I ran my first half marathon on Saturday, the 14th. Coincidentally it was my mom’s birthday, so a big thank you goes out to my mom for coming out the whole morning and watching me run in the rain/cold. (Love you Mom 🙂 I don’t think my brother and dad read my blog, but they came out too!)
Training
I wish I could put more here but I trained very poorly. The Tuesday before the race, I went out and ran 10 miles just to see if I could do it mentally, but before that I had only ran two miles (three weeks ago) with my dog. I started ‘training’ in November and was fairly consistent until early February.
I signed up for the half marathon back in November at the tail end of my running class that I was taking. At the time, I was running consistently, and while I hadn’t run very far, I planned out my training program far enough in advance that I should have been able to stay with it. To be completely transparent…I had no discipline and totally fell off the wagon in training.
I did the first half of the program but just wasn’t super diligent in sticking with it. The training program I chose was Hal Higdon’s beginner half marathon program and it was very logical, so I recommend it even though I didn’t follow it exactly! I picked that program based on several recommendations from other bloggers I follow. I definitely could have trained more but I always used the busy college student excuse.
I’ve only ran a 5K before this, but I signed up for my first half marathon for fun just to see if I could do it. I trained using the Galloway method and planned to run it that way as well. (I highly recommend this method if you’re new to running!) My granddad has ran over 50 half marathons and ran Boston several times, so he was a huge source of inspiration and encouragement along the way.
The half marathon I ran was the Rock the Parkway half marathon on April 14th. My goals for the race were to run it in around 2:45, and just to finish the race if I couldn’t get that time.
Splits
| Mile | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12:54 |
| 2 | 12:15 |
| 3 | 11:53 |
| 4 | 11:36 |
| 5 | 11:23 |
| 6 | 12:08 |
| 7 | 11:43 |
| 8 | 12:25 |
| 9 | 12:00 |
| 10 | 11:48 |
| 11 | 11:45 |
| 12 | 12:03 |
| 13 | 11:06 |
Pre-race
For breakfast, I had a piece of toast and a banana. I also hydrated a ton the days before. I was so nervous on race day. It was absolutely freezing and I only wore a long sleeve and shorts – more evidence that I had no clue what I was doing! I started with the 2:45 pace group as that’s what I expected I would finish around.
Miles 1-8
I felt really good for the first part of the race. Everyone told me that the worst part was the 5K at the end, so I tried to see it like I already ran the 5K at the beginning and just had 10 extra miles to go. That mindset worked out pretty well. The race is also through neighborhoods and there were lots of spectators and encouraging volunteers, which was helpful! I saw my family at around mile 4 and they told me they’d find me again at the turn. This helped me keep going and try and figure out where the turn even was so I could see them again!
Miles 9-13.1
I saw my family again at mile 9 and that was encouraging to someone I knew cheer me on. I struggled a little near the end, especially in mile 11. It just seemed like it dragged on forever! The last mile was the best of course and I really pushed to keep up my pace.
Post-race
The Galloway method was so helpful, not just physically but mentally as well. I was able to see it as ‘okay, only two more minutes’ instead of ‘okay, another full mile.’ The splits may be slightly longer than my actual time. I didn’t stop my Garmin until a few seconds after finishing but my total official time was 2:34:57 with an average pace of 11:50/mile. I felt pretty sore (ankles and knees are not in the best shape) and tired but I expected as much. Overall I’m really proud of myself and looking forward to improving my running so I can continue to grow!
What I wish I’d done
Actually trained! I ran SO little leading up to this race. I signed up back in November and even scheduled my classes ahead of time (no class til 1pm Tuesday/Thursday) so I could get up and run in the mornings. I’ve done that once this semester…and that was only the week after the race. I’m horrible at motivating myself to workout, but I’m also pretty determined and didn’t want to just let this go. I ran 10 miles the Tuesday before the race so I could prepare myself mentally, but before that, I’d only ran up to 6 miles, a whole month prior. This is certainly not the way to go and I could feel it in my knees and ankles for a few days after!
I’m running another 5k (a repeat of the first race I ever did) this Sunday and I’m interested to see how it goes. I think I’m better with longer distances because I’m not very fast and it’s easier to get in a running mindset. Instead of focusing on running right now, I’m using the strength program on the Nike Training Club app to incorporate more cross-training into my routine.
What’s your current workout routine? I’d love to know!
xo, Hannah
