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Newbies first race --- He blew it... (Read 198 times)

pedaling fool


    A little background: I"m 48 y/o male; my background is as a cyclist, weightlifter and hiker, but never much of a runner, but I knew I wanted to become one. I started running in 2007, but not really seriously, but I was doing about 7-10 mile runs a couple times a week here and there, then I suffered various injuries, but nothing serious. Then I suffered from a weird illness in the beginning of 2012 and stopped running all together for the year, then picked it back up in Nov. 2012, but for some reason I really got into it and now it's become somewhat of an obsession.

     

    I decided to do my first race -- Jacksonville's 15K Gate River Run. I decided I wasn't going to set a big goal, just run it and get a feel for the running scene. Then I started reading books on running -- big mistake. I started getting obsessed with Junk Miles. Having a cycling background I already was familiar with the idea of not overtraining and the importance of recovery rides, or in this case recovery runs. But I never really thought much of Junk Miles, I guess because I ride a bike everywhere, so I never really came at it from a training mindset, but of course if you are training for a cycling race then you can have the same effect with Junk Miles.

     

    About 2-weeks befor the race (race held on 9 March) I experienced somewhat of a breakthrough on an 8.3-mile run. Now, in the back of my head I was saying, "OK, just bottle this up and don't push it; I'm ready for the race!" However, I felt so good I wanted to continue that feeling and keep improving, so I up'ed my running, doing some hills and speedwork, making sure I wasn't doing any Junk Miles.

     

    Then about 5 days before the race, something happened, it was as if my transmission dropped into neutral. I was still going, but I could feel the momentum dropping, so I freaked out and up'ed my performance and it just wasn't there, then that voice in the back of my head got louder..."You need to rest you moron..." But it was too late.

     

    I did the run on race day in a lousy 1:47:54; a pace of ~11:36-min/mile. It was painful; and it wasn't just psychological, my freakin' head was swimming when I crossed the finish line. I damn near passed out.  Dead

     

     

    Lessons learned: Don't read books when you're getting into running, just run. Don't worry about Junk Miles, you need all the miles you can get under your feet, just build up your base. Don't worry about hills and speedwork...again just get in the miles, build that base.

     

     

    P.S. I don't blame the books, it was my own stupid mistake; I was getting too much into watching my time drop on every run.


    Feeling the growl again

      Junk miles?  What are those?  What all your training and progress you've been working at turns into when you push too hard and leave it all in training, not to be found on race day?  Big grin

      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

       

      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

       

      joescott


        Junk miles?  What are those?  What all your training and progress you've been working at turns into when you push too hard and leave it all in training, not to be found on race day?  Big grin

         

        Ouch, I resemble that remark.  Smile

        - Joe

        We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.

        Mysecondnewname


           

          Lessons learned: Don't read books when you're getting into running, just run.

           

          Sorry to hear about your bad experience.  It gets better--just fuel for the next training cycle to wash that bad taste out of your mouth.

           

          While I would agree with the latter clause ("just run"), I would disagree with the former ("Don't read books").  You just have to make sure you read the right books (Plus, use your own common sense, careful observation, and experience to filter out what works for you and what doesn't.)

            I wouldn't call this a bad experience, I'd call it a learning experience....now you have a better idea of what to do and not to do for your next race......and NEXT YEAR you can kick this races BUTT.......

             

            JUNK MILES  ---  never hear of them  --  there's no such thing.......

             

            Actually, MY definition for Junk Miles === On that day when you go out for a run and you're stiff and sore and you KNOW you should go back to the house sit down and have a nice cold brew, but you go ahead and run and have a really crappy run because you just needed a day off.....those sre JUNK MILES (to me).....

             

            Lot of extra miles at a slow pace is just  called good training....

            Champions are made when no one is watching

            runnerclay


            Consistently Slow

              Newbies SadSmile

              Run until the trail runs out.

               SCHEDULE 2016--

               The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

              unsolicited chatter

              http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

                Don't beat yourself up, that's a tough race. I ran that about 3 years ago and that bridge at the end is a killer. I'm actually moving back to Jax in a few months, so I'll be there next year.