…except for
when it involves me almost dying while running 13.1 miles.
Yesterday I
ran the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon. This race holds particular sentimental value
to me because it was the first half-marathon I ever ran back in 2010. I was so
nervous then… had no idea what to expect of the race itself – such a newbie. But
yesterday was my third time running this particular race, so I knew what to
expect, and I had a plan.
A lot of “the
plan” had to do with stuff before the race even started, primarily: making sure
I had done the mileage needed for a half-marathon, and knowing what sort of
nutrition I needed before and during a race of this length. These are things that only come from experience.
From getting out and hitting the pavement and figuring out that – true story – maybe
spicy chicken curry the night before a long run is not such a good idea. (But…
but… it has rice AND potatoes – double carbs! Still… no.)
Of course,
better to find these things out when you can still find a bathroom or just head
home rather than be on a course where the nearest porta-potty may be 2.5 miles
away – with no guarantee of toilet paper.
(It’s
sentences like that one that makes people swear they’ll never ever become a
runner, I realize. Sorry.)
 |
| Me after the VB R&R Half 2010 - my first half marathon |
Anyway, I
had finished my training segment of my plan and yesterday morning moved into
the pre-race plan segment. The race
started at 7am, so I got up at 3:45am, got on my running clothes, and stuffed
as much food as I could bear at that hour into my stomach (bagel, coffee cake
& banana). I then drove down to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront and got a
great parking spot since it was 4:05am, and nobody in their right mind had
gotten there for the event yet.
Then I
proudly lay down in the back of my minivan and slept for another 2 ½ hours. When
my alarm got me up at 6:30, I hopped out of the van, downed a Redbull, and
walked the couple of blocks to the starting line.
It was a
fabulous pre-race plan, if I do say so myself.
It gave my food enough time to get into my system without feeling heavy,
parking was a breeze instead of a battle, AND I got a couple of hours more
sleep rather than sit around doing nothing in the wee hours of the morning. It is probably what I will do for all my
races in this area. Hey, if you have to suffer the indignity of owning a
minivan, you should at least get as much usefulness out of it as possible.
Of course
there are some things even a great plan can’t account for like yesterday’s weather
conditions. At 7am, it was in the high 80s with 90% humidity –definitely not optimal
for running. I knew I was in trouble when I was already sweating while standing
around doing nothing before the race and before the sun even came up. And yeah, it just got worse.
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| 2012 finisher's medal joins my 2010 & 2011 |
My running
plan, originally, was pretty simple: run as fast and hard as I could for 13.1
miles. (It wasn’t actually that
simple. I was aiming for a pace of 10:00 minutes/mile for the first half of the
race, then trying for a negative split: running the second half slightly faster
than the first half). After about a
hundred yards into the race – feeling like I was breathing through a snorkel ,
the air was so thick – I knew this plan was not going to work. Too hot. Too
humid. Too likely to die by mile 10.
The running
revamp involved changing to a 9 minute run/ 1 minute walk pattern. I forced
myself to do that from the very first mile. That was hard because I felt pretty
great the first four miles. But I knew if I pushed hard the first miles, I
would have nothing left for the second half of the race – when it would be
hotter and more humid. The run/walk plan
enabled me to still be going strong even at miles 11, 12 and 13. A lot of
people who passed me early in the race, I passed right back at the end.
Ultimately,
even with the best of planning, it wasn’t a particularly fast race for me
(2:22:34). Nowhere near my best time (2:09:45), but not my worst either. And in
those conditions, I’ll take it and be happy. And start planning for my next race.
