Well, I'm ready for a half-marathon
ORN: 14 miles (I think), 2:05:09.
This morning was the long, slow run for the week, which I run with some other local runners. All of us in the group are middle or back of the pack runners; there are no elites (or even wannabes) among us. That does not mean, however, that we all run at the same speed. Under normal circumstances, we wind up in three or four little groups.
Not today though - due to normal summer circumstances (vacation, illness, visiting family, abduction by aliens, etc), there were only four of us meeting in the parking lot this morning. The wife of one of the runners had volunteered to meet us at various points along the route, which was a boon for the others (since none of them have water belts) and it meant that I could conserve my water supply for the second half of my run.
That's right - second half. Since I am doing a different program than the rest of the group (Intermediate I, as opposed to the Novice), and I am training for Chicago, instead of Detroit, I usually have a couple extra miles to tack on after the rest of the group finishes. Today, however, called for them to run 7 miles, and me to run 14. Ouch. And, as an added bonus, I had missed last weeks long run, and several others, due to illness.
Anyway, I decided that the wisest course was to run the first 7 with the others, both for the camraderie, and to avoid going out too quickly and having to really struggle through the run. The weather was nice, really nice, and it was fun, running with the others. C. was acting as our pacesetter, since she is the slowest of the group, and only one of us broke into his own group - and he wasn't going too much faster than the rest of us. We got through the 7 mile run in 1:10.43, which includes the time spent at the water stops, so just a little faster than 6 mph. Once we got back to the starting point, I took a Gu and some water, and said my good-byes (and congratulated C. on her run, which was a good pace for her) and sped up a bit.
The second lap was harder. I chose to walk when I took my water breaks, but since I plan on walking through at least a couple of the water stations in Chicago, it's not a big deal. The second lap I managed to run in 54:25, giving me a total run of 2:05:09. It wasn't race pace, and I know that I'll run faster when I do my half-marathon on Labor Day, but it's nice to know that I can still do a 14 mile run.
This morning was the long, slow run for the week, which I run with some other local runners. All of us in the group are middle or back of the pack runners; there are no elites (or even wannabes) among us. That does not mean, however, that we all run at the same speed. Under normal circumstances, we wind up in three or four little groups.
Not today though - due to normal summer circumstances (vacation, illness, visiting family, abduction by aliens, etc), there were only four of us meeting in the parking lot this morning. The wife of one of the runners had volunteered to meet us at various points along the route, which was a boon for the others (since none of them have water belts) and it meant that I could conserve my water supply for the second half of my run.
That's right - second half. Since I am doing a different program than the rest of the group (Intermediate I, as opposed to the Novice), and I am training for Chicago, instead of Detroit, I usually have a couple extra miles to tack on after the rest of the group finishes. Today, however, called for them to run 7 miles, and me to run 14. Ouch. And, as an added bonus, I had missed last weeks long run, and several others, due to illness.
Anyway, I decided that the wisest course was to run the first 7 with the others, both for the camraderie, and to avoid going out too quickly and having to really struggle through the run. The weather was nice, really nice, and it was fun, running with the others. C. was acting as our pacesetter, since she is the slowest of the group, and only one of us broke into his own group - and he wasn't going too much faster than the rest of us. We got through the 7 mile run in 1:10.43, which includes the time spent at the water stops, so just a little faster than 6 mph. Once we got back to the starting point, I took a Gu and some water, and said my good-byes (and congratulated C. on her run, which was a good pace for her) and sped up a bit.
The second lap was harder. I chose to walk when I took my water breaks, but since I plan on walking through at least a couple of the water stations in Chicago, it's not a big deal. The second lap I managed to run in 54:25, giving me a total run of 2:05:09. It wasn't race pace, and I know that I'll run faster when I do my half-marathon on Labor Day, but it's nice to know that I can still do a 14 mile run.
posted by Garou at 1:04 PM
4 Comments:
Sweet! Yea, 14 miles is a good run. I think that in training, having a walk break is good, but then again, I'm just a newby :-) It's nice that you have other folks to run with. Keep up the good work! Very motivating!!
Oh yeah, you are definitely ready for the half marathon! Fourteen miles is an awesome run. I love Hal's training programs - I'm working them from the bottom up.
Thanks for stopping by my site - I really appreciate the support!
Nice job! I'm sure by the time your half marathon comes around that it'll feel like small peanuts compared to the 20 milers that are coming up, eh?
Awesome 14-miler!!! :) You're going to rock that half marathon.
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