fitness

race recap: rock the parkway half marathon

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I ran my third half marathon, Rock the Parkway in Kansas City, on April 13th. After running my second half marathon in November, I knew I had to try again to beat my previous time. My fastest time previously was on this course and I really enjoyed all the support along the way, so I knew I had to do it again.

Training 

I am so proud of myself with my consistency in training this time. I was NOT good at training for my previous two races, so I knew I had to up my training this time if I wanted to be faster. Unfortunately, I still didn’t cross-train as much as I would have liked, but I did a lot more core work for my training.

I found a new trail for my long runs and really made it a priority to listen to my body and focus on how I felt while running. I think that this part of the training made me truly enjoy running. I’ve always liked it, but I felt a lot more confident about this method of training.

Splits

Garmin activity

Strava activity (follow me! I’d love to follow other runners!)

MILE TIME
1 10:48
2 10:59
3 11:14
4 11:33
5 11:13
6 11:52
7 11:17
8 12:33
9 11:32
10 12:14
11 12:13
12 12:38
13 11:35

 Pre-Race

My only goal was to beat my previous half (Rock the Parkway last year with a time of 2:34). Last year for this race, we had terrible weather and I was very poorly dressed – it started snowing and I was wearing shorts! This time, I made sure to not have to worry about that and wore leggings, a tank top and a long sleeve shirt on top. I had gloves on until about mile four and then got rid of them because my hands were too sweaty. This was perfect and we ended up having great running weather.

Miles 1-8

I was lucky enough to have my dad run with me for this race. This made a huge difference in my confidence, especially near the end. My goal was to stay at about an 11:15/mile pace for the majority of the time, allowing for the inevitable slower miles and the miles I thought I could stay above that. My dad is insane and didn’t train for this race and ended up doing so well – I think if I hadn’t made him fall back with me, he could have run a 2:15 race at the very least. I felt good until about mile 8. I had a few fruit snacks here (they were handing out Gus, but I didn’t want to try one for the first time during a race) and that helped some with my energy levels. At this point, I was only drinking Gatorade at the aid stations.

Shoutout Dad!!!

Miles 9-13

I felt okay, not great, until I hit mile 10 and had to keep walking more and more. My mom called me at one point (can’t remember which mile!) and helped encourage me. This was where my dad really helped me as well. I kept cramping up and everything just felt so stiff but he just kept telling me to run until the next sign, the next driveway, etc. I walked a TON during mile 12 but wanted to run as much as possible for the last mile and ended up powering through to the finish.

Check out that gigantic medal – so extra lol

 

Post-race

I finished this race in 2:32:45 – my fastest race ever! Surprisingly, my pace was at an 11:40/mile average, only 10 seconds faster than my first half marathon. The weather made a huge difference in my attitude and confidence. I also ran a lot more this race instead of doing the Galloway run/walk method, and I was really proud of that.

Afterward, they had chiropractors doing free massage work. This was awesome that Rock the Parkway provided this and although my legs were certainly sore the next day, I went out and ran the following week with very little issues (some knee pain, but that’s gone now). I’m a notorious heel striker so my hips don’t really open up while running and tend to get really tight. The chiropractor told me that I can correct this by working on more single-leg exercises and glute strength.

What’s next 

I’m still trying to figure out my post-grad plans, so I haven’t signed up for another race yet as I’m not sure where I’ll be next year. It feels weird to not be running without a goal though, so I’m using one of the Garmin Coach 5k plans to get my average pace down and do more speedwork. I am also getting back in the gym and working more on glute and hip strength as the chiropractor said I should. I’m traveling through the month of June and don’t know if I’ll be able to run, so I’m trying to just run for the fun of it while I can. I’m running on Jayhawk Boulevard on my main street down campus as much as I can before I graduate too.

xo, Hannah

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my half marathon training routine

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I’m running my third (?!) half marathon this April. Ever since taking a running class – one of those one-credit, just-for-fun classes – I’ve fallen in love with running. If you told me this in high school or even freshman year of college, I would have said you were crazy. I’ve found that I’m really into the sense of accomplishment you get after running and just how easy it is to move and get started.

As I train for the Rock the Parkway half marathon this spring, I wanted to make a difference. I’m aiming to raise at least $200 as I’ll be running 200 miles from February to April to be prepared for the half.

