so my last post was two months ago. excited about training for the silverstand half marathon. Shortly after registering, a local crossfit beginner friendly competition was announced for that same weekend. Running has again taken a back seat. *sigh again.
a half marathon might have been a bit much coming off my hiatus, so let's try this again. this time a 3 week committment with only 9 workouts (running) to the bumblebee 5k on 12/28/11. if u recall from last year, it was an uber win, a PR by over a minute. This year, I don't have a coach, but I do have the same schedule that got me there. I also have stronger legs and core, which I'm hoping will help w/ my time.
The next 3 weeks will also help me gauge whether or not i want to train for my 10th marathon, and my 6th consecutive RnR San Diego Marathon. Training starts in January.
check out this video from our box's (gym's) first crossfit competition
I finally got some mileage in outside of crossfit wods yesterday. 5 whole miles. They were treadmill miles, but I can't complain too much considering these miles were done immediately after a Charger home game, which usually leaves me napping instead of running 5 miles.
The plan is to run 3x a week, loosely following the crossfit endurance wods (workout of the day). The CFE wods are similar to the training I've been doing w/ Juliano over the last year, which calls for quality over quantity; the site boasts it can have you ready for an Ironman in as little as 6-8 hours of training per week.
It'll be interesting to see the results, if any, this training produces.
Yes, you read that correctly. I blame Crossfit for my sub par performance in the 2011 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Be humble or Be humbled. I, friends, was humbled after 'only' 30+ minutes of work.
I arrived at the Nobel Athletic area, where these self proclaimed bad news bears-esque crossfitters had been meeting to do primarily body weight / endurance type crossfit workouts due to the limited equipment(read no olympic lifting, pull ups etc), on the Sunday before the RnR in the middle of my taper. Perfect time to fit in an 'easy' workout.
The WOD on the mini white board read as follows:
*With Partner* Buy in 400 M (together) 3 rounds for time (only one person working) 50 Burpees 100 Airsquats 50 Push ups Cash out 400M run (together) For time.
I sized up the dozen or so in attendence and looked back at the white board. 'Easy peasy, let's do this so I can go bowling,' I thought.
Partnered with fellow first timer, Roger, we went out as fast as we could...but looking around everyone seemed to be moving faster. By the 2nd round my quads were on fire and my chest and tris had failed me. We somehow got through the prescribed activities and it was off for the 400 m run. One quarter mile, just like Vin Diseal lives his life, should be easy for a marathon runner, right? Hint: the answer is no. Not after approximately 150 airsquats (body weight squats). The sensation in my legs was something I've never felt before, it was like they were a couple of wet noodles (whole wheat, of course(because I'm brown)).
The above was a Sunday. My legs were sore for 5 days (the race in 7). More than sore, I was broken. Sitting down and standing up was a chore. Stairs were a nightmare. And I couldn't potty without wanting to scream for assistance. After the soreness in the legs subsided, my upper body decided it wanted to play along.
By race day the majority of the soreness left, but my body was definitely still recovering as I didn't feel 'right.'
After a couple weeks, I returned to the park on a weekday morning (with my tail between my legs). 6am on a tuesday was a struggle, but I made it out and I've been coming out consistently ever since. How will I be challenged today? That's what gets me out of bed at 5am (even on days when i get home at 2am the night before). Having this awesome group of people there to help me get through a wod helps a lot too.
Running has since taken a back seat to what was meant to be a cross-training tool; and I've never felt more 'right.'
Curious? check out www.crossfit858.com and like them on Facebook. CrossFit 858 is on Miramar Road. Easy to find, just look for people doing this:
I just looked over to the right of my computer monitor to see what was next on my training schedule and saw that it had ended. My last scheduled workout on the current program was 6/18. I don't have another one.
Shortly after the marathon I 'discontinued services' with my coach. It was hard to do. I've been running with him for just short of a year and it felt like a break up. The decision was made before the marathon so it wasn't entirely based on my most recent marathon results (race report still in process, i swear). In short, I was tired. I gave everything I had to each one of the 4 week programs and came out a stronger runner because of it. I'm going to take everything I've learned from him and apply it to my running going forward.
