So first run of the year for 2014 and we open up with a HALF MARATHON!!!!!
Couldn't open our running season with something easier ... just had to go balls to the wall! Ha! So here's our motley running crew!
From left to right: Crystal Fasano, Ruth Custodio, George Folch, and Me!
I followed a hefty running/training plan that had me running about 30 miles per week. I don't know if it helped or not but I will tell you that my experience with this half marathon was TERRIBLE.
If I didn't know what a good race was like, I'm certain I would have quit running races on this very day! I'm not sure where many of these runners trained (under a rock?) or if at all. Obviously, running etiquette was lacking entirely. If you are slower, move to the side or the right of the road and let the faster runners pass. Do NOT in the middle of your run come to a screeching halt to walk! Slowly move to the side as you slow your pace before stopping to walk. Do NOT stop to take pictures in the middle of your run (this tags with my last statement).
My final time was 2:03:05 (9:24 min/mile average pace). I'm not upset with this time ... I said that I would be happy with anything under 2:10:00 (10min/mile pace) and coming in just shy of 7 minutes under that time is respectable. My next goal is to run my next half marathon (Fitness Magazine Women's Half on April 13) in under that time.
Admittedly, I felt like I sprinted this entire race, I ran ... I had to suddenly stop and then sprint to get my pace back ... I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I had to do this. You waste a lot of energy upfront doing this and by mile 7 i was exhausted. In the 2 hours I spent running, my ipod was on the whole time and I didn't hear a SINGLE SONG!!! That is how terribly distracted I was about dodging people throughout the entire race. I paid a terrible price for that distraction, I didn't check in ONCE with how my feet, legs, knees, and/or back were feeling ... as a result, at mile 7, BOTH of my knees decided to let me know that they were extremely displeased.
I cannot explain to you how excruciating it is to run an additional 6.1 more miles with stabbing knee pain. Suffice it to say, at mile 10, my ankles decided to tell me that I was without a doubt absolutely abusing my knees and my ankles. Somehow, I mustered the ability to run through knee and ankle pains to complete the run. But in the following days, I realized just how beat up my legs were (quads and calves were sore the day after! WTF?! I have run so many long runs, 12/13 miles, without any knee, ankle, quad or calves issues). It took a week for my legs to start feeling normal again. Sunday (3/23) I ran 8 miles in 66 minutes (8:20 average pace). Better.
Take away advice: 1) Check in with your body no matter how distracting a race and other racers can be. It's not worth it to suffer the injuries for not checking in with your body. 2) Training is paramount. There is NO WAY I would have been able to push through that pain and complete that half marathon in the time that I did without training. My injuries would have been far worse without training (conditioning your body to take tremendous amounts of external stress) and lingered much longer without a doubt. 3) Get the proper gear! I had my compression pants and wind proof gear on BUT I borrowed a friend's spibelt to carry my gels, shot bloks and cell phone ... and that turned into a bouncy, entirely distracting fanny pack! Crystal and George swear up and down by Nathan's. I guess there's really no way of me finding out whether that works or not other than by trying it out ... but that means I have to buy it. ugh. I can't believe i'm buying a fanny pack, lol.
Up next: More/Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon (stay tuned!)
