Half-Marathon #6 Race Report

I finished my 6th half-marathon yesterday in 2:14:12. It was my 3rd fastest half-marathon. I met my goal of a 10:15 pace exactly and worked hard to do it!

The race was tough. I had run 22 miles during the week prior to the race, so I didn't exactly have fresh legs. We ran against a headwind of 10-15 mph for at least 6 or 7 of the 13 miles. And the hills, oh the hills!

I intended to take it easy and run at a comfortably hard pace. I had no intention of trying to PR after my 2:09 three weeks ago. As it turned out, running against that wind turned the comfortably hard pace into very hard pace! I really had to fight to meet my goal of under 2:15.

But it's good to set a goal (albeit a LOW one) and meet it!

The race itself was a bit of a struggle mentally. It turned out to be unseasonably warm--it was about 65 degrees at the start. I was fine and excited at the start, but at the first water stop at 1.7 miles, they had no water. I hadn't worn my fuel belt due to the promise of water stops every two miles. At only 1.7 miles, it was a bit of an annoyance, but I figured I'd live. Then at the 2nd water stop at 3.7 miles, they were also out of water! Now I was getting mad! At this point it was probably above 70 degrees and I was thirsty and needed to take a gel. (Note: I was in the MIDDLE of the field of 850 runners, not in the back. There was no reason for them to be out of water.) Finally, at mile 6, I actually got water at a water stop.

About the 6-mile mark, we turned into this vicious headwind. At 6.55 miles, the half-way point, I was at 1:05 and change, which would have put me at about a 2:10 finish or better if I ran negative splits. However, the 2nd half of this course is very hilly and the wind never let up, so my negative splits went out the window. My knees began to ache and I was feeling nauseous from taking that gel without any fluids earlier. It was kind of miserable.

I chatted with a couple of fellow runners for 5 or 10 minutes here and there, but mostly I was on my own for the whole 2nd half of the race and not having fun. I don't think I smiled the entire time! Nevertheless, I never questioned "Why do I do this to myself??" or wanted to quit running like I did in this same race last year. I just dug in and ran into the wind as best I could.

In the last 2 miles, I realized that I could not walk any and I had to run at a pretty good pace to meet my goal. In 5 of my 6 half-marathons, I've walked a little in those last couple of miles because I was just spent. (NOT in my PR race a few weeks ago though! Got to love a flat course!) It was good to be able to push at the end and I rallied with a 10:05 pace in mile 12 (perhaps a bit too soon) and mile 13 was 10:26. Oh, and the last water stop at mile 11 was also OUT OF WATER. They gave me 1/2 inch, barely a swallow, of Gatorade and a cup of ice. All the ice was stuck together in one big block. I was thinking, "What exactly am I supposed to do with this???"

I was relieved to finish the race and quickly downed a bottle of water. I was a bit dehydrated from the heat and 3 of the 6 water stops not having fluids. It was in the mid to upper 70's when we finished. In November in Tennessee! Crazy!

I waited at the finish line for several of my training group to finish and loudly cheered them in. Then Christie, one of the runners in my group, and I headed back out on the course to run in the last few folks from our group. We saw several runners who were in distress out there. It was near the three-hour mark by this time. Muscle cramps were taking down many runners who had gotten little if any fluids on the course and no electrolytes (that one swallow of Gatorade was the only sports drink available at any of the stops) on an unseasonably hot day. We were carrying water from the finish line and several people at mile 12 asked us for a drink! We gave away all our fluids and a gel I had left over. We ran in the 2nd to last runner from our running group who was suffering severe cramps in her feet, and right behind her we cheered in the last runner from our group at about 3:02. Christie had just run 13.1 for the first time, and by running in the last runners with me, ran a total of 15 miles! That was pretty amazing.

