Today was so much better than I thought it would be. I ran my first organized half-marathon. I had run one before as a training run last month.
We left the house at 4am, after I had all of about 5 hours of sleep.
Drove 2 hours in the dark on crazy Indian roads to get to Srirangapatna for the Kaveri Trail Marathon. Found the starting point with relative ease as the sun rose. The course was gorgeous, along a canal through rice paddies. Flat, dirt, and not too rough. Some old stone under the dirt but it was relatively smooth.
The race started more or less on time (yes, you read that right, on time in India!) at 7:10am, and I ran just the race I wanted to. Progressively faster. 1/3 slow, 1/3 medium, and then at some semblance of a race pace for the last 3rd.
The first 3k were painfully slow, picking my way through a field of runners on a narrow dirt road. I wanted to start slowly and finish fast, but I didn't think I would start that slowly. HR 150-155
By km 5 I was back on pace, and feeling solid. I drank at all stations, usually two cups of water, and ate a few biscuits as well. At the turn-around point (10.5k, 61mins) I was feeling like I had something in reserve. I saw a couple friends up ahead of me, and I decided to try to catch them. I ran pretty strongly the entire 2nd half. HR 165-170 The last km felt long, but I wasn't dying. I just also couldn't sprint.
So, I am really pleased with the progress I've made. 4 months ago, I couldn't run 5 miles. Now, I'm nearly ready for a marathon. 5 more weeks to go.
We left the house at 4am, after I had all of about 5 hours of sleep.
Drove 2 hours in the dark on crazy Indian roads to get to Srirangapatna for the Kaveri Trail Marathon. Found the starting point with relative ease as the sun rose. The course was gorgeous, along a canal through rice paddies. Flat, dirt, and not too rough. Some old stone under the dirt but it was relatively smooth.
The race started more or less on time (yes, you read that right, on time in India!) at 7:10am, and I ran just the race I wanted to. Progressively faster. 1/3 slow, 1/3 medium, and then at some semblance of a race pace for the last 3rd.
The first 3k were painfully slow, picking my way through a field of runners on a narrow dirt road. I wanted to start slowly and finish fast, but I didn't think I would start that slowly. HR 150-155
By km 5 I was back on pace, and feeling solid. I drank at all stations, usually two cups of water, and ate a few biscuits as well. At the turn-around point (10.5k, 61mins) I was feeling like I had something in reserve. I saw a couple friends up ahead of me, and I decided to try to catch them. I ran pretty strongly the entire 2nd half. HR 165-170 The last km felt long, but I wasn't dying. I just also couldn't sprint.
So, I am really pleased with the progress I've made. 4 months ago, I couldn't run 5 miles. Now, I'm nearly ready for a marathon. 5 more weeks to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment