Posts Tagged ‘half marathons’

Goal #1: Beat last year’s time. Check.

Goal #2: Beat two hours. Check.

Goal #3: Weather permitting, be close to 1:50. Uh, no check.

With very little speed work this summer, I knew heading into today’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon that I probably wouldn’t do any better than 9-minute miles, but it doesn’t hurt to wish, right? Usually for a race report I go mile by mile and recap different thoughts that occurred along the way. Today, though, there really isn’t much need.

It was a good consistent long run. All but one mile was slower than 8:45 and all but one mile was faster than 9:15. Final time: 1:59:18. That’s nearly 7 minutes better than last year’s heat debacle, so I’m very happy with that. A course record is always nice. But a mile into today’s race I knew there would be no extra pushing. At least not a lot of extra pushing. There were moments today in which I tried to go a little faster, but it just wasn’t going to happen. And I wasn’t about to go over the edge to do it. About half way through the race, my goal became simple - beat 2 hours. I knew if I kept the pace I was on I would do it within a minute or two.

The weather today was considerably better than last year, but there were parts of the course that were pretty hot in the direct sunlight. Then there were other parts that actually felt cool. All in all it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either … it was just a good day to have a nice long run in Virginia Beach.

Today’s race concludes the way my summer has gone — slow and steady. As far as what’s next, that’s another post for another day. Right now I am content with celebrating my seventh half marathon in two and a half years. No matter what my time, there’s nothing better than crossing a finishing line and doing what so many people don’t get a chance to experience.

This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer — a pretty bizarre but consistent summer for me when it comes to running. When training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon got under way in June, I got sick; then it seemed like I just couldn’t get things going; and then I strung together a couple of good weeks of running in July to finally make me feel better about things.

But a week from now when I start the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, I don’t have any lofty expectations. Overall, my running miles are less than where I was last year at this time, but when comparing the two previous months before a race, I’m about 10 miles or so ahead of where I was earlier this year for the Shamrock Half. I went into that race with no expectations either and ended up walking away having one of the most satisfying experiences ever. I’ve also had three runs of 10 or more miles this month, much better than my one 10-miler in February. Cross training, even just a little bit, has been an added bonus as well.

My goals for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half have not changed from a couple of weeks ago — if the weather is nice, I’d like to be around 1:50. If it’s humid like last year, I’d like to break 2 hours. With very little speed work this summer and no other races since late March, my eventual goal of breaking my half marathon PR will wait.

* * *

My long run yesterday was quite brutal - 10 miles in some of the most humid conditions this summer. It felt like I jumped in a pool and then tried to run in water-logged clothes. It would have been better running in the rain.

Like I mentioned above, this was my third 10-miler of the month. While I’d like my overall mileage to be higher for the month (around 70 miles), these long runs have left me feeling great. These runs have been the best long runs in quite some time.

Despite missing out on speed and some mileage, one great thing about this summer has been finding my consistency again. It’s been missing for a while.

The other day I asked for a normal week … well, four days into this week and I feel like it’s lasted three weeks. I’m just tired. I’m not a good traveler like I used to be. But that hasn’t stopped me from getting in two good runs (4 miles and 3.8 miles) and a good ride on the exercise bike last night at the gym (10 miles). At the same time, though, it’s felt a bit forced. Honestly I’m just ready for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon to get here and see how it goes. One more long run this weekend and I’ll be ready.

I hope the weather of the first weekend in September doesn’t follow this pattern of being threatened by tropical storms. While I wouldn’t mind rain, I think high winds and heavy rain would not be ideal. I would do it, but I sure wouldn’t like it. Right now, the really long-range forecast is looking good. Anything will be better than last year.

(And yes, I changed my layout again. The other one just didn’t do anything for me.)

Today I got the e-mail I always forget will show up a few days after the big race — the photos from the Shamrock Half Marathon are posted! Click here to view my photos. I have never purchased any race photo ever. I’m not sure why. Maybe I keep thinking that next year I’ll miraculously be 20 pounds lighter and be running in a skin-tight shirt showing off my buff body … but that’s a far-fetched dream. I do like that photo with the lighthouse — it’s always the coolest looking one. What’s funny is I knew that’s where the photographer usually is, but I didn’t see him/her this year.

