Forums >Racing>Sub-90 Minutes for the Half Marathon (2011)
Fast is better than long
Ok, if your original goal was 1:45 and you torched a 1:26 (woohoo btw), I'm curious how you started out. Did you start out running 8s? Or did you hit the hyperspace lever right away?
I shot the wad right out of the gate, oops. As to the 1:45, since I was away from running so long I had a hard time getting control over everything, lungs, legs, mind, etc... when I decided to try running again.
In Oct. I struggled to carry 9s for an 8 mile run. By December that moved to about 8:15s. These past few months I have put in a lot of effort and made great strides. Today was kinda funny, I found out I can't drink from a cup while running, gatorade stings a bit when it gets in your eyes. So that need pratice. I also bought some shorts with a zippered pocket in the back, I failed to operate that too, so my shot blocks were locked away. Hopefully I figure that out before the marathon next month.
2017 Goals: Give up goals; they're stoopid
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm the rest of the night;Set a man afire and he'll be warm the rest of his life.
What in the Jehu?
Ha.
Definitely ABSOLUTELY practice trying to eat shot bloks while running fast. I can't do it. I tried today. I can't.
I would have gotten gatorade in my eyes (my marathon had a 25mph headwind for 23 miles), but my glasses saved me. Well, sort of. No stinging, but then I couldn't see anyway.
First off, even before I saw official results, I was happy with the race. My watch said 1:30:14. I didn't meet my stated goal (1:29:22), but that was more a pie-in-the-sky thing and a guide. I wanted to go into this with a reasonably aggressive goal that would require sustained hard effort. Yeah, it would have been nice to go under 1:29. But a hill at mile 12 that's a mile long killed that dream.
The week leading up was bad in terms of new pains, pace difficulties, mental doubts, and malaise at my low mileage. But all along I tried to talk myself into just giving this training a chance to work on race day.
Official results: 1:29:44. Sub-1:30, baby!
Over 4 minute PR. Which is notable because my half marathon history has been one of ongoing frustration. Until today my PR half was my very first one.
Nice to read the other race reports, too. Mine's a work-in-progress so it remains in my log for now.
mta: SRL's comment reminded me that there was no Gatorade on the course today. Just water. I didn't particularly miss it, but thought it was odd.
Until today my PR half was my very first one.
Awesome job. I'm ecstatic for you. Especially since you did not beat me.
Awesome job. I'm ecstatic for you. Especially since you did not beat me, this time.
Horrah JPD! A hearty, hearty congratulations, man!
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
Ha. Definitely ABSOLUTELY practice trying to eat shot bloks while running fast. I can't do it. I tried today. I can't. I would have gotten gatorade in my eyes (my marathon had a 25mph headwind for 23 miles), but my glasses saved me. Well, sort of. No stinging, but then I couldn't see anyway.
Leave glasses if drink.
Couple of interesting facts on today's races:
1. Galen Rupp ran NYC in 1:00:30. It was his debut at the HM, and only his second road race.
2. Reno Stirrat (56), who logs his workouts on RA, ran New Bedford in 1:17:18.
Nice, JPD, we talked about you today, before and after, I said no reason to think you wouldn't do it, happy to hear you did. We'll both derail the train before the summer's out.
A list of my PRs in a misguided attempt to impress people that do not care.
Hey thanks Greg. Nice to be talked about now and then.
And, weirdly, take a look at your time and mileage, and mine for this past week. Apparently I was very, very slightly faster. heh.
Many thanks Nader. Honestly, I was not sure I'd get it this time, but I heard a train whistle and just tried not to get run over.
Couple of interesting facts on today's races: 1. Galen Rupp ran NYC in 1:00:30. It was his debut at the HM, and only his second road race.
Also Mo Farah's first HM and he ran 1:00:23 and won the race. I didn't see the race as I've been away all weekend, but looking at the top few times looks like it might have been an exciting finish.
Don't feed him.
I watched the last 10 minutes on video. It was down to 3 at the end and Farah clearly had the finishing speed to overcome the others, although Gebremariam pushed him quite close.
Rupp and Farah have raced 6 times now over different distances and Farah has won every time. It seems unlikely that Rupp will ever be able to out kick Farah. If he wants to beat him he'll have to go all Radcliffe-style and push the pace earlier to try and drop him. I don't know if that'll work for sure, but hoping to out sprint people like Farah and Gebremariam doesn't look like it'll work for him.
Good times.