In the immediate future, crossfit and insanity w/ the wife with 3 runs will occupy my weeks. I need to take some time to refocus and fully recover so that the next time I prepare for a marathon, there will be no doubt in my mind I will achieve my goal.
Background My 9th marathon. my 6th Rock 'n' Roll San Diego and the 5th marathon in just over 12 months (the previoius 4 were spread over 3 years). Ninth time's the charm. That's how that saying goes, rigiht? Pre-race I woke up to a medly of phone alarms at 3:30. After last year's debacle getting dropped off and earlier troubles getting to the start line this year (rnr2010 / safari park 2011), I wanted to allow for as much time as possible to Balboa Park. I didn't feel right, but it was also 4am in the morning; nobody should feel right at that time. The wifey and Z drove me and my buddy's sister to the start line with plenty of time to spare. After an hour of chit chatting, holding my water bottle while i pottied and brief warm-up, you could say me and Jenny are pretty much besties by now.
It was off to the corrals when I heard "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil' Wayne blasting over the speakers throughout Balboa Park. 'This is a nice song to get pumped up to,' I thought to myself. Little did I know, the song was accompanied by and flash mob.
With the Corrals approx 1/2 mile long, I had missed the entire thing. For the better, I suppose; if I had seen that I undoubtedly would've expended a lot of energy trying to assimilate myself w/ the mob.
Race Once we got moving, my intial feelings from earlier in the morning were confirmed. I felt off. Through the mostly down hill stretch into downtown my pace and HR were right were I wanted them, but my mind was all over the place. 'Why is it so hard to run a 9 minute mile right now?' I pushed on through downtown making my way to mile 7 I was met by a familiar face who had caught me from behind.
Anderson had been with the track club for several years also. The San Diego Track Club's training program for the RnR is so large that you might not necessarily get to know everyone by name, but run w/ the same group enough, you'll definitely get to know them by 'expected finish times'. Anderson and I are comparable through the various distances and I've used him unknowingly as a benchmark for my success.
A- Hey Ryan R- Hey Bud A- How you feeling? R- Like shit, you? A- That sucks. I don't know yet. Ask met again on Friars (approx 3-4 miles farther along the race course) R- unlikely I'll be anywhere near you at that point (he had caught me from at least 1 or 2 corrals back), but I'm sure you're fine dude.
(note - gently sprinkle heavy breathing throughout the above convo and it's like you're there)
His pace a few seconds faster than mine and I lose him in the overused term 'sea of humanity'.
Through 10 miles I didn't feel any worse, good news. Through 13 my legs began to feel heavy. And at 14 I put on the best smile I could for Jg, Zoey and Oliver as they awaited w/ my nutrition replenishment.
At 15 or so, the race added a 2.5 mile out and back that was new to 2011. New because many complained about Fiesta island from the previous year. Im my opinion, this was worse. This is was where I felt defeat. "make it to the next water station" is what I told myself. sometimes I did, but by 19.5 I was happy to get 5 full minutes in without taking a break. that's when I heard a familiar voice from behind...it was Anderson!?
A-Ask me how I feel now???
Somehow passing him in the dreaded out and back (I've been running with my focus on the ground in front of me lately; bad habit I know. I will work on it). And I didn't have to ask him how he felt. He felt like I felt. Our goals were now out of reach. Our spirits broken, do we keep pushing and risk injury? In hindsight, maybe. But I'm able to race again in the future and I'm okay with the decision to back off. We ran the last 7 miles together, picking out land marks in the distance before we took breaks.
Just before 23, I saw about a dozen beautiful faces. In previous years, there were a slew of us racing, but they were on the sidelines this year and they were all here for me.
