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| Slow and steady finishes the race! |
My race is only three weeks away! I’m tapering down my long runs, and my last 11 mile run will be next week. I can’t believe race day is approaching – there was a time when I was transitioning from seven to eight mile long runs at the end of June when I thought for sure I wouldn’t make it.
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| Maine – the way life should be. |
It was hot and sunny, especially towards the end, and I was cursing my circumstances at mile 7 when I realized what great preparation this was. My half marathon starts at 7:30 in the morning, in Virginia (which has temperatures in September similar to Maine in August). I’ll most likely toss and turn the night before the race, between traveling and pre-race jitters. So a sleepless night, 7:20 start, and a sunny course are pretty perfect.
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| It’s so weird how neighborhoods with a “hill” in their name are usually at the top of hills…. |
When my sister-in-law found out I was planning to run 10 miles, she suggested I run from my parents house to their house and back. Too much fun to resist! As an added bonus, this crossed an item off my bucket list when I ran by my in-laws house!
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| This is my “can’t believe I ran all the way here!” face. |
Unfortunately, I can’t stop at my brother’s house halfway through the race to say hi and refill my water bottles, but I guess that’s what water stations on the course are for!
It was a slower run than normal, but I was fine with that. It was hilly, it was hot, I was tired, I was planning to donate blood later that day, there were lots of reasons to just take it easy, add the miles to my legs, and know that every step forward was helping prep me for race day.
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| View from my run. |
Around mile three I started to cramp. This may have been the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie I ate ten minutes before I left. Who knows. Cramps are like crying babies… it could be dehydration, fatigue, stress, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, not slowing down for that hill… who knows. And you’re faltering along, wishing it’d just tell you what its problem is so you could fix it or prevent it for next time, and NO you’re not going to stop, and you’re not going to hold it ten hours so it can sleep, darn it. We need a compromise here.
By mile 4, the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie had made its peace with my right side and I had moved from a snail’s pace to a turtle’s pace and was feeling pretty good about the whole thing. My in-laws, who didn’t know I was going to be out running, actually spotted me (not in time to beep) and called me an hour later to tell me. I was still running.
Another run done. September 14th, here I come!
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| Greg: “It’s a little hilly, but not bad, really gradual…” Yeah. Ok. Thanks, mr. voice of reason. |
I love reading your posts…thank you! I’m almost ready to commit to my first half and your posts are making it easier.
Thanks Brian! I’m so glad to hear it, I really appreciate your comment 🙂
I definitely recommend signing up for a half… I’m not sure I would have a month ago, but now that I’ve gotten more and more used to my long runs, I find myself looking forward to them. Going early when it’s not too hot made a huge difference in my motivation level!
Gradually increasing has made it really do-able, and it no longer seems insane to go out for a two hour run. It’s really fun to be able to say that.
Good luck, there are lots of fall races to choose from if you think you’ll be ready!
I enjoy your posts as well–in fact the other day I was running up a steep hill and thought over and over “i AM running this, I am RUNNING this, I am running THIS,” which of course totally helped. I don’t think I’m quite ready for the HM–6 miles is my longest run and that was a stretch. My sister told me we should shoot for a HM in March, but even that seems like a stretch. Plus it is a lottery entrance, and hard to get into–so I can see myself training for months and not even getting into the race!
Thanks Sarah! That’s awesome that my favorite running mantra helped you power up a hill. Just think, that hill will be easier next time, and the time after that. (Ok it won’t feel it… but in theory…)
The thing about training for a race in March is that it means you’re doing your long runs in winter, which is dark and cold! Just something to keep in mind! You could be ready by then… but how much fun is it to hit the treadmill or run in the dark because there are fewer daylight hours?
You should totally shoot for a half marathon though, I’m loving the experience of learning to run longer! And I actually mean that.
Lottery races are tough, too… especially if there isn’t a backup race around the same time that you could sign up for. Hope you find a good race and do it though! There are some good summer ones and LOTS of fall half marathons!
KC – let me ask you…I have been told to add 10% to my long runs each week in preparation for my first half (did I just say that out loud?). At what point do I taper prior to the half and if I get to the 10 or 11 mile long runs, ran I maintain there until the half starts a month later? Just curious…sorry for being so weird about the details. Just a tad of anxiety here 🙂
Hey Brian! That’s a great question… and can we talk for a second about how cool it is that a mile or so difference on a run is now a detail? That used to be a big deal, and now it’s a detail. We are so cool.
Anyway… I just read a great article in Runner’s World about how to taper for your first half marathon, and I’m going to try to follow its advice because it’s my first half and I like the idea of following some expert guidance for beginners on how to taper the right way. Jeff Galloway wrote it, and he’s a huge name in running. You can read the article here: How to Taper For Your First Half Marathon
For more info on how I figured out my own half marathon training plan, you can check out this recent blog post.
I got up to a 12 mile run last week, and then this week I did 10, and I figure I’ll do 10-12 depending on my mood for my last long run prior to the taper. At this point, with 2 nine mile runs and 4 ten- twelve mile runs under my belt, I know I can complete the half marathon, and since that was my goal, I’m going to just focus on maintaining and resting between here and September!
I didn’t increase 10% each week, I added one mile every other week, to keep it gradual. I also built in a recovery week with no long runs after my second 10 mile run, and it made me look forward to my next long run even more.
Best of luck! Keep increasing gradually, build in some recovery time, and I promise you’ll keep improving and improving until all of a sudden it’s not a big deal to go out for a two hour run!
Maine temperatures sound wonderful to me right now! I live in S. Central TX and even at 7:30pm when I went out tonight for a run it was still in the 90’s. Oofdah.
I can’t even IMAGINE being a runner in Texas, I guess your winters are gorgeous running weather, but still!!! Thank goodness fall is around the corner, right?!
How fun to run between their houses! And what a gorgeous place to run.
It was gorgeous, I definitely appreciated the view! Although kind of a busy road, but luckily there were huge breakdown lanes. (Perhaps you’ve seen my post about how I’m an enthusiastic sidewalk runner.)