Half Marathon Trainers

Half Marathon Trainers October 2008 (Read 632 times)

    I’ve been crazy busy since my race Sunday and I’m leaving soon to hop on the Acela to NYC for a few days so here’s my hastily written race report. Wow. I had no idea what to expect since this was my first HM and I’ve only run two other races over the past 14 months. My original goal was to finish in less than 2 hours, but after a summer of training I changed it to 1:50. But after the last couple weeks where I had some difficulties, I told my wife I’d be happy to get in under 1:55. I really surprised myself and finished in 1:49:39!!!!!!!! I had a really crappy week of running leading up to the race. I strained my right hip flexor and my left arch and didn’t feel great. I hitched a ride with my running club at 6:15am. On the way in, a 30-time marathoner told me that when he had a bad run before a race, he would always run great, when he had a good run before a race he’d run like crap. I guess he was on to something. It was a chilly morning - low 40s waiting for the start. But the sun came out and it was 50 around start time (8:00am) and got up over 60 by the mid-point of the race. This is a sanctioned event and included an elite field. The BAA Half marathon is a loop through Boston’s Emerald Necklace. It was a beautiful run but also had some very good hills on it. At the midpoint, it turns around in the Franklin Park Zoo. On the way towards the zoo, the elites came running right at us on the return trip. That was amazing to see - they fly!!!. It’s like their feet don’t touch the ground. What’s so amazing is how quiet they are. I’ve never seen the Kenyans run in person before so that was cool. My legs felt a little heavy for the first 2 miles but then the heaviness went away and I started feeling good - except for having to pee for the first 5+ miles! I swear these events calculate how many port-o-johns they need and then order exactly half that amount. I finally found some trees to hide in at the 5.5 mile mark. So, I lost a good minute on my time. One thing I noticed is that I really kicked it in on the hills and passed a lot of people. There are some good hills on my training runs and that definitely paid dividends. I was really strong on the hills. At mile 10, I saw the time marker, looked at my watch and was shocked. I calculated that I had an outside shot at 1:45. I tried to turn it on but I would’ve had to run sub 22:00 for that last 5k to make it and really didn’t have that in me. But I finished strong and was really happy to break 1:50. I saw my wife and daughters 30 seconds beore the finish line holding a big "Go Dad" sign and high-fived them on the way by. No tears but agood lump in my throat and emotions. Blush I felt fine running but as soon as I crossed the finish and started walking, my hip tightened up on me and I was limping pretty good. The hip seems OK now but the top of my right foot still hurts. I think I need to put the Superfeet greens back in my Mizunos to keep my arch from collapsing. After the race, there was no rest for me. I had to mow my lawn and close my pool so I was outside working for 5 ½ hours post-race. I collapsed onto my recliner with a Sam Adams Octoberfest and a supreme pizza around 5:30p. Then watched the Patriots get crushed. I just filled out my application to run the Boston Marathon for charity so gotta rest up and get ready to train some more. Thanks all of you for your support and encouragement here at RA!!! Minutes after crossing (my 3-year old was in the stroller with DW):

     

      Congratulations on exceeding your expectations! Sounds like you had a great day, and nice to get the family support.

      PBs since age 60:  5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.

                                          10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.

       


      Prince of Fatness

        Paul .... Sometimes it just isn't our day. Could be that the heat was a factor? Nice job sticking with it to the finish. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward.

        Not at it at all. 


        Prince of Fatness

          Congrats on the sub 1:50 George, with a bathroom break to boot. Nice work.

          Not at it at all. 

          Ringmaster


            1:50 with a potty break? Gotta be a man to pull that one off! Big grin Just kidding! That's a huge accomplishment for anybody, George! And on your first half! Your daughters remind me of my little girl--she'd be in my post-race picture holding some kind of stuffed animal, for sure. Here's hoping the Superfeet greens do the trick for your foot. Congrats again on a great race, and thanks for the great RR. How cool to see the elites.

            Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
            Mile by Mile

              Paul, Great race and report - the heat can really slow us down.. Plus - your good advice regarding the Galloway thing got me through my HM with no cramping so Thanks again A

              Recalculating...

               

                George, Great photo! Is the BAA HM always Columbus Day weekend? That would be a good race for me (we have good college friends who live in Boston). I think it may take me a few years to get down to 1:45. Good job! A

                Recalculating...