All of the runners I had trained for the half-marathon who started the race, finished the race. (One was with her sick mother and missed the race.) As a coach, it was a great day! My fastest runner ran an amazing 1:53---and he's in the 50-55 age group. In fact, four of my runners were in that age group and all had outstanding races. I applaud their courage---deciding at age 50 to run a half marathon for the first time. I hope I have the courage to seek out new challenges when I'm there in about 11 years! I had three who almost placed for age group awards---they were each in 4th place in their divisions--- 15-19 women's division, 50-55 women's division, and 50-55 men's division--representing the two ends of the spectrum of ages in the group.

My Couch to 5Kers also ran a strong race. I missed it because it was run during the half-marathon. I've got a few who clearly have caught the racing bug. They can't wait to run the next one. And several want to train with me for a half marathon in the spring! (Assuming the Y continues this program!)

So, I'm officially UNEMPLOYED for the time being. I'll start up the new training groups in late January if all goes as planned. It has seriously been the BEST. JOB. EVER.

Here is the Pitt Crew (my last name is Pittman) in our matching shirts pre-race. There were 21 from the group who ran, but several got caught in port-o-potty line during the photo op. I'm on the far left. The back of our shirt says "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1.

And we did.

Stay Focused!!

I just realized a couple of days ago that I only have TWO WEEKS until taper! In "marathon speak," that means I've only got two weeks until I start reducing my mileage and letting my body recover from all I've put it through. For the last four months, the marathon has been this race far in the future, and suddenly training is almost over.

Realizing I only have two weeks until taper put this Saturday's half marathon into perspective. It's not going to be a race-race, it's going to have to be a tempo training run. This is the time to FOCUS on the big picture, i.e., the marathon. I have only done one 20-miler, and I've only had two weeks with 35+ miles. I need this week and next to be high mileage, long run weeks. So, instead of mini-tapering for the half-marathon,I've actually put in 22 miles so far this week and plan to run 13.1 + 3 on Saturday. Having a strong 16-mile run is more important than trying to beat my 2:09 PR from three weeks ago. Running 38 miles this week instead of 20 or 25 will be more beneficial in the long run.

With that said, I do have some goals for Saturday. I'd like to run a smart race with even or negative splits (2nd half faster than first half). I'd like to keep my pace between 10 or 10:05 and 10:20. I'd like to average about 10:15 for the race overall. And I'd like to beat last year's time of 2:15:41. Then I'd like for the extra 3 I do at the end not to hurt (very much).

My plan is to finish the race, then jog back out onto the course to find a spot to encourage those from my half-marathon training group who are still out there. At the end, if anyone is struggling, I'll run that last mile or two with them if they need me to. Doing that a few times should get me the extra 3 miles.

Then next week, it's another 38-40 mile week with my last 20-miler on Friday the 13th. (Also another reason not to race this weekend--it would make the 20-miler THAT MUCH HARDER. And trust me, they are hard enough!) Then it's taper and I can have my life back.

I want to wish all of my half-marathon and Couch to 5K group members good luck on Saturday! They all made so much progress in such a short time. Some of them absolutely blew me away---going from walking to running 13.1 miles in 14 weeks without injury, embracing fuel belts and Garmins and Gu's as a "normal" part of their lives, talking about their splits, and already signing up for their next races.... I feel like such a proud momma!

Here are several my "Pitt Crew" about four weeks into their journey to become lean, mean, half-marathon running machines: (I'm on bottom right in a jacket--it was chilly post race!)

The Crave

Something new is going on with my running. I've been on a five-day-a-week running program for 14 weeks now. I never thought I'd be more than a 3-days-a-weeker, or maybe a 4-days-a-weeker when training for a specific race, but I'm really getting into running 5 times a week. Sometimes I wish I were running on that 6th day!

If I haven't run, I crave putting on my shoes and heading out the door. Even if I only run 2 or 3 miles, the need to run is firmly entrenched into my being. (When did it become a need?) I know running is a healthy addiction when not taken to extremes, so I guess it's ok. (Some might say that running 5 days a week and training for a marathon ARE extreme.... but I digress.)

