Pre-pikermi - a newbies thoughts before the first half marathon
My first half marathon is just a few short days away.
March 17th -Moab Canyonlands Half-
Want to savor this moment, you only get to do it once. I really want to be honest too- so that I remember just exactly the thoughts running through my head.
Part of me feels confident and ready
I am confident I can do the mileage.
So glad ViolinRunning suggested a program that pretty much for the last 6 weeks or more had me running weekly long runs of 10-14 miles. I have no worries in this area. I really like this mileage- I like the way I break it up in my mind-
Excited that the 'Get to 3' is getting smoother
Realized about a month or so ago I would walk a large portion of the first 3 miles. I've been working on finding a balance between warm-up and wimp in this area-
Run to 5
For some reason 5 is
special to me-
When asking myself- "why 5?"
I'm not quite sure, but I think it must be because the 5 mile mark on my old standby long run route, takes me to our almost 2 acres of land up Lakewood- I remember the first few long runs struggling, only to have this calm moment as I came up on it- and let myself relax and walk in and out amongst the pinion while I took a water break. Yeah, 5 miles is special.
8 is great
8 - YeeHaw
That phase where every run scares and surprises you-
Man, oh man is it a rush-
Don't get me wrong-
The ramp up to it was hard-
Then you get past 5, and you suddenly find yourself wanting more-
6, 7 and 8 feel treacherous at first, you're like a pioneer- trailblazing new ground-
You finally know firsthand the meaning of the words- 'uncharted territory'-
But once you get there you hope upon hope that someone asks you how the running's going.
Just watching a non- runner's shocked reaction to your daily mileage is reason enough to run.
8- definitely great
Push to home.
No matter if the run is a 4 miler or 13, there's something so amazing about the homeward stretch. Sure you're tired, sore, spent..... but you always have enough to push through and make it home. How silly would it be if you just stopped.
No- that final push is always rewarding. I've never been sad heading toward the finish
The mileage doesn't scare me
But there are plenty of things that do-
Let's start with the silly stuff
1. What to wear
Yeah-I know sounds dumb
I've read that if you look pretty after a run, you didn't do it right-
But is it wrong to want to at least look kind of cool-
Spandex is not typically my friend, neither are running shorts
Running in front of God and everybody terrifies me
Solution:
Wear cool shoes-
That's what every runner looks at as they run past anyway
2. Random race day photos
Why?
See worry #1
I hardly ever look good in a photo unless I take it myself
(and It takes about 50 to get a good one- heehee)
Going to have to let the camera be honest and swallow my pride should a less than lovely photo present itself!
Solution:
Going to take the advice my dad always gives me-
"Smile- It improves your face value-"
So those are the silly worries-
The next two a bit more substantive
3. Pace
Ahhhh- pace-
We all pretend we're racing 'for fun'
We tell our self it doesn't really matter
But deep down, there it is- the dreaded topic of pace.
I've even gone so far as googling average finish times-
Yep- I'm not even average yet
For me, my dread is in the thought of being back with the sag wagon-
But what if the sag wagon IS my absolute best?
Isn't that a victory?
Solution:
"What ever your hand (or feet) findeth to do-
Do it with all your might." Eclesiastes 9:10
My best is just that- mine
Which brings me to the last worry
4. Goals
Saying a goal out loud is like gambling
At least it feels like that to me.
Total crap shoot
If I say a goal out loud it defines my race-
The outcome becomes a victory or defeat-
Not totally true either- but you get my drift
I think everyone has in their mind, goals for a race.
Saying them out loud is tricky
It makes them real
What if I don't reach my goal?
What if I set my goal too high?
What will people think of my goal if they knew what it was-
I know- I know- I'm waaaaaay over thinking it- but there it is-
Solution:
Make some stinkin' goals already!
Tell a few friends
So they can pat you on the back when the whole things over
So here you go:
Take advantage of the course-
Watch out for focus breakers- Keep your head in the game
Stay calm
Realize that nerves can be turned into useful energy
I need to be smart- and not stop at every whim- but open to a photo stop or two along the way
Must get 1 WOW photo to sum up the race
Cough-
Sputter-
My training runs have been averaging between 11.30 to 13 min/mile
pretty much hovering around 12.30
My best training 13.1 run had me run it in 2.40
But, I think I had a GPS ping that shaved 4-5 minutes
My goal is to hit that 2.40
Naw---
I need to be honest
My goal is to be 2hr30 or less
That's 11.45 min pace
I think I can- I think I can......
