In the past year, I have run three half marathons. In April, 2012, I ran a HM six weeks after an all out marathon effort. It took me a full month to recover from that race. In November, 2012, I ran a HM a month after my birthday 50 miler. The 50 miler was done at a very low intensity and I recovered in about 10 days. In April, 2013, I ran the same race I'd run in April 2012 but I ran this one two weeks after the Boston Marathon which was not an all out effort. The results were as follows:
April, 2012 - 1:29:38
Nov, 2012 - 1:25:58 (PR)
April, 2013 - 1:25:34 (PR)
The April, 2012 race was one of my worst races ever. My legs simply did not want to turn over. Every time I tried to go faster, it seemed to take an enormous effort. My recovery from that race was very quick. That makes sense because I didn't run nearly what I'm capable of running. The November, 2012 race was seriously all out. I collapsed when I finished and don't think I could possibly have run any faster. It took me a full two weeks to recover. The April, 2013 result did not feel like an all out effort even though I PR'd. Quite frankly, I had not fully recovered from Boston and wasn't capable of an all out effort. I'm only 3 days post race and think I'll be recovered fully in a week.
From that, I take that my recover length is tied closely to my perceived effort. If I feel like I went all out, it takes me a long time to recover. If I feel like I didn't go all out, even if it's because I wasn't capable of going all out, then I recover much faster. That's fairly intuitive but it's good to see evidence backing up what I would think to be the case.
The next question revolves around how I managed to PR without an all out effort. The answer is "rain." It was raining and about 55 degrees for the April, 2013 race. As runners, we talk about the limiting factors on how fast you can run. We focus on VO2max, lactate threshold, muscular strength, etc. We rarely talk about your body's effort to cool itself as a limiting factor. Yet Noakes, in "Lore of Running", spends extensive time discussing this issue. The reality is that your body dilates the capillaries near your skin when it needs to cool itself. It also increases the heart rate. This does two things. The dilation of the capillaries near the skin means there is less blood available to the exercising muscles. Both that and the increased heart rate contribute to increased perceived effort. It's why an 8:00 pace on a 90 degree day feels like a 7:30 pace on a 50 degree day. If you stay out long enough, that 8:00 pace starts to feel like a 7:15 pace, and then a 7:00 pace, etc. until you are forced to walk due to dehydration and overheating.
The rain allows your body to send energy to the exercising muscles rather than to the skin. A person in cold water will die of hypothermia relatively quickly. A person in cold air will eventually die of hypothermia but will survive much longer. The water whisks heat away from your body. That's a bad thing in a survival situation but a great thing in a race. The rain whisks the heat away from your body so your body can divert more blood flow to the exercising muscles.
A final observation revolves around GPS. Folks tend to think they're infallible but they are not. During my warm up for the April, 2013 race, the Garmin said I was running a 9:05 pace. I know good and well that was wrong. During my cool down, I ran in with a friend and she ran an 8:21 pace but picked it up at the end. The Garmin said we were running an 8:50 pace. I am seriously questioning my use of the Garmin in a race and considering going back to just my Timex Ironman because the bottom line is that it doesn't matter how fast I run a mile. I might not take the precise tangents or I might weave around other runners, etc. The only thing that matters is how long it takes me to run a marked mile on the course.
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).
Good point about the rain! I remember you posting about the body's ability to cool itself before, and I have tried to remember that. Some runs that feel crummy I realize afterwards I was really overdressed for.
As far as recovery, I'm just trying to figure that out myself.
Former Bad Ass
As you know, I pay a lot of attention to dewpoints and race accordingly. I am actually hoping the 60% chance of rain for Sunday comes true as the forecast is 92F and 73 dewpoint by 9am with high 80s by 6am. Only idiots attempt PRs in those conditions.
We as runners love breaking records but things like the ability of the body to cool itself (which is measured by dewpoint and not humidity) it's something one cannot acclimate to, no matter how many humid runs one does. We should all remember that as Summer arrives. There is no shame in running slower than pace; in fact it's good training.
Damaris
Hip Redux
As you know, I pay a lot of attention to dewpoints and race accordingly. I am actually hoping the 60% chance of rain for Sunday comes true as the forecast is 92F and 73 dewpoint by 9am with high 80s by 6am. Only idiots attempt PRs in those conditions. We as runners love breaking records but things like the ability of the body to cool itself (which is measured by dewpoint and not humidity) it's something one cannot acclimate to, no matter how many humid runs one does. We should all remember that as Summer arrives. There is no shame in running slower than pace; in fact it's good training.
I PRed at the Charleston Distance Run (the 5k not the 15 miler) last year and that must have been the hottest, most humid, miserable race I've ever done. I felt like I was going to die. I only PRed because it was pancake flat, I think, because it certainly wasn't because I was feeling good! Rain would have been a godsend.
People can still PR especially when their PRs are soft or their course is easier than their current PR (like yours). Imagine how well you could've done had the race not been humid.
Are we there, yet?
