Friday, September 27, 2013

Rock and Roll Like Gump


The morning chill left my breath visible in the pre-dawn darkness.  The sun had not risen over Palmer Ranch yet as the crowd of runners had begun to gather.  I had my timing chip, my bib number, and even better, a long sleeved dry fit shirt from my race packet.  It was Florida but it was November and the morning was colder than any we had experienced in a while.  My fingers were shaky.  Maybe it was the cold… or maybe it was my pre-race nerves.  My husband and I made our way to the starting line and found our respective corrals.  “2 hours and 10 minutes Tiffany, you can do this” I kept telling myself as I got in behind the 2 hour pace runner.  I had no iPod, no music.  Just me and my thoughts and my aspirations of 10 minute split times for my first “fast and flat” half marathon.  I tucked my gel packs into my back pocket and waited for the clock to count down.

The sun was first making an appearance over the horizon as the race began.  “Slow and steady, slow and steady” I repeated to myself.  I looked down at my GPS watch.  I had it on the wrong setting.  It was on Kilometers and not miles.  So much for knowing my pace…

I reached the first mile mark before I was even expecting it.  The volunteer there shouted out the time as each runner passed.  “8:30” she said as I slipped past mile 1.  Had I started out too fast?  Was I setting myself up for failure?   I didn’t know.  I just kept running.  

Miles 2 and 3 passed.  Then miles 4, 5, and 6.  My times were almost identical at around 9 minute miles.  When I reached 7 miles… I knew I was set in that cadence.  Nothing was going to stop me from achieving a sub 2 hour half marathon time at that point.  I was over halfway there and I had committed myself to running that race pace for the duration.

Miles 9 and 10 came and went.  I had used up both gels at that point and had made every water stop.  The streets were lined with well-wishers.  They had signs, bells, and cheered and clapped as the droves of runners passed by them.  I couldn’t help but smile.  I felt amazing.  Tired.. but definitely amazing.  

I wasn’t expecting to turn that corner on mile 12 when I did.  One. More. Mile (and an extra tenth of course).  I didn’t even stop at the 12 mile water stop.  The anticipation and desire to reach the finish line were all I could think of.  “I might actually do this!”.  My mind was racing.  I knew that the 2 hour pace runner was somewhere behind me.  Not far behind me, but behind me nonetheless.  I was going to do it.

I was approaching the finish line when I saw my husband in the crowd with his head down watching the time on his phone.  I knew he wasn’t expecting me for 10 more minutes.  It took everything I had to yell his name as loud as I could above the roar of the crowd around.  I saw the clock ticking way.  1:58… 1:58:30, 1:58:40…

I gave my one last push to cross the line at 1:58:56.  I had done it.  I knew that mingled in the sweat dripping down my face there were tears of joy.  I felt accomplished.  The early mornings, the strict diet, the weekend training… it had all paid off.  I even managed to finish 3rd in my age group that day.  I was hooked. 

And I have been ever since.

We went on to run the Rock and Roll St. Petersburg half marathon in the following February.  But now, I've conquered the 13.1.  I need more.
  So this is the year.  This is the year that my husband and I run a full marathon.  26.2 miles of perseverance, sweat, and maybe some tears.  But this will be no small feat.  It will take some serious training, discipline, and a lot of will-power.  I mean, where do you even start to train for running that distance?  In my little hometown, that would be longer than the distance from the Stanton Mountain Parkway Exit to the I64 interchange (I know all my Powell County folks are now thinking, “that’s absolutely crazy!”).

Good thing I have an Exercise Scientist by my side who always does his research.  If we were going to train, we had reduce our risk of injury as much as possible.  If we were going to do it, we had to give it our best shot and deliver our best performance.  If we were going to do it, we were going to do it right.

The solution?

A book called Run Less, Run Faster.  The authors are from Furman University’s FIRST program and have spent years developing various running programs.  I won’t spoil the book because it details a lot of their work, but I will tell you, if you plan on training for a race, this is an excellent resource.  You can even get it on Amazon for as little as $4.00. 
 It has pages and pages of race tables in 10 second increments to help you calculate your paces for the various runs.  You will do one short run to improve VO2 max, one medium run to improve your racing tempo and a longer run day to improve distance.

The best part?  It can start you out at a 5K.  The book covers common racing distances from 5K’s to Boston Qualifiers.  Even if you are a novice runner, there’s a plan in it for you.

I’ve had people ask me how to prepare for races.  Well, if you plan on running a road race, I couldn’t do this book justice.  It does all of the pacing and calculating for you, you simply have to adhere to it and put in the work.  It will help you customize your plan to your pace.

Cameron and I are 9 weeks out from our Marathon and in just the 7 weeks we’ve been training, I can see the merits of the book.  Three runs a week keep up from getting run down and each run has a specific purpose.  

I’ll be honest, I’m a distance runner and the sprint days, well… the sprinting/speed work days are not my friend.  But you know what?  When I’m finished, I know it had a purpose and I can feel myself getting better.

I know the proof will come on December 8th when I run the Palm Beaches Marathon but so far, this book is working for us.  Maybe it will work for you too :) 

Goal Time for the marathon:  4:20:00 (a 10 minute mile)
Above average performance:  4:10:00 (9:33m/mile)
Excellent performance:  4:00:00 or less (9:09m/mile or less)

2 comments:

  1. You both will do awesome at this, Tiff. I have no doubt in my mind about that! :-) <3

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  2. Thanks :) We are putting in a lot of work!

    ReplyDelete