I can tell you exactly what a difference these two things make: a full 30 seconds off of my personal record (PR) mile split for a half-marathon! That's a whole 6 minutes faster! I think that actually it's closer to 7 minutes faster!
Really!
That happened!
The scenario: the first half-marathon in the Florida Halfathon series was today. I was, to say the least, concerned, particularly after the last long run that I did where I was awful. I decided to try being better about fueling: generally I don't eat much before a race, so I decided to change that. I had one of my packets of caffeinated jellybeans prior to the race. That apparently did the trick. I don't think that I've ever felt so focused at the beginning of a long run. This idea is staying.
Then, I was very fortunate in that the weather was MUCH better than anticipated. It was 58F with a dew point of 50F. Now admittedly, this is actually in the 70% humidity range, but it felt considerably better than normal. And there was a pretty hefty breeze--actually, I could have done without the hefty breeze from a running standpoint, but it was fantastic from a not-overheating standpoint. Also great: it was overcast throughout the run, so Mr. Florida Sun was not even a factor.
And I did not even come close to overheating! I did have to walk a bit around mile 11 because I got going too fast for a while. But I was back on track soon enough and polished off the last mile and finished in a much faster time than anticipated. Considering that I was worried about being taken off the course for slowness, this was, to say the least, an unexpected surprise.
This was my benchmark race for the series. I need to work on staying steady and getting faster so that I can power through that 11-mile slump next time. On the other hand, who cares because I got a half-marathon PR!
WHOOOOOOOOOOO!
Apparently, it's the year of weird running surprises. I got the age award for the 5k in April, even though I didn't run all that fast. Then, I got my half-marathon PR on a race that I really didn't expect. Considerably better than last year, which was the year of the cruddy race weather.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Finding perspective and favoring the good
Today's run was supposed to be one of those warm-up a mile, run at race pace for a distance, then cool down for a mile. I did the warm-up and cool down as instructed. But not so much the race pace part.
Actually, I ran much too fast. And I did it on purpose. And I don't really care.
(To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what my race pace is going to be...if last week was any indication, very slow. Slower than I had hoped).
Here's what I realized, though. Sometimes, you need runs like this to remind you that you are not just in an eternal circle of annoying runs. The race pace distance today was 1.5 miles. My warm-up and cool-down miles felt pretty meh. But, for every meh mile, I had a good mile, and another .5 of good to boot. That's like 1.25 good for every 1.00 bad. This got me thinking about finding a better way to think about a broader perspective when running.
I think that most of us tend to dwell on the runs that don't go as planned--by which I mean me, of course. But I realized today that for every bad run I have ever done in my life, I have done at least one good run where nothing went wrong and I completed the distance as planned. In fact, I'll bet I've done more than one good one. Probably for every five good runs, there might be a bad run (actually, if I averaged this over my entire running career, I suspect that bad run number is even smaller). So I need to remember this when I am tired and frustrated, and things aren't going as planned.
I also realized the wisdom in running other events while you are training for a long run. Last year, my marathon plan included running a 5k and a 10k during the preparation. In retrospect, this is genius. Even if you do not run a record-setting pace (and I did not for the 5k....couldn't find a 10k), you are reminded that you are not a super-slow awful runner who barely sloshed through 12 miles last week--by which I mean me, of course.
I've already decided that I need a different plan for the next half-marathon training. Maybe it's also time to include some shorter runs to make it more fun. And, of course, to get some more t-shirts.
Actually, I ran much too fast. And I did it on purpose. And I don't really care.
(To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what my race pace is going to be...if last week was any indication, very slow. Slower than I had hoped).
Here's what I realized, though. Sometimes, you need runs like this to remind you that you are not just in an eternal circle of annoying runs. The race pace distance today was 1.5 miles. My warm-up and cool-down miles felt pretty meh. But, for every meh mile, I had a good mile, and another .5 of good to boot. That's like 1.25 good for every 1.00 bad. This got me thinking about finding a better way to think about a broader perspective when running.
I think that most of us tend to dwell on the runs that don't go as planned--by which I mean me, of course. But I realized today that for every bad run I have ever done in my life, I have done at least one good run where nothing went wrong and I completed the distance as planned. In fact, I'll bet I've done more than one good one. Probably for every five good runs, there might be a bad run (actually, if I averaged this over my entire running career, I suspect that bad run number is even smaller). So I need to remember this when I am tired and frustrated, and things aren't going as planned.
