I haven't been able to get rid of the feelings of disappointment and annoyance about my performance at the RunRaleigh Half Marathon all week, so I have decided the best thing to do is sign up for another Half Marathon and have another go at meeting my goal time.
While the course for the Midtown Half Marathon (June 3rd) might be flatter for the most part, the weather will be warmer and mostly likely more humid so overall it won't be much different to what I faced at the RunRaleigh Half Marathon.
I have a few weeks to get used to the warmer temperatures (assuming the heat returns to Raleigh sometime soon) and already have a great base in place so I plan on just running my weekend trail, tempo, track and long runs to maintain the speed that I have already built up.
This time I'll break 1:35!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
RunRaleigh Half Marathon Race Report
I finished 55th overall (out of 909 runners) and third in my age group with a time of 1:38:23, but I was and still am disappointed. In this instance, I am actually happy to be disappointed as I think it will help make me a better runner.
On the positive side, the race itself was very well organized. The course was pretty and ran through an area of Raleigh that is rarely used for races. The volunteers were plentiful, enthusiastic and motivating and they had more than enough supplies to hand out to the runners during and after the race and the location of the start/finish area was easily accessible and had numerous exit routes that allowed me to get home while the race was still going on.
As for my performance, I know that the warmer temperatures (62F with 80% humidity) and the sunny stretch between miles 4 and 7 had an effect on me, but I came in to the race with some great training miles and test races behind me and my race was pretty much over by the 9 mile point.
I started out a little quick, but my breathing was under control for the most part - (Miles 1-5) 6:50, 6:57, 6:50, 6:49, 6:46. However, in hindsight, it probably was too quick and I knew it when the sun popped out of the clouds on Western Avenue and those rolling hills started to feel steeper and steeper. I went through 8K in 33:53 and 10K in 42:45 which would both be PRs - probably another sign I was going to quickly.
By the time the race course turned and entered the Greenway at around 7.5 miles I was hot and getting hotter. I had my water bottle with me and had been taking on fluids when I needed them, but the sun had got to me physically and mentally at this point. I had hoped for some relief on the Greenway but instead I got a wall of humidity. (Miles 6-8) 7:07, 7:08, 7:03. My pace had only slowed slightly, but I was on the edge.
I tried to slow down and compose myself but it wasn't working and I decided I needed to walk to cool down. The final miles were a combination of running and walking as I first battled my increased temperature and then battled the lack of desire after my PR time became unobtainable. (Miles 9-13) 8:08, 8:13, 8:07, 8:38, 9:03
I crossed the finish line, got my medal and some refreshments, congratulated some friends who had also finished the race and then headed home. I was annoyed at myself for not battling through the last few miles - even a 8:00 pace over the last five miles would have got me a new PR and was disappointed that I had missed my goal.
It is easy to blame the weather, which certainly played a part, but in hindsight, I think my early pace was probably more of a factor in my increased temperature. However, I think that the biggest factor in my failure was that I had convinced myself before the race that it was going to be too warm and when I started to feel warm during the race I was more aware of it. I know I am not a very good warm weather runner and mentally I don't seem to be able to get past it during a race.
So, I have some goals to run towards in the coming years! One day I'd like to run a 1:30 Half Marathon, which is 6:50/mile pace (ha, look, my first 5 miles were at that pace in this race!). More importantly though, I'd like to become a mentally stronger runner and be able to deal with things not going my way better during races. Running shorter races doesn't really help with that is they are over so quickly and there isn't really time for a long drawn out mental battle so it is something that will only come over time and through experience racing - and I got some good experience with that in the RunRaleigh Half Marathon!
On the positive side, the race itself was very well organized. The course was pretty and ran through an area of Raleigh that is rarely used for races. The volunteers were plentiful, enthusiastic and motivating and they had more than enough supplies to hand out to the runners during and after the race and the location of the start/finish area was easily accessible and had numerous exit routes that allowed me to get home while the race was still going on.
As for my performance, I know that the warmer temperatures (62F with 80% humidity) and the sunny stretch between miles 4 and 7 had an effect on me, but I came in to the race with some great training miles and test races behind me and my race was pretty much over by the 9 mile point.
I started out a little quick, but my breathing was under control for the most part - (Miles 1-5) 6:50, 6:57, 6:50, 6:49, 6:46. However, in hindsight, it probably was too quick and I knew it when the sun popped out of the clouds on Western Avenue and those rolling hills started to feel steeper and steeper. I went through 8K in 33:53 and 10K in 42:45 which would both be PRs - probably another sign I was going to quickly.
By the time the race course turned and entered the Greenway at around 7.5 miles I was hot and getting hotter. I had my water bottle with me and had been taking on fluids when I needed them, but the sun had got to me physically and mentally at this point. I had hoped for some relief on the Greenway but instead I got a wall of humidity. (Miles 6-8) 7:07, 7:08, 7:03. My pace had only slowed slightly, but I was on the edge.
I tried to slow down and compose myself but it wasn't working and I decided I needed to walk to cool down. The final miles were a combination of running and walking as I first battled my increased temperature and then battled the lack of desire after my PR time became unobtainable. (Miles 9-13) 8:08, 8:13, 8:07, 8:38, 9:03
I crossed the finish line, got my medal and some refreshments, congratulated some friends who had also finished the race and then headed home. I was annoyed at myself for not battling through the last few miles - even a 8:00 pace over the last five miles would have got me a new PR and was disappointed that I had missed my goal.