Some runs are better than others. Some feel free and easy and even joyful, while others are difficult and painful and make me question why I do this. But I guess even a bad run is better than no run at all....

Speaking of "no run at all," I visited a podiatrist this week who prescribed a 10-day hiatus from running. On my 18 miler two weeks ago, either my right shoe was too tightly laced or my foot swelled from all the pounding, but I developed a painful area on top of my foot. I babied it (and everything else) with a light week of running the following week in preparation for my 20-miler on Saturday. The foot was fine (in different shoes) until mile 13, and at that point, the tongue rubbing on the top of my foot became so painful, I seriously considered taking my shoe off and finishing in just my socks. (But it was my expensive Ininji toe socks, and I think I paid like $18 bucks for them, so I kept my shoes on.)

I took Sunday off and on Monday tried to put on my running shoes. Ouch. I couldn't even walk in them. I decided I'd better call in an expert. A local podiatrist had a cancellation and could see me that morning. I was thinking stress fracture.

However, an x-ray of that foot was clear and he diagnosed tendonitis or inflammation in the soft tissue on top of my foot. (It's very subjective, this podiatry thing.) He told me to take 10 DAYS OFF from running and to avoid wearing shoes that aggravated the condition. Here I am 5 weeks from the full marathon and 2 weeks from the half. TEN days off? I got my anti-inflammatory meds filled (both oral and a gel) and rested my foot for all of ...... Monday.

Since I'd just read Born to Run about a tribe of barefoot running people, on Tuesday I decided to give a quick shoeless run a try. After only ONE DAY OFF, I was jonesin' for a run. I ran an easy 1 mile in my sock feet completely pain-free, then went to the Y and rode a bike for 8 miles. I wore my running shoes to the Y, I just unlaced the first two eyes on the shoe. (Thank you for that idea, Runners' World message board, where someone has experienced every injury out there!)

On Wednesday, since the shoes had felt fine the day before and I was still pain-free, I went on a 3.5 mile run. On Thursday, I ran 4---two on the treadmill without shoes and two with. Today, my feet hurt slightly on the bottoms (apparently this barefoot running thing takes some getting used to) during my 2.5 mile run.

So, rather than OFF, I took it EASY.

It was weird. It was like the doctor was asking me to stop breathing or something.

I know I *should* listen to the doctor, but this time, I listened to my body instead. Mistake #1 was panicking and rushing off to the doctor instead of giving it a couple of days' rest myself.

Seriously???

Wow, 20-milers suuuuuuuuuucccccckkkkk. Or at least mine did today. It may have been worse than the one I did last spring on the same route. Just like last time, miles 14-20 were brutal. But in terms of physical pain, it was worse this time. My ankles. My knees. My right foot. My hips.

I realize that the hilly course I did the two terrible 20's on is probably not the best course for a 20-miler. One of the training books I read says that you should avoid a hilly course for the long runs. Hills on medium and short runs are great. I'm not training for a particularly hilly race anyway.

Running that half-marathon 6 days ago HARD was probably a mistake. (A personal record-breaking mistake, but a mistake still.) And running the 5 extra miles probably wasn't my smartest move, either. It left me pretty beaten down for my 20 today. My mileage for the week was a ridiculous 49 miles, technically. It just happened that 2 long runs fell within 7 days.

Anyway, I got them done. I just hope there isn't any permanent damage. It's a little late to get stupid about my training!

Do I REALLY have to do another 20-miler in 3 weeks? Seriously??

How I Spent My 5.5 Mile Run Today

I was not feeling really motivated to run this morning despite the nice weather. I'm still recovering from my 18-miler and race on Sunday, and I knew I'd better take it slow and easy. So, I....

• Walked. Alot.
• Took one phone call.
• Sent 3 text messages.
• Stopped to sign a petition to stop the local post office from being closed down
• Admired my neighbors' Halloween decorations
• Tried my best to catch some falling leaves (unsuccessfully)
• Wrote this post in my mind
• Planned a Turkey Day 5K for my neighborhood or my running club--don't know which
  
• Just enjoyed the feeling of freedom
  

It was a good run.

