My Race Day Goal – 13.1 in under 2 hours and 30 minutes
My goal when I signed up for this race was just to finish. After looking at my Garmin reads from my long runs, that goal has shifted slightly to secretly (it was a secret, anyway) include finishing in less than 2.5 hours. Say I give myself two seconds to spare, that means an average pace of 11 minutes and 26 seconds per mile. I think I can do that – most of my long runs averaged 10:30 – 11 minute pace, slower if you account for times when I stopped the watch because of stoplights or to Gu and hydrate. On my worst long run, I averaged close to 12 minute miles and took a ton of breaks, which could bring my time way down.
Honestly? I think it’ll be close. I know I’ll finish, but I’m used to taking some breaks, snapping a photo, making it enjoyable to be out running for over two hours on my long runs. I don’t regret that, I think it’s what kept me training. But it means I’m not sure exactly how I’ll fare on race day when no one is going to stop the clock for me so I can catch my breath and take a picture of how the clouds look with the sun behind them. (I e-mailed the race website to ask and didn’t hear back. I’m assuming that means no.)
 |
| A running memory to carry with me on race day – Will and I on Cape Cod this summer |
Race Day Strategies
Is scheduling some walking breaks smart… or cheating? When I ran my 10k, my goal was to RUN my 10k. I didn’t care about time, I just wanted to run it without stopping, except for a slow down directly next to a water station. I did it.
I originally planned to have the same goal for this half marathon, except… it’s 13.1 miles. Running expert Jeff Galloway who writes “The Starting Line” column for Runner’s World recommends in this month’s magazine that you take walking breaks during your first half marathon. He says it’ll actually help you to finish faster, by resting your legs and your lungs.
I like the idea of finishing faster, and I like the idea of breaking up the 13.1 miles into 5K ish increments and taking a few scheduled walking breaks. I emphasize scheduled, because the last thing I want to do is walk, then sprint, then walk, then sprint, and feel like I didn’t run. I want to run this race the best I can, and if the experts and my experience on my long runs indicates that a few brief walking breaks to rest my lungs will help me finish faster and have a better race experience, then I think it’s a smart idea.
Right now I’m planning to take a brief (90 seconds or less) walking break every three miles, and NO MORE than one every 2 miles. Just long enough to catch my breath and keep going. If I don’t take one at the mark I’d planned, I don’t take one until at least another mile marker. (This keeps them out of my control, so I don’t constantly fight with myself about whether I should take one now, or in a minute, or both.)
This is a race. I am trying to get from start, to finish, as quickly as I can. That means running slowly in the beginning and pacing myself, and I think it means taking a few scheduled breathers. I am trying to convince myself that it doesn’t mean I’m not running this… it means I am running this smarter.
Music… or no music?
Right now I’m leaning towards no music. Here’s why.
1. It’s a huge race, and the race site has asked that runners keep one ear-bud out or listen to music quietly so they can hear any directions from on the course. With that many people running, the pounding of shoes to pavement is going to be loud enough to drown out anything quiet… so I either violate race recs, or I can hardly hear it anyway.
2. I did half my long runs without music, and I liked it. I felt more connected to my surroundings and my running. My pace was never influenced by what I was listening to, which is good for a long run when you need to be slow and steady instead of Rock N’ Roll. I started listening to music when my out and back run became boring since I was doing the same route. I was too lazy to switch up my running route (I loved the sidewalks, the moderate elevation change, and the way an out and back run kept me from cutting off the last mile if I was tired). Instead, I started listening to the Beatles for two hours to keep myself entertained. It was great, but I’m not going to be bored during this race! It’ll be a new course for me, through a scenic wine country, surrounded by several thousand other runners and spectators. I don’t want to miss anything because I’m listening to music. I want to BE there.
Garmin, or no garmin?
Garmin. For a while I was worried that running with my Garmin would make me run too fast (ooh, I’m doing great, I want to keep this up and get an impressive time!) or feel badly about how slow I’m running and give up. I didn’t want the pressure of looking down and feeling elated and then pushing too hard, or feeling dismayed. I want to enjoy my race, and keep in mind that my only goal when I signed up was to finish – all I need for that is to keep putting one foot in front of the other until the end. I don’t need a constant visual reminder of how fast or slow I’m going or how many miles I have left!
However… I don’t want the adrenaline of the race to get me going in the beginning and run too fast for the first few miles and have a bad rest of the race. Greg mentioned to me the other day that “Finishing this race is not a ‘gimme’. It’s 13.1 miles – that’s not easy. If you go out way too fast in the first three miles, there is a chance you won’t finish.”
Yikes.
I have used my Garmin on all my long runs, so maybe I don’t switch it up, now. I also found it a very helpful tool in gaining my PR during my last 5k. If I looked down and I had dropped to a 10:15 pace, I upped my efforts to get back down to the 9:30s range so I could meet my goal.
If I use my Garmin right, it’s a great tool. It can help me keep those first three miles at 11 pace, and then I can just settle in to the race and ignore it. It will also help me determine when I should take a Gu, when to expect the next water station, and keep me honest about taking a few scheduled 90 second walking breaks.
