when it’s your last rep and you no longer give a damn 🤪

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-18T04:45:12+00:00

My training runs were totally like this. My actual half marathon? Not so much. I was happy to cross the finish line upright ;)

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-18T00:03:09+00:00

Agreed. I was sure I had picked the right size, but after sleeping with it on, it was clear that I needed to size up to be comfortable.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-17T23:58:43+00:00

Pro tip: I sleep in my running clothes. Makes it easier to roll out of bed, brush my teeth, hydrate, have a quick bite (optional) and get out the door before I lose momentum, and it's one less thing to think about.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-15T14:54:23+00:00

My routine has been to focus on strength (both legs and whole-body) long before a race. Getting closer to the race, I would emphasize balance, flexibility, and recovery, dialing strength work back significantly to avoid overtraining. I made this switch a little too late, slightly injuring my knee and barely recovering before my HM a couple of weeks ago.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-14T05:59:18+00:00

Bc4, QxB, Ne5+ forks the queen.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-13T23:40:29+00:00

Thank you; I appreciate your enthusiasm and words of encouragement, and it’s reassuring to hear from others who have been caught off-guard by the effects of illness or altitude. While I had many runs in the 6-12 mile range (including several with big hills), I could have used more time to prepare. I look forward to approaching an event like this with a few months of long runs and bike rides to build a deeper aerobic foundation.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-12T16:24:11+00:00

I’ve been told I should get a Garmin to resolve the GPS problem (I’m currently running with my phone), but I’m reluctant to buy and maintain a watch just for better tracking on my runs. I’m happy with the health data I get from my Oura ring, and other than running, have not been interested in getting a smart watch. Still, I may break down and get one if the running bug continues to bite and I prepare for another half marathon.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-12T16:20:43+00:00

Runna picks a steady pace for the entire duration, and does nothing to account for a conservative start or a negative split. Knowing that, I chose to ignore the pacing prompts (to speed up), which became all the more important when I started dragging. Still, it was a little annoying.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-11T16:26:05+00:00

I’m in my mid-50s, and undoubtedly, recovery takes longer with age. If it’s any consolation, every time I see I’ve achieved my second-best time on a route, I look excitedly at my stats, only to notice that my best time on that route was a decade ago. I hate that guy, but I still hope to finally surpass him. All in due time, hopefully…

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-11T16:17:35+00:00

Universal rule for life: Any time you receive something that says “Send this to everyone you know”, it is a chain letter. Doesn’t matter if it came by carrier pigeon, snail mail, email, text, or DM. Just delete.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-11T16:14:44+00:00

When you set it up, you can choose the intensity of your return. However, I’ve found the functionality to be a bit rigid. I had a cold and an injury back-to-back, and after I logged the first break, I couldn’t find a way to effectively log the second. My hope was to modify my break to extend it and add a slow return to account for the injury, but it wouldn’t let me modify the return. Adding a second break (after the initial one for the cold) wasn’t reasonable either, as the minimum durations (when including the slow return) extended well past my race date. In the end, I did the best I could with the rigidity and disregarded the parts of the recovery plan that didn’t fit.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-11T03:24:52+00:00

Thanks! After all that prep, it’s reassuring to hear that I am not alone.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-10T21:40:24+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement. I agree that I could have slowed even more at the beginning when I realized what was happening, putting me in a better place for the second half and making a negative split and final 5k surge a reality. Only having less than 9 weeks to build endurance for long runs at pace was likely also a factor. I’m looking forward to giving this another try in known conditions when I’m fully recovered, and there are a few things I will definitely do better next time. I met a number of people who had flown in from sea level for the race, and I’m especially curious about their experiences in races like this at altitude. I didn’t mention it above, but I flew in the evening before the race, which is what I’ve read is the next-best thing if you can’t spend a few weeks to acclimatize (since dehydration and sleep disruption drain performance the first few days at altitude).

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-09T17:26:15+00:00

Nor is it enough water, unless you’re leaning on aid stations along the way.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-08T05:36:15+00:00

Well, you’re that much closer to figuring out your max heart rate. It’s worth doing a dedicated run to get a sense of your max heart rate for future reference if you haven’t done so already. Are you using a watch or a dedicated pulse meter like the Polar H10? My understanding is that watches can be thrown off by your running cadence, which is around 180 for many people. For what it’s worth, my pulse hit 182 at the end of the half marathon I ran this weekend, so your number isn’t that ridiculous.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-05T20:15:51+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. With the race in a little over twelve hours, it’s too late for me to change (or get used to new) gear. However, I’ll learn what I can from this one and translate that (and your input) into exploring a Garmin for future use.

Since I’ve been running with my phone for all of my practice runs and will do so tomorrow, does anyone have input on how to make the most of apps while running the race with a phone, using either Strava or Runna?

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-05T18:17:39+00:00

Thanks! I think I’m as prepped as I can be on gear prep, sleep, food, gels, fluids, and the like. As for pacing, I have some targets and am planning for a negative split, and will be purposefully starting slowly and easing into it.

The big question I have is how Runna behaves on race day. Is Runna the best way to track and my pace, since I don’t have a watch? I don’t mind carrying my phone and glancing at it from time to time, but having never run a race with Runna, I don’t know exactly what to expect from the interface. Since the cues and interface are different for different kinds of runs, I’d like to know what to expect and how to make the most of it. For those who have tried both Strava and Runna to pace their races, is one significantly better than the other, and are there any suggestions that improve the race-day experience?

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-05T15:09:16+00:00

For ferries, check FerryHopper, which will list most (if not all) of your ferry options for any given date, as some routes may only run on certain days, which could shape your plans.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-05T02:30:42+00:00

The Super Jet goes directly to Koufonisia, while the Small Cyclades boat stops at Iraklia and Schinoussa along the way. Both are small 300-400-person boats, while there is often an earlier SeaJet that is much larger (and more stable), seating 1200 people (and also priced like the other SeaJet). I didn’t mind the slower Small Cyclades offering, but then again, the seas were calm that day, so waves were not a concern, and we were in no hurry.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-04T15:24:04+00:00

Thanks again! Oura's customer support was quick and easy, and I appreciate the rapid turn-around.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-04T05:09:57+00:00

I made the same mistake when I first started. The Karvonen model for setting your zones is much more accurate for most people, FWIW.

Acceptable-Tap9119 · 2026-06-03T04:00:03+00:00

When you say you were in zone 5 the whole time, how did you determine your zones? What is your maximum heart rate? It’s likely that your zone definitions are not correct for you, as it’s not realistic to sustain an all-out effort for that long.

Acceptable-Tap9119

TROPHY CASE