The photo of me looking down at my watch is making the turn onto the boardwalk. I can remember doing that too and realized that I was going to beat 1:50. It’s too bad I had already taken my sock sleeves off for the photos. That’s one of my highlights! Glad I took that one of myself in the bathroom mirror beforehand. These photos also serve as a reminder to me that maybe next year I should buy some new shorts — I’ve worn those same green ones three years in a row.

* * *

Here’s a final look at the numbers from this year’s Shamrock Half.

Chip time: 1:49:30
Clock time: 1:50:05
(I was in corral one which was for runners 1:50 or better, so it’s reassuring to know I was in the right place.)
5 Mile split: 41:13

Overall place: 1,044 out of 5,996
Gender place: 741 out of 2,577
Age division place: 109 out of 356

If I can take a non-racing approach to every race, I might just be able to get back to my 2007 form pretty quickly. Despite being 23 seconds slower than last year and just less than 5 minutes off my PR, this year’s Shamrock Half Marathon is by far my most satisfying race to date.

In looking back at last year’s race report and several posts leading up to the race, it’s easy for me to realize why I’m happy with this year’s time of 1:49:30 — last year all I thought about was breaking my PR from 2007 (which came just before I started blogging). This year the PR was not important. It did, however, cross my mind around the half-way point. But I know my body and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to maintain my pace or pick up the pace to set a PR. I didn’t exactly fully back off the gas pedal - I just settled in and stayed focused on beating 1:50, doing the math in my head each mile.

This race started out fairly cold. The low the night before was 30. Instead of wearing long sleeves, I cut holes in the bottom on two old socks and used them as sleeves for much of the race. I also wore gloves that stayed on until about mile 11 or so. It was frosty for much of the race, but, thankfully, there was no wind. A rarity for this race.

Like usual with the Shamrock, the first couple of miles started a tad slower than I had hoped, but with the mass amount of people it’s out of my control, plus it’s probably a good thing to be in a group that’s at a steady pace. I wonder if the organizers should consider having smaller corrals to spread out the field a little more at the start.

The first 5 miles of this race were perfect. Each mile was better than the next and it was at this point the thoughts a PR crept in my head. My mile times were 8:34, 8:22, 8:13, 8:06 and 7:58. In the next couple of miles, I kept a steady pace with times of 8:03 and 8:05. At this point, being a little more than half way and the miles just ticking away with no problems, I KNEW that I could not keep that pace. Or could I?

I backed off a little bit intentionally the next mile because I could feel myself getting tired — legs, lungs, everything felt tired. I wanted to slow down enough to have a recovery and then see if I could pick it back up. When I hit mile 8 at 8:22, I did the math in my head to a PR and knew that physically it wouldn’t happen. So I pretty much ended the race in the opposite way I started — slowing down for each mile. It’s as if I started a recovery before the race ended. I didn’t want a repeat of last year when I had to stop and stretch. And I didn’t want the rest of this month and April to be like last year in which very little running occurred.

I said heading into this race that I wanted Shamrock to set me up for a good rest of the year, and all this came back to my mind in those last few miles. I hit mile 9 in 8:31; mile 10 in 8:32; miles 11-12 were in 17:17 (I forgot to hit the lap button at mile 11 due to a water stop); mile 13 was in 8:36; and the last tenth was in 49 seconds. As I rounded the corner to finish the race on the Boardwalk, I knew I was going to break 1:50. After a year of injuries and running not going anything like I had wanted, all I could think about was how great this race had gone.

Also during this race I thought a lot about my son, Conner, who is just 4 1/2 months old and seeing the beach for the first time. Four months or so ago, this race was kind of a stupid thing to just think about doing. But, as I’ve mentioned on this blog before, one reason I decided to do this race was because of him. It wasn’t always easy getting to the gym at night, or going out for an after-dark jog with my dog, or running in nearly a foot of snow in Ohio in January and here earlier this month, but I did it. This experience of doing a “big” race as a new father is the most satisfying experience in all the running I’ve done in the past five years. My time means very little to me right now; the experience is priceless.

* * *

As for what’s next, that’s an easy answer. I’m doing the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k this coming weekend. Details to come in the next day or two. For now, I’m enjoying a brief, but enjoyable, two days of no training, no working out and no worries about what food to put in my mouth.

For the past two years I’ve moaned and groaned about training in the winter time for a race, yet once it’s over it’s been very rewarding. This year I have the benefit of being a member of a gym to avoid the cold weather, yet I said repeatedly I was not going to do the Shamrock Half Marathon again. Was it because I had a bad taste in my mouth for not training properly last year? Did I really dislike the cold weather that much? Was it possible that I didn’t want free Yuengling again? (Um, no.)

