Category: Running

What I did wrong on Saturday and how I plan to fix it.

 

 

I confess, I didn’t train for the Brooking half marathon on Saturday. Every marathon/half I have run has left my stomach in nervous knots the morning of, this was the first one that the nerves were from under training. As with all things in life, I learned a bunch by undertraining and hitting the road anyway. When I signed up for the half I had good intentions of making my training calendar and sticking to it. I let the cold of winter and the business of spring act as excuses for not getting my miles in. I never wrote down how many miles per each date and so just ate up whatever miles felt good on any given day. 

I want to share what I did wrong and throw down a challenge to myself to do it right between now and the Sioux Falls half in the fall and see how the results change.

 

Error: No running calendar.

Fix: Program the proper distances in my ipad calendar where I will get a daily reminder.

Error: Anticipated walking/hiking counted as cross-training. 

 

Fix: Add in better complimentary cross-training.

 

Error: Pizza and beer the night before the race.

 

Fix: Think and eat smart. The indigestion combined with nerves also meant that I was awake from 2am on the morning of the race.

 

Error: Got out of bed too late for proper food/drink.

 

Fix: Sleep!

 

Error: No stretching the day of the race.

 

Fix: Stretch out before and after. Still have sore muscles days later. 

 

Error: Only coffee for food/drink all morning and throughout the race.

 

Fix: Experiment with foods that you can keep down in the morning in training. (Banana?)

 

Error: No plan for pace, timing or expectation for completion time.

 

Fix: Train to a pace and set an end goal. Set my own pace (ignore other’s footfalls!) and experiment with music as a tool to up the tempo. 

 

Error: First run in my brand new shoes. 

 

Fix: Plan ahead for mile wear to my shoes and order/break in before the old ones are dead.

 

The list could expand but the important thing is the plan for change. I will change my mental game and think of myself as in training. I will make a graduated plan that I will adhere to, and the funny thing is that when I consider myself in training I begin to take better self-care. I eat better, sleep better- even wash my hair more. So I guess at the end, I will make a plan to care for myself better so that it doesn’t feel like I am pounding myself into the ground with every foot fall. Yes, guts and courage (sisu!) will get you through 13.1 miles but next time I hope to do it in a more gentle loving manner. 

 

Brookings half time: 2.12

 

Sioux Falls goal: under 2