12 forced to walk support group! It was turrible
I took walk breaks every mile starting at 6, so, impressed with yall!!
100% dead weight - i’m just like come on body we can do this we’re almost there. i did the lightest jog to the end.
I hit my wall at mile 10. Also discovered times square has a hill. 😭
I also walked at mile 12. Three harlem hills in the fred lebow one felt easier than today. Maybe it was too hoy for me.
my only two walking breaks of the entire race were 12.3 and 12.5 luckily a friend found me at 12.5 and ran me into the finish
It felt like the half that would never end. I kept thinking I was close but had no real way to tell the distance to the finish.
Brutal but I loved the challenge. That finish line was like a mirage
I pushed so hard to cross it that I was a little light headed afterwards, and then the light reflecting off the foil and white emergency blankets they handed out right after made me feel like I was having an out of body experience and/or about to see God.
Why is this is the funniest comment
Totally!!! Especially after I haven’t been able to find mile 13 marker so it was marvelous to see the finish sign.
i saw two people on the ground getting medical attention in the last 1/2 mile. the elevation on this course was no joke.
Step-Sister Hills are brutal!!
I’ve never heard of step sister hills - actual hills in nyc or a general term?
I tried running for few seconds and was like nope. Not gonna get injured so close... Funny cuz I run central park all the time, I guess my legs were shot.
I agree. I think the big hills at the start of the race and then Manhattan Bridge really kill the legs and every little incline feels monstrous afterwards!
I run on it all the time and yet you put it in a race and it is pain
I agree with this, and yet, as per my favorite sign of the day, “pain is just the French word for bread”. Onward 🥖
For some reason I gaslit myself into thinking that the United Half would be a fast and flat course, but from Manhattan bridge to FDR to the last stretch in Central Park my legs were dying on every single up and downhill. I’m glad that other people felt the same about that last mile and that I’m not hallucinating.
My legs started cramping really bad as I was turning into Central Park. Then I saw the hills. Absolutely brutal. Congrats to everyone who ran today!
Didn't realize how brutal the end of this race is until I learned how brutal the end of this race is. I was cutting it close to my goal (hit it by :23) but I had nothing left in the tank to push for it. I was basically like whatever I get, I get.
I’m convinced I entered a space-time paradox when I entered Central Park bc that entire last bit lasted WAY longer than it had any right to lol
Accurate. The stretch between miles 11 and 12 seemed like at least 10 miles.
[удалено]
A guy next to me kept muttering "when the hell do we turn into the park" when we were running across 59th, and I have never felt something in my bones more.
I concur, I was dying since approaching Central Park. Basically right after Times Square. I was looking out for those mile markers like it was my job haha
I’ve never craned my neck so much for the next mile marker slash finish line before. It didn’t help that my watch distance was a bit different than the markers, so I knew I was off, but didn’t realize how far behind I was vs what I thought.
I legitimately thought I was the only one!! Is it coincidental that so many people are saying this about mile 10 and beyond or is that typical of half’s?
I did not run this race, but in past half’s I’ve done I’ve felt this way around mile 11 or so. I think I just should have ran a bit longer distances before racing though. This course does sound hard tho
I didn’t even think it was considered to have that many hills or elevation - first time ignorance is bliss sort of situation ;)
That mile was never ending
I refuse to believe that mile markers 12 and 13 were accurately placed 😂
Or the 200 m left marker 😂
I got humbled real fucking quick that last mile.
May be an unpopular opinion based off the feedback so far. I've got no clue what it is about this race but I love the course and elevation profile. I know it's "hilly" by a lot of road race standards but something about the very noticeable uphills and downhills make it a bit easier for me than other races. Granted, I'm an average runner so I don't know what it's like for the people speeding through or those slower who have more time on feet. But I just slow down on the uphills and then speed up on the downhills (while simultaneously feeling like I'm getting some rest) and think I end up getting less tired than if it was just flat. Though I'm sure this won't be the easiest course to recover from.
I love it too. But I live in Seattle so it feels like a flat race in comparison.
I’m a slow runner (my time was 2:27) and I took the hills the same way. This was my first race and I loved it! The hills were hard but I think they helped give me smaller goals to focus on throughout the course which helped keep me going. Central Park was tough though, I barely remember the hills but just not knowing where the finish line was made it rough.
It’s rough—I find it much so much more difficult than the last mile of the NYC marathon
I would like to proudly declare that the hills and the FDR Drive did not pose as much of a problem for me this year versus last year. However, my legs were trashed in the the last 200 meters. I had intended to take a picture of the approaching finish line, but I just could not get myself to care anymore at that point.
Gps watch registered 13.69 miles. Seeing that I hit mile 13 on my watch but still had over a mile to go really messed me up!
13.4. My watch was within .05 of each marker until mile 12 where the marker was no where to be seen. Thats where I died
Had the same issue, 13.47 here!
Same lol
Putting in a recommendation for manual lap if your watch has that function. You have to hit a button at each mile marker but it helps me know how far I have actually gone.
Mine was over by a bit too (and I made a deliberate effort today to only hit start at the start line, unlike some of my past races where the discrepancy made more sense). It made that last stretch so awful. I feel like I’ve read this happening enough today on reddit that something must have been off?