In the past year, I have run three half marathons. In April, 2012, I ran a HM six weeks after an all out marathon effort. It took me a full month to recover from that race. In November, 2012, I ran a HM a month after my birthday 50 miler. The 50 miler was done at a very low intensity and I recovered in about 10 days. In April, 2013, I ran the same race I'd run in April 2012 but I ran this one two weeks after the Boston Marathon which was not an all out effort. The results were as follows: April, 2012 - 1:29:38 Nov, 2012 - 1:25:58 (PR) April, 2013 - 1:25:34 (PR) The April, 2012 race was one of my worst races ever. My legs simply did not want to turn over. Every time I tried to go faster, it seemed to take an enormous effort. My recovery from that race was very quick. That makes sense because I didn't run nearly what I'm capable of running. The November, 2012 race was seriously all out. I collapsed when I finished and don't think I could possibly have run any faster. It took me a full two weeks to recover. The April, 2013 result did not feel like an all out effort even though I PR'd. Quite frankly, I had not fully recovered from Boston and wasn't capable of an all out effort. I'm only 3 days post race and think I'll be recovered fully in a week. From that, I take that my recover length is tied closely to my perceived effort. If I feel like I went all out, it takes me a long time to recover. If I feel like I didn't go all out, even if it's because I wasn't capable of going all out, then I recover much faster. That's fairly intuitive but it's good to see evidence backing up what I would think to be the case. The next question revolves around how I managed to PR without an all out effort. The answer is "rain." It was raining and about 55 degrees for the April, 2013 race. As runners, we talk about the limiting factors on how fast you can run. We focus on VO2max, lactate threshold, muscular strength, etc. We rarely talk about your body's effort to cool itself as a limiting factor. Yet Noakes, in "Lore of Running", spends extensive time discussing this issue. The reality is that your body dilates the capillaries near your skin when it needs to cool itself. It also increases the heart rate. This does two things. The dilation of the capillaries near the skin means there is less blood available to the exercising muscles. Both that and the increased heart rate contribute to increased perceived effort. It's why an 8:00 pace on a 90 degree day feels like a 7:30 pace on a 50 degree day. If you stay out long enough, that 8:00 pace starts to feel like a 7:15 pace, and then a 7:00 pace, etc. until you are forced to walk due to dehydration and overheating. The rain allows your body to send energy to the exercising muscles rather than to the skin. A person in cold water will die of hypothermia relatively quickly. A person in cold air will eventually die of hypothermia but will survive much longer. The water whisks heat away from your body. That's a bad thing in a survival situation but a great thing in a race. The rain whisks the heat away from your body so your body can divert more blood flow to the exercising muscles. A final observation revolves around GPS. Folks tend to think they're infallible but they are not. During my warm up for the April, 2013 race, the Garmin said I was running a 9:05 pace. I know good and well that was wrong. During my cool down, I ran in with a friend and she ran an 8:21 pace but picked it up at the end. The Garmin said we were running an 8:50 pace. I am seriously questioning my use of the Garmin in a race and considering going back to just my Timex Ironman because the bottom line is that it doesn't matter how fast I run a mile. I might not take the precise tangents or I might weave around other runners, etc. The only thing that matters is how long it takes me to run a marked mile on the course.
While it may not have rained during your Nov HM (I don't remember the details), I doubt that temps at that time of year were a significant factor. I expect 5 more months of training and taking it relatively easy at Boston were more pertinent. That may also have prompted you to not go out quite as hard as you usually describe allowing for a more uniform distribution of effort. Rain can also have an adverse effect if the temps are also cool enough. If running doesn't generate enough heat to keep you warm, your body is going to spend extra energy doing that rather then devoting it to running faster. Without measurements or a study indicating where that inflexion point is, it's questionable whether the rain and temps were positive or negative factors.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Good lord that was miserable. I ended up running that 15 miles slower than my marathon pace and was really irritated with that until I found out that the winner ran slower than his marathon pace as well. I was irritated that I faded as I did in the last couple of miles until I found out that the women's winner talked about how badly she faded in the last couple of miles. Every person I talked to, including folks who are significantly faster than me, struggled that day.
Good lord that was miserable.
Watching the finishers of the 15 miler was much like watching a death march. Man, people looked beat.
Ahhhh I don't wanna hear about heat right now its supposed to be 86 for my race this weekend no way to run a half marathon after getting off the bike after 56 miles.
But I totally agree last year when I ran STG marathon I commented to my friend at mile 24 and it was only 75 degrees how the heck did we run this when it was 95 the year before. Man the heat just saps you, I need to remember to dunk water on my head every mile on Saturday. Any mention in the books on how much that helps constantly pouring water in yourself?
I firmly believe that had I not raced hard in Boston, I would have finished my half, two weeks later, in 1:25:00 instead of 1:35. (cough, cough... )
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Good luck!
(FYP)
I firmly believe that had I not raced hard in Boston, I would have finished my half, two weeks later, in 1:25:00 instead of 1:35. (cough, cough... ) Therefore, I shall sign up for another HM next week so I can kill that 1:35....
Therefore, I shall sign up for another HM next week so I can kill that 1:35....
Good luck! (FYP)
LOL... good one, D.
Payback's a bitch!
LOL...
George, I would agree that you can't know exactly where the benefit/harmful line is with rain as there are too many variable such as how hard it's raining, the temperature, wind, etc. Still, I think it was a cooling factor in this race. I was wearing shorts and a singlet. During my warm up, I had arm sleeves. I took them off after the warm up because I felt too warm in them. I also wore light gloves and ended up wishing I hadn't. There are a couple of other possibilities.
The first is consistency. Although my training may have been harder in the fall, I was less consistent. I'd have a month of 250 miles followed by a month of 120 miles. This year, I haven't had any really high mileage months but every month has exceeded 200 miles. That includes April when I missed a week with that awful intestinal bug. Second, I have lost about five pounds since November. Then, I weighed 157-158 and I'm now down to 152-153. My goal is to get to around 148. At 6'0", that would give me a BMI of 20.1