As I sit here writing this post, I am feeling so many different emotions. I am so excited that the half marathon is actually going to happen and I feel like I am ready to run a really solid race. This will be my first half marathon in over 18 months and I feel like everything has fallen into place with my training. I also feel super jittery and anxious because of the taper. I'm worried that I will get sick or stub a toe in the next 72 hours. I couldn't imagine trying to do a one month marathon taper right now.
The Saints and Sinner course is a down hill course that is very PR friendly.
I don't think I will be able to break my old PR but, I know that I am in better shape than I was when I ran my last half. I have lost almost all of my baby weight from both pregnancies and I worked a lot on my upper body and core strength during this training cycle.
This will be my first half marathon that I will be racing with a Garmin. In the past I would use a regular running watch and I would wear a pace band with split times written on it to check to see if I was on pace or not.
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1
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0:07:45
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0:07:45
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2
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0:07:30
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0:15:15
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3
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0:07:30
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0:22:45
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4
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0:07:30
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0:30:15
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5
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0:07:30
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0:37:45
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6
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0:07:30
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0:45:15
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7
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0:07:25
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0:52:40
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0:07:30
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1:00:10
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0:07:25
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1:07:35
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0:07:25
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1:15:00
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0:07:25
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1:22:25
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0:07:25
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1:29:50
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13
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0:07:15
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1:37:05
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0.1
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0:00:54
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1:37:59
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Having a Garmin has really helped me keep my paces in check during low key track club workouts and has also helped me keep on pace during tempo workouts.
My Race Strategy and Goals
I plan on doing a very minimal warm up, maybe a mile of jogging to stay warm. For the first mile I plan on running around 7:45 pace to warm up and then I hope to drop down to 7:30 for the next few miles (2-6). Then I want to drop down to 7:15 pace for miles 7-10. For the last 5k of the course I want to run in the low 7 minute range.
C goal- Run a true progression half marathon where each mile is faster than the last. If I take off too fast, I will blow up during the last few miles. There is no such thing as banking time during a full or half marathon. That strategy will always result in me crashing and burning during the final miles.
B goal -is to run a sub 1:40 half. I think with the downhill course I should be able to accomplish this. I will be very disappointed if I don't break 1:40
A goal- is to get as close to 1:35 as possible.
| 1 | 0:07:45 | 0:07:45 |
| 2 | 0:07:30 | 0:15:15 |
| 3 | 0:07:30 | 0:22:45 |
| 4 | 0:07:30 | 0:30:15 |
| 5 | 0:07:30 | 0:37:45 |
| 6 | 0:07:30 | 0:45:15 |
| 7 | 0:07:15 | 0:52:30 |
| 8 | 0:07:15 | 0:59:45 |
| 9 | 0:07:15 | 1:07:00 |
| 10 | 0:07:15 | 1:14:15 |
| 11 | 0:07:00 | 1:21:15 |
| 12 | 0:07:00 | 1:28:15 |
| 13 | 0:07:00 | 1:35:15 |
| 0.01 | 0:00:50 | 1:36:05 |
I really need to remember my C goal during the whole race.
All the best for the race - it really does have the most fantastic name. And a downhill course? I don't think we have such a 13.1 in the UK (though I wish we did!) - we have some flat courses with a few inclines, but that's the best we can do.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to remember your C-goal too - I used to start slower and then speed up, but doing the reverse recently I've actually lost more time by the end of the race than if I'd started more conservatively. Shame there aren't any half marathons left until next year to test that theory out on for me.
Are you racing any marathons before the end of the year? I think you have had a really great year racing wise. I'd kill to run a 3:20 marathon. :)
DeleteI'm far from a run nerd, but I really like reading race goal/strategy posts. It's nest to see how the runner reflects on her training and current fitness.
ReplyDeleteI'll be cheering for you from the comfort of my cozy bed. Will the kids be out cheering you on?
No. I will be racing without a support crew. My husband will be at home watching the kiddos while I race. In a few years I will trick them into doing some fun run kids races. Thank you for your suport! :)
Deleteyou did awesome! Great comeback race, hope we meet up again :)
ReplyDelete