Lost it about halfway

So ... gun time of 2:35:17 for the NYC Half Marathon, Net time of 2:21:49. The way the splits are reported, I have to do the subtraction myself (13:28)

split	gun time	net time	local pace	global pace
5 K	0:45:52	32:24	10:23	10:23
10 K	1:17:42	1:04:14	10:12	10:17
15 K	1:51:22	1:37:54	10:47	10:27
20 K	2:27:41	2:14:13	11:38	10:45
13.1 M	2:35:17	2:21:49	12:21	10:50

So, I ran 10:50 over all, and was fastest in the second 5K -- this makes some sense because of the topography. There was a big hill right before the first split. We left central park at around 10 K, and from then on there were essentially no hills, but less shade and (as we went down 7th avenue especially) more fumes.

So, in the hill-free area, my time ballooned out to almost 11 minute miles, then beyond. Obviously, that's mostly fatigue. Somewhere in mile 12, about two-thirds through the fourth split, my leg started cramping, and the reason I ran the last kilometer at 12:21 is that my attempt to open up my gait 100 m from the end and finish strong backfired, and I had to twist my leg around to subvert the cramp and keep moving.

So, OK. I don't intend to do this half again. I didn't like the fumes on 7th, and the number collection was too much of a hassle. They put way too much time and effort into the ancillary items and the festival at the end. Bands were an interesting idea, but the first one on 7th Avenue was really not paying music one could run to. Running down the West Side Highway had a nice post-apocalyptic vibe, but now I've done it.

And the nine-minute mile, without which I can't do the 2:00:00 Half, which is a pre-marathon goal, is no less elusive than it was at my first half in January. Still, a very pleasant way to spend a morning.