Join me in supporting Children’s Mercy, a nonprofit hospital, as part of the Burns & McDonnell Rock the Parkway on April 13! With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of patients and their families at Children’s Mercy. The link is here to donate – thank you!

My previous experiences

This photo totally cracks me up – I forced myself to smile every time I saw my mom with her camera so I wouldn’t look like I was in pain!

Previously when training for my other two half marathons, I roughly followed the Hal Higdon Novice 1 training plan. I say roughly because I didn’t keep up with it very well and let myself taper off my training when I needed it most, getting closer to the race. It didn’t affect me much for my first half (I did much better than I expected), but it definitely did for my second half. All I wanted to do for my first half was just finish, but I wanted to beat my time for my second half. I ended up missing it by about 3 minutes. I did just about everything you could do wrong in my training for both of those half marathons!

The technique that I used to train for my first two half marathons was the Jeff Galloway method. The method uses a run-walk technique, i.e. run for 3 minutes, walk for 45 seconds (and other combinations). This is very popular for making it easier to run longer distances as well as run faster. I really liked it; however, I found myself relying on the walking times even when I was able to start running again. For my third half marathon, I want to run the whole thing as much as possible.

Training plan schedule 

I’m using the Hal Higdon plan again, but this time I’m using the Novice 2 program. This program has more days of running and takes the long run up to 12 miles the week before the race instead of 10 miles. I’m on week 5 and I’ve been loving it so far. My class schedule is also a lot freer this semester and that makes a big difference for me. I prefer running in the late morning/afternoon and I’m able to do that easily. My advice below is based on both Hal Higdon’s plan and my personal experience. I would recommend reading his plan if you want a more in-depth look.Half Marathon Training Plan | Hannah With a Camera

Recovery runs

Tuesday through Thursday’s runs should be at a comfortable pace. They’re recovery runs to shake out your legs but keep up your fitness. Since these runs are short, you could combine weight training on these days. If I have time, I normally try to do ab or arm workouts after these runs. The ‘pace’ runs means you should be running at your ideal race pace for the half marathon.

Long runs

Sometimes I run the long runs on Sundays and cross-train on another day. The schedule is fairly flexible throughout the week if you end up needing to skip a 3-mile or 4-mile day, but the long runs are essential. Not only do they build your physical endurance, but they build your mental endurance as well. You should run these slower than your race pace, at least 30-90 seconds slower. The adrenaline on race day will push you through the course!

Cross-training

For the cross-training days, the biggest thing you need to do is just move! I find myself stiff and sore if I don’t do anything the day after a long run. This includes biking, swimming, walking and even Zumba or rollerblading. I really want to start swimming for my cross-training because it’s so low-impact but still effective. If you have advice for swimming workouts, I’d love to hear.

Hydration

I did say I want to run as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean I’m not ruling out walking completely. I started training my stomach this week with my long runs. In races, they usually have Gatorade and water at the aid stations. Previously when I drank Gatorade during the race, it upset my stomach, but that was because I didn’t train with it at all. I started slowing my pace enough to walk after every mile, long enough to drink a disposable cup’s worth (think a Dixie cup – 3 or 5oz) of Gatorade. I felt much less dehydrated after the run than I normally do, so I’ll keep this up. On my first 10 mile run ever I ended up having to call my friends to pick me up because I was so dehydrated…I won’t make that mistake again!

If you have questions about training for a half marathon, let me know! I would love to help. I’m also using the hashtag #hannahtohalf on my Instagram and post all the time on my stories about my training if you want to follow along.

If you choose to donate to Children’s Mercy for my fundraiser, leave a comment below. I’d love to personally thank you!

xo, Hannah

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race recap: longview half marathon

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I ran my second half marathon, the Longview Half Marathon, a little under a month ago on November 10th. I’ve been crazy lately with work (end of the football season & transitioning to basketball season) and school (end of the semester), so I’ve been prioritizing those over the blog for sure. I wanted to post this before it got too far away from me though!

I was hesitant to post my results and recap of this race because it didn’t go very well for me. However, I think that’s important to still write about – every race recap I’ve read goes in detail about how well they did and how they crushed their PR. That definitely didn’t happen for me, but I’m still proud of myself for running it!

