A new personal record
After some up and down workouts, and some grueling long runs, today's Dick Beardsley half marathon was to serve as the best fitness test I'd face heading into the Twin Cities Marathon, now 4 weeks away. It really wasn't clear to me if things would go well or not.
On Friday night, I packed all my gear right after arriving home from work. Everything was ready to go, but when I arrived at the race Saturday, I quickly realized I forgot my watch and racing glasses. The pre-race registration was a mess, as those who signed up beforehand had to wait in line 20 to 30 minutes to get their packets, race bibs and timing chip. But since I didn't register in advance, I walked right up to the late registration table - getting in and out of the Pavilion in less than 5 minutes. Never will I pre-register for that race again, as my friends who rode with me to the race spent nearly all of the 30 minutes beforehand in line.
The weather turned out perfect - a nice break from the grey and wet conditions we've had for the past week. It was about 50 degrees at the start, with a slight breeze. It was going to be a good day.
Without a watch, I really didn't know how I would stay on track for my goal of finishing around 1:37. The time, if I nailed it, would eclipse my personal best by 4 minutes.
Undeterred, I lined up at the start with intentions of running by effort. But I had never run that fast for that far, so it would be a game of fuel and energy management. The race went nearly perfect, and I felt that the pace was on. The hills in miles 8, 9 and 10 proved to be a challenge, and when I thought about slowing down, my focus turned to my upcoming marathon. There will be hills at the Twin Cities race, and I will need all the experience with racing on hills in preparation.
Throughout the race, from about mile 2, I wondered if I had enough energy in my legs to push the pace. It was difficult, but in mile 12, I decided to try to push the pace even more.
In the end, I finished at 1:37:37, nailing a personal record. It's been quite a year, and the buildup to this second marathon has been challenging. Four weeks from tomorrow, I'm hoping to report one more satisfying time.
Since I don't have mile splits, this half marathon is a little harder to analyze, but here are my final stats from the race:
Chip time: 1:37:37
Pace: 7:27
Division place: 12th of 78
Gender place: 82nd of 441
Overall: 97th of 833
Projected marathon time based on result: 3:23:31
Last year, I ran this race as my biggie for the year. I trained all summer, hoping to finish in less than 2 hours. It was my first half marathon, completing it in 1:59:34. A friend who went to the race with me ran 1:37, and I remember telling him on the drive that I would love to be able to run that someday. In fact, I promised him that I would.
One other bit of good news to report: The same friend, who worried that he peaked too early for this race, was awesome. He nailed a Boston qualifier at the Fargo Marathon in May, and trained all summer to run this half marathon in less than 1:30. Earlier this week he was concerned that he wouldn't make it. Well, he nailed it, finishing in 1:29:55. Awesome job - I never had any doubts.
Congrats to everyone who participated, I hope you enjoyed a picture perfect day for a race. And thanks to all the volunteers and fans who were out to support the runners! It was a terrific day and race, and personally served as a good confidence builder for the marathon (which will serve as a birthday present to myself).
Posted by: RunningSpud on 9/06/2008 at 2:23 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
24 hours before Beardsley
The countdown to the Beardsley half marathon is on and I'm about as ready as I'm going to be. Last night, after working from home for a bit, I jumped on the treadmill to get the blood flowing to the legs and try to offset not getting a chance to go running Thursday morning.
It seemed there were too many things to do, between work, taking my vehicle in and getting some things done around the house. But luckily, I still made time to get into the chiropractor for my pre-race tuneup.
Surprisingly, things weren't quite as out of whack as I thought (except for my neck). I've found after a lot of running on the pavement that my hips will get out of alignment and I'll experience a lot of tightness in my hip flexors and leg muscles. While on my long run this past Saturday, I could feel my shoulder drop out of place, too. My chiropractor took care of both of those. Before running Grandma's Marathon a few months ago, I even had one leg that had gotten out of alignment and was significantly longer (about an inch) than the other.
One of the reasons I may have been better off this time is that I've really focused on running on softer surfaces during training. I've done track and trail work, and made a conscious effort to run on blacktop. Previously, a lot of long runs were on concrete, which is the absolute worse surface. Believe it or not, blacktop is more forgiving than concrete.
I've set a pace goal for this half marathon, and I'm not quite sure it's doable. Still, I'm going to go out and give it my best, even though my running has been a bit of a roller coaster. So much of running is mental, and I'm just going to do my routine - eat the right foods at the right time beforehand and be aggressive during the race.
