Race report--Strawberry Plains Half Marathon

In the words of everyone's favorite rapper/actor, Ice Cube, Today was a good day.

If anyone has been following my progress (doubtful), you'd know that in most races of any distance, I am around 8:00/mile. You'd also know that I've been struggling with improving upon this pace--I've never really known/had the guts to actually try to run faster.

So, with this being a half marathon, and my pace being 8:00/mile, you can do some (not-so) fancy math and tell me that my half-marathon time is going to be 1:44:43--and I would have been totally cool with that. The problem would be that you would have been wrong.

The weather was absolutely perfect for running. It was about 45F at the start and overcast, no wind whatsoever. There were a good number of runners today, as there were two races--a 10k and a 1/2 marathon. The fact that there were some (faster) 10K runners with us 1/2 marathoners for the first three miles really helped me set my pace and get into rhythm--if it weren't for them I probably would have 'plodded' along at my 8 minute pace and went about the rest of my day like I just completed my regular Saturday run. Today was different--I was racing!

So I'm feeling like I have a ton of energy at the beginning of the race. I don't know if it's because I've been sick and have missed 4-5 runs the past 2 weeks, or if it was the Diet Mt Dew I had at 6 am. Probably a combination of the two in all honesty. Either way, I am feeling great through the first 5 miles--37 minutes!

Miles 5-10 we're good as well. There was a water/GU station at mile 6 and I took advantage--I wanted to keep my high energy level up for the rest of this run. I knew I was running well and didn't want to crash at the end. I almost take 2 GU's but decide on powerade and GU and keep running. I ran a 10 mile race on Jan 26 and my time was 1:20:11. My split at the 10 mile mark today was 1:14! Really?

Miles 10-13.1 were tough, but not that tough. If you would have told me I was going to run a 1:38:11 half marathon I would have told you to lay off the crackpipe. I guess I got in a good groove and was able to keep my pace throughout. My per mile pace was right at 7:30 and now I have to re-evaluate my time goals for all other distances going forward. I guess it's a good problem to have, but now I am thinking if I run a 4 hour marathon I am slacking. If I don't crack 21:00 in a 5k I am slacking.

I really need to stop thinking and start running. That is one thing I will say about my approach this Saturday, I took it one mile at a time and just kept pushing. I didn't really care about my time, but once I knew I was on pace for a fast time I kept damn sure I wasn't going to blow it by slacking at the end. This race was a lot of fun.

I am lame.

I have had to take a couple trips this month for business. I have been sick both times. I don't think the traveling and the sicknesses have been related, (the entire east side of Tennessee is apparently sick right now), but nonetheless I haven't been running as much as I'd like. How do runners run while they're traveling? I find it hard to fit in and frankly I usually don't have the energy.

I've heard that you are not supposed to exercise when you aren't feeling well, because you'll never get better? I don't know the truth in the matter, but I've taken that 'advice' nonetheless.

Well, sort of. I felt myself getting sick last Thursday, so I took it easy and tried to sleep and drink a lot of fluids because I knew I had an 18 mile run on Saturday. I was going to run that 18 miler on Saturday come hell or high water--so, Saturday rolls around and I go meet up the group at 7:30AM for the run. The group was about 1/2 the size of what it normally is--I think people were chickening out on the 18 miler, but I'm sure there were a lot of smart sick ones that didn't try it. (you know, since the plague has covered east TN)

I, on the other hand, was a sick one....but not a 'smart' sick one. I knew I didn't have all of my normal energy, so it was going to take a miracle to run for all 18 miles. I also was attempting this run with no GU or energy gel, powerade or any other 'performance enhancers'--another bad idea. It turned out to be a good learning experience, because I was able to find out how far I can go before I just don't have the energy to run anymore--I did make it 2 hrs and 8 minutes before I started walking--and I had covered about 14-15 miles. I walked because I just felt spent. I wasn't sore, out of breath, or anything like that--which is good. I am happy with my strength and preparedness going into this marathon. It's just that whole GU/powerade thing I gotta work on.

I have been in FLA all this week, and the weather was warm, but it's either been really windy or raining the whole time. Oh well. (At least they had 7-11 which meant SLURPEES EVERYDAY!!!!!) (7-11's don't exist in Tennessee) I'll be home tonight and I have a 1/2 marathon Saturday. I'm pushing for 1:45, but since I've been sick all week and I don't know how that's going to effect me. I did run 3 miles on a treadmill this morning but it's the only time I've ran since the 18 mile run/walk on Saturday. I'm either going to be well rested or weak and out of it. We'll see, I guess. I will have a report shortly after the race.