Coach Thyself--Half-Marathon Race Report

I coached myself to a new half-marathon PR today in the Music City Half-Marathon! 2:09:44 (That was for 13.23. I was around 2:09 at 13.1, but the course was a little long or I didn't run on the tangent.) I was 8th out of 23 in my age group.

I didn't train for this race, per se. It just happened to be in the middle of marathon training. This high-mileage, easy pace training REALLY works. I'm logging between 30 and 36 miles per week, mostly at an easy, conversational pace. A few intervals with my half-marathon group a couple of times and one tempo run is what my speed work has consisted of over the last few months. I didn't taper. I actually had to run 18 miles this week, including 4 miles the day before the race with my training groups! (What could I have done if I were actually rested???)

I didn't think I'd be a convert to high-mileage training, but it is really improving my cardiovascular system, lactate threshold, and VO2 max. Those improvements were enough to knock nearly 2 minutes off my time from March on this same course (2:11:41).

The race itself was great. I slowly jogged a mile before the race began because the training schedule called for 18 miles and I needed to warm up anyway. It was sunny and about 38 degrees at the start. I hoped to keep the pace between 9:50 and 10:10/pace. At the end of mile 1, I thought I might be having a good day. (And I realized that I had overdressed for the temps in a long-sleeved technical tee and technical lightweight jacket over it.) By the end of mile 2, I was fairly certain it was going to be a good day. My first two miles were a 9:50 pace and 9:49 pace, right on target. I had planned to walk through the 4 water stops, but I decided to keep going at the first one and jogged/drank/spilled through the stop at 2.8 miles.

Around miles 3 and 4, I was feeling really good at a 9:45 pace, which is unusual for me. In the past, that was my lactate threshold--- if I were running faster than 9:45, I knew lactic acid would build up in my legs later in the race (at miles 8+) and I'd be wanting to walk. But today, 9:45 felt right. The negative splits continued (to my dismay--I still a little worried in the back of my mind I was going out too fast) with a 9:47 mile, 9:40 mile and 9:41 mile. Miles 4 and 5 would be my fastest of the day.

I finally reigned in the adrenaline a little and starting logging 9:45-9:59 paces, including walking for 5-10 seconds through 3 water stops--the only walking for the race. I took gels at miles 5 and 9 DRY, which I know is "against the rules," but there were no water stops there. (Note to self: memorize where water stops are and plan accordingly.)

Eight miles is often a turning point in a half-marathon for me. In my first half-marathon a year and a half ago, I felt good at 8 miles with proper pacing and lots of Accelerade, which really works for me, and had a great race. In the last 3 half-marathons, the 8-mile mark was when things started going down hill. But, suddenly, I was at the 9-mile mark, then the 10, and my miles were all still coming in under a 10-minute pace. I was running consistently. Yes, I had to work harder in miles 10, 11, 12, and 13, but I maintained a sub 10-minute pace. Mile 12 was my slowest at 9:59 pace. Mile 10 came in at a happy 9:47 and mile 13 was a 9:48 pace! Then I was at 13, then 13.1, then 13.2......

I knew the distance would be off because the last time I ran the course, it was longer than 13.1 due to winding paths with runners coming at you---so you have to run on the edge rather than the middle, which would be the shortest distance at which the course is measured. My chip time comes to a 9:55/average pace (but that's averaging me for 13.1 miles when I ran an extra .12 for a total of 13.23 if my Garmin is correct), but my Garmin clocked me at a 9:49 pace. That makes more sense considering my splits. I only had 3 miles above 9:55/pace and several in the 9:40's.

It helped that the course was almost completely flat. There were maybe 2 gentle inclines and one small hill.

