San Francisco 2nd Half Marathon Preview

What a strange feeling. I’m running a half marathon on Sunday and I have NO IDEA what finishing time to expect. I’m 5 weeks post-marathon. While I know some people run distance races that close together, I’m not one of those people. My body needs time to recover. While Grandma’s Marathon wasn’t an all-out effort due to the restroom situation, it was a very hard, almost all out effort.

I’m obviously not PR ready. First of all, I took a week off after Grandma’s Marathon then ran easy for another 1.5 weeks. I’ve done 4 short workouts that didn’t feel awesome, but didn’t feel horrible either. I feel much more recovered after this marathon than marathons of the past, but it’s hard to say how I really feel until I get into a racing situation! After doing a few intervals at 6:05 pace a few days ago, I joked with my husband “don’t they always say ‘if you can do it for 6 minutes in practice, you can do it for 13.1 in race conditions’?” I know, I’m hilarious…

In 2011, I ran a 5k just 3 weeks after a marathon and my legs felt trashed from the half mile mark. It was my first speed attempt after that marathon and I definitely felt I needed more recovery (ran 17:56 when I had been consistently running low 17s). Anyway, all that being said, I think my time will be somewhere between 1:18-1:25. I think on a good day (and I have every reason to believe it will be a good day!) I will run in the lower range. I’m excited and so ready to suit up in my racing gear again! But now the dilemma is… what will I wear on race day?

"the original". This was my first Oiselle singlet from when I joined the team in late 2010.

“the original”. This was my first Oiselle singlet from when I joined the team in late 2010.

 

The first elite singlet and the one I originally packed for this race when we left Pittsburgh for the summer.

The first elite singlet and the one I originally packed for this race when we left Pittsburgh for the summer. Oh, hey Frank Shorter!

Most recent pro kit - won't actually wear this because it's in Pittsburgh, but had to include.

Most recent pro kit – won’t actually wear this because it’s in Pittsburgh, but had to include.

The latest singlet!

The latest singlet!

Pull a Kate Grace and race in the Rizzo suit? Just kidding! My milk-filled chest wouldn't stand a chance RUNNING in that! :)

Pull a “Kate Grace” and race in the Rizzo suit? Reference here. Just kidding! My milk-filled chest wouldn’t stand a chance RUNNING in that! :)

That decision will be made tomorrow, I suppose!

Finally, here’s a link to my San Francisco Half Marathon preview post on Oiselle’s blog. Thanks for the words of encouragement, everyone!

Flower City Half Marathon 2012 Recap

I ran the Flower City Half yesterday in 1:22:18. I was 4th woman and got $200. The race was won is 1:20:12. I knew going into the race I would be slower than last year at this time when I was able to fairly easily run a 1:18 at the Glass City Half. Since November I have been running every day, but my workouts have been few and far between and the ones I have done have been short and not as fast as usual. This was my 4th race of the year and my best workouts have been my races.  I had lowered expectations because of the lack of fast workouts and the lack of long runs other than a 15 miler in Seattle with Oiselle ladies and a 14 miler last weekend. Still, I had confidence that I could come out and do something magical.

In an attempt to gain some fitness, I crammed a few workouts the 2 weeks before the half. Though some would argue I went in tired, I think the workouts helped. I’ve never tapered for a half (I think it is a good idea for people trying to peak for one!) and have run well on tired legs many times. The problem I ran into was having an emotionally exhausting week leading up to the race. Most of the time I can brush off, resolve, or put away things that are bothering me and possibly even use them to fuel a race, but when things build and I can’t find peace with them, it is hard for me to race well. This is my weakness.

I began this post with how the race played out, and there’s really nothing to note from during the race. I ran some miles. I mostly maintained 4th place the whole race. I existed. I was okay with the race yesterday, but woke up being angry with myself. I thought about it during my 5.5 mile recovery run today. I was just existing during the race. I wasn’t racing. I wasn’t really tempo-ing either. I was just out there existing. Sure, I enjoyed the run. I waved to spectators – the whole time! I smiled at people as I passed. That’s a great thing, and I respect people who race like that, but it’s not me. I like to put myself through pain and take chances and fight to the finish with someone, hoping to take the whole field down. I didn’t have that spark in me yesterday and it makes me sad. I was just existing. I wasn’t racing. I wasn’t responding to my competitors’ moves. I wasn’t being myself.

I’m moving on from yesterday’s race. I think writing about it and identifying the problem will make that easier. I hope to no longer just exist but get out there and do something special!

Start of the Flower City Half Marathon

Look at tiny little me hiding in there among the crowd.

Yep, that’s me sporting the Oiselle singlet and roga shorts!

Do you finish races feeling like you had something left in the tank?  Are you ok with it? Do you regret it the next day?