Not a running pic, but definitely a great pic of Beth! |
I really love a guest post, as you can probably tell from the number of them we have had on the blog. I will often ask people to write on races that they have run, especially when I am not doing anything interesting myself. However, I especially love it when someone contacts me because there is something that he or she wants to say and a story that needs to be told. That is what my friend Beth Johns did with this report.
As a writing teacher I know that writing can be really good therapy, helping us process our experiences and gain perspective. Beth, being a very wise librarian, as well as a smart runner, knew that too. We all have bad races, and we can all relate to what Beth went through. She definitely can tell a good story. Enjoy!!
Sometimes you embark on consistent training and things are
going pretty well. Until race day, that is. I have had a disappointing race
season this summer, and I can only hope it gets better in the fall. It’s certainly shaking my confidence as a
runner like it’s never been shook before.
I began training for a half marathon training this summer.
The half is by far my favorite distance and the one that got me started with
Team P back in 2005. I’ve done many—I
can’t even tell you how many. I’ve finished most of them in about 2:30, which
is fine since I don’t train to run faster, just stronger. But in the last year
or so I’ve finished around 2:45. Mostly, this was planned since the race was
worked into my marathon training and therefore, a slower pace. I have reasons for the other slowdowns, but
that might take up another guest post.
Those who run with me know I’m a big believer in Hal
Higdon’s training plans and incorporate them with Jeff Galloway’s run/walk/run method. I’ve
been using Hal’s intermediate plan, which incorporates weekly speed work and
shorter mid-week runs, weekly long runs and a few optional mid-distance races.
My speed work has gone well, once I understood what I was supposed to do (thank
you Lori!) and I usually complete my mid-week runs, in mileage if not days, one
strength session per week and of course the long runs.
In May, I started training for the Michigan Wine Trail Half Marathon.
I heard about this race on Facebook. It’s
a road race that took place on August 25 in Baroda, MI and this was its second
year. If you haven’t heard of Baroda, you aren’t alone. I hadn’t either until I
Googled it. It’s a tiny town in the Stevensville/Benton Harbor area. There are
a lot of wineries nearby, many of which you probably heard of (the location
host, Baroda Founders Wine Cellar, Tabor Hill, and others). It’s a pretty part
of the state once you are off I94, and one that I haven’t paid much attention
to in the past. But it sounded like fun, kind of small (500 runners), and you
got a wine glass at the end along with a taste. What fun!
One of the mid-distance runs in the plan was a 10K around
the July 4th holiday in Whitmore Lake. It was a bit humid, but not
terrible. However, I started out way too fast—10 something per mile. I kept
that up for about 3.5 miles, then slowed considerably. I’m good at that pace
for a 5K, but apparently not a 10K. That taught me to start much slower, even
if the race is “just” 6.2 miles. My finish time was terrible, even for slow
poke me—about 78 minutes. I was aiming for 70 minutes. Oh well, it was a
training run and you learn from it.
The next race in the plan was a 15K a few weeks later. I
couldn’t find one in Michigan, so I found a 10K that took place on Belle Isle
and decided to do 3 miles just ahead of the race start. What a nasty, humid
day—I was drenched after my pre-race 3 miles. But I started my race, did well
for about 4.5 miles, then that was it. I did more fast walking than planned.
So another really bad finish—79 minutes! I told myself that running 3 miles in
35 minutes just before race start probably did it, plus the humidity. Still . .
. it shakes you and makes you doubt yourself, but I kept in mind that it’s only
a training run.
I completed my other long runs leading up to race day, but sometimes
not ending in the exhilaration I want to feel. I just told myself, “race day
will be better.” In the past, my poor training runs had usually resulted in a good
race.
The big weekend finally came. I drove to Baroda on Saturday,
picked up my race packet, and then drove the race course because the
description on the website said it was “challenging” with few details and I
like to get an idea of what I’m going to be doing, if I can. I read about a
“big” hill at mile 8. I noted many
rolling hills on my drive—not too steep, but a lot of them. Think of a loop of the
Mt. Hope Cemetery times six. The big hill looked challenging, but I approach
hills by doing my best and just walking if it’s too hard. I always run downhill
at a race. I can usually make up time somewhere else. It crossed my mind that I
should dial down my expectations, but the course overall didn’t seem too bad. I
planned on a 2:30 finish, give or take 5 minutes.
Course Profile -- Definitely some hills there |
The next morning I got to the start line, felt good, well
hydrated and fed, no aches, and was pretty confident about myself. I started
out at what I thought was a slow, comfortable pace. Mile one was 11:21
according to my watch—a little fast, but not too bad. I was aiming for 11:30. Then
the hills started. It felt like a lot of up and down and up and down on long
country roads (2 to 2.5 miles each with a few shorter ones) with some flat spots
and declines. I try to incorporate a hill workout once a week, so hills
themselves don’t scare me. But it really tires you out when you haven’t trained
on a series of hills like these for several miles at a stretch, even if they
are small inclines.
By mile 8, the big hill, I slowed some, but was still close
to my goal. 1 hour 33 minutes had passed. I was happy with my pace, even though
that translates to about 11:35 per mile. That changed shortly after when I got
to mile 9. There was ANOTHER big hill, shorter, but just as steep! Or it felt
like that anyway. After struggling up that hill (actually, I walked up most of
the first hill and this entire one), I was done. I walked, tried a little slow running,
but my legs just wouldn’t move quickly enough. When you are walking as fast as
you are running, you might as well enjoy the walk. So I did that to mile 10, and
then switched my Galloway method to 1:2 (1 minute run, 2 minute walk). This
actually helped my mental state a lot because trust me, there was a lot of self-loathing
going on inside my head! I contemplated never running a half again, maybe never
running at all since it seemed like I was putting a lot of effort into little
reward. I added more running seconds as I felt able. I did manage the last quarter
mile non-stop, so I sort of looked like I finished strong. One thing I hate is
finishing, but feeling like I’m going to puke or collapse. This is one reason
why the Galloway method works well for me. So it was important to me to finish
feeling good.
I finished this half at 2:44:15. To make matters worse, they
ran out of medals! (I received it in the mail later.) Thankfully, I got the
wine glass and the taste. I was beating myself up about my finish immediately
after this race though. Without all of those hills in the first half or at
least the big hills, I truly think I would have finished in 2:30, mostly
running because I was feeling pretty good up to mile 9.
I am running the Detroit
Women’s Half on Belle Isle on September 22. I’m still aiming for a 2:30
finish. The course is two loops of the
island, but from what I remember from the 10K, it’s mostly flat, so unless we
have a hot & humid day, or some other disaster happens, I hope I can brag a
little afterwards. I’m also considering the Brückeläufe in Frankenmuth in
October—13.1 miles over 13 bridges. So I have a couple of options to hit that
goal. I just hope if I don’t, I can avoid a mental complex about racing! I’m not sure what I’ll do if it happens
again—maybe have a meltdown on the course (not really).
The Michigan Wine Trail Half is a nice, informal race that
will probably grow. They went from 100 last year to almost 500 this year. There
were a few issues that I’ve already discussed with the race director, aside
from the medal problem. He is very responsive to everyone’s comments, which is
a good sign. They have a nice group of volunteers, too, who do a decent job of
encouraging you. The race has a 4 hour limit, so it could be a good one for
walkers, too. There is also a 5K with it called the “Galloping Grape.” I do
recommend this race for a nice change of scenery, really pretty farmland and as
I found out, a challenging course. I think I may run it again next year—but
just for fun. Unless I start training on hills like crazy.