How I Will Cut 25 Minutes Off My 1/2 Marathon Time

Note: I wrote this a couple months before running the New Orleans Half Marathon and didn’t post it because I was struggling with the the fact that some of my posts were getting on my nerves.  I was also probably very confident that day and deep down a little afraid of getting in over my head.  But, since I’ve actually finished the race and did exactly what I thought I would do (even better) I feel like there may be something of value here and not just a big bag of wind.
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Originally written January 14th, 2013

I’m sure this post gives the impression that I’m a cock-ass, but the reality is, I like to push myself and think we generally underestimate our abilities.  So much of endurance racing is mental and I hope you can find one or two things in here that help you reach the next level. 

I wasn’t feeling great yesterday, but decided to take a little run after breakfast.  The plan was to start slow and maintain a comfortable pace for four or five miles.  I ended up going ten.

The whole time I was thinking about my plan for the 1/2 marathon in New Orleans.  I thought about the full, but am not sure I want to push my body that far yet, so the goal is to run my best half.  And here’s how I plan to cut 25 minutes off my first half marathon time of 2:14:33.

The reason I’m confident it will happen is because I’ve seen so much progress.  I have two months before New Orleans and yesterday’s run gave me a major boost in belief.  I started slow, kept it at a comfortable pace, and averaged an 8:57 pace for ten miles.  That pace is only 40 or so seconds away from what I’d need to run to clip 25 minutes.

So, how have I made this much progress in roughly eight months?  And how will I get from here to there with two months until the race?

Cross Training

Since I ran my first half last April I have taken a big interest in triathlons, which has added a lot more swim and bike to my routine.  Neither can be underestimated when it comes to running performance.

My first triathlon was a Sprint and I was more concerned about finishing than blasting through any of the individual phases.  I felt good coming out of the swim and took it fairly easy on the bike to make sure I could actually run the entire 5k.  As it turned out I felt better after that run than I had in any other run I’d done to that point.  There was something about the full body workout that agreed with me, and if I hadn’t been so paranoid about finishing, I think I could have easily run my best 5K after the swim and bike if I would have pushed harder.

There is no denying that biking makes you a faster runner.  I used to do a ton of mountain biking in my 30’s and felt like I was as fast on a baseball field as I’d ever been.  Biking is great for explosive and fast twitch muscles.

Swimming clearly helps your endurance, but it is also great for balancing your muscles and strengthening your core.  I haven’t been killing myself in the pool, but knocking out a couple 1,000 – 1,500 yard swims a week goes a long ways on the run.

I’ve also been doing a lot of push ups and ab work on the side during tv commercials or between editing sessions.  The key here is to do it when you feel it.  I never go to fail or push myself to the point of exhaustion.

Consistent Running and Maintenance

I really don’t run that much.  It kind of scares me.  But I do push myself to run at least twice a week and normally it’s between 3-6 miles.  Until yesterday, I hadn’t run more than 8 miles since the 1/2 marathon, but I have been running those short distances harder and I believe that helps overall endurance.

Three weeks ago I ran a 12k (7.25 miles) at what used to be my 5k pace.  It was a mental breakthrough and what made it possible was running with faster pace groups in training.  It’s like playing sports with better athletes, it can be painful, but you always improve your performance, and in the case of running, those sub 9 miles start turning into sub 8 miles with the same perceived energy exertion.

I’ve also stayed fairly consistent with the foam roller and leg strengthening exercises.  Nothing crazy, but a consistent focus on making sure my legs are warmed up and loose before and after runs.  It goes without saying that running is easier when your knees, ankles, and hips don’t hurt.

Learning to Relax into Form

Every mile I try to remember to “shake it out.”  The repetitive nature of running can cause tension in all parts of our body.  It takes a little more energy to let your arms fall and swing them around, but I always find it gives me a boost.  I also like to put them over my head and stretch as far as I can.  It’s interesting because I can literally feel the blood pulsing through my arms when I do this.

The other thing I notice in long runs is that I typically get sore/tight/lazy in the hip flexors which makes each step utterly painful at times.  This is when I know I really have to concentrate on my form.

When our hips are tired it means we’re sort of throwing the legs forward instead of running.  First, I mentally try to relax both of my legs and let go of tension.  Forcing my toes to spread out and letting go of any pain that may be creeping in.  Then I concentrate on my momentum and finding the controlled fall that forces me to think more about lifting my foot rather than pushing off.  I literally say “lift” to myself over and over as I run, while concentrating on “pulling” my foot toward my ass.  I’ve found this takes a ton of strain off the hips and forces me to glide more than lunge.

Another thing I do with regard to pain is the minute I feel something in my foot, ankle, knee, hip, stomach, etc, I force my mind to go somewhere else.  I mean, if it’s a serious pain, that’s a different story, but I have so many little nagging bouts during a run, I do my best not to focus on them and they usually fade away.

Hydration

It’s obvious to drink fluids during a race, but I am a big proponent of hydrating when you least think you need it.  It’s really about having a well oiled machine going into a race more than it is to put put an extra quart in a smoking engine.

Hydration is a year round process and with the amount of beer I put in my body, I have no choice but to take it seriously.  I have pretty good habits with water, like drinking it right away in the morning and pounding more than I think I need after a workout and I believe both go a long ways.

I also plan to add more fruit and vegetables to get the hydrating benefits of water based foods when you don’t feel like drinking water all the time.

Take Advantage of Race Energy

I feel like race day is good for 15-30 seconds per mile when compared to my training runs.  The energy of the crowd and other racers drive you to new heights.  With that in mind, my plan is to purposely start a minute and a half slower than the necessary pace to reach my goal of 1:49:33, which is 8:21 per mile.  So, I will do my absolute best to run the first mile of the half at a 9:51 pace, which will more likely translate into a 9:30 pace in the excitement of the moment.

The key for me is holding back and finding a nice rhythm.  I think it is always better to start slow and fall into your pace rather than start at it or faster.  Yesterday I really paid attention to this and noticed that around mile 7 I would catch myself pacing around 8 minute miles without really trying to hit that mark.  I instantly slowed it back to a nine minute pace, but I’d always pick up speed.  I guess my point is, it’s better to control yourself by backing down to the right pace than having to speed up to get there.
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Post Script:  My actual time for New Orleans was 1:42:03 which means I cut over 32 minutes off my only other half marathon.