Week 16 - "Disciprine Come From Within"

... to quote a South Park episode. I ran my first half-marathon on Saturday. My buddies Ian and Jose ran their inagural halves as well. They smoked me, but we all ran solidly.

I took it very easy this week because I wanted to have healthy shins for the 13.1 mile trek. My personal goal was not to run hard and set a grand PR. I actually wanted to hold myself to 8:30 min/mile. The idea was that maybe mileage wasn't tearing up my legs: maybe the injuries were more to do with effort. Sabina laughed at this idea and reminded me that I say that almost every race and then end up killing myself. The comment from my smart-ass wife steeled my resolve this time. Of course I forgot to wear my watch and had no way to know what my pace was during the event.

Ibuprofen is a terrific friend on race day. The 3 little pills that I doused with coffee in the morning kept any pain at bay through mile 6. Although my speed and running form were in check, the clock at the halfway mark showed I was running several minutes faster than anticipated. Seeing this, I began to make grand plans to push myself around mile 10 or so. Those plans began to deteriorate with each mile:

○ Mile 7 - Slight shin pain (never progressed).
○ Mile 10 - Quads began to feel heavy.
○ Mile 11 - Felt blister like pain under ball of right foot (actually just callused).

Despite over thinking things in the 2nd half of race, I didn't have to dig very deep to reach the finish line. The final mile was a little test. Could I have kept going for another 13 miles? Doubtful. My time was 1:42:15 (7:48 min/mile). Running such a controlled pace and still running sub 8's is a huge confidence booster. There are 7 weeks left before the BSIM. Nine minute miles and a sub 4 hr marathon time seems entirely achievable. I just have to be smart and avoid any more setbacks. Today is the day after the Bidwell Classic. My quads and calves are tight with the type of soreness that sets in after a good workout. My plan is to rest a few days and then pick things back up on Wednesday.

-Mar 1: 0.5 mile run on treadmill, biked for 30 min. Ran on grass field for 20 min after work.

-Mar 2: 1 hour yoga.

-Mar 3: 2.5 mile run on treadmill, biked for 30 min.

-Mar 4: 1 hour yoga.

-Mar 6: 34th Annual Bidwell Classic Half Marathon (01:42:15, 7:48 min/mile).


ADDENDUM: Downed a couple gel packs while running (@ mile 4, and @ mile 8). Both were warm and nasty. The Powerbar one tasted better and had a more tolerable consistency than the Cliff brand. I should refrigerate them before the marathon. I fooled around with my form during the race too. Tilted my pelvis in slightly and it seemed to make my upper legs perform more of the work than my calves. Working on this may reduce future pain from shin splints.