Training 

I was more consistent in my training than I was for my previous half, but the weather killed me here. It had been fairly nice temperatures all fall, even hitting 60 degrees two weeks before race day. That encouraged me to keep running and stay consistent with my workouts. However, my training was mostly just running, and running alone – with the occasional strength workout thrown in there every couple weeks or so. I said this last time too, but I wish I had done more cross training! My only goal was to beat my previous half marathon time (2:34:57).

Splits

Garmin activity – didn’t stop watch til getting in the car post-race, so it’s not entirely accurate

MILE TIME
1 10:45
2 10:44
3 11:02
4 11:09
5 11:15
6 12:09
7 11:53
8 12:02
9 11:41
10 13:03
11 12:52
12 12:02
13 14:28
Steam was coming off the water because it was so cold! Photo credit to my mom

 Pre-Race

My only goal was to beat my previous half (Rock the Parkway in KC in April with a time of 2:34). It was 17 degrees at the start and sunny, no wind. I was feeling like I dressed well and pretty prepared, so I lined up with the 2:30 pacer. It was seriously freezing, but I was wearing enough that it wasn’t terrible for me.

I wore a long-sleeve running shirt, a fleece vest, an Adidas windbreaker, a merino wool cap and leggings that covered my ankles. I think the main thing that saved me here was the fleece vest in between my shirt and windbreaker as an extra layer of warmth. I would highly recommend merino wool for anyone that runs – the cap was thin, but warm enough to keep my head warm and also cover my ears. Lastly, I wore latex gloves (like from the doctor’s office) under my regular gloves (just cheap knit ones). This was a tip from a guy at my local running store, Ad Astra Running, and it definitely saved me! My hands weren’t cold at all.

Miles 1-9

I warmed up about a mile in and was feeling really good, and went out way too fast hovering a few paces in front of the 2:25 pacer. Around mile 6, I was falling behind and not feeling great. I knew I had gone too fast and was regretting it! Lost sight of the 2:25 pacer around the bend. That was fine by me though – I still had the 2:30 pacer pretty far behind me. I wish I had checked my watch more during the first few miles so I paced myself better and slowed down more at the start.

Miles 10-13

Around mile 10, the 2:30 pacer passed me and I was just doing what I could to keep up. I got passed by the 2:35 pacers at mile 12 and felt so defeated. I barely made it through the finish line, my legs were just shot. I walked the majority of the last mile and could feel every muscle in my legs protesting, especially in my hamstrings. I wish I hadn’t let the 2:35 pacer passing me get to me so much mentally, because this was a huge block in my performance. It doesn’t help that she ran by looking like she was having the time of her life and was in a great mood! I’m sure I looked – and felt – miserable at that point.

Post-race

I finished in 2:37, only about 3 minutes off of my previous time. I think that made it worse, knowing that I was so close to beating my PR from last time. After, I took some pictures and got some breakfast pizza from Casey’s (which was surprisingly good) before heading home.

The race itself was alright – obviously, the weather didn’t help. This also wasn’t a very spectator-friendly race and I found myself feeling pretty isolated at times with only a few runners around me and just big stretches of winding trails, especially at the very end of the race. Because of the cold and a recent snow, the trail was also pretty slick at points. I know that KC Running Co went through and salted the trails beforehand though, so I appreciate that. I had to laugh when the last aid station at mile 12 was unmanned and the Gatorade was frozen over.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty disappointed in myself. I really thought I could make it past my old time but I was off by just a few minutes (almost worse than being totally blown out). My Garmin tracking is off on timing because I didn’t stop my watch until getting in the car post-race. Overall, I know I need to focus on cross-training, I think that can work wonders for me.

I had signed up for the Hangover Half Marathon put on by KC Running Co. on January 1st, but I dropped down to the 5K after a work injury… for a good laugh, watch this video of me getting hit by a football player during the Kansas-Oklahoma game (more on this later!)

I have already signed up for the Rock the Parkway half marathon again. I have some time before that (in April), so I plan on focusing on building a strong cross-training base before I start my true training again. I also want to try to run the whole thing this time instead of doing the Galloway method, and I believe that with enough training and discipline, I can pull it off.

Have you ever ran a half marathon/would you like to run one?

xo, Hannah

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