Personal Bragging: My 50th Half-Marathon

[Rain Man]

Last Saturday's race (in 42 degree temps in the rain, I might add) was my 50th half-marathon since I started my hobby in June of 2009.

My vital statistics are:

Completed races in 12 states so far (AK, HI, CA, NV, UT, WY, CO, TX, LA, FL, OH, and WI)

Median pace = 10:15 per mile
Median pace in flat, sea level races =9:37 per mile
Fastest pace = 9:04 per mile (Beaumont, TX - flat and sea level)
Slowest pace = 29:36 per mile (Pike's Peak Ascent - 7,800 foot climb from 6,300 ft to 14,100 ft and I was not good at it.)

14 have been at elevations between sea level and 3,000 feet (Median pace = 9:52)
21 have been at elevations of 3,000 to 6,000 feet (Median pace = 10:06)
9 have been at elevations of 6,000 to 9,000 feet (Median pace = 11:08)
9 have been at elevations of 9,000 feet or higher (Median pace = 15:29)

26 have been more or less flat with total hills < 300 ft (Median pace = 9:50). Three were net downhill.
12 have had moderate hills with total hills of 301-1,000 ft (Median pace = 10:43)
6 have had strong hills with total hills of 1,001-2,500 ft (Median pace = 12:10)
9 have had major hills with total hills of 2,500 ft or more (Median pace = 15:29)

The 9 with major hills are the same 9 that were over 9,000 feet in elevation.

3 races were run in the rain and 1 in snow.

I've only fallen once, and it wasn't in the rain or snow. (Tripped on a trail rock.)

24 were primarily on pavement or asphalt
6 were primarily on dirt roads
20 were primarily on trails

I've gone the wrong way on trails 4 times but only twice did it for more than 30 seconds. The worst mistake added 3/4 of a mile.

I've also had 2 10-mile races and a 10K in there, so that's 53 races in 54 months.

[Renegade]

I just finished my third 1/2 marathon this weekend, and I am not sure my body could do a full. At 47, the body just takes too long to recover. I hope next year to do the trail run that Bass Pro sponsors, The Dogwood Canyon Run.

I admire all you long distance runners.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by kepp

How did your guys' races go?

I made a big mistake by running mine. I was 50/50 on it, but was feeling good and thought I'd give it a whirl.

I was doing fine up until I hit a steeper downhill on Mile 6, and my knee made a big sad face. I basically limped and walked the rest of the way. Given my injury, it was about the worst course possible for me - very rough trail with lots of little "step down" steep spots on the back half.

But hey, I got the t-shirt.

I'm debating the shame of changing to the 10k for my Montreal race coming up. I generally don't have problems for the first few miles, so I bet I can run a 10k at full speed. And in a schedule oddity, I have two half-marathons scheduled for November so if I shorten the Montreal race I can still check off a November half-marathon if I can heal in time for one in Annapolis later in the month.

I may try an experiment this weekend to see if I can run five, walk one to stave off problems, and then run again, just to see how far I can get before it starts hurting.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Renegade

I just finished my third 1/2 marathon this weekend, and I am not sure my body could do a full. At 47, the body just takes too long to recover. I hope next year to do the trail run that Bass Pro sponsors, The Dogwood Canyon Run.

I admire all you long distance runners.

First off...great job! A half isn't easy...especially where you are because I imagine it's all hills.

I ran half marathons for 3 years before deciding to do a full. I never really felt the need/desire to. Then I starting thinking about it and decided to go through a marathon training plan instead of a half marathon plan just to see what it was like and how my body held up. Something that helps your body recover quicker from long runs is doing extra strength training on the side. Do some runner-specific workouts a couple times a week.

If you feel you might want to go further than a half, try going out on a Saturday and running 15 or 16...SLOWLY. Get a feel for it.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I made a big mistake by running mine. I was 50/50 on it, but was feeling good and thought I'd give it a whirl.

I was doing fine up until I hit a steeper downhill on Mile 6, and my knee made a big sad face. I basically limped and walked the rest of the way. Given my injury, it was about the worst course possible for me - very rough trail with lots of little "step down" steep spots on the back half.