In 2007, I was thrilled at finishing the Shamrock Half at just under 1:45; last year I had unrealistic goals. This year, I just want to have fun again. So yes, I have signed up for the race that for many months I swore I wouldn’t do again. There’s something different though about my thoughts. Last year I signed up too early – I was unprepared after having injuries and being sick following my marathon. This year my life is in a different state with a relatively new job and a new baby – it’s like I want to prove people wrong who say they’re too busy to train for a race. I’m busier than ever, but I may be more determined than ever too.

The great thing about this event is the fact that two weeks after that I want to do the Charlottesville 10 Miler. Unlike previous races I’ve trained for, the Shamrock isn’t the end game. There’s no reason to stop after that race and gain back the 5 to 10 pounds that I plan and hope to lose while training. Sandwiched between Shamrock and the 10 miler is the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k that I’d like to do as well. I don’t feel like I’m cramming in races and I’m not worried about an early year burnout – I just want to do these things because I can.

While there’s part of me wishing to do the Shamrock Half Marathon again this year, I’m really trying to get focused on the Charlottesville 10 Miler that’s in 13 weeks. But the same weekend of the Shamrock, my wife has a business trip in Virginia Beach.

The Shamrock is 11 weeks away. While I haven’t been running that much, I am feeling good with all the cross training I’m doing. Heading into this week, I am in considerably better shape than I was at this point last year … and last year I was battling foot problems. I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time.

On the other hand, I’ve been saying since September that I wasn’t going to do another half for a while. The 10 miler in April is a good distance to get ready for and it’s something different. And I think if I planned my recovery out right, I’d be able to do the 10 miler no problem.

I’m conflicted as you can see, but I need to make a decision soon. So for the first time in a while, I’m am seeking some advice on what to do. I appreciate any suggestions in the comments section, and feel free to vote in the poll below.

[polldaddy poll=1244618]

I could write a lot about a variety of things right now, but instead here’s a shorter list of things on my mind right now. Also, I’ve inserted some of my photos from the weekend to show some of the amazing sights.

Taking a break
I have not had a full, complete two-day break from running in almost three months. Even through my tailbone injury I managed to get in a few tenths at a time. The last time I went more than two days without running at all was June 10-12 when I was in the Outer Banks. You’ll have to excuse me this week as I don’t even think about having a running motion for a few days. Today I had a great walk with my dog and I MIGHT go for a run after work tomorrow. Otherwise, it’s been nice having a break since Sunday morning.

Going Garmin free
On my walk with my dog this evening, I didn’t take my Garmin. I’ve been so obsessed with my miles — even walking miles — that I feel like my Garmin is just a growth on my arm. I don’t even know what bag it’s packed it right now, and I may not bust it out at all this week. I’ll estimate my miles based on what I know about my neighborhood or use mapmyrun.com. I need a break from looking down at my watch so much.

Post-race soreness
Despite shutting it down the last half of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half on Sunday, I still have sore legs and am tired. It’s not nearly as bad as usual, but it’s oddly comforting to know that I put enough effort in early on to be sore. Just because things went bad doesn’t take away from three months of training, and I’m exhausted both mentally and physically. I think I’m entitled to do whatever the hell I feel like doing this week.

A tale of two races
Despite the fact that I was 17 minutes slower this weekend than the Shamrock Half in March, there is something special about what happened a couple of days ago. A friend of mine called it a character-building race. He’s so right too, and right now I probably don’t even know how right he is. It was a learning experience in so many ways, and I’m strangely glad that it played out like it did. In March, I was hurt. I was mad as hell and I was determined to get back on my feet this summer. When I did, I turned around and fell on my butt, but I stayed determined to keep training and fight through it. When the humidity hit me like a brick wall on Sunday, it was just part of my story of things trying to prevent me from finishing this race. But I finished dammit. Unhurt and not limping across the finish line.

Rock ‘n’ Roll 2009
A few hours after finishing on Sunday, I said I highly doubt that I would return for this race. But by that night, when talking with my friend Vicki who ran it last year, I realized that I have to go back to Virginia Beach on Labor Day weekend next year. It’s more than a year away and right now that seems like forever and a day away, but that 2:06 is already burning a hole in my feet. It’s a course record for me that just can’t hang around.

