On Christmas Eve I ran my longest training run – 7 miles. Using the run/walk method, with 4 minute run/1 minute walk intervals, I finished with a pace just over 11 minutes per mile. Something happened to me that day, almost like a switch being turned on. I started thinking that a half-marathon was completely doable.
Prior to that, a half-marathon was a pipe dream. I had no reason to believe that I could ever complete such a thing, at least not with a respectable time. Something about running half of a Half …
Tomorrow is my next long training run, 8.5 miles! I’ll complete this at the park along the river, same place as the 7 mile run. It’s a great place during daylight hours. Not a lot of traffic, well established run/bike paths, scenery, and other runners and walkers. I don’t have to plan my route here either. I start at the parking lot and run until my RunKeeper app tells me I’ve gone ½ way, then I turn around - simple.
Speaking of the RunKeeper app, I love that thing. It’s a free App for my iPhone, and has been so valuable in my training. I use an armband for the phone, and set the RunKeeper to give me the interval cues. My music of choice plays in the background, and the nice RunKeeper lady tells me when it’s time for an interval change. She updates me on my current pace, how far I’ve run, etc. Great training partner! During my last 5K race, I set the app to a ‘target pace’ update, instead of the interval training. That nice RunKeeper lady gave me frequent feedback on how far I’d run and what my pace was, as compared to my target pace – super helpful.
The RunKeeper website also tracks my training history and provides motivating feedback. Here’s the chart that tracks my per mile pace. You can see that all those practice runs are working, as my speed gradually increases.
Back to the long runs … they require a little more planning than my short runs during the week. I have a gear belt that Jim got me that holds extra energy chews, along with chapstick, Kleenex, car key, ID, etc. For the 8.5 mile run tomorrow, I’ll be carrying fluids. I found a water bottle at the running store with an easy hand grip feature. The bottle is in my hand, but is attached by a strap so I don’t have to concentrate on actually holding it. I found this better than having a water bottle on my gear belt, bouncing around. I also have some pre-run activities that I go through to get ready. I try and drink at least 16 ounces of water before my run along with some coffee, 2 hours before is ideal, so bathroom stops are minimized. J I also have some energy bars that I made and keep in the freezer. Nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, brown sugar, oats, rice krispy cereal – they are yummy and give me just the energy I need for the long run.
I’m a little nervous, as I was for the 7 mile run, but am confident that I can do this.
No comments:
Post a Comment