But hey, I got the t-shirt.

I'm debating the shame of changing to the 10k for my Montreal race coming up. I generally don't have problems for the first few miles, so I bet I can run a 10k at full speed. And in a schedule oddity, I have two half-marathons scheduled for November so if I shorten the Montreal race I can still check off a November half-marathon if I can heal in time for one in Annapolis later in the month.

I may try an experiment this weekend to see if I can run five, walk one to stave off problems, and then run again, just to see how far I can get before it starts hurting.

Bummer.

Where does your knee hurt when it starts? It sounds like a tendonitis issue given that it doesn't start until after 6 miles. The solution could be as easy as walking through the aid stations...give it a short rest like you're talking about.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by kepp

Bummer.

Where does your knee hurt when it starts? It sounds like a tendonitis issue given that it doesn't start until after 6 miles. The solution could be as easy as walking through the aid stations...give it a short rest like you're talking about.

It's deep inside the knee, like something's getting pinched between the upper and lower leg bones, and when it happens it hurts like a mofo. But only when I'm running. I can walk and it doesn't hurt at all. It doesn't seem like it's the typical runner's knee, and literally one step it's fine and the next step it's a problem. It's quite frustrating.

[Renegade]

So I am debating on running a 1/2 marathon on a trail the last part of November. Having never done a trail run, what should I expect? Obviously my times will be MUCH slower, but what other advise can you offer?

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Renegade

So I am debating on running a 1/2 marathon on a trail the last part of November. Having never done a trail run, what should I expect? Obviously my times will be MUCH slower, but what other advise can you offer?

Where is this taking place(what kind of terrain)? Additonally, I'd recommend investing in some quality trail running footwear. LaSportiva has made a nice product.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Renegade

So I am debating on running a 1/2 marathon on a trail the last part of November. Having never done a trail run, what should I expect? Obviously my times will be MUCH slower, but what other advise can you offer?

My observations on the biggest differences between trail races and road races are presented below. I've run road races in a bunch of places, but almost all of my trail races have been in Colorado, so that may impact my perceptions.

1. Road races generally strive for flat and fast. Trail races will often intentionally build in hills.

2. There are two types of trail races: single-track and "wide". (I don't have a name for the second type.) I'm not a huge fan of races with a lot of single-track because it's hard to pass and be passed. You're running on a trail that may be a foot wide or less, so when someone comes up behind you, you have to stop and step off the trail to let them by. I prefer wider tracks where you don't have to worry about other people. Most trail races have a mix, and will generally just say, "there's a lot of single-track" or "there's a mile of single-track" or something.

3. Trail quality varies widely. A lot of trail races are on smooth bike trails and they're just as fast as road races. They're not even really trail races in my opinion - you're just running on a softer material. A lot of trail races (at least in Colorado) have a mix. You may have a couple of miles on wide bike trails and then a few miles on a rougher trail and then short stretches of "watch your feet and pick through this field of big rocks".

4. Some trail races will intentionally have some weird stuff. I've done a couple of races where you had to wade through a couple of knee-deep streams, a couple of races where there were really, really steep spots that you had to use your hands to help get down, and a couple of races where you had to pick your way across a field of watermelon-sized rocks. None of these are dangerous or require technical skills; they just slow you down a lot. (However, there was a part of the Moab Trail Half-Marathon where I think a fall could kill you, so I took that stretch very slowly.)

5. The scenery in trail races is a lot better, but in the races with the best scenery, you tend to have the roughest trails, so you never get to look up and see the scenery.

6. I'm not convinced that trail races are easier on the knees. You're on a softer material, but you're also on more uneven terrain if the trail is rough. You also tend to have steeper downhills in some races, which are hard on the knees.

7. You have to pay more attention in trail races because they're usually smaller and it's easier to screw up and get off the course. But it's not much risk. Usually they're marked pretty well. I've gotten off the course a couple of times but not by much. You have to pay attention, though, particularly if it's a small race where the runners spread out fast.

8. Trail races tend to be smaller with a faster field. You don't get the casual runners and the charity runners, so you'll generally finish lower in a trail race than in a road race.

