This past weekend I finished my 4th half marathon in the past 28 days and became the newest member of the Half Fanatics!
There's no way I would have done it without taking walk breaks so the Galloway method definitely gets plenty of credit. Here are my races and times...
09/12/09 - Asheville Citizen-Times Half Marathon (1:39:47) (17 walk breaks) 09/19/09 - Davidson Run for Green Half Marathon (1:40:07) (15 walk breaks) 10/04/09 - Kennesaw Locomotive Half Marathon (1:36:48) (8 walk breaks) 10/10/09 - iRecycle Half Marathon (Spartanburg SC) (1:42:14) (17 walk breaks)
All of the walk breaks were 20 seconds. As you can see, my fastest time was in the race with the fewest walk breaks, so I guess it does slow me down some but without the walk breaks I doubt that I could have even finished one race. With the walk breaks I feel like I could run a half marathon easily every week although most weeks there's not one close enough to get to.
Also, I'm pretty happy with the times. I finished 1st in the 55-59 age group in all but the Asheville race, and in that one I was 2nd to Danny Dreyer, the author of the Chi Running book, by 2 minutes.
Richard Hefner Past Race Results (Athlinks)
Congratulations and welcome to half fanatics!
I finished my marathon on the 4th with an 11 minute PR and after a week of recovery am planning to start up again with the C25K program this week. No races in the near future, but I want to make my walk breaks shorter and my run breaks longer by the end of the year. I'm looking at halfs in January and April and my next marathon in May. We'll see how it goes.
Marathon Maniac #991 Half Fanatic #58 Double Agent #22 It's a perfect day and I feel great!
under a rock
Hey Rose... I remembered there was somebody in here in the Half Fanatics but I couldn't remember who. I also looked you up in the Marathon Maniacs... that's something that you did 3 in 65 days! That's a record I won't be attempting, ever. I'm pretty tired after 13.1 miles and during the second half of the one full marathon I ran I swore I'd never do it again. So far I'm sticking with that.
Hey Ashley... You probably remember you're the one who told me about the Half Fanatics when we were running together. There was a girl in the race this past Saturday that reminded me so much of you. Same size, same general features, talked like you, and ran like you... definitely had that competitive thing going. She beat me as a matter of fact. I ran with her a little bit in the race before she left me behind. Hope you're still planning on the Airport race on the 31st.
Well, I'm like a lot of people. Saw the Maniac singlet and wanted one. Then looked up the criteria and said that it would never happen. Early in 2008 I was registered for the Eugene Marathon in May when my friend told me she and some other friends were doing Yakima River Canyon in April. Then I just needed to find another race within 90 days and did the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in June. Worked out to 65 days from first to last one.
When they started the Fanatics, I had to hurry up and do a couple of half marathons to qualify, so did them two Sundays in a row in July. I could probably do a half marathon every weekend without much trouble.
At my pace, I'd be comfortable doing a marathon about every three weeks if work and money allowed. I still walk more than I run and keep placing in AG because the other old women don't come out for the races. I've been first or second in AG in something like 6 out of my last 9 races.
Cellcom 2012
Congratulations, Richard, great job!! Your an inspiration to me, I'm always thinking it would be so great to do have half but at the 10k finish line this weekend, I don't know if it's possible. What was your first half like?
My first HM was Thunder Road in December 2008 (after beginning running in September 2008). I finished in a little over 2 hours (2:02 or so) and spent about 5 minutes at the porta potties at Mile 8. Since then I don't drink anything before the half marathons until just a few minutes before the race and that's worked a lot better for me. I finished 16th of 32 in my age group. This year (December 12th) I'm running it again and will try to do a little better!
Okay, Richard your fast!! I certainly think I am a jogger and not a runner, anybody know the difference? Does anyone use the term jog anymore?
I don't hear people referring to themselves as joggers but I've heard other people say it. I think if you get in races and run (at least part of the time) you're a runner. My wife started running when I did and averages about 12 minutes a mile in most races. I think of her as a runner -- definitely not a jogger. Speed is such an individual thing. To some people I may seem fast (usually if I'm faster than them) but to others I'm really slow (when they're faster than me). What really matters is just being out there and challenging yourself whether it's perceived to be fast or slow.