Garmin it is.
Saturday, here I come!
Scheduling walk breaks is so smart. I always plan to walk through water stops and I’ve raced using the Galloway method as well. I’ve found it to be really helpful!
Yeah, people who run through water stops are just way more coordinated than I am. If I want any of the liquid in that little paper cup to make it into my mouth, I’ve got to walk. Also, I’m not real good at opening Gu packets on the run!
Sounds like you are ready! This is a great race plan!
Thanks Amanda! I hope I’m ready. I mean, yes, of course, I am very ready. I am so prepared. I have no regrets about any of the runs I cut short or ran slow over the summer : / EEK!
Good luck!!!
Thank you Molly!
I have a couple of questions about your plan. Not criticizing – just curious. I think you raised the question for yourself – I think I would struggle with the walk breaks and feel like I didn’t complete it. I totally get the strategy and don’t disagree a bit, it’s all in the head for me, I guess??
As for music, I listen to it for motivation (not pacing because the music would be soooo slow I’d be crawling) but also to keep the sounds of my breathing and feet (Yes, it’s loud) I find those two things extremely distracting at least at this stage of my training. Maybe that gets better??
Love the just put one foot in front of the other to finish!!
Can’t wait til Saturday!!
I am definitely struggling with the idea of walking breaks! I want to run the whole thing without stopping… and yet I also want to enjoy the running, and not give up in defeat if I walk at a water station and don’t resume running right away or push too hard for a mile and need a break in order to resume at my usual pace. I am worried that if I’m inflexible by not allowing walking breaks as part of my race day strategy, that the first time I slip up and take one, I will feel as though I’ve failed and have no incentive to continue trying to make it to the finish as fast as I can. If walking once is giving up, why not walk whenever I feel like it?
I worry about the motivational issues that come from not scheduling any walking breaks or having any rules. Since I did tend to stop at busy intersections and therefore catch my breath, or stop to take a gu packet and water, or grab a quick photo of a beautiful lake on training runs, I worry that I’m not actually prepared to run 13.1 without catching my breath a few times. That might be a good goal for a future race, when I’m faster, and I’ll be able to finish without exerting myself for about 2.5 hours.
If I take 2.5 hours, that’s 150 minutes. If I take a 90 second break every three miles, that’s four breaks, or 6 minutes of walking. 6 is only 4% of 150… so I’d be walking 4% of the race. That’s 96% running, time-wise. Distance-wise, it’s even a higher percentage of running because I will cover more distance during the 144 minutes of running than in those 6 minutes of walking.
So I think planning those breaks will limit me TO those breaks, and I’ll still have an A in my half marathon at 96%. If there’s bonus points for a smile at the finish line, I might even get an A+.
That’s my thoughts now… and I’ve struggled with it a lot.
I think if I coincide them with water stations, and limit them to 90 seconds, I’ll still feel as though I ran the whole thing… and I’ll finish faster and in better spirits.
I’ll let you know what happens, and how I feel about it!
I’m a big fan of Galloway’s run/walk method. I like that it allows me to take scheduled breaks … not only allows but forces me to take them. Jeff says take breaks before you need them so that your legs don’t get tired out. Depending on the length of my run I schedule a 30 second walk break every 3 to 7 minutes. I find that doing so allows me to clock off faster mile times. Of course it could be a totally mental thing, but either way it works for me! 🙂 Because I use his run/walk method I always take my Garmin because it allows me to schedule the intervals and hear a little beep when it’s time for my walk break.
I think if you are planning to do any kind of run/walk schedule and you’re used to using your Garmin to track your pace, it’s a good idea to bring it to the race. Better to have it and not look down at it, then find yourself a couple miles in wishing you had it!
Thanks Kristina! It’s so great to hear from someone who has used Galloway’s run/walk method. Emotionally I struggle with the idea of training to run a half marathon and yet doing some walking, but the more I read about it, and the more I think about how much better I felt on my long runs when I cut myself a little slack, the more I feel that I may finish faster and feel better if I do limited, scheduled, breaks.
I’m definitely using the Garmin… my last race really convinced me that it’s a useful tool for pacing, and it’ll keep me honest about any breaks. A 90 second walking break becomes a 3 minute walking break if you’re not looking at a clock, and I really want to run this!
Thanks for the info – I may try something with shorter running intervals in a practice run sometime!
I’m so excited for you! I love these lead up posts! Good luck from a C25K beginner and mum in Aus mate!!,
Jensie 🙂
Good luck! Sounds like you have a great strategy in place. You got this!
Good luck!! I cant wait to read your race-weeked posts 🙂 I am so excited for you! I’m signed up for my first 10k next month. A half still seems so out of reach but its on my bucket list. Wishing you a successful run this weekend and a Happy Birthday!
Thanks so much and good luck on your 10k! I have only run one 10k and am excited to do another one in October. They’re plenty challenging and less extreme than the half which was so hard that I wouldn’t want to do more than one or two a year… If I keep doing them!