March 17th -Moab Canyonlands Half-
Want to savor this moment, you only get to do it once. I really want to be honest too- so that I remember just exactly the thoughts running through my head.
Part of me feels confident and ready
I am confident I can do the mileage.
So glad ViolinRunning suggested a program that pretty much for the last 6 weeks or more had me running weekly long runs of 10-14 miles. I have no worries in this area. I really like this mileage- I like the way I break it up in my mind-
- Get to 3
- Run to 5
- 8 is great
- Push to home
Excited that the 'Get to 3' is getting smoother
Realized about a month or so ago I would walk a large portion of the first 3 miles. I've been working on finding a balance between warm-up and wimp in this area-
Run to 5
For some reason 5 is
special to me-
When asking myself- "why 5?"
I'm not quite sure, but I think it must be because the 5 mile mark on my old standby long run route, takes me to our almost 2 acres of land up Lakewood- I remember the first few long runs struggling, only to have this calm moment as I came up on it- and let myself relax and walk in and out amongst the pinion while I took a water break. Yeah, 5 miles is special.
8 is great
8 - YeeHaw
That phase where every run scares and surprises you-
Man, oh man is it a rush-
Don't get me wrong-
The ramp up to it was hard-
Then you get past 5, and you suddenly find yourself wanting more-
6, 7 and 8 feel treacherous at first, you're like a pioneer- trailblazing new ground-
You finally know firsthand the meaning of the words- 'uncharted territory'-
But once you get there you hope upon hope that someone asks you how the running's going.
Just watching a non- runner's shocked reaction to your daily mileage is reason enough to run.
8- definitely great
Push to home.
No matter if the run is a 4 miler or 13, there's something so amazing about the homeward stretch. Sure you're tired, sore, spent..... but you always have enough to push through and make it home. How silly would it be if you just stopped.
No- that final push is always rewarding. I've never been sad heading toward the finish
The mileage doesn't scare me
But there are plenty of things that do-
Let's start with the silly stuff
1. What to wear
Yeah-I know sounds dumb
I've read that if you look pretty after a run, you didn't do it right-
But is it wrong to want to at least look kind of cool-
Spandex is not typically my friend, neither are running shorts
Running in front of God and everybody terrifies me
Solution:
Wear cool shoes-
That's what every runner looks at as they run past anyway
2. Random race day photos
Why?
See worry #1
I hardly ever look good in a photo unless I take it myself
(and It takes about 50 to get a good one- heehee)
Going to have to let the camera be honest and swallow my pride should a less than lovely photo present itself!
Solution:
Going to take the advice my dad always gives me-
"Smile- It improves your face value-"
So those are the silly worries-
The next two a bit more substantive
3. Pace
Ahhhh- pace-
We all pretend we're racing 'for fun'
We tell our self it doesn't really matter
But deep down, there it is- the dreaded topic of pace.
I've even gone so far as googling average finish times-
Yep- I'm not even average yet
For me, my dread is in the thought of being back with the sag wagon-
But what if the sag wagon IS my absolute best?
Isn't that a victory?
Solution:
"What ever your hand (or feet) findeth to do-
Do it with all your might." Eclesiastes 9:10
My best is just that- mine
Which brings me to the last worry
4. Goals
Saying a goal out loud is like gambling
At least it feels like that to me.
Total crap shoot
If I say a goal out loud it defines my race-
The outcome becomes a victory or defeat-
Not totally true either- but you get my drift
I think everyone has in their mind, goals for a race.
Saying them out loud is tricky
It makes them real
What if I don't reach my goal?
What if I set my goal too high?
What will people think of my goal if they knew what it was-
I know- I know- I'm waaaaaay over thinking it- but there it is-
Solution:
Make some stinkin' goals already!
Tell a few friends
So they can pat you on the back when the whole things over
So here you go:
- Race Smart
Take advantage of the course-
Watch out for focus breakers- Keep your head in the game
Stay calm
Realize that nerves can be turned into useful energy
- Photo Ops
I need to be smart- and not stop at every whim- but open to a photo stop or two along the way
Must get 1 WOW photo to sum up the race
- Pace
Cough-
Sputter-
My training runs have been averaging between 11.30 to 13 min/mile
pretty much hovering around 12.30
My best training 13.1 run had me run it in 2.40
But, I think I had a GPS ping that shaved 4-5 minutes
My goal is to hit that 2.40
Naw---
I need to be honest
My goal is to be 2hr30 or less
That's 11.45 min pace
I think I can- I think I can......
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