I also realized the wisdom in running other events while you are training for a long run. Last year, my marathon plan included running a 5k and a 10k during the preparation. In retrospect, this is genius. Even if you do not run a record-setting pace (and I did not for the 5k....couldn't find a 10k), you are reminded that you are not a super-slow awful runner who barely sloshed through 12 miles last week--by which I mean me, of course.
I've already decided that I need a different plan for the next half-marathon training. Maybe it's also time to include some shorter runs to make it more fun. And, of course, to get some more t-shirts.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
There's some good news and some bad news
Good news: I can still run 12 miles! And while I will admit to walking once or twice, I did not have to walk for any significant amount of time, unlike a few months ago. I consider this to be a major achievement after the past few months! And the weather was great! Low 70s at the highest point with not very much humidity...by Florida standards....it was in the 60-70% range, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
The bad news:
1) I sure didn't run them very fast.
2) I sure didn't run them at a consistent speed.
3) I think I double-bonked, if this is possible (bonking is what used to be called 'hitting the wall,' which is when your body up and quits. Sometimes your brain up and quits. I've been close to this before, but today I think I was over the edge. If you want to know more about bonking than you ever thought that you would know, Runner's World has a detailed article). I definitely felt a drop in energy at the half-way point, then felt better after having a mini-Clif Bar (I am out of sport beans. Boooooooooo). I'm going to assume that this was Bonk #1. Bonk #2 pertained to fluids, or lack thereof. I passed the neighborhood water fountain at 4 miles and thought, 'Meh, I'm doing okay.' This was a stupid thought, because I still had 2 miles to go out and 2 miles to go back. For those of you who are slow at math, that was 4 miles. I should have just stopped at the drinking fountain both times. Oh, and I was out of healthy Gatorade (Recharge), so I used the last two packages of healthy Gatorade juice crystals--the ones that offer basically no caloric support.
I'm going to blame Bonk #1 on the fact that I didn't plan my eating very well today and I was probably drained by the time I actually got out to run. Yet another reason to do long runs in the morning (although truth be told, I don't really need to remind myself of that).
Another idea I had: maybe don't try a long run the day after your toughest yoga class of the week. I started with some tired legs.
But what matters is that I did it, and unlike on Sunday, I didn't quit after 2.5 miles. So it was an aberration. I think that I may play this half by ear, depending on the weather. If it's back to classic Florida conditions, it might be a good day for run/walk. If not, I'll do my best to full-out run (or my current version of full-out running, which is not really 'full-out'). I knew that this half was not going to be very good, so my motivation will be just to go out there and do it. It is the first of four, I get three more chances.
One thing that does need to change: I need a better training plan. This one is not challenging enough.
The bad news:
1) I sure didn't run them very fast.
2) I sure didn't run them at a consistent speed.
3) I think I double-bonked, if this is possible (bonking is what used to be called 'hitting the wall,' which is when your body up and quits. Sometimes your brain up and quits. I've been close to this before, but today I think I was over the edge. If you want to know more about bonking than you ever thought that you would know, Runner's World has a detailed article). I definitely felt a drop in energy at the half-way point, then felt better after having a mini-Clif Bar (I am out of sport beans. Boooooooooo). I'm going to assume that this was Bonk #1. Bonk #2 pertained to fluids, or lack thereof. I passed the neighborhood water fountain at 4 miles and thought, 'Meh, I'm doing okay.' This was a stupid thought, because I still had 2 miles to go out and 2 miles to go back. For those of you who are slow at math, that was 4 miles. I should have just stopped at the drinking fountain both times. Oh, and I was out of healthy Gatorade (Recharge), so I used the last two packages of healthy Gatorade juice crystals--the ones that offer basically no caloric support.
I'm going to blame Bonk #1 on the fact that I didn't plan my eating very well today and I was probably drained by the time I actually got out to run. Yet another reason to do long runs in the morning (although truth be told, I don't really need to remind myself of that).
Another idea I had: maybe don't try a long run the day after your toughest yoga class of the week. I started with some tired legs.
