Lessons from a 12-miler

Had a 12 mile long run on Saturday and took advantage of one of the organized long runs in the park. Made for a 5am morning, but is totally worth it to have the resources available.

It went really well! Much, much better than the 11 miles we had done a few weeks before. Last time we ran, we opted for the 10 min/mile group, but were with a pace leader who ran at 9:30. This made for a marvelous first 6 miles and a miserable final 5.

This time, we ran with a 10:30 pace group which was a much better decision. Not only is it more like the pace we are actually running these days, but we had great coaches who stayed right on the money. We each had a mile + at a faster pace (faster than 9:30) when playing catch up after a pit-stop, but otherwise was the perfect pace. Ended up finishing in just over 2 hours and felt great. Though, to quote Eldar, “it feels awesome to not be running right now!”

Lessons:
1) Im not as fast or strong as I was in 2007, but I actually feel better (in general) now, than I did in 2007. It’s been hard for me to let go of the standard I set for myself in 2007 (in fact, I have not let it go, but I am trying). The pace I ran, what my body looked like, etc. But, I had control issues in my life back then and lived (and ate) accordingly. Now that I am a freer person, it shows in my running. Im slower now because I don’t train as hard and I actually eat better. It makes me slower, but I recover much faster and don’t feel as exhausted all the time. The trade off should be obvious (well being for fast race times), but it is still hard for me not to calculate a half marathon at 9:30 pace and set a goal of breaking 2 hours. Maybe someday when Im not training for a marathon and can really push for that half marathon time. But one run at a time. And I’ll take the happiness any day.

2) Train for the worst case scenario. This was the advice of one of the pace coaches. Chatted with her for a bit after she called me out for running outside of the recreation lane in the park… “Pink shirt!” Her advice was to train for the worst case scenario. Meaning – if you plan to run somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 half marathon, train for the 5 hours. It could be raining, 98 degrees, 100% humidity or you just might feel like ass. If you are trained to stay on your feet for 5 hours, it will be easier. You’ll be able to give up the dream of the 4:40 time and give yourself the extra time. And your body will be prepared to stay upright and running for that long. So…train slow. And, when it turns out to be a great day after all…you’ll be able to keep up that quicker pace (which is what the shorter, interval training runs are for.

Next up: it’s a taper week to prep for the half marathon in less than 2 weeks. 2 nice runs this week (one interval, one flat mileage) and an 8 miler this weekend.