Abducted by an Alien
One nice thing about training for a big race is that you can incorporate a lot of little races in your training program to help you prepare for the big day.
A short while ago, I took advantage of a local race to do just that. The race is called the Martian Marathon, and I had signed up for the half. I must admit that I just chucked out loud to myself. Only two years ago, this girl could barely run a mile and a half, and my pace was about as fast as my dad's after his hip surgery. And here I am, choosing to sign up for a half marathon as a "warm up" fun event? HAHA. Ok, it's more than a chuckle now. I digress...
My goal for this event wasn't to just get the strange looking shirt and medal at the end of the event. It was a pulse-check to see how well I've been training for my half ironman in May. My fastest (what a subjective word) 13.1 distance run was around two and a half hours up until now, with a 3 hour half marathon time when I competed in last year's Florida Half Ironman. In other words, I had no expectations other than to finish today.
I arrived in Dearborn at around 6am to pick up my registration packet. The weather was brisk, and the sky had few clouds. Good thing, since heavy rains were predicted for later in the day. I got my packet and tuned into Pandora on my iPhone while I stretched. I found a great new channel that offered up a nice variety, based on the band The Postal Service.
As the time to begin the race grew closer, I made my way to the starting line. I saw one person I knew, my Team in Training run/bike coach, Mike. (Good thing, he probably doesn't think I practice much!) The weather had warmed up a couple of degrees, and expected to hit about 50 degrees or so later in the day. At first, I thought I was crazy for having wore my running shorts and not pants, but it proved later to be a great decision.
The start of the race had arrived before I knew it, and I was on my way, still enjoying my new found Pandora station.
Throughout the first half of the run, I felt strong. I was runnning between 10:15 and 10:45 minute miles, which is very acceptable in my mind. I hit the half way point, not having had to walk once yet. I usually have to walk for a bit somewhere between 8 and 10 miles into a run, so when I kept finding that I still had energy to keep up my pace, I couldn't believe it. The course was flat, but my run pace kept improving, especially during that 8th, 9th and 10th mile.
What gives? What's wrong with me? Why am I running so strong? What am I doing right? Ptth, it doesn't matter...just enjoy it, I thought. So I did.
Mile 11, I ran through the water stop. Mile 12, same. Mile 13 -- what, I'm almost finished, and I'm still feeling strong? And I hadn't had a mile where I ran over 11 minutes? I WAS abducted by an alien, because this type of performance is unheard of.
Before I knew it, I was finished. The volunteer put the finisher's medal around my neck, and a big smile came to my face. (Actually, a bigger smile came to my face.) I had done it. My first half marathon distance run that was truly a run with no walking. My overall time? 2 hours 17 minutes (an average per mile time of 10:28), a personal best by almost 15 minutes.
Was this the race I needed before my May event? You bet. It was a big confidence booster. Now, if I could only bring the Martians to Florida so they can abduct me for my Half Ironman!
A short while ago, I took advantage of a local race to do just that. The race is called the Martian Marathon, and I had signed up for the half. I must admit that I just chucked out loud to myself. Only two years ago, this girl could barely run a mile and a half, and my pace was about as fast as my dad's after his hip surgery. And here I am, choosing to sign up for a half marathon as a "warm up" fun event? HAHA. Ok, it's more than a chuckle now. I digress...
My goal for this event wasn't to just get the strange looking shirt and medal at the end of the event. It was a pulse-check to see how well I've been training for my half ironman in May. My fastest (what a subjective word) 13.1 distance run was around two and a half hours up until now, with a 3 hour half marathon time when I competed in last year's Florida Half Ironman. In other words, I had no expectations other than to finish today.
I arrived in Dearborn at around 6am to pick up my registration packet. The weather was brisk, and the sky had few clouds. Good thing, since heavy rains were predicted for later in the day. I got my packet and tuned into Pandora on my iPhone while I stretched. I found a great new channel that offered up a nice variety, based on the band The Postal Service.
As the time to begin the race grew closer, I made my way to the starting line. I saw one person I knew, my Team in Training run/bike coach, Mike. (Good thing, he probably doesn't think I practice much!) The weather had warmed up a couple of degrees, and expected to hit about 50 degrees or so later in the day. At first, I thought I was crazy for having wore my running shorts and not pants, but it proved later to be a great decision.
The start of the race had arrived before I knew it, and I was on my way, still enjoying my new found Pandora station.
Throughout the first half of the run, I felt strong. I was runnning between 10:15 and 10:45 minute miles, which is very acceptable in my mind. I hit the half way point, not having had to walk once yet. I usually have to walk for a bit somewhere between 8 and 10 miles into a run, so when I kept finding that I still had energy to keep up my pace, I couldn't believe it. The course was flat, but my run pace kept improving, especially during that 8th, 9th and 10th mile.
What gives? What's wrong with me? Why am I running so strong? What am I doing right? Ptth, it doesn't matter...just enjoy it, I thought. So I did.
Mile 11, I ran through the water stop. Mile 12, same. Mile 13 -- what, I'm almost finished, and I'm still feeling strong? And I hadn't had a mile where I ran over 11 minutes? I WAS abducted by an alien, because this type of performance is unheard of.
Before I knew it, I was finished. The volunteer put the finisher's medal around my neck, and a big smile came to my face. (Actually, a bigger smile came to my face.) I had done it. My first half marathon distance run that was truly a run with no walking. My overall time? 2 hours 17 minutes (an average per mile time of 10:28), a personal best by almost 15 minutes.
Was this the race I needed before my May event? You bet. It was a big confidence booster. Now, if I could only bring the Martians to Florida so they can abduct me for my Half Ironman!
Comments