From there we enter the not so aptly named Fiesta Island, the large loop of 4 miles now reduced to approximately 2.5 was much easier mentally and before we knew it Anderson and I were passing the SDTC aid station at approximately mile 25.3. This is where we decide to stop stopping, passing my fan club one more again before we hit the home stretch. I pass Ollie right before the finish line and hear "go Ry Ry!" as I cross. 4:25ish? Didn't matter I crossed the finish line content.
After thoughts Every time I finish a marathon there is a sense of accomplishment that I find hard to compare to. I love running. I love training. I love that I have a wife that supports me and I love that someday soon I know I will cross the finish line with a time of 3:59:59 or faster. Until then, I gotta keep hustlin', b/c like the blog title reads, Marathonin', like pimpin', ain't easy.
fast forward to about 17mins if you don't like conan. but if you don't like conan, you should probably consider punching yourself in the face. (read: everyone likes conan).
Don't fear friends, while the RnR SD Marathon did take its toll on me, I'm still alive and I'm still trying. 4:25:05. i'm going to let it set in a bit before i post my race report. I'm really trying not to do anything rash, like sign up for another full marathon in the next month or so.
I retract all negativity found in the previous blog post. I'm a runner and I'm awesome. 6/5 couldn't get here any sooner. The below is an awesome mantra ruined by a typo. We all know what the message is, but it's hard for most to read beyond typos.
If i owe you a beer from my national running day challenge, they are payable on demand immediately after the marathon. =)
He's got a nice full head of jet black hair, swiming in his nike dri-fit tech T, flanked on either side by a menez sister (Alanna to my left and Janelle to my right), and... smiling! That dude was a happy runner. That was 2 years ago. Before I was consumed by PRs. Running was still fun. Now my head is sprinkled w/ grey, I'm 10-15 lbs heavier and I've lost my air support.
Not to say that I don't enjoy it now, but Jesus, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I am without a doubt a stronger runner now than I was then, but in contrast to that same runner, I'm also lacking a whole lot of confidence. And without confidence, it's hard to accomplish much of anything.
There's nothing I want more than to be cheered on along the course by my friends and greeted at the finish by my wife and daughter as I finish under my goal time. I've imagined what that feeling would be like; the thought of it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But the last 4 marathons have ruined my confidence and what used to feel so real and within reach, is now as unattainable as me winning American Idol season 11 (they are coming to SD next year).
With that said, I'm asking that you don't come out for me. However, if you find the urge to get up super early on a sunday and spectate a marathon, do it for the thousands of others out there. Perhaps, it's their first marathon; they need you. Maybe they're running for a charity; they need you too. Maybe they're running 5 months pregnant; they most definitely need you.
Like me, these stranger will appreciate everyone on the race course cheering them on. Unlike me, they won't dissapoint you.
that's a long time to go without blogging. No doubt you're wondering 'what's this fool been up to??' Well, let me tell you:
17 days ago - still crying, maybe not so much on the outside, but inside i felt like i looked as i crossed the finish.
11-16 days ago - was the longest I've ever gone without any type of running in years. 6 full days.
10 days ago - I told my coach that I needed more miles. my longest training run for the marathon was 13.1 one miles (the la jolla half). One of the best things I like about my coach's training approach is less miles; more intensity. but the intensity didn't prepare my body for how it would feel after 3 hours of running. So I asked, nay demanded, more miles. I am his boss, right?
9-3 days ago - I finished the highest mileage of running I've had in over a year. darn near 40 miles!
I've spent the last 3 days being sore to my eyeballs.
Background Given some promising half marathon times early this year (1:44 and 1:47) and a slew of other PRs at various race distances, I felt ready to rumble. I also didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket in case something did go wrong w/ the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll in June, so I signed up for the OC Marathon with approximately 6 weeks to train.
