 |
| Jeff Galloway 13.1: This pic sums up my race, basically pacing behind faster runners for a 1:41:47 finish. |
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
-Pink Floyd
The last time I ran in the Jeff Galloway 13.1, I was running at a projected 1:45 pace when calf cramps struck at Mile 10 and I was forced to slow down.
Had I been able to run 1:45, I would have placed in the top three for my age group. So I lamented having to take it a little easier after running in the Chicago Marathon with a stress fracture in my shin a few months before that race.
I had the 1:45 mark for this year's race on my mind the entire year. I added two extra races, the Atlanta 10-Miler and the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon to help give me some additional work with Atlanta's hilly streets.
Yet often plans don't go the way you think they will and instead I suffered a four-race streak of sub-par race times, starting with October's Army Ten Miler (1:27:28) in Washington; the Atlanta 10-Miler (1:26:58); the Rock'n'Roll Savannah Half (1:56:03) and the Thanksgiving Day Half (1:55:49).
While those times were disheartening, I kept my head up and worked through a new marathon training segment, running nearly 300 miles in the last 5-1/2 weeks. On Dec. 6, I'd hit seven tempo miles out of a 12.63-mile run in what was my first 50-mile week in more than a year.
So I had confidence going into this race but I still was wary of being so snakebit the last four races. My plan was the same as last year, to go out at an 8-minute mile pace, something that would give me a 1:45 half.
The race starts downhill and it is a fast start. I've learned to not just fly down it and so I played it carefully. As we continued down Juniper I recognized ahead of me, maybe 20 seconds or so, a female runner who I know only on Instagram who has a consistent 7:40/mile pace. It was extremely helpful to guide my own pace, even if I had no plans of keeping up with that pace.
We went up Juniper's rolling hills (Mile 1: 8:00) and then later on up Central Park's hills, which I've always disliked as they are also part of the Publix Georgia Marathon/Half Marathon course. This time they felt extremely doable and Mile 2 went at 7:48.
We turned on Baker-Highland and then onto Freedom Parkway where Mile 3 is (7:53). Here I could tell people were pushing the downhill section and I felt like I wasn't properly warmed up.
I ran 1.13 miles into the park on my way to the starting line and ran into my friends Frank and Bonnie. I ended up walking with them up the big 12th Street hill and then it turned out that the race didn't start at 7:30 a.m. that I thought it did, instead at 8 a.m.! So I basically stood around and shivered for a half hour.
Mile 4 (7:59) is right before the North Highland Avenue intersection with Freedom Parkway. I kept running pretty well and it was here where I saw Frank making his own way toward the intersection. I gave him a wave and a thumbs up and then I entered the Eastside Beltline trail.
Here I felt like I was cruising pretty well (Mile 5: 7:35). I ran back and forth with a female runner down this stretch but the weird thing about this race is it happened pretty often even though I kept running my own pace without worrying about the jockeying. Each time except at the end of the race I ended up passing the jockeying runner.
At the end of the Beltline Mile 6 came and I ran it in 7:48. I'd been mentally preparing for this series of uphills, up to Virginia Avenue. Although I brought my trusty visor to the race to warm my head (it provides enough warmth while letting heat vent out the top), it was really sweaty at this point and I had been holding it in my hand for a while. So I found a big bush with a tree in it and chucked it in it. I hope it's still there, I'd like to get it back!
I also had been toying with the idea of trying to take off my long-sleeved shirt under my short sleeve shirt mid-run, as I did in the Thanksgiving Half. Next time I'll have to just wear a short-sleeved shirt and my Mizuno arm sleeves and maybe have a throwaway layer while I wait for the race to start.
We turned onto Ponce de Leon and then the big hill up St. Charles Ave. Here I gave the hill a lot of respect (Mile 7 8:00) and just worked my way back up to North Highland Ave. It was nice to be back in my home turf and this stretch down to Virginia Avenue is always fast. I ran Mile 8 in 7:23 and was starting to feel extremely good. I'd whittled down the distance of the Instagram runner (she had stopped briefly on St. Charles) and when she accelerated down Virginia, I followed in kind.
The race turns up Park Avenue and then out to Monroe Avenue. This flat section has caused me a little trouble in the past but I ran Mile 9 in 7:22, feeling great. Frank's wife Bonnie was taking pictures along 10th Street on the edge of the park, so I decided to ham it up while running on the uphill slant.
Maybe a minute or so later I'd caught up with the Instagram runner. This wasn't really my plan at all but she'd stopped briefly twice so far during the race and kept running. There was a point where we ran side by side for a second but then she pulled behind me and stopped. I kept running and made my way to the Piedmont Avenue turn.
Here on Piedmont is Mile 10 (7:47) and where I developed calf cramps last year. The section goes downhill and then is a little rough uphill past 14th Street and up next to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I worked my way up and on the way down saw my friend Anna further down Piedmont Avenue. On this downhill stretch (Mile 11 7:24) I went back and forth with another female runner and this continued as we turned into Piedmont Park Commons.
Just then a young guy in his 20s passed us and made his way up on the paved trail that leads to Mile 12. I settled in a few steps behind him and it felt effortless following him up the trail. Right before the dog park he moved to his left and I wasn't sure if I needed to take the lead and do some work so I did but he ended up passing me again. It felt ok. Mile 12 as we entered the park's bowl was 7:47.
At this point I could tell on the watch that this guy (and myself) were fading a little bit. I also could see that wow, there was a remote chance that I could even break 1:40 if I played things right. But I was also fading and really wasn't able to get the 6:55 surge that led to my PR in Boston last May. The young guy got about eight seconds ahead of me as we entered the path around Lake Clara Meer.
On one of the corners we'd caught up with Anna and I could tell that she saw me as she turned the corner. Here I pretended that I was in my 800 meter interval set and ran down the length of the lake, thinking I would kick at the turnaround that leads back along the other side.
It was here that I finally ran alongside Anna and I told her, "We have 400 (meters) left. Let's do this." But her reply was almost like a painful cry and I left her alone. It turned out to be the first time I ever finished in front of Anna in a race.
I started down the downhill stretch with about a quarter-mile left in the race. I could see the younger guy ahead and was surprised that he didn't kick after the first curve. It gave me a little scare as maybe the finish was further back than I thought it was and I'd expended too much energy.
But when I made the turn myself (Mile 13 7:47), I could see that there was only a little bit of race left. I started my acceleration but there was no way I would catch the younger guy. As I approached the finish I let out what really was more of a roar as I worked to summon as much energy as I could to pound out to the finish (the last .16 miles on my watch was at a 6:38/mile pace).
And just like that, a 1:41:47 finish. It is my second fastest half marathon time after the 1:39:14 that I ran in May on a flat Boston course.
Also good enough for 6th place in my age group! lol I was still extremely proud to have placed 39th overall, especially when my last two halfs were in the 1:56 range.
I'm happy with the Hansons program, if anything in the future I would just use the marathon program instead of the half marathon program because I think the extra miles and speed/tempo work really helped.
I'm not sure I'll be able to run this kind of race next year, since I have plans to run in the Berlin Marathon in September. If I do, I'll have to train to be faster to place in my age group, possibly having to break 1:40 to do it.
Time: 8 a.m.
Temp: 34 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt long (inaugural JG 13.1), short (Big Peach Sizzler '09), shorts, cep compression socks, Headsweats visor (Phidippides), Nike Zoom Fly.
No comments:
Post a Comment