This is Kozaki, a physical therapist at FuncPhysio. I recently participated in the Brooklyn Half Marathon, and I would like to share my experience with you!
The race started at 7 a.m. in Prospect Park. After running about 10 kilometers around the park, we continued on a straight road and finished at Coney Island. To achieve my goal of finishing in under 1 hour and 25 minutes, I needed to maintain a pace of 6 minutes and 29 seconds per mile (4 minutes and 2 seconds per kilometer).
The morning of the race arrived! Although I arrived at the race venue about an hour early, there were so many people that it took me 30 minutes to check in my luggage and go to the bathroom. I quickly finished my warm-up and prepared hurriedly for the race.
At 7 a.m., the race started! I usually start too fast, so this time I focused on running at my own pace, ignoring those around me. The first 5 kilometers took 19 minutes and 31 seconds (6 minutes and 17 seconds per mile), which was a bit fast, but I managed to conserve my energy better than usual.
As I reached the latter half of the race, I ran about 10 kilometers straight towards Coney Island! This stretch felt really long, haha! After 15 kilometers, it was all about willpower. I think it’s common for runners to feel a sudden increase in difficulty when the finish line is in sight…
Finally, the beach at Coney Island came into view. Despite my pace dropping towards the end, I managed to cross the finish line! My time was 1:23:38! This is a significant improvement from my first half marathon four months ago, where I finished in 1:29:00.
Out of approximately 28,000 participants, I placed 597th overall and 5th among Japanese runners. There is still plenty of room for improvement! I will continue to steadily work hard. Although I don’t have any more half marathons planned for this year, I will participate in smaller races and aim to complete the 9+1 program to qualify for next year’s NYC Marathon.
I will continue to train through the FuncPhysio Running Club. Thank you to everyone who offered words of encouragement. I appreciate your continued support!
Overview of FuncPhysio Running Club↓↓↓