Afterwards, I realized that my biceps hurt so much. I must have been clenching my fists and really holding my arms flexed for the entire 13 miles! I feel like I did a hundred bicep curls! And a pretty hard effort for 13 miles left me with achy knees and lower back and a tingly piriformis and a few other ailments. Sports massage, anyone? Then my husband met me for a PAINFUL 4 more miles to get me to 18. I walked all of the last mile and a lot of the other 3, but I'm at 18 for the day and 36 for the week. Ouch.

Splits and such:
Mile 1 9:50
Mile 2 9:49
Mile 3 9:47
Mile 4 9:40
Mile 5 9:41
Mile 6 9:52
Mile 7 9:49
Mile 8 9:58
Mile 9 9:50
Mile 10 9:47
Mile 11 9:57
Mile 12 9:59
Mile 13 9:48 2:07:47 at 13 miles....might have sneaked in under 2:09 for 13.11. I can usually finish the .11 in about a minute. Wish I'd glanced at my Garmin!
Mile .23 8:52/pace

13.23 miles 9:49 average pace. It was a GOOD day. By the way, my A. goal (best case scenario) was 2:10. And I beat THAT.

And Then When It All Falls Apart....

Nothing makes you appreciate the great runs like a REALLY, REALLY BAD one. (Did I mention it was REALLY bad?) I knew the minute I titled last weeks' post "When Things Come Together" that today's title was in my near future. That's just how the runner's life works.

Everything fell apart on Saturday's 12-miler that wound up being 13 miles. It was pathetic. After 5.5 miles, I took walk breaks CONSTANTLY. My hips hurt. My knees hurt. I was nauseated. I was exhausted. (And I didn't even go out too fast or anything.) I had a bad attitude. I guess it was good for my training group to see that everyone has a bad day from time to time. (Many of them ROCKED their first 12-mile run! I was so happy for them despite my own misery!)

I have many REASONS/EXCUSES as to why the run was so bad:

• First, I set myself up for failure by running stupidly all week. By "stupidly," I mean I did speed intervals with people from my training groups on Monday and Wednesday, then a tempo run on Thursday. Instead of taking a rest day on Friday, I ran 2.5 more miles. Oh, and to add a dash of crazy in there, I did all those runs in OLD shoes. In an effort to save money, I decided to save my good shoes for the marathon and do my training runs in my old shoes. I need to just pay the $85 that Road Runner Sports has my New Balance 1225's on sale for!

• I also got lazy with my diet this week. I skimped on protein and iron and fresh produce. I ate junk.

• I forgot to make sleep a priority and fell into my old habit of staying up too late.

• It was a SERIOUSLY hilly course. Up and down. Up and down. For 13 miles.
  

• I got a flu shot on Friday. Could that have anything to do with it?
  

After finishing the first 11 miles, I went back out to find the last few runners from my group to make sure they were ok. (Everyone else had finished.) I continued to run/walk. I found the last runner 1 mile out and ran her in, which is how my 12 became 13. Twelve horrible miles, thirteen horrible miles---what's the difference?

By the end I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Definitely flu-ish, but it's hard to go to the doctor and say, "I'm having body aches. Oh, incidentally, I ran 13 miles before I came here." So I went home and climbed under the covers. After an hour of rest, I still felt pretty bad.

I developed a terrible headache and noticed my upper teeth hurt as I was eating lunch and dinner. Finally, at 7:00 p.m., I went to the doctor. Turns out I had a sinus infection. I got some Augmentin, and I feel much better.

So, what caused the REALLY, REALLY bad run? Probably a number of things. Hopefully the next long one will go better----especially since it's the Music City Half Marathon next Sunday!

I was going to treat it like a training run and do 3 before and 4 after for my first 20-miler. However, now I think I'm going to run 1 mile before to warm up, 13 during, and 4 after for a total of 18 instead of 20. That's going to put me down to only 2 20's before the marathon (instead of the 3 I'd planned), but I'm ok with that. I'd rather be able to run the race as a RACE than a training run since I paid $50!

