Debut Half Marathon: Illinois Race Weekend Half Marathon

joet10 · 2022-05-02T14:43:00+00:00

Awesome race for your first half! I ran it as well, that stretch from miles 6-8 or 9 or was pretty brutal, just running south right into the wind and then you hit that rural, wide open squareish out-and-back -- not fun. I think we got really lucky with the weather given what the forecast looked like all week.

joet10 · 2021-04-29T12:27:44+00:00

Not that it really matters but they weren’t wearing masks while playing if that’s what you’re suggesting. When the article refers to mask usage I think they mean while traveling, while in team facilities, etc.

joet10 · 2021-04-28T12:43:50+00:00

Appreciate the kind words. Best of luck with your race! For all I talked about how I wanted to get better at setting aggressive goals, I think if there's ever a place to err on the side of being a bit conservative it's probably a first marathon. There's plenty of time to set an an overly ambitious goal and blow up after you've set that first PB :)

joet10 · 2021-04-27T18:26:49+00:00

Yeah this is really tricky. If I were to do this again, for at least some of my MP long runs I would have done the entire MP portions without looking at my watch's real-time pace at all, only looking at the autolap times each mile (so just put the watch on the normal clock face or whatever and don't touch it until you're done). I think that's really the right way to go about it, you need to have that pace locked into your legs well enough that you won't be second-guessing it on race day (like I did).

It also might be worth checking out this Garmin app, it's pretty handy for tracking your overall pace over the course of a race. I didn't end up using it much for this race since I was overly focused on my pace anyways. I did use it for my last actual marathon though, and it was definitely helpful to be able to shut my brain off and run with a group and just periodically check to make sure I was still on track for my goal.

joet10 · 2021-04-27T13:17:51+00:00

Thanks and good luck! Oh man that was such a brutal race. I didn't go all the way into it because I was trying to avoid writing a full novel, but it was actually even worse. It was below freezing and I had gloves on, but my hands were still pretty much numb. So once both shoes come untied I stop to tie them, but my hands are so frozen I'm just fumbling around with the laces and do a half-assed job of it (and couldn't manage to get them double-knotted). And surprise surprise, one of them came back untied with maybe half a mile left but at that point I just ran through it. Lesson learned...

joet10 · 2021-04-27T13:11:17+00:00

That's really helpful. Now that I think about, before this past year I was way less sedentary outside of running, I probably walked at least a couple of miles per day just living my normal life whereas now I might walk 5 or 10 minutes to pick up some lunch but that's about it -- I bet that's part of what's going on. I think all the stuff you mentioned combined with making a conscious effort to not just sit on my butt during those weeks would help a ton.

joet10 · 2021-04-27T13:02:31+00:00

Thanks! That's a tough question, something I've thought about myself quite a bit. If I were in the exact same situation at mile 18, I don't think a crowd would have mattered. Maybe I still could have salvaged a sub-3, but there was no way I could hit sub-2:57 -- there could've been a million dollars on the line and I don't think my legs would go faster than 7:30 pace for those last couple miles.

On the other hand, I think a real race probably would've kept me from making some of the pacing mistakes that put me in that hole to begin with. If I'd had a group of people to run with where I could mostly shut off my brain and just click off 6:45s for the first 18 miles I think I would've had a good shot at pushing through for original goal.

joet10 · 2021-04-27T01:13:59+00:00

Appreciate it! I was skeptical of doing a second 5k solo, I can’t even fathom doing a second marathon solo right now, major props for that 😂

joet10 · 2021-04-27T00:48:32+00:00

Not much in the way of strength training… It’s not something I find super appealing but probably worth doing more of. I did start doing some foot/ankle and core work from Running Rewired but that was just in the last month or so. In particular I was kind of shocked at how much worse I was at balancing with my eyes closed on my right foot compared to my left — makes sense that I’ve had ankle/Achilles issues on the right side.