Pre-race The wife, Janelle and I arrived to Orange County late Saturday night and picked up our bibs from a friend who was able to get to the expo and pick them up for us. Cool. Saved us some time. We were able to stay at a friends house and left promptly at 4am to get to the shuttles at the finish line that would take us to the start. The shuttle system seemed far less efficient this year, but we managed to get there 5-10 minutes before the start. Pre-race jitters and pre-race nutrition led me straight to the Porto-potty lines. Finished up my business whilst the National Anthem playing in the background (FYI - felt like a shitty American, not standing for the Anthem) and made my way to the corral.
Race The start was nice and clean. Not too much zigging, not too much zagging. There was the occasional 'oops, i think you lined up in the wrong corral' runner or two, but they helped me calm down and not go out to fast, at least in the early miles.
The first half of this course is absolutely amazing. It's fast and very scenic and I was running strong. Zone 2 was the plan for at least the 1st half, and that's where I kept it. Averaged 8:35s or so through the first half and I felt good. So good that I didn't even notice the a blister of massive proportions forming on the big toe on my left foot. I did notice a moist feeling that I've never noticed in the past...
Carrying a similar pace through miles 14 and 15 when I felt a tightness in my right hamstring. Fearing a full on cramp like that I experienced in San Francisco last year, I stopped to stretch. I made it to 20 before 3 hours and was in excellent shape. Six 10 minute miles. I can do that and I hoped that once I got to that point, I could actually pick it up and run hard. But as much as I trained and as well as I planned and executed my nutrition, I couldn't anticipate the weather.
It was hot - not scorching, but definitely hotter than I've trained in - and the heat didn't hit me instantly, it built up slowly then came crashing down on me at mile 21. Just 5 miles left and my body wasn't reacting to what my mind was telling begging it to do. 5 more 10 minute miles seemed easy, I couldn't do it. Walking, Jogging, limping my way through the last 5 miles was one of the most agonizing things I've ever had to do. It was so painful on so many different levels. I could see that just after the 26 mile marker there were spectators lined on either side of the course. They included my wife and Janelle. I did all I could not to let these two and countless strangers see me walk. This was the most painful 2 minutes of 'running' I've ever done. I was overcome w/ emotion and tried desperately to hold back the tears, but a few eluded me as I crossed the finish line.
4:14ish*
Post Race & Final Thoughts *ish = I forgot to stop my watch as I crossed the finished, grabbing my medal from a volunteer, denying any assistance when asked if I was okay from a second volunteer, and denying a photo op as I grabbed my Gatorade and goodie bag; times are still not up on the website).
Asked by I < 3 Running, 'what was your I < 3 running moment of the week?'In short I replied, "My marathon brought me to tears. When was the last time you cried over something you didn't Love (< 3)?"
Before you start to feel too sad for me, know that I am not giving up. I will run marathons until I reach my goal. And when I reach my goal I will set a new one. I've been told that I inspire. While that's never been my intention, quitting now is even less of an option.
Up next is the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 5th.
I don't talk about my goals too much, but for this race my AB&C goals were as follows: A- <3:50 B- <4 C- a solid long run training run for Rock 'n' Roll SD.
4:14 or so. I was on pace through 21, even 22 and feasibly 23 if I had one push left in me. But at 21 I had nothing and it all came out of nowhere. More to come.
I read the subject line on Kara Goucher's Facebook/Blog. It was her mantra as she prepared for the Boston Marathon this past Monday. Just months after giving birth to her first child she was attempting to be the first American to win at Boston since the last time (I'm way too lazy to look up facts, just know it's been a while).
"I am not afraid. I was born to do this." This is what she told herself and this is what she believed. I wish I could adopt the same mantra, but there's no way I would be able to believe it whole heartedly. I am afraid. of spiders. of heights. Now, just ten days from my 8th Marathon and I'm afraid.
I'm afraid of dissapointing others I'm afraid my training hasn't prepared me enough I'm afraid the weather won't cooperate I'm afraid it won't be my day I'm afraid I didn't give my training 100% I'm afraid of 'the wall' I'm afraid of exceeding expectations I'm afraid of uncontrollable happy tears I'm afraid of friends and family seeing through the controlled unhappy emotions I'm afraid of failure
I am afraid. On May 1, I will toe the line regardless and face my fears.