A lot of people seem to be talking about running slumps lately, and I've tried to figure out why it might be. The weather? Change in routine? Lack of proper food or sleep? Lack of confidence after battling the heat of August? I'm not sure. On my part, I toggle back and forth on whether I feel fit or not. We all struggle with it, and I'm convinced a lot of it is mental. When it comes to me, at least that's something I can control. Come race day, I'm going to just block it all out and focus on what I do well.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 9/05/2008 at 8:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Treadmill turnaround?
It's been several weeks since I've felt really good about a training run, but it finally happened today. And it happened in the most unlikely of places: on a treadmill.
For weeks, I've been pounding out most of my runs after leaving the office and my workouts felt like a job. It's been tough getting back into a routine after staying up late to watch the Olympics. The later evenings took a toll on me, forcing me to sleep and look to the evening to get my workouts finished.
Stepping off the treadmill this morning gave me a renewed sense of direction. My head felt clearer and I was much better prepared to take on the stress of the work day. Normally, I like running in the morning because it sets me up for the day, and falling out of the routine was not a good move. With a race on Saturday, and a marathon less than 5 weeks away, it will be paramount for me to train in the mornings.
A friend told me in passing today that he fears that he peaked too soon for the Dick Beardsley half marathon. It's easy to worry about such things - a common pitfall before a key race - but I reassured him that he just needs to eat well and get plenty of sleep.
If you've put in the training, you just need to trust that you've done all to meet your goals. I'm predicting a fast time for him on Saturday, particularly since he's put in plenty of quality training since we ran a half marathon in St. Cloud in April. Now I just need to convince him to let a chiropractor to take care of the little aches and pains that he's experiencing. That's what I'm planning to do later this week as preparation for what I hope will be a personal best.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 9/02/2008 at 6:13 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Race week arrives
For many runners who've been showing up at Fargo's Beyond Running for Tuesday night group runs, and again for speed work at NDSU on Wednesdays, it's race week. Just a little more than 4 days away until the Dick Beardsley half marathon in Detroit Lakes.
This was the big race that I trained for last year, and I'll be hoping to set a personal record this time around. If all goes well, the half marathon should give me a good fitness check before the Twin Cities Marathon - now just 33 days away. With race time temps expected in the low 50s, it could be the perfect setting for a fast time.
Ideally, I'd get another couple races under my belt to tune up for the marathon, but this might be the only real chance for race conditions. For others, it will be the culmination of their summer training. Good luck to everyone lacing them up Saturday - it's a great kickoff to the fall racing season.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 9/01/2008 at 9:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Carlson trying to rebound
Fargo native Andrew Carlson has had quite a year. He's won a couple of big, high-profile races - including a U.S. championship - in 2008, and he's also had a rough time staying healthy. A poor stretch of running washed out his chances of making the U.S. Olympic team, but now he hopes to get back on track.
This article reports that Carlson, a former University of Minnesota standout who was running with a group of professional runners based in Bloomington, has moved to Arizona and hired a new coach.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 8/31/2008 at 8:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Another long one done
While it seems hard to believe, it seems that fall is right around the corner. That means a couple months of good racing and some terrific running weather.
Take Friday night for example. The mercury dipped to 45 degrees in Walker, and it seemed downright chilly. With a nice breeze, I was lucky to have great conditions for my second to last long run in this marathon training. My previous 4 long runs have all been in heat, so this was a welcome change.
For reasons not known to me, the last couple long runs haven't gone well. The latest was no exception, and I'm left guessing to the cause. It's a good reminder, though, that so many things can affect our running and that it's probably not worth worrying about. Coming into Saturday's 20-miler I had several things going against me: Racing hard the weekend before, having a long and tiring work week, and struggling to find the optimal nutritional balance.
Once out on the trail, I felt energized in spirit. A cool breeze and terrific running conditions were a lift mentally. But I just couldn't get the legs to respond the way I wanted them to.
But it's OK. Not everything is going to click every day. While I had to dig deep to finish my run, I was encouraged that there are 5 weeks before the marathon. There's just one long run remaining in my training schedule. My latest long run gave me time to think about my training and fine-tuning for the big race, what my marathon strategy will be, and compare the differences to training this time around compared to the spring training for Grandma's Marathon. As I've said before, it's all one big experiment. Along the way I've learned some valuable lessons and made a commitment to a runner's lifestyle. Even when things get tough, there's always some positives to remember.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 8/31/2008 at 8:01 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