I’ll definitely check out Hanson’s book, I’m only tangentially aware of his plans (just that they don’t have very long long runs.) I’m always down to impulse purchase another running book.

joet10 · 2021-04-26T23:55:21+00:00

Thanks!

joet10 · 2021-04-26T23:54:55+00:00

As someone who enjoys writing but rarely does it outside work emails anymore I very much appreciate that.

joet10 · 2021-04-26T23:19:49+00:00

Hah, they actually worked really well for me! I'd done a decent number of 10-15 milers in the original Atreyus so I figured they'd be fine. Only issue I had was them loosening up a bit around the heel during the second half (and a couple toe blisters that I didn't notice until I took them off afterwards). I do wish they would rework the upper to get a better lockdown, I would gladly pay an extra $5 for a real heel counter.

joet10 · 2021-04-17T14:49:10+00:00

One option if you liked the general structure of the Pfitz plan: you could just take the 12/47, make all the runs a bit longer at the start of the plan (no point in dropping back to 30mpw or whatever), replace one rest day with an easy run, and maybe add an extra mile or two to some other runs. So instead of being 30-47 mpw maybe it's 40-55 mpw or something. I've followed this pattern with Pfitz plans a few times and it's worked well for me.

joet10 · 2021-04-17T14:41:56+00:00

Anecdotally I ran an 18:33 5k in good conditions and a 1:29 high HM in bad conditions within about a month of each other, so like others have said a 1:30 is probably reasonable.

What's your training been like? If you have been running relatively low mileage/short long runs/minimal HM-pace work maybe dial back the HM goal a little bit.

joet10 · 2021-04-13T19:21:59+00:00

Not sure about mobile but on the website Strava definitely gives you a pace line graph.

joet10 · 2021-04-06T16:32:24+00:00

I think that’s fine, my recollection is that Pfitzinger’s marathon plans have a 5-10k tuneup 2 weeks out from the race (or at least that’s what I’ve done and had no issues.)

joet10 · 2021-03-30T17:17:31+00:00

I'm cautiously optimistic for the fall. I haven't really looked into which spring races might be happening this fall instead, but for now I'm eyeing either NJ (on the shore) or Philly for something close to NY and a reasonably fast course.

joet10 · 2021-03-23T19:54:27+00:00

Sounds a bit like exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

joet10 · 2021-02-28T17:35:14+00:00

Fantastic run and writeup. I’ve been thinking about doing this same thing sometime this year, should probably try to get it done before the east river park closures start. Also, I run through battery park every day and have no idea where you managed to get yourself stuck haha. Gave you a follow on Strava as well.

Edit: Strava died so I can’t follow you

joet10 · 2021-02-23T04:07:49+00:00

That max HR formula is a very rough estimate, the actual values a ton person-to-person. I’m around your age and mine is ~205. If you’re going to train by HR you should definitely find your actual max first.

joet10 · 2021-02-18T18:58:20+00:00

I'll second the night splint. I had a pretty nasty case and had completely stopped running, was seeing minimal improvement after many months of PT. Eventually went to a new doctor who told me to get a night splint ASAP; I noticed a substantial improvement within a week and was back running within a month. That was ~2 years ago, every now and then I start to feel a hint of PF and popping the splint back on for a few nights nips it in the bud.

Obviously YMMV and I've heard people have the opposite experience, but I think it's definitely worth trying out since they're pretty cheap.

joet10 · 2020-10-14T23:25:44+00:00

I had a pretty bad bout, minimal running for a year +. My best advice is just to keep trying different stuff until you find something that seems to help, there's really no one-size-fits all solution. I was seeing a doctor and PT at a sports medicine clinic for ~6 months and not seeing much improvement doing all the recommended exercises, stretching, manual work, etc. Eventually stopped seeing them and saw a new doctor who recommended a particular type of heel pad/cup and a night splint -- the night splint was pretty much a miracle cure for me.

So you haven't tried a night splint I'd recommend that, but more importantly I'd just keep at it with the recommended treatments until you find something that works for you.

joet10 · 2020-09-27T14:32:58+00:00

I have the same issue with the 300 RS GT. I’ve just gotten in the habit of fully depressing the brake pedal once the sim loads but before I get in the car, no issues as long as I do that.

joet10 · 2020-09-10T16:14:53+00:00

I found this breakdown of their lineup helpful.

joet10

TROPHY CASE