I was in the last few minutes of what was easily one of the most demoralizing training runs I've had in a long time. Then I got a little help from a stranger.
I had mapped a route that would take me up the same last 2 miles of the La Jolla Half Marathon that I've registered for this coming weekend. I've worked in La Jolla for nearly 5 years now. I know the terrain. There are no surprises. But after running 10 minutes in zone 2 followed immediately by 10 minutes in zone 4 I found myself at the base of the last hill of the race course, this should have been run at zone 3 to finish off the workout. key words = 'should have'. I've never run up this particular residential hill and I've never done it after a zone 4 effort (you might recall zone 4 is the vomit zone). Instead of dialing it down to zone 3, I stopped. I bent over and wanted to vomit. I paused once or twice more after resuming before finishing out the run, but felt the workout was a failure.
I jogged (pronounced w/ a soft J just like La Jolla) down Prospect drenched in sweat and drowning in self loathing when I passed a man sitting on a bench w/ his son. He couldn't have been more than four, and without prompting he encouraged me to 'keep going!'
The kid wasn't a spectator at a race, just a kid I ran by. It made me realize that people are watching. And they don't want you to fail. They don't want you to trip and fall on your face. What they want is for you to succeed. They want to be inspired. I'm going to try and remember that when I feel like I don't have anything left and keep going.
It's a contraption I bought in 2008 after my second sue krenn 15k. I had bested my 15k time by over 7 minutes (that PR stood until approx 3 mo ago) from the previous year. It hurt, but it hurt even more when I woke up from my post race nap. It felt like someone sliced up the muscles in my foot and was most severe when contracted for extended periods of time (hence the reason for the arch stretcher thing). And it hurt bc I've never run that fast for that long, ever. My body was adjusting this was a good thing.
I'm wearing it today because it hurts again. Not the sharp, piercing pain from 3 years earlier, but more of a "hmm that's an odd feeling". And I'm hoping that feeling comes from running more efficiently. Otherwise I'm wearing a 30 dollar Robo-cop sock over an 8 dollar neon orange sock (sold separately and yes, that is a women's orange sock).
I sat out a 5k today. It would've been supplemental to my training and not at 100% as I ran long yesterday. I'm hoping the discomfort subsides a lot faster than last time. Only 4 weeks from OC.
My daughter, my wife, my mother, my sister, my coworkers I supervise, my coworkers I don't supervise, my friends and strangers. Okay, the last part is probably not true, but if you fall into any of the other categories, have your tissues ready because it could happen anywhere. At home, at work on a half marathon race course???
I looked back to my bestie, Alanna, just after the halfway point of the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon (Dec 2010) and found her in tears. This was a new setting. Was this my fault? I had no idea what I did or didn't do and I didn't know how to fix it because if it was my fault, it was not intentional. I had signed up for the RnR Las Vegas to help pace her to a PR (and, not going to lie, go to Vegas) and half way through, she realized she wasn't going to be able to make it. She insisted I push forward, but I didn't come to Vegas to race, I came to run with my friend. It's one thing to feel defeated; it's another to feel defeated and alone. I stayed and reminded everyone on the course we were celebrating her birthday.
So I've decided to run the OC marathon. You heard it first blogger friends. Five weeks from this Sunday I will toe the line for my 8th marathon, 4th within a twelve month span, all in hopes of finally finishing 26.2 miles within 4 hours. Wish me luck. I'll put in the work in the coming weeks, but a little luck never hurt anyone.
On March 16th I received the below response (excerpt):
On March 21st Jg received her medal.
On March 11, 2012, the wife and I are showing up early and ready to crush this course.
This race was pretty horrible for me and my wife, it's nice to know that the race organizers are listening and looking into making this a better event going forward.