But what matters is that I did it, and unlike on Sunday, I didn't quit after 2.5 miles. So it was an aberration. I think that I may play this half by ear, depending on the weather. If it's back to classic Florida conditions, it might be a good day for run/walk. If not, I'll do my best to full-out run (or my current version of full-out running, which is not really 'full-out'). I knew that this half was not going to be very good, so my motivation will be just to go out there and do it. It is the first of four, I get three more chances.
One thing that does need to change: I need a better training plan. This one is not challenging enough.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
It all works out in the end
A friend of mine in Tampa has gone through some pretty tough situations over the past year. During the summer, her house caught on fire. No one was hurt (including her pets), but it was an understandably traumatic experience. More recently, she was in a car accident and her vehicle was totaled. Again, no one was hurt, but she had finished paying off the car only a month before....seriously. This seriously happened. However, she somehow gets through these things with a smile on her face and patience. I certainly do not think that I would be capable of doing the same.
My friend got a new car last week and it is very spiffy. It is a Kia Soul and has all kinds of great features (including speakers that light up!), plus it is a brand-new car. She was able to manage this in the aftermath of the accident, meaning that she came out ahead. When we were talking about this, we also noted that while the fire had been very traumatic, there were good elements from that too, such as getting a new central A/C put in her house (she did have A/C before, but the central system had broken and she had been using window units). What I took from this was that even though she had encountered difficult and challenging situations, there truly was a silver lining on these potentially dark clouds.
I was reminded of this observation this morning when I had to stop my long run because I did not feel well at all--which, okay, is not on the level of having my house catch on fire or being in a car accident, but is frustrating all the same. After chiding myself over and over, then getting angry at myself for not training better, I decided to check the upcoming weather. My plan is to redo this run on Thursday (it's 12 miles) because there is supposed to be a major storm moving through on Tuesday, and I already ran in one monsoon this month. And you know what? The weather looks fantastic. Highs in the 70s (!) and lows in the 50s (!!!). I could not ask for better weather around these parts at this time of year. Sure, I would still prefer that I had finished today. But sometimes things don't go the way that you hope. What is important, is that it does work out in the end.
(I think the issue this morning was that I was out of healthy Gatorade and decided to try apple cider instead. This is not something that I will try again. However, I'm still feeling lousy, so maybe there is something else at work here).
My friend got a new car last week and it is very spiffy. It is a Kia Soul and has all kinds of great features (including speakers that light up!), plus it is a brand-new car. She was able to manage this in the aftermath of the accident, meaning that she came out ahead. When we were talking about this, we also noted that while the fire had been very traumatic, there were good elements from that too, such as getting a new central A/C put in her house (she did have A/C before, but the central system had broken and she had been using window units). What I took from this was that even though she had encountered difficult and challenging situations, there truly was a silver lining on these potentially dark clouds.
I was reminded of this observation this morning when I had to stop my long run because I did not feel well at all--which, okay, is not on the level of having my house catch on fire or being in a car accident, but is frustrating all the same. After chiding myself over and over, then getting angry at myself for not training better, I decided to check the upcoming weather. My plan is to redo this run on Thursday (it's 12 miles) because there is supposed to be a major storm moving through on Tuesday, and I already ran in one monsoon this month. And you know what? The weather looks fantastic. Highs in the 70s (!) and lows in the 50s (!!!). I could not ask for better weather around these parts at this time of year. Sure, I would still prefer that I had finished today. But sometimes things don't go the way that you hope. What is important, is that it does work out in the end.
(I think the issue this morning was that I was out of healthy Gatorade and decided to try apple cider instead. This is not something that I will try again. However, I'm still feeling lousy, so maybe there is something else at work here).
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Finding patterns
I think that I have figured out one reason that running has been more challenging this year. When I started the most recent bunch of training, I was in Germany, where the weather was not torturous. I got used to running at somewhat normal speeds. Now I am back in Florida and that is impossible. So I get going too fast, then find myself done. Last year, when I was training for the marathon, I was running at a considerably slower pace most of the time--like a minute/mile slower. I need to get back to that speed. It's not easy, as much as I try to remind myself.