                 

                  George, Great photo! Is the BAA HM always Columbus Day weekend? That would be a good race for me (we have good college friends who live in Boston). I think it may take me a few years to get down to 1:45. Good job! A
                  Ayola, I believe it is always Columbus day weekend. You should definitely try next year, it's a beautiful course! Paul, congrats on finishing your race. I'm fortunate that the weather was perfect and that I felt good. But I've had those long run days where nothing feels right. Kudos to you for gutting it out and good luck going forward.

                   

                    Well guys, I just ran my race this morning, and am a little surprised, but delighted with my result. I may have mentioned I ran this race last year to celebrate my first year of running. the Toronto half is a net downhill course, though with a substantial hill in the fifth kilometre, then flat or downhill for about 12k, and rising fairly gently the last 3k, or 2 miles, just to take away any ambitions you might have for a fast finish! I had been planning to break 1:48 and my dream goal was under 1:45, and training went well over the summer, but I did only about 100 miles in September. I did some quality runs, both speed and dfistance, the first week of October but had resigned myself to accepting the 1:48 goal, hoping for a minute or so under that time. I did something a bit unusual as an experiment, I did not run at all, not a single step, in the last week before the race. I thought I wasn't going to set a great time so I could try something odd, and if it didn't work, no great loss.... It was cold this morning at the start, 29F or -2C, I ran in tights and a long sleeved Adidas shirt. Start was a bit chaotic, traffic all over the place as sloww runners clogged the road. I had decided on a risky strategy, try to run 5/kms or 8/miles as long as possible and see what happened. The risk was I might be exhausted and have to walk the last couple of miles and end up with a time of 2hrs, but, I might be able to hold the pace except for the hills, and do really well. With the cool air I felt really good, and reached 10 miles well under 80 minutes, somnething I have never done before. Now I have 5k, mostly uphill, to go! A couple of months ago I ran my first 5k, paced myself rather poorly, but with fresh legs ran just over 23 minutes. I am amazed to tell you that I ran the last 5k of my half today in 23:15, finishing in 1:42:58! I nearly collapsed at the finish, but 20 minutes later, after seeing my time, I felt fantastic! I cannot believe that every kilometre except the 5th, up the big hill, was under 5 minutes. I should also mention that a guy I know slightly who is an amputee runner also had an amazing race, I spoke to him in the chute, he ran about 1:28! The guy is just astonishing, that is seriously fast! Great day, loved it! Simon.

                    PBs since age 60:  5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.

                                                        10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.

                     


                    Prince of Fatness

                      Wow Simon. Nice job.

                      Not at it at all. 

                        Great job Simon!

                         

                        Teresadfp


                        One day at a time

                          Congratulations, Simon! Wow, that's so fast! Your experiment worked quite well. Smile


                          IMKY13 finish!!

                            George and Simon...congratulations to both!!! You both did great...and enjoyed the race reports. Ayola...I'm glad the Galloway method worked for you! Well, yesterday did my longest run since the Chicago marathon last year...did 17 miles yesterday. Boy, was I tired. I had been on a men's retreat from my church from Wednesday thru Saturday morning and I probably average about 4 hours of sleep each night...so I was dragging a bit (but at least I'm still on my plan).

                            Fitness/weight goals for 2014

                             

                            1) STAY INJURY FREE!!!

                            2) Get to 189 lbs by the end of July 2014...and stay there (as of 4-25-14 was at 203 lbs)

                            3) Complete Ironman Chattanooga in under 14 hours

                            4) Break 4 hours in a stand alone marathon (Goal race=Rocket City 12/13/14)

                            5) 4,500 total overall miles for the year:

                                     Swim: 100 miles

                                     Bike: 3,000 miles

                                     Run: 1,400 miles

                              I see there have been no posts in 4 days, hope you have all been busy running! I am just getting back into it after a week off following the race, ran 13k/8 miles tonight, moderate pace, legs pretty stiff and tired. Took a hot bath and had a couple of glasses of muscle relaxant with dinner, Italian sausage, onions, tomatoes, red peppers and spaghetti sauce over pasta with a nice green salad. Feeling much better! Simon.

                              PBs since age 60:  5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.

                                                                  10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.

                               

                              Ringmaster


                                Congrats on a great race, Simon! After one year of running? Amazing! You're a speedster for sure! Well, Paul, you sure put me to shame. I used being away from home as an excuse to take an entire week off--at the worst point in my training. We were with my parents in Honduras and running there was just illogical--talk about crazy drivers, and with the rains the track was unusuable. The kids and I got hit with some stomach bug, too, so I ended up losing about five pounds while I was gone. Back on track today (hopefully) with a quick four. Thanks for the inspiration--let's hope the sub-2 is still doable on November 16.

                                Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
                                Mile by Mile