Preface I am a runner. I have participated in dozens of events ranging from distances of 5k to full marathons, with fields in the hundreds to the tens of thousands. No event is perfect. Each could use work in one way or the other. I do not go out of my way to point out these flaws, but you made my wife cry. And that is unacceptable. Parking/Arriving I got the numerous emails. I heeded the warnings of the volunteers. "Be there by 6:50, or the roads will close". Leaving my home to get to the race 1 hour before the gun should be sufficient, read: it wasn't. We were backed up from the corner San Pasqual Road and Via Rancho Pkwy just before 7 and parked on the shoulder of the 78 over 1.5 miles away from the start. The race had started as we began our trek to the start line. 20+ minutes later we turned around in the same direction we had just came.
The course The first thing I look at when I sign up for a race I've never run before is the course. The route and the elevation are key. It helps me with my training and ultimately helps me decide whether or not this is an event I would like to participate in. I reviewed the course map and saw there was one 'hill', I can do that; sign me up. Circumstances beyond anyone's control turned that 1 hill into 2 as we'd have to revisit it due to road closures. Understandable. What's not understandable is your elevation data, listed below, describes the elevation gain from mile 3 to just past mile 4 as approximately 150 feet or so. However, per my race data (also below) and confirming w/ google maps, the actual elevation change on the race's lone 'hill' is nearly 250 feet. Your course map is inaccurate, misleading and can be construed as false advertising.
The route itself is dangerous. At miles 6/12 you have the race leaders converging on the slower runners. Runners running at a 5 min/mile pace weaving through 12 minute runners. As dangerous as it was, I can only imagine how frustrating it must've been for the faster runners. I know this is related to the course changes noted above, but a little more thought should have been placed here.
Lastly, with regards to the course, I expected more safari park 'experience' during my run. I'm not naive and did not expect to have a Rhino chasing me as I chased down a cheetah (as depicted on your logo), but the only time I saw any wildlife (side from cows) was from the cheetah enclosure as I made my way to the finish line.
next year's race logo?
My Race I finished quite happy with my race effort. Yay for me! With the gates closed off, however, I didn't have the opportunity to run back onto the course and run my wife in. That's fine, I'll wait at the finish. I waited and waited and 45 minutes later, I figured I somehow managed to miss her come through the narrow finish line. I made my way out of my the finish line area to find my wife at the top of a hill. She broke down in tears as she saw me. Confused, she told me that she had not completed the race. At 9 am she was not let back outside the park via the service gate at approximately mile 8 and was redirected to the finish line. I understand the need to re-open the roads, but ending my wife's race 1 hour before the course closure is wrong; she was on pace to finish within the event's time limit, but wasn't given the opportunity to do so. Two months of training for 13.1 miles and she was only allowed to complete 10 or so miles of the course.
Prideful, she refused a medal as she felt she didn't deserve one. I disagree. She 100% deserves a medal and at the very least an apology.
I'm not going to lie. I don't always follow my schedule 100%. I tend to skip light weight training and bike recovery. In a huge contrast from this time last year I've spent zero time on my bike in 2011, where in 2010 I was training for my first century ride. It was tough, but I dusted off the trainer, wiped the bike free of cob webs and dropped the hammer. Feeling good.
Tomorrow's a big day. It's my first day of my first ever bowling league. "what? that's crazy? RyRy's too cool for bowling" you say? #1 - it is crazy and #2 - I'm not. bowling is fun and i've found it to be a lot like running in certain ways. there's team building, there's the idea that it's just you against you, PR are High Scores and Gatorade is a lot like the pitchers of beers between each frame. Okay, that last one was a stretch.
bowling does negatively affect my running, however. It's time consuming and throwing a 15# ball repeatedly has seem to have a done a number on my back. this just means i have to run in the AM and hope my bowling mechanics improve so that there's less pressure on my back.