So … what’s next?
Ah, the question runners everywhere are always asking themselves. Well, I’m not 100 percent sure. The Virginia 10 Miler is coming at the end of the month in Lynchburg, and I’ve been thinking about doing it again for two years now. It’s a unique race on an extremely hilly course … it’s the race that got me so hooked on longer distances. I have to get through the next couple of days and recovery runs to see how I feel before I make a decision, but right now it’s the only race close by that makes sense. Despite wanting to redeem myself in a half marathon, I don’t want to venture too far from home with a baby on the way in November. Plus after two half marathons that didn’t go as expected, I want to get that distance out of my head for a while.

I’d like to do some shorter races this fall. I haven’t done a 5k since August 2007 and I haven’t had a good 10k in a long time, so I’m kind of itching to get back to what got me hooked on running in the first place.

So … what’s next after what’s next?
It’s kind of weird to think about 2009 already, but looking ahead, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half is the only “big” thing on my radar screen (see above for all that). After that, I’m totally open to thinking about doing another marathon next fall. I’ve already looked at how the calendar plays out and it’s ideal to just keep training after Labor Day weekend to perhaps do the Richmond Marathon again. It’s just not happening this year with a baby on the way. Plus I haven’t forgotten about the nagging injuries despite feeling great right now. There’s something itching inside me to have a half marathon that I’m 100 percent happy with before doing another marathon, so mapping out my plans for next year will have to wait … probably until a year from now.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you
I just wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to my wife, my mom and stepdad, my friends and my fellow bloggers out there for your support in the past few months. I’ve had so much going on personally and professionally, and I could not have made it without all the support. I could have easily just given up hope on a lot of things, but everybody has played a role in keeping this train from running out of steam. Thank you!! It’ll be time to keep it going in a few days.

By the way, I’m in the blue waving my hands in the photo below. It’s one of the very few times I’ve actually done something for a photo during a race. I’m looking forward to seeing the official photos because I actually put my hands up in the air for one.

Ever since March and the injury during the Shamrock Half Marathon, I’ve been questioning myself a lot in how I prepare for events. At times in the past five months, I have felt like I should just do 5ks and 10ks and not worry about 13.1 miles ever again. Other times I have felt extremely confident.

Heading into this weekend, I keep thinking about the two weeks in July that I couldn’t run very well due to my tail bone injury. After getting to 20 miles in a week before the fall, I simply could not do a long run two weeks in a row. But in the five weeks after that, I have felt the best I have felt in a long time even if I can’t seem to ever lose the 5 extra pounds I want to.

To help ease my mind a bit about this weekend, I went back and looked at my training for the previous two half marathons. I added up the mileage for the 10 weeks leading up to race week so I could see how I’ve done this summer. In the winter of 2007, when I set my PR at the Shamrock Half, I ran 193.8 miles in the 10 weeks before, logging four 20-plus mile weeks. This year for the same race, I did much less with 139.8 miles with three 20-plus mile weeks. It’s no wonder I got hurt, even if I was in good shape after marathon training at the end of 2007. So in the past 10 weeks for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, I have logged 201.6 miles, with six runs of 20 miles or more.

That really surprised me. I felt that my training in the beginning of 2007 was better than what I’ve done recently. I probably had better quality runs then, but getting in the extra mileage is important too. If I hadn’t missed those long runs in mid-July, I would likely have 220-plus miles.

Another interesting note about miles is the fact that at about halfway through the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half on Sunday, I’ll pass 100 miles for the month. It’ll be the most miles in a month this year, and it’s the first 100-plus month in almost a year.

Final pre-race thoughts
There’s no question that I’d love to set a PR this weekend, but my main goal is to enjoy myself. I’ve said it recently, but running has become fun again and all that matters to me on Sunday is to go out there and just do what I can do. I’m not going to get flustered if my pace falls off, and I’m not going to get overly excited if I start off quicker than I plan. The weather may play a role and there’s nothing I can do if it’s crazy hot or if it rains. All that’s left now is hitting the start button on my watch and then seeing what happens! Look for a race report sometime Monday …

If you haven’t noticed, I tend to notice milestones. Well, today marks 100 days to go until the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. While I’m not in “official” training mode just yet, I realize that this race isn’t all that far away. I do have all of June, July and August to prepare, so that eases my mind just a bit.

While I’m discussing this race, has anyone out there tried Cytomax? It’s the new official sport drink for this race. I’ll of course try it beforehand to make sure my stomach can handle it, but any insight before trying it would be great. Free samples would be even better.