New Half Marathon PB
0
It is finally spring and the snow and ice has left the country!
This means the race season is finally starting again and it is time to capitalize on the hard work put into the training over winter.
Race Report
This Sunday I ran a half marathon (BT Halvmarathon) in perfect weather conditions. It was sunny, around 10 degrees and close to no wind. The purpose of the run was to test my condition, fueling strategy and so forth before the CPH Marathon - and everything just went extremelly smooth.
The first 2k I felt I had been put in the wrong starting group as a few people kept drifting past me (and I hardly overtook anyone!). However after 2k everyone seemed to have found their place and their pace and things got more normal.
At 4k I managed to find a small group of three with a pace that suited me and I followed this group for the next 8k, which was really nice as I did not have to focus on my pace but could simple drift into the rythm. The great thing was the group was led by 2 ladys who were running really effortlessly while chatting with eachother - at 4:55 pace!! My breathing and legs also felt perfect so it gave a really nice morale boost to just drift along in this small group of well trained people while people we passed or who passed us were breathing heavily. Based on the heavy breathing and footsteps I knew I would be overtaking a lot of the people later in the race as they had started out too fast, once again a great morale boost!
At 12k I left the group as they were too slow (in my view) at the fuel depot. Even though I slowed down to a walk while drinking my glass of water I still got too far away from the group so I decided to go on alone. The rest of the race was on more narrow roads and paths so was most likely a good decission.
At 14k I had planned to do a body check and see if I should increase or decrease the pace. Everything felt okay however at 10-12k I had felt a small tension in my right calf so I was not interested in pushing it too much. So I decided to keep my pace steady and instead aim at finishing slightly ahead of my planned time while still having energy left for more.
Between 14-20k I really started overtaking a lot of people and my legs really felt great. I was breathing effortlessly and I kept overtaking people who seemed to be struggeling with keeping their legs moving which just made me feel even better - during these sections is where your training really pays off! Most likely it is equal to the 32-40k section in a marathon.
At 19k there was a small incline and a guy behind me puffed "damn all these hills" and I turned slightly and replied with a smile "yeah - but only 2k to go" in an attempt to cheer him up a bit, he replied with a confirmation and struggled to keep his pace. I decided to use a bit of boost so I upped the pace up the hill which felt great as I was now overtaking the remaining runners on the hill. Racing is cruel but fun.
At 20.8k we hit a stadium where the last 300 meters would be run on a track. I decided to finish with a sprint and just blazed past the other runners on the track, except for one who picked up his pace and was sprinting with me. My legs moved back and forth in a blur and it was obvious none of us were interested in giving in to the other so we kept the manic pace and flew past the other runners. I was determined to not let him get away so I made sure to keep the pace high and my shoulder next to his. We crossed the line together and slowly stopped to catch our breath (I have subsequentially checked the race results and we crossed the line in the very same second!). I looked to my competitor and grinned before exchanging a high five and slowly drifting towards the fuel station, still panting for air. I felt dizzy and nauseous from the sprint, however I knew this feeling would pass so I just enjoyed the feeling and the sense of fulfillment.
Fuelling:
I managed to get my fuelling on race day done in an absolutely perfect way! I had my porridge 3 hours before race start, a banana 1 hour before race start and then 2 gels 15 mins before race start. During the race I had 1 gel at 6, 12, 16 and 19 km mark. This was slightly more than I would have done normally, but thought I should better try out the scientific fuelling strategy before the marathon.
Pace:
I finished in 1:42:18 (a new personal best!) with strong legs and a feeling of being able to just keep running. As my pace for the race was 4:50 and my planned marathon pace for CPH marathon is 5:02 I feel very confident and comfortable with the approaching race. The biggest issue is I am inclined to give 4:58-5:00 a go, to try and break the 3:30 barrier already at CPH marathon instead of in Berlin.... have to ponder a bit on that but regardless it is great to finish a race with strong legs and high morale.
Post run:
I quickly switched to compression socks and my legs felt great. In the evening I went for a small 3-4k walk with my dog and though my legs were a bit sore there was no pain or stiffness. I am SO excited and ready for CPH Marathon!
New gear
In the gear section I have received a new pair of Nike Flyknit 1+ which I am looking forward to test on some of my short slow runs coming up. They certainly feel comfortable and as if they are hugging my feet. I will not tempt faith by attempting to run the CPH Marathon in these as I only have around one month to break them in.
This means the race season is finally starting again and it is time to capitalize on the hard work put into the training over winter.
