OK, so after badgering poor April into posting her disappointing race report I got to thinking. We've all had some difficulty during a training run or even during a race that we wished would have never happened.
During the experience (and soon afterwards) it may be emotionally and/or physically painful but in the long run it served as a learning experience to make you a better runner. So in deference to April, what's your story?
Mine was the one I shared in my post in her RR but I'll start it off with it here. This was for my first (and only) half marathon last year. I had trained pretty well for that race and had actually made two long training runs (one 12.5 and the other over 13.1 that had me running faster than 1:55 during those training runs. On race day I had high expectations to race that HM better than 1:50 and hoped to be nearer to the 1:45 mark. Race day dawned warm, sunny and humid and I foolishly went out with my "A-Game" pace. By mile 6 my scalp was tingling and I was reduced to walking. I ran-walked the rest of the race and dumped water over my head at each water station. The residents of Green Bay also helped by putting out sprinklers at the curb to help cool us down. Well, I trudged my way to an absolutely disappointing 1:59 finish and was greeted by a friend at the finish who said "oops, looks like you've got a bleeder" Of course, hot & humid conditions (aided by my constant water dumping) had ended up causing chafing on one nip that was just starting to bleed through my shirt.
Lessons Learned: Account for the temperature in your pace and ALWAYS tape up the nips, even if you've never had any problem before.
Train smart ... race smarter.
FYP!
OK, so after badgering poor April into posting her disappointing race report I got to thinking. We've all had some difficulty during a training run or even during a race that we wished would have never happened. During the experience (and soon afterwards) it may be emotionally and/or physically painful but in the long run it served as a learning experience to make you a better runner. So in deference to April, what's your story? Mine was the one I shared in my post in her RR but I'll start it off with it here. This was for my first (and only) half marathon last year. I had trained pretty well for that race and had actually made two long training runs (one 12.5 and the other over 13.1 that had me running faster than 1:55 during those training runs. On race day I had high expectations to race that HM better than 1:50 and hoped to be nearer to the 1:45 mark. Race day dawned warm, sunny and humid and I foolishly went out with my "A-Game" pace. By mile 6 my scalp was tingling and I was reduced to walking. I ran-walked the rest of the race and dumped water over my head at each water station. The residents of Green Bay also helped by putting out sprinklers at the curb to help cool us down. Well, I trudged my way to an absolutely disappointing 1:59 finish and was greeted by a friend at the finish who said "oops, looks like you've got a bleeder" Of course, hot & humid conditions (aided by my constant water dumping) had ended up causing chafing on one nip that was just starting to bleed through my shirt. Lessons Learned: Account for the dewpoint in your pace and ALWAYS tape up the nips, even if you've never had any problem before.
Lessons Learned: Account for the dewpoint in your pace and ALWAYS tape up the nips, even if you've never had any problem before.
Damaris
As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.
Fundraising Page
Mine is never run a marathon on a dry place like Las Vegas without wearing a buff on your face when you're allergic to dust. I learned that one that hard way.
my last 5K that I ran was a PR despite my best effort to sabotage it. I was standing by some younger studs at the start and got caught up in the hype, so the gun goes off and I am hanging with these current track stars for over 1/2 a mile when i notice my pace is at 5:35/mile. I slowed way down, slower than my goal pace, to recoop some energy. I still PR'ed but i think the mistake left 30 seconds on the course. the chip time was 21:27 and should have been less than 21 IMO.
Lesson : I am not 18 yrs old any more and you can not reccop energy in a 5K.
PR's : HM 1:51:15 - 5K 21:27
YAYpril - B-Plus
Haha. When I saw the title of this thread, I thought hey now, mine should be pretty obvious.
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
Don't go out too fast!!!
Super B****
When something hurts really badly in an abnormal way, it doesn't matter how far you've traveled, YOU DON'T HAVE TO FINISH THE DAMN RACE.
I still think I'd have a hard time listening to that, though. I'm a stubborn moron.
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
I have been exceedingly lucky in my 10 years of racing.
I have never DNF'd or DNS's in the almost 100 races ( will reach my 100th race this summer). I
have run not feeling well but adjusted my goals. I have never had an "in race" issue that affected
the time I was aiming for that day in any substantial way. However I have adjusted my goals on
a given day prior to the race because of health or weather issues.