Tonight was another one of the warm-up, run, cool-down runs. I was aiming for a slowish pace and almost succeeded, except that I needed to walk around 2 miles and didn't quite maintain the pace I was hoping for as a result. It got somewhat hot again, although conditions are still nowhere near as evil as the summer. It's okay. I was actually much closer to my planned pace than I have been on any of these runs to this point, so I see that as progress. Also, heck, I went running, so that's always a good thing.
Tuesday I got out as well, although that was too hot. Due to some evening plans, I had to get out earlier than I would have ideally wanted, with Mr. Florida Sun still out. After the halfway point, I added some walk breaks. And should have started more slowly. Yes, I'm figuring out the pattern, it's just taking me a while.
Tonight was another one of the warm-up, run, cool-down runs. I was aiming for a slowish pace and almost succeeded, except that I needed to walk around 2 miles and didn't quite maintain the pace I was hoping for as a result. It got somewhat hot again, although conditions are still nowhere near as evil as the summer. It's okay. I was actually much closer to my planned pace than I have been on any of these runs to this point, so I see that as progress. Also, heck, I went running, so that's always a good thing.
Tuesday I got out as well, although that was too hot. Due to some evening plans, I had to get out earlier than I would have ideally wanted, with Mr. Florida Sun still out. After the halfway point, I added some walk breaks. And should have started more slowly. Yes, I'm figuring out the pattern, it's just taking me a while.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monsoon
Last week's running did not go entirely as planned, but I did get to the long run....even if it, too, did not go entirely as planned. In part, my plans were disrupted by a monsoon-type storm that made an appearance over the weekend. In all of my years of running, I think that this is the first time I have run into weather issues for a long run (apart from trips to Arizona, which don't count). That is pretty impressive.
It wasn't just the monsoon that I was worried about on Sunday, but possible thunderstorms. I had planned to run out on the Clearwater Causeway (aka the evil hill in an upcoming half-marathon), but I didn't want to get stranded in case of weather. It was a 10-mile run, so that was going to take me relatively far away. There is not a lot of shelter out there. So instead, I decided that I would run on the treadmill. About half-way through, I decided that there was no point in finishing on the treadmill because I would probably kill myself if I continued, thereby making the whole training moot. I finished up the remaining 5 miles outside to save myself from this fate. I also got soaked, thanks to the monsoon, but that was better than the treadmill. It was possible to make a route that was 2.5 miles without getting too far away from shelter in case of emergency, so that was fine.
The biggest treadmill issue, other than abject boredom, was the temperature in the room. 75F is not a good temperature for running. I even had a fan right next to me and it was still too warm. Ah well.
Earlier runs last week were not entirely successful. I had a good 5 mile to start things off on Tuesday, then didn't get out for my Thursday run due to a number of lousy reasons (mostly bad planning on my part). Saturday I didn't get in the mileage that I wanted, doing only 3 miles instead of 5. But it was on that treadmill, so maybe I should see that as some kind of victory.
Update: it really was a monsoon.
It wasn't just the monsoon that I was worried about on Sunday, but possible thunderstorms. I had planned to run out on the Clearwater Causeway (aka the evil hill in an upcoming half-marathon), but I didn't want to get stranded in case of weather. It was a 10-mile run, so that was going to take me relatively far away. There is not a lot of shelter out there. So instead, I decided that I would run on the treadmill. About half-way through, I decided that there was no point in finishing on the treadmill because I would probably kill myself if I continued, thereby making the whole training moot. I finished up the remaining 5 miles outside to save myself from this fate. I also got soaked, thanks to the monsoon, but that was better than the treadmill. It was possible to make a route that was 2.5 miles without getting too far away from shelter in case of emergency, so that was fine.
The biggest treadmill issue, other than abject boredom, was the temperature in the room. 75F is not a good temperature for running. I even had a fan right next to me and it was still too warm. Ah well.
Earlier runs last week were not entirely successful. I had a good 5 mile to start things off on Tuesday, then didn't get out for my Thursday run due to a number of lousy reasons (mostly bad planning on my part). Saturday I didn't get in the mileage that I wanted, doing only 3 miles instead of 5. But it was on that treadmill, so maybe I should see that as some kind of victory.
Update: it really was a monsoon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)