Because January was a tough month, training and health-wise, the official "unofficial" plan was to "just run" 3M, and not race it. That's a big challenge for me. My competitive streak is wide, to say the least, and it takes good reason for me to participate in a race when I'd rather be testing myself. I knew just running was the prudent thing to do; I was only a week into feeling some recovery from health issues I'd experienced in the last two months, just coming off base training with only two weeks of hill/speed work, and this race was only 6 weeks from my goal half... but, but, but...
3M is a PR kind of course, I was waaaay overdue for a race, I wanted to establish a PR for the distance (I've run four half marathons, but never raced one, they were either training runs or triathlon legs), I was feeling better than I've felt in a long time, I'd have 6 whole weeks to recover, and there was perfect race weather forecast (clear, 40 degrees, no wind). Ultimately, I decided to go out conservatively, run by feel, and see what happened.
Yeah, right.
Yesterday I was totally in pre-race mode: 45 minute shakeout run with Gracie, careful about nutrition/hydration, drove the race route (I like the new course, which took out the quad busting steep downhills), took a nap, and used my last marathon race plan to figure out clothing/nutrition. In the back of my mind, I was hoping for a sub-2 hour time, and knew what kind of pace I'd need to maintain for that. At the same time, I wasn't putting any definite time or pace goals on myself.
Race morning I ate my usual long run goo (almond milk with ground flaxseed, chia seed, hemp protein, cocoa, cacao nibs; added almond butter, a bit of ground coffee, and some agave for a race day boost - not as awful as it sounds), a boiled egg, and a bite of banana. Drank a Nuun before I left the house. The 30 minute warm-up at the race site was just right. I wasn't feeling overly excited or overly tired. I dropped my extra clothing at the car, decided to forgo the arm warmers (ultimately a good decision), ate a post-national anthem gel, and hopped into the crowd at the 1:50 corral. I had no intentions of hanging with that group - there was just plenty of room there.
Mile by Mile Highlights
Pre-Race: I closed my eyes for a few moments and thought of what it's taken me to get here and felt immense gratitude to be at the starting line, reasonably healthy. I had a big grin on my face as I crossed the starting line.
Mile 1: The 1:50 pacer blew by me, looking darn fast, I stuck to a pace that felt good. Orange and indigo Eastern sky as we made the turn onto Braker, sun not yet up; Chariots of Fire theme by bagpipe
Mile 2: Checked my average pace over the first two miles. Um, this actually feels pretty good - better than the warm-up; thought about my mantras/positive affirmations. Funny shirt: 'pace be with you.'
Mile 3: checked my pace - really? This feels good, and I'm still in HR Zone2!
Mile 4: See Mile 3
Mile 5: Ate 3 shot bloks, focused on settling into a comfortable pace, wary of expending too much energy too early, but thinking this is turning into a really good run.
Miles 6-8: Lots of gradual uphill on this course (glad I drove it yesterday, and glad I wore my sunglasses); favorite signs: 'run like you stole something,' 'good job, random runner!' 'chafe now, brag later,' 'Look, Laugh, Pass, Repeat.' Thought about mantras, floating up the hills, light feet, and quick turnover when I felt myself working hard.
Miles 8-9: I was feeling good and smiling (at least on the inside) when I passed the big Rogue cheering section camped out along Shoal Creek. They spotted me and cheered as I ran by. So grateful for the coaching I receive and the community of Rogues I run with. Ate another gel.
Mile 10: 5k to go from here; if I was feeling good, here was the time to start picking up the pace. I'm consistently in HR Zone3 by now, and know the run from 45th/Duval to Congress well. I don't so much pick up the pace as maintain effort. I decide to just hold pace as well as I can until mile 12.
Miles 11-12: Either my recent health issues or the gels are giving me gut issues. I'm ready to be done. Saw Ruth, who had asked me to "just run," and said "I'm not really 'just running'" as I ran by. Today was an "ask forgiveness later" kind of day.
Mile 13.1: Knowing the "four laps on the track" marker at the end of the race is not necessarily a good thing. I felt like my pace was slowing, and that slight uphill from MLK to Congress was tough. Here's where my lack of race-specific training was evident. I didn't have much of a kick at the end. But I'm ok with that.
All things considered. I ran a good race, tested my current fitness a bit, but most importantly, felt good and enjoyed running. Remarkably, I feel better post-race today than I did running a much slower 12 mile training run four weeks ago. It's beyond nice to be back. See you in 6 weeks, NOLA half!
By the Numbers:
Splits/Avg HR Zone:Miles 1-2 18:33 Z2
Mile 3: 8:46 Z2
Mile 4: 8:46 Z2
Mile 5: 8:37 Z2
Mile 6: 8:52 Z2
MIle 7: 8:35 Z2
Mile 8: 8:32 Z3
Miles 9-10: 17:24 Z3
Mile 11: 8:07 Z3
Mile 12: 7:55 Z3
Mile 13.1: 8:38 Z4