It is easy to blame the weather, which certainly played a part, but in hindsight, I think my early pace was probably more of a factor in my increased temperature. However, I think that the biggest factor in my failure was that I had convinced myself before the race that it was going to be too warm and when I started to feel warm during the race I was more aware of it. I know I am not a very good warm weather runner and mentally I don't seem to be able to get past it during a race.
So, I have some goals to run towards in the coming years! One day I'd like to run a 1:30 Half Marathon, which is 6:50/mile pace (ha, look, my first 5 miles were at that pace in this race!). More importantly though, I'd like to become a mentally stronger runner and be able to deal with things not going my way better during races. Running shorter races doesn't really help with that is they are over so quickly and there isn't really time for a long drawn out mental battle so it is something that will only come over time and through experience racing - and I got some good experience with that in the RunRaleigh Half Marathon!
Friday, April 13, 2012
RunRaleigh Half Marathon Preview
I will be running in the inaugural RunRaleigh Half Marathon this Sunday with a PR as my target.
I started out the year with a Half Marathon PR on my mind and was torn between a return to the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon and the RunRaleigh Half Marathon. I really didn't want to run the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon again as it is poorly organized and expensive but with the close ties between NCRC and the organizer of the RunRaleigh Half Marathon, I wasn't sure whether I'd be needed in a volunteer capacity and be stuck with Raleigh Rocks. In the end, Raleigh Rocks clashed with the Umstead 100 and there were plenty of volunteers for RunRaleigh, so I registered in late February.
Here are some of the things I have been thinking about:
1. I have been in great shape this year so far, with PR's at 5K (20:27 - 6:34/mile), 8K (34:43 - 6:59/mile) and 10K (43:43 - 7:02/mile) and nothing more than a couple of aches and pains during training. My Half Marathon PR is currently 1:36:40 (7:22/mile) and I feel that if everything goes my way on Sunday, I'll be able to run 7:10/mile and finish in just under 1:34:30 - so that is my "A" goal.
2. The course is flatter than Raleigh Rocks and doesn't have any long, steep hills. The last couple of miles are slightly up hill, but nothing major and the middle part of the course is relatively flat. It probably is about as flat is as possible in Raleigh!
3. The weather might be a factor as Sunday is forecast to be a warm day and I certainly prefer the cooler weather. The start time is 7am, so it will still be cool then and hopefully it won't warm up too quickly. If it does warm up I might be forced to focus on 1:36:39 for a new PR, which is my "B" goal for the race.
4. This will be the first time that I run a race longer than 10K in my Nike Free V3's. I have done numerous tempo runs and long runs in them, but running a Half Marathon at race pace is an unknown.
5. I am also considering running without my handheld water bottle and using the water stops - which will be a first for me in a Half Marathon. If I carry the water bottle I don't have to worry about when the next water stop is coming up and I also have something to carry my GUs and S-Caps in, however, it is relatively heavy and annoying to carry. If I don't carry it, I have to work out some other way of carrying my GUs and S-Caps and also will no doubt stress about hydration.
All that being said, I am excited about this race and can't wait for the challenges that await me on Sunday morning. Hopefully, everything will go my way and I'll run an intelligent race and come out with a new PR but if they don't it will surely be an experience that will help me in future races.
I started out the year with a Half Marathon PR on my mind and was torn between a return to the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon and the RunRaleigh Half Marathon. I really didn't want to run the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon again as it is poorly organized and expensive but with the close ties between NCRC and the organizer of the RunRaleigh Half Marathon, I wasn't sure whether I'd be needed in a volunteer capacity and be stuck with Raleigh Rocks. In the end, Raleigh Rocks clashed with the Umstead 100 and there were plenty of volunteers for RunRaleigh, so I registered in late February.
Here are some of the things I have been thinking about:
1. I have been in great shape this year so far, with PR's at 5K (20:27 - 6:34/mile), 8K (34:43 - 6:59/mile) and 10K (43:43 - 7:02/mile) and nothing more than a couple of aches and pains during training. My Half Marathon PR is currently 1:36:40 (7:22/mile) and I feel that if everything goes my way on Sunday, I'll be able to run 7:10/mile and finish in just under 1:34:30 - so that is my "A" goal.
2. The course is flatter than Raleigh Rocks and doesn't have any long, steep hills. The last couple of miles are slightly up hill, but nothing major and the middle part of the course is relatively flat. It probably is about as flat is as possible in Raleigh!
3. The weather might be a factor as Sunday is forecast to be a warm day and I certainly prefer the cooler weather. The start time is 7am, so it will still be cool then and hopefully it won't warm up too quickly. If it does warm up I might be forced to focus on 1:36:39 for a new PR, which is my "B" goal for the race.
4. This will be the first time that I run a race longer than 10K in my Nike Free V3's. I have done numerous tempo runs and long runs in them, but running a Half Marathon at race pace is an unknown.
5. I am also considering running without my handheld water bottle and using the water stops - which will be a first for me in a Half Marathon. If I carry the water bottle I don't have to worry about when the next water stop is coming up and I also have something to carry my GUs and S-Caps in, however, it is relatively heavy and annoying to carry. If I don't carry it, I have to work out some other way of carrying my GUs and S-Caps and also will no doubt stress about hydration.
All that being said, I am excited about this race and can't wait for the challenges that await me on Sunday morning. Hopefully, everything will go my way and I'll run an intelligent race and come out with a new PR but if they don't it will surely be an experience that will help me in future races.
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