Summary

I ran the Atlantic City April Fool’s Half Marathon in a PR of 2:05:XX. It’s a 4 minute PR and a 12 minute improvement from my last half. I should be happy about finally breaking a PR from 2012, but am not jumping up and down excited about it.

Long Version, grab a beverage and put up your feet

My first half was in October 2011. I ran a 2:19. It was the usual feel good until mile 10 and then shuffle   to the finish (Higdon plan). The next one I did was in May of 2012. My running had sucked that spring. For some perspective, I ran a TOTAL of 192 miles from January 1 through race day in early May. I went into it only wanting to finish without requiring medical attention (which was not out of the realm of possibilities, this is why my running had sucked). Instead, I ran a 2:10. Well, in full disclosure, I ran/walked to a 2:10. So I assumed next half when I actually, you know, TRAINED, it would be a matter of how much of a PR. Um, not quite. Next one was 2:12. I threw in the towel at mile 3 after weaving through far too many power walkers who lined up in the first and second corrals at Baltimore. Last half I did was in October 2013. It was ugly,  9:30 mm for the first part and 11:30+ for the second for a 2:17+ finish.

I decided in January I wanted to do a spring half. I was torn between two local ones. The first was March 28 on the rail trail and the other is May 9 on the course I PR-ed on. I started a 16 week Hudson plan that would end at the May 9 race. I was always lukewarm on that race. Mainly because it has lots of hills and early May MD weather is all over the place—last year it was 80 and humid.  In late February, I got an offer from Resort Casino in AC for free rooms.  Atlantic City is really desperate for gamblers, cause I think I gave them maybe $200 on my last trip. I knew they had a spring race and now I had a free hotel room, so why not? As far as the plan, I was already improvising in places anyway, so I cut back on the mileage 2 weeks before and did a modified taper last week. I also skipped the entire sharpening part of the plan, which I am trying to figure out how I am going to add that in for spring races, not sure if that will include the May 9 half.

As far as a goal time, I did a 5k in 26:26 in late March. So using some of the predictors, I came up with a 2:01-2:02 half. I thought 2:02-2:08 seemed reasonable as when the plan called for HM pace, I was doing between 9:15-9:45mm, depending on the day and hills. Secretly, I also was thinking maybe under 2 hours was possible—mainly because this course is totally flat and because I ran way more mileage (for me anyway) since January. For comparison to my PR race I’ve run 427 miles since January 1 (so in one less month, more than double the miles).

I did the usual weather stalking pre-race. It started out sounding crappy, but Sunday turned out to be beautiful, maybe a little on the warm side, but it was far better than the early forecast of rain and 53 mph winds. DH and I drove up to AC on Friday, making a side trip to his parents’ house on the way. We met up with one of his friends who lives in AC and went out for dinner and did some gambling. I won a few bucks, probably made back my race registration. Saturday we did some wandering around the boardwalk and then turned in early.

Since we were staying at same hotel as the race start, the logistics were so easy. I got up, got dressed, went down to the coffee shop and had my breakfast. I knew where the non-crowded indoor bathrooms were. About 10 minutes before the start, I went outside and lined up. There were 1300 finishers for the half. It was self seeding at the start. I inserted myself about halfway into the crowd, trying to get ahead of the costumed runners.

Miles 1-6             9:56, 9:39, 9:42, 9:26, 9:15, 9:07

The race started about 7 minutes late. They sounded the horn and we didn’t move.  Everyone was stretched across the boardwalk, so the masses had to funnel through the start area. It took me about a minute and a half to shuffle across the finish line. The race is an out and back, partially on the boardwalk and part on Atlantic Avenue, which is parallel to the boardwalk.  I had made the decision to run at a comfortable pace to the turnaround. If I felt good, I’d up the effort level. I also was going to be smart in the first mile or two and not weave much.  Mile 1 was my slowest mile, I looked at my watch and saw over 10mm and knew I needed to get my butt in gear and get around some of the slower people or groups running & chatting (why do you pay $90 to chat with friends?).  I can’t really remember many specifics about the out portion. It got a little tighter when I came off the boardwalk and onto Atlantic Avenue. They had 2 lanes closed off, one lane for the out and the other for the return trip. It was fine except for when people insisted on running as a pair or group dead center of the lane. Around mile 4 or 5, the first 2 men came FLYING by. They both finished in 1:06!!.