When It All Comes Together

Wow. My 18-mile run yesterday was AWESOME. Pace? 11:00 min/mile average including bathroom stop, refilling water bottle, and gelling. Walk breaks? Very few and far between. Maybe 4. My last mile? 10:20 pace. For. Mile. 18. Unbelievable.

The Tylenol at mile 8 helped. My left knee was a bit achy. My hips didn't hurt at all this time. At the end, nothing hurt (other than the knee) as compared to the end of 16 last week. The gummie bears I munched on during miles 10-12 gave me a little boost. The 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich at mile 13 made a difference, too. The good company of the 4 other runners I talked to during the middle 10 miles kept things interesting.

I had been dreading this 18. I thought about just doing 16. But for now, everyone in my house is healthy. I can't count on that every weekend between now and December 5. So, I figured I had better get the 18 miles done while I could.

Sup?

I ran a strong 13.5 miles today. Unfortunately, my run was 16 miles. :0)

I had forgotten how the last couple of miles feel in a long run. Now it's all coming back to me..... Everything is fine up to a point, then the last few miles are all mental. Everything aches. Stopping to walk makes it ache more. You keep moving, but it's really about survival.

I'm pretty sure my muscles ran out of glycogen today. I only took one GU at about the 6 or 7 mile mark. (I had brought two, but my friend didn't have one, so I gave one to her. That's how I roll.) I would have probably felt a little better at the end if I'd ingested two GU. But my knees and hips still would have ached.

But the first 13 felt great! I still feel like I've turned a corner in this training. I felt energetic, even speedy-ish. The higher protein, higher carbs, higher calorie diet is really working for me!

I'm also experimenting with a new SUPPLEMENT called glutamine. I started taking it on Monday. It is an amino acid that helps prevent overtraining syndrome by helping your muscles recover after a long, exhaustive run and it also can improve immune system function after such a run. In the midst of this marathon training and the H1N1 pandemic, it seemed like a no-brainer!

What other supplements do you marathoners take? Creatine scares me a little. I associate it with professional baseball players and bodybuilders. Makes me think I might start sprouting chest hair. Or testicles.

The Turnaround

I love running an out-and-back course. It's always tough until you get to the turnaround, but then you know you are half-way done. My spirits immediately lift on the return trip.

I feel like I've passed the turnaround with marathon training. I have 10 more training weeks before the week of the BIG RACE. After some changes in my diet and training regimen last week, I had a GREAT 12-mile run on Saturday. I felt like my old self for the first time in months. I ran a good pace and felt strong. What I did differently this week:

1. I really focused on hydrating and protein intake last week, in addition to getting plenty of carbs.
2. I cross trained lightly, which was as much a mental break as anything. I rode a stationary bike 4 miles (I did say lightly!) on Friday, the day before my long run.
3. I took a day off in the middle of the week (Wednesday), instead of the two-mile run on my schedule.
4. I ran a new route.
5. I ran with a new running buddy.
6. I got in bed by 10:00 p.m. every night except two. (Still an improvement!)

I hope I've reached a milestone in this training. The fatigue that had been dogging me has lifted, and I'm feeling more positive about the marathon.

This last half of training is the FUN PART. There is something very challenging, but invigorating about every run over 14 miles. Everything over 14 feels like an ADVENTURE. A painful adventure, but an adventure nonetheless! The best over-14 mile runs are done with a friend and involve lots of laughter (and for me last time, lots of mishaps).

The last half also is when the BUILD UP RACES start. In a month, I'm running the Music City Half-Marathon in Nashville as a part of a 20-miler. My friend and I are getting up early and driving an hour to Nashville, running 3 miles, running the HALF-MARATHON, then running 4 more miles. How fun is that?

Then, a few weeks later, my training AND my coaching will be put to the test with the Clarksville Half-Marathon. I know my group is going to do wonderfully, I'm just wondering how many of them will beat me! (I'll be a little broken down from my two 20-milers in the 3 weeks before!)
I'll also be so happy for the Couch to 5Kers finish their first race.

So, really, I guess the FUN IS JUST BEGINNING!