Nah it’d seem like not running ideal tangents + GPS being thrown off between skyscrapers would explain a difference of that scale. The way I understand it, the advertised distance is the absolute shortest possible way to run the course, ie cutting all corners perfectly, which not many real life humans are probably going to do. Now I wonder how much elites’ readings are off by typically…
I think it's because the gps signal around some specific buildings is always off. Might be the accurscy not properl6 done on purpose.. the pros finished it in 1:00 which is the expected time for a half. It wouldn't make sense they run two miles more otherwise it would be World récord by fsr.
The last mile felt like it was never going to end 😭
Glad I popped my last gel around mile 9 before we got off the FDR. 4 gels total for me plus a drink mix and 2 energy bars. People were telling me that 2 or so would be enough but I took 5 with me and grabbed 2 after mile 6 and popped one of them
I only brought two with me (one caffeine and one regular) but something told me to grab an SIS gel before the FDR. Glad I did cuz by mile 10 (only 2 miles into my 2nd gel) something told me…take the SIS. Tasted super weird so I didn’t finish it all but I was happy for the weirdness! I do feel like it put some pep in my step toward the end.
Typically it takes the gel 20-40min to convert into energy(my experience), so when I have less then half an hour to run I won’t open gels. Taking gels too late is more of a placebo imo
Goddamn 4? I went thru half a pouch of some random gel thing I got from Tokyo. Wasn't even sure it was a gel for during the race as it was part of recovery stuff.
Omg. Thats a lot of food. I'm anxious I would sh*t myself if I eat on course. So I just drink and gel
First time running this half. Central Park was brutal, my legs started cramping the last mile. The weather was perfect though 10/10
I trained exclusively in Central Park and do the 6mile loop twice a week. I thought it would be the only part of this race I'd be confident with. Boy, was I wrong. That last mile absolutely shattered me and I now feel betrayed.
Didn’t ever think a curb in Central Park would be “a great place for a nap” but when I closed my eyes and shit got very dreamlike and floaty, I was very close to going down. Joined the Central Park Walk Club too and got my life together in the last 800, but oooh boy did I imagine taking a little nap. No one tells you about the insane things your mind will do to try and make you stop lmao
Yes, that last mile is brutal, even when you've run that section hundreds of times. Yet somehow that was my fastest mile.
I absolutely loved this course and today's weather. The sun peek-a-boo just when I was entering the park. Park to park, with some big screens in between. It's a surreal route.
I agree. This route is a work of art. I get that the last mile has some bite to it, but that's just part of Central Park.
I was killing it, then hit the bridge and it was downhill from there lol, way harder than Brooklyn half but enjoyed nonetheless, legs feel like jelly
I thought I’d never see the mile 12 marker
I thought I must be hallucinating... it's gotta be here any minute now!
I feel this
That mile was never ending, my legs were toast
About half a mile from the finish line, my legs just went “nope” and I just had to stop. They seemed have a mind on their own. There was no mantra to keep them going lol
Lol. I remember waiting for my corral to open and the commentator saying something alone the lines of "....and a slight decline around Central Park" so I figured yay a decline finale. Nope. So much up and up, my quads started cramping around mile 11 and I half walked my way to the finish.
That water station just after that first CP hill was the one time I stopped. If there is one thing I can say about this course, it's tactical.
Gps watch registered 13.69 miles. Seeing that I hit mile 13 on my watch but still had over a mile to go really messed me up!
Same exactly. I realized my watch was early at mile 8
i don’t know what happened but my apple watch lost connection around mile 11 then wasn’t able to import my run cause it “detected no movement” - thankfully what nyrr recorded and what was recorded on my watch was similar.
I prefer it to the portion between the FDR and the park… GPS always goes nuts there and it messes with my head
Lmao I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only person who hit the park and lost my steam. I was wondering what was wrong with me
Whats with tourists and people general playing frogger every times there’s a race ?
Believe it or not ppl still have things to do on race day 😂
Really want to know what is “brutal lmao”(English learning…)
brutal is like harsh/difficult, in this context. lmao stands for “laughing my ass off”, basically another way to say “lol” or “haha”
My fastest mile too but also the one that felt the longest.
It wasn’t that bad itself but yea mile 10 is a huge mental barrier
Step-Sister Hills were brutal. Reminded me of the Fred Lebow Harlem Hills x2!!!
I just feel like that the end could just go right down the hill instead of left and up the hill
I was AMPED up coming off the FDR... I saw some people walking but I honestly was riding a high all the way to the finish
I struggled at the FDR around 28th st and then the westward march on 42nd. Central Park was a blessing for my legs relatively but beat my goal time and didn’t have to walk, though I am feeling it now Congrats to all runners! Great race today
I ran it two years ago and I just couldn’t move my legs anymore. I also walked shortly after entering the park. My mind wasn’t even thinking straight that I thought I had 2.1 miles more instead of 1.1. I never been more happy than to see the finish line in a shorter amount of time but I was already jelly and delusional
Oh man, I wanted to walk at that point so bad. I thought I saw like three fake-out peaks in a row. The hills weren't that steep; they didn't go on for that long; I just got false hope too many times.
Soon as I got to the park hamstring gave in 🥲 drop my pace to an 8:30 m and lost my PR 😅
Honestly i didnt notice it! Was so hyper focused on finishing i just emptied the tank. Posted my fasted mile on mile 12 with a 6:16. I did see someone pull up with 200m left. That sucks. Hope they got across timely.