Miles 7-9             9:09, 9:50, 8:57

I hit the turnaround in 1:02 and some seconds. I was feeling ok, if anything I felt it more in my legs than breathing.  So I picked it up a little. In mile 8, I finally got fed up with the long sleeve shirt I had on, but had pushed the sleeves up pretty early.  I took off my long sleeve shirt and tied it around my waist. I also had to re-pin my number on the other shirt, which is one I never wear in public because who puts a stick figure runner that looks like a X directly over a boob?  The slow mile is due to the wardrobe adjustments. The next mile was my fastest . This whole section was tough in that we were in the right hand lane, which was heavily slanted. Everyone wanted to run closest to the lane line, since it was the flattest.

Miles 10-13.1     9:54, 9:40, 9:50, 9:38, 9:00 pace for final .1 (or .2 per Garmin)

This section took us back on the boardwalk. I took some water just before the boardwalk and walked through the water station. I hadn’t drank anything up until that point. Soon after that, I wound up with a horrendous side stitch, so I slowed to a walk, put my hands on my head and tried to get it to ease up. Not sure if this was related to the water, I’ve had this happen before after drinking. Anyway, this whole section just dragged. As soon as we got back on the boardwalk, I could see the Taj Mahal casino in the distance. It is past the finish, but it took forever to get close.  My legs hurt, I basically spent the better part of these 4 miles counting down—ok, less than 40 minutes, less than 30, etc. I had hoped to finish stronger, but at that point, it wasn’t happening.

As rough as the last part felt, it was 1:03 and change from the turnaround and only a 35 second positive split.

Final Thoughts

The finish area was packed. They would be better served to spread this area out a little. It was just way too crowded and aside from the chute, there was not a runner’s only area. I grabbed a Gatorade, Philly soft pretzel and popcorn and walked around the boardwalk a little trying to stretch out/cool down/not cramp too much. I met up with DH in the hotel, he actually had been a few blocks below the finish and saw me come by, but we were on opposite sides of the boardwalk.

So I should be happy with finally bettering 2:10, but just feel frustrated. I averaged more than 30 miles per week through March. Since I got a Garmin in 2011, I had run only 2 other 30 mile weeks and one of those was 2 years ago. My 5k did not improve in this time (the March race was the same as one I did in November in 25:50). January and March were mileage PRs. February wasn’t much further behind.  4 minutes just doesn’t seem like much.

Now I am trying to figure out what my next races are. I am still on the fence about the May half. I have a 4 day vacation later this month and will not be running those days. My legs are really sore, so running today wasn’t happening and I’m not sure about tomorrow. I want to somehow use the sharpening period from plan, or even focus on a 10k in late May, with the hope that this increase in mileage will benefit me.

Congrats on the sub-2:10! I know how you feel about wanting more, but any day you can run a PR is a good one. Enjoy a few days off.

A four minute PR is a nice chunk of change.  You should definitely feel good about that!  As far as wanting more, it is good to not be satisfied but don't get frustrated.  The base miles you've been running this year are going to pay off down the road if you keep at it.  Running rewards hard work and consistency.  Keep up with the 30 mpw and you're going to keep seeing the PR fall.

What a fantastic PR!  I hope you are not too frustrated that it wasn't your goal/expected time.  Your fitness has improved, but race performance is a combination of fitness level, race strategy, and all the things that happen on race day (side stitch!).   Now you have a goal for next time.

MTA:  I'm with Lily and Baboon on the 4 minutes.  When I PRed by 6 minutes, I said I "crushed" it.  I think 4 minutes is pretty crushing, too!

Congrats on the PR!  Four minutes IS a pretty big chunk to take off, but I can understand your frustration.  When that happens to me, I just tell myself that it will be easier to PR again next time. 

A 4 minute PR is huge and cause for celebration!  Congrats.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate even the tiniest of PRs.

I still get pissy when I fall short of race expectations so initially it's hard for me to appreciate a PR. With time however, I reflect on everything that went into it and come to appreciate it as the days go by.

It's stupid I know, but it is something that is self-sustaining and completely out of my control.

Congrats on the 4 minute PR. I also am the kind not to see the PR if the result is short of the expectations. But a 4 minute PR is a pretty good accomplishment in a HM.