9. There's enormous variety in trail races, so everything above really depends on the race. Some are really no different than a road race, and some are really challenging and slow. I did the Leadville Heavy Half a couple of years ago, which had a 3,000 foot climb in the first half. I planned to grunt uphill and fly downhill, but the trail was so rough in some spots that you couldn't make up any time at all on the downhill.


Overall, I really like trail races and prefer them to road races. But each trail race is very different.

[Rain Man]

Okay, I figured out that if I stop and walk at Mile 6 and Mile 10 for a half mile, I can finish a half-marathon even with my knee problem. My time will be terrible, but I can at least run my race next week and get the t-shirt since I'm already registered.

[DaKCMan AP]

In mid-December I completed my 2nd Half Marathon. I didn't train nearly as much as I did for my first (travel, illness, and nagging injuries). Still finished under 2h (1:58) so I was happy.

It's now been 3 weeks since that race and I've been resting hoping to recover from injuries. Plan to start running again this week. No races planned yet for 2015 though looking into the Maine marathon (half) in October.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

In mid-December I completed my 2nd Half Marathon. I didn't train nearly as much as I did for my first (travel, illness, and nagging injuries). Still finished under 2h (1:58) so I was happy.

It's now been 3 weeks since that race and I've been resting hoping to recover from injuries. Plan to start running again this week. No races planned yet for 2015 though looking into the Maine marathon (half) in October.

Nice job!

I'm not registered for any 2015 races yet either. I know I want to run Chicago again, and I *think* I want to do the Vail HM, but other than those, there isn't a race that I really feel I want to do. I'm sure I'll come across a couple though.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by kepp

Nice job!

I'm not registered for any 2015 races yet either. I know I want to run Chicago again, and I *think* I want to do the Vail HM, but other than those, there isn't a race that I really feel I want to do. I'm sure I'll come across a couple though.

Both myself and the gf are trying to get into NY marathon. If either of us get in then we're both going to do it.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Okay, I figured out that if I stop and walk at Mile 6 and Mile 10 for a half mile, I can finish a half-marathon even with my knee problem. My time will be terrible, but I can at least run my race next week and get the t-shirt since I'm already registered.

That definitely sounds like some sort of tendonitis being that it seems fairly predictable. It starts around the same distance and you can get it to calm down by walking. I don't know how you would treat it though, since its deep in the knee. Its not like you can roll it out or anything.

[Eleazar]

That's awesome, Rain Man. I have never been able to run much because of my flat feet, so I adopted the road bike instead.

[Rain Man]

Here's been my last three months:

October - I ran the race that I was wavering over, and it was a disaster. It was a really rugged and hilly trail race with a big hill at Mile 6, which was the worst course possible for my knee. The Mile 6 hill killed it, and I walked the back half home in pain and finished in the bottom ten percent of runners. Horrible, horrible race at 3:11:10 when I should have finished in around 2:30.

Early November - I'd already signed up for a race so I went. It was at sea level and I was flying. I was on pace for a personal record until my knee went out in Mile 9 on a hill. I grimaced and walked for a bit, then started jogging, and by Mile 11 my knee wasn't hurting any more. I finished in 2:02:34, and I lost a full four minutes in Miles 9 and 10. It was my fourth-fastest race ever, but I lament not being able to get under 2 hours and if my knee was fine I think I could've beaten my all-time best of 1:58:56. I was feeling so good other than Miles 9 and 10 that I wasn't even breathing hard. No knee problems at all afterward. Oddly, though, I didn't even finish in the top half of runners. I guess it was a very fast course.

Late November - I was pre-registered for another race at sea level, and I was feeling good. I cruised along and then the kneed started acting up in Mile 5, which surprised me. I walked through it for about a minute and then it was fine and I took off running again. It started hurting in Mile 12 but I kept running. I finished in 2:01:05 for my second-best time ever, beating over 60 percent of runners, but I could barely walk for a couple of days afterwards. Wicked knee pain.

I was doing some running in December and can generally make it five to eight miles before I have to stop. It finally hurt so bad that I stopped running about two weeks ago and will try to start up again in February. I hate stopping completely, but just can't seem to shake this thing.