However after my 2nd local "Hypothermic Half" in Feb of 2011 in which I ran in -20F, with 25-30mp/hr
winds and blowing snow on a course where the first 5 miler is all hills and the finish is 1/2 mile up a
huge freaking hill.............I have 100% decided that I will never ever ever do that race again......it was bloodly
miserable....I'm getting too old for that shit!LOL
This year I went to Florida for a 1/ 2 marathon on the same day the local folks were running that awful
route in frigid temps. It was much more pleasant.
If you try to "train through a race" you won't race well. You'll probably do OK but there is a big difference between doing OK and racing well.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
I can be extremely hard on myself. And my expectations of what I'm supposed to do in a race are often a source of great stress for me. It's as if I judge myself as a person, based on what I can do as a runner.
Because of this, the first 3-4 years of my running life were a bit difficult mentally for me. They brought me satisfaction, yes. But also lots of pressure and also some anxiety. And I think it affected my racing negatively.
This year is different for me. With time and experience, I have learned to regard each race as a learning experiment, not just as a test of my person. When I stand at the start line, I know exactly what my training was like and what I should be able to accomplish, in theory. If I do not end up with my goal time, it's because something went wrong. Either it's something I myself did wrong, or it's something over which I had no control. Either way, I can learn something from it. So before the start of the race, I tell myself that whatever happens, good or bad, I will come out of it a better runner. Since then, no more stress and no more anxiety. Well, still a little, because we all need some healthy stress to compete well. But I'm nothing like the nerve ball I used to be. And my racing has greatly improved because of it...
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Hip Redux
This was not a run or a race, but Baboon, MBC, Mr. Oski and I did a long bike ride one spring on a day that the temps had spiked early in the season. MBC and I (I was coming off an injury...again) took the shorter route and the boys took the longer - took us about the same amount of time, which was probably 2.5-3 hours or so.
Talk about bonking. I have never felt so awful in all my days of exercising - I didn't eat enough and didn't bring enough to drink and was so NOT NOT NOT prepared to be out for hours in the heat. I had to keep stopping on the way back, and it took us forever to finish, which just made it worse. My head was pounding, I was having a hard time concentrating, yada yada yada.
The funny thing is - everyone bonked. Except MBC. She basically was triaging everyone back at the house. Ice water for one, Perpetuem for another, get that one a chair so he doesn't collapse. That day has lived on in infamy.
That's a great story, Oski. Dr. MBC to the rescue!
Oh definitely tape your nipples it makes a huge difference, I have had to ditch my shirt a few times which led to sunburns for forgetting to do so.
Also don't wait until your hot to start dunking water on your head in a race you know is going to have a hot finish. I learned that from my first marathon in 2011 when the finish was 95 and I didn't start dunking myself until mile 19 or so by that time it was too late.
Also a few of my crashes and burns have really taught me how to gut it out, I mean it gets hard sometimes and if you have never fought through that desire to just walk and keep on running its a valuable lesson. My half pr is a race where I just told myself suck it up buttercup and just kept running despite being spent.
Also do not forget antifog for your googles or spit in them so they don't fog up when your swimming into the sun, also buy new googles for a big race. Sighting find a spot on the mountain and head for it instead of something in the water that might change for you.
Gear down before climbing a big hill on the bike not in the middle of the hill saves a lot of energy.
I've learned a lot in the last few years.
That's usually how it is. After we recovered, we got lectured. LOL
Does she still laugh at all of you reminiscing?
This was not a run or a race, but Baboon, MBC, Mr. Oski and I did a long bike ride one spring on a day that the temps had spiked early in the season. MBC and I (I was coming off an injury...again) took the shorter route and the boys took the longer - took us about the same amount of time, which was probably 2.5-3 hours or so. Talk about bonking. I have never felt so awful in all my days of exercising - I didn't eat enough and didn't bring enough to drink and was so NOT NOT NOT prepared to be out for hours in the heat. I had to keep stopping on the way back, and it took us forever to finish, which just made it worse. My head was pounding, I was having a hard time concentrating, yada yada yada. The funny thing is - everyone bonked. Except MBC. She basically was triaging everyone back at the house. Ice water for one, Perpetuem for another, get that one a chair so he doesn't collapse. That day has lived on in infamy.