Anyway, bowling a 300 is my bowling boston and that chase starts tomorrow (after my 30 minute fartlek)
For the last few weeks or so I've been trying to wrap my head around the coming week of workouts. they are long runs. 90 minute long runs. yes, more than one in a week. long constant long runs; no pick ups. At the zones they're scheduled for (z1 & z2), that's 10+ miles of monotony. the best part, they're on Tuesday and Thursday. The only way I can really make this happen is to do it at 6AM both days.
occasionally Juliano will text me to see how I'm feeling and I try and be honest.
This is definitely a first, but tomorrow morning the alarm will go off and I'm going to get on it (man).
At some point I'm going to circle back to profile my previous 11 followers(yes, including myself), but for now try not to feel to jilted, sit back and relax while i introduce Janice S. a.k.a. J-nice. a.k.a. the one that got away (at mile 21).
I've been running with her now for a couple years and it's disgusting how effortless she makes running look. Janice and I have some business to settle in the form of a 10k death match. Stay tuned for the venue as both sides are still ironing out the details.
short of spare time has led to abbreviated race reports... I've had 3 races since my last post; a 15k a half marathon and a 10k all within a five week period. Resolution Run 15k - 1:10:09 (PR!)
A 4 minute improvement from my 15k time last year and an over 1 minute improvement from my PR 3 years ago. This is not a race I had been training for. It was not even on the schedule, but something I felt I could run real strong if the situation presented itself...and it did. My scheduled 1:40 minute saturday am training run w/ the twins (alanna & janellelea) had to be canceled. My coworker / bestie of over 4.5 years had told me she was quitting. she's told me this countless times before, but this time she meant it and sad news calls for lots of drinks. Sunday AM 15k race, it is!
No expectations, I just wanted to run hard. I found myself running right at the high 7:30s for the first 6 miles. 7 & 8 got down to 7:30s, 9 was around 7:15-20, but I can't say for sure; my Garmin data got corrupted. womp womp. All I know for sure is that it was one of the strongest race I've ever raced. negative splits are always a good indicator. Carlsbad Half Marathon - 1:44:30 (PR!)
Through 10 miles I was on track to finish right at 1:43 or faster, but I gave a lot of time back in the last 3 miles. Having come off my amazing (to me) 15K, I had a lot of confidence...especially considering the difference between a 15k and a half marathon is 'only' 3.8 miles. With that said I ditched the bottle of Perpetuum I had at the start to sip on for the first 6 miles of the race. I tossed it at mile 1 thinking the effort it would take to hold and fuss with wouldn't be worth it. I knew i had made a bad decision right at mile 10. I didn't realize there was such a thing as a half marathon wall, but i hit it. It took every bit of mental strength in me to keep pushing. Part of me wanted to settle, a PR is a PR, by seconds or minutes it'll definitely be the fastest i've ever run a half. While I didn't completely shatter my Personal Best like I had hoped (i wanted to get in at 1:41 or faster), I take huge comfort in knowing, on a bad race day I still smashed my PR by nearly 5 minutes and got under 8 min / mile on my half pace. AND i got the sweetest picture ever from it too!
see that guy in the background of the picture above? that's Marc. For the first few years I've known him we were at the same speed, i was actually faster in the half and shorter distances...then he got fancy and hired a coach. wanting a 3:39 marathon time (similar to the > 20 minute improvement Marc saw) I enlisted in his coach's services approx a year later. He's still faster on every distance, but lately i've been creeping up on him. and if he's coming off an injury or just having a bad day (as he was at carlsbad), I can find myself zooming by him w/ .2 left saying things like "i got you today, marc!" as soon as i said it i thought 'oops, that was dickish' and as soon as i texted him that picture i thought, 'ooops, that might have lit a fire in him' and as soon as i showed it to our mutual coach i thought 'damn, i better bring my A game for the next 'showdown'...
long story short, I didn't. the plan was to go 7:15 for the first 5k and go balls out for the second to finish under 44:30 or so. couple things i learned in this race: 1) race your own race; regardless of how bad you want to beat someone. 2) mcdonalds does not constitute proper pre-race nutrition. I ran out with marc too fast. 6:50 for 3/4 mile trying to keep up with marc.
