Monday, April 11, 2011

Thumbs Up...

There comes a time in every training plan that you question whether you are doing enough to reach your own personal goals in your “A” race. Last week I questioned this and began to wander if I needed to add some extra suffering to the mix.




Saturday I had signed up for a local Half Marathon. My intentions in doing this was just to have a change in location for my weekly long run. Nothing more. As the event approached I began to question if I wanted to “race it.” In my mind I was already setting what my “race” goal would be. Thankfully I was grounded and ended up using this event for the purpose I had originally intended…. A Training Run.




Happy and feeling great at mile 13...all smiles.


As the event began I eased into a comfortable pace. We ran a short amount in downtown and then headed out for the rollers this course is known for.



Mile 1-3


Garmin time was at 25:31. I remember thinking that I might should slow my pace down. I felt great and the effort felt easy so I just continued on.


Mile 4-10


Garmin time was at 1:28. The rolling hills were manageable and I was still sticking to the plan. Although it was humid and starting to heat up I still felt comfortable.


Mile 11-13.1


Stomach cramps. As I approached the aid station I yelled out “paper towels” and had to begin laughing as I processed the ladies reaction to my request. She scrambled and found me some and I headed off scouting my spot. I will save you the details but I will say that all of my trail running has helped me prefect this skill. Ha!



As I headed down main street toward the finish I felt fantastic. I stuck to the right plan and can clearly see that I am right on track. The PLAN is WORKING!


My Garmin read: 1:56:26



Notable Tidbits:




  • A sports bra is not the smartest place to store Gu’s. Can you say R-A-S-H!


  • I took a total of 4 Gu’s in for the entire event (1 every 30 min. with lots of water)


  • Sunday’s ride was amazing. Legs felt a bit tight but opened up at about 8 miles in. Great ride!

So this week I have a pretty hefty load of training. Next week is a recovery week so that only motivates me more to remain strong and focused.



Robin

9 comments:

Matty O said...

hahaha, main reason I love your blog is because you also keep it real.

Sucks on the gu storage issue. I like my fuel belt, I can only stuff 3 hammer gels in the pouch though :(.

We are using this weekends 13.1 as a "training" run as well. My wife will set the pace and yell at me for pushing the pace the whole time... like I said, just like our training ;).

Way to stick to the plan.

Impressed they had paper towels for you, are you sure that wasn't the rash you were referencing? OWIE!

Stuart said...

Great performance, this should settle you concerns at least for another week or two!

4 Gus in 2 hours do you think that was the tummy catalyst?

Big Daddy Diesel said...

Congrats on the race

Matthew Smith said...

Nice work on the "training run." That's hilarious about the paper towels. Sorry about the rash. Good luck on your recovery.

Wes said...

staying focused on your training will help you stay focused when it counts. Keep working it!

p.s. resist the urge to add more pain ;-)

Marlene said...

Good for you exercising that disciplijne and sticking to the plan! Congrats on a strong run!!

Karen said...

Nice job! I think I would have been tempted to race it too. GU storage tip has been noted. Don't do it... LOL

Unknown said...

Way to stick to the plan. Sounds like your training IS really coming together... I love it! :)

Um yeah, about storing things in the bra - never a good lesson to have to learn! I have an SPI belt and love it...

Runner Mom said...

4 GU's for a half? Gross!! Bless your heart and tummy! I had to smile at the paper towels! At least it wasn't someone's glove!!!!
Love ya!
Susan

Proud that you stayed focused and used it as a training run :).