Race Report
This Sunday I ran a half marathon (BT Halvmarathon) in perfect weather conditions. It was sunny, around 10 degrees and close to no wind. The purpose of the run was to test my condition, fueling strategy and so forth before the CPH Marathon - and everything just went extremelly smooth.
The first 2k I felt I had been put in the wrong starting group as a few people kept drifting past me (and I hardly overtook anyone!). However after 2k everyone seemed to have found their place and their pace and things got more normal.
At 4k I managed to find a small group of three with a pace that suited me and I followed this group for the next 8k, which was really nice as I did not have to focus on my pace but could simple drift into the rythm. The great thing was the group was led by 2 ladys who were running really effortlessly while chatting with eachother - at 4:55 pace!! My breathing and legs also felt perfect so it gave a really nice morale boost to just drift along in this small group of well trained people while people we passed or who passed us were breathing heavily. Based on the heavy breathing and footsteps I knew I would be overtaking a lot of the people later in the race as they had started out too fast, once again a great morale boost!
At 12k I left the group as they were too slow (in my view) at the fuel depot. Even though I slowed down to a walk while drinking my glass of water I still got too far away from the group so I decided to go on alone. The rest of the race was on more narrow roads and paths so was most likely a good decission.
At 14k I had planned to do a body check and see if I should increase or decrease the pace. Everything felt okay however at 10-12k I had felt a small tension in my right calf so I was not interested in pushing it too much. So I decided to keep my pace steady and instead aim at finishing slightly ahead of my planned time while still having energy left for more.
Between 14-20k I really started overtaking a lot of people and my legs really felt great. I was breathing effortlessly and I kept overtaking people who seemed to be struggeling with keeping their legs moving which just made me feel even better - during these sections is where your training really pays off! Most likely it is equal to the 32-40k section in a marathon.
At 19k there was a small incline and a guy behind me puffed "damn all these hills" and I turned slightly and replied with a smile "yeah - but only 2k to go" in an attempt to cheer him up a bit, he replied with a confirmation and struggled to keep his pace. I decided to use a bit of boost so I upped the pace up the hill which felt great as I was now overtaking the remaining runners on the hill. Racing is cruel but fun.
Photo at 19k
At 20.8k we hit a stadium where the last 300 meters would be run on a track. I decided to finish with a sprint and just blazed past the other runners on the track, except for one who picked up his pace and was sprinting with me. My legs moved back and forth in a blur and it was obvious none of us were interested in giving in to the other so we kept the manic pace and flew past the other runners. I was determined to not let him get away so I made sure to keep the pace high and my shoulder next to his. We crossed the line together and slowly stopped to catch our breath (I have subsequentially checked the race results and we crossed the line in the very same second!). I looked to my competitor and grinned before exchanging a high five and slowly drifting towards the fuel station, still panting for air. I felt dizzy and nauseous from the sprint, however I knew this feeling would pass so I just enjoyed the feeling and the sense of fulfillment.
Photo at final stretch
Fuelling:
I managed to get my fuelling on race day done in an absolutely perfect way! I had my porridge 3 hours before race start, a banana 1 hour before race start and then 2 gels 15 mins before race start. During the race I had 1 gel at 6, 12, 16 and 19 km mark. This was slightly more than I would have done normally, but thought I should better try out the scientific fuelling strategy before the marathon.
Pace:
I finished in 1:42:18 (a new personal best!) with strong legs and a feeling of being able to just keep running. As my pace for the race was 4:50 and my planned marathon pace for CPH marathon is 5:02 I feel very confident and comfortable with the approaching race. The biggest issue is I am inclined to give 4:58-5:00 a go, to try and break the 3:30 barrier already at CPH marathon instead of in Berlin.... have to ponder a bit on that but regardless it is great to finish a race with strong legs and high morale.
Post run:
I quickly switched to compression socks and my legs felt great. In the evening I went for a small 3-4k walk with my dog and though my legs were a bit sore there was no pain or stiffness. I am SO excited and ready for CPH Marathon!
New gear
In the gear section I have received a new pair of Nike Flyknit 1+ which I am looking forward to test on some of my short slow runs coming up. They certainly feel comfortable and as if they are hugging my feet. I will not tempt faith by attempting to run the CPH Marathon in these as I only have around one month to break them in.
About the author
I am a 29 year old guy, who just loves running. I also love planning, order and goals. Which is why I am combining all of that into, The First Project..
0 comments: