Tuesday, March 08, 2011

13.1

(before the race)

first of all i need to say thank you.
for those of you who sent emails, messages on facebook, texts,
thank you thank you!!
what encouraging friends i am totally blessed with!


let me throw out my disclaimer before we get rolling:
i do not have my finger on the pulse of all the latest & greatest in the world of running.
i am not on the cutting edge of half marathon training & nutrition.
so for those of you who have asked for tips & advice, i'm not your girl!

i am however,  a 44 year old mom who decided to run one again
& i did.

overall i felt good about my run
but i was a little disappointed with my finishing time.


the course was described as basically flat & fast.
well, most of those people were fast indeed.
while i run about a 9minute pace when i'm running a 3 miler, 
bumped up to a 10 minute pace when i run 5,
i certainly can not run that fast for 13 miles.

the course was a 6.5 out & back.
which is great if you're fast, you can see all the folks you are passing.
if you are not fast ( moi) it can be a little discouraging to see all the the runners passing you.

let me back up a tad~
as with any time i need advice or information,
i asked on facebook what training schedules were good ones.
there are so many different ways to go about preparing.
i love to run 
& run 3 miles everyday.
but hadn't run more than a 10k in over 20 years.
i chose a hal higdon schedule that worked best for me & where i was in my current running pace/distance.
the schedule i chose had mostly running with cross training thrown in there.
i didn't cross train & now wish i had.


a friend of mine who also runs halfs told me it made a big difference for her
when she trained with just running vs. running and adding in the cross training.
next time, i'll cross train too.
next time i run one i plan to prepare with a little more holistic approach.
eating more super foods, specific nutrients , etc that help with endurance.

back to the fast people.
there was a time in my life where i might run several 5k's and 10k's a month.
therefore i always felt prepared to run.
i got the feeling this weekend, many of those runners were not casual
"hey lets go run a half marathon" runners.
it looks like over half of the 2,220 runners ran a sub 10 minute pace.
maybe i don't get out much, but that totally impressed me!


i felt great cardio wise
& even my legs and feet felt fine.
speaking of feet--a few months ago i went to the big peach running company.
there i went through their fit process where i was analyzed for my style of running
& then fitted with the best shoe for me.
turns out i had been running in a good choice ( new balance)
but went with the saucony's that were advised and they have been awesome shoes.
now that i know which shoes to wear, i'll try to find them for a discount
vs. paying over $100 for them in the stores.

while i felt great cardio & strength wise,
i wished my endurance had been better.
the schedule i used only had me run one 10 miler prior to the half.
also my schedule told me those last three miles would be very doable with all the excitement.
i ended up running 2 10's and 1 11...& felt fantastic during that 11
however sunday....i thought those last 3 miles were pretty tough.
i intentionally started out slow, running the first 6 a tad slower than i normally run, 
hoping to have a burst of energy at the end
which incidentally never showed up,
but overall i felt i did the best i could & kept a pretty even pace the entire time.
( i'd give anything to remember my finishing time when i ran these 20 years ago).


as far as future runs, i'm hoping to keep some mid-distance runs ( 5-6's) in my weekly schedule
a couple of short distances a week ( 3's)
& run a 10 miler at least once a month.
i'm also going to research nutrition tips for distance running too.


when i crossed the finish line i looked up and saw my sweet man cheering me on.
i just about started to cry.
monday morning when i logged into facebook and saw all the love
i just about started to cry 
again.
seriously

i might not have been speed racer
but i loved it!!!!
& hope to be back in seaside to do it all over again next year !



 (& here's the after!)
since you probably feel you could have run a half marathon in the time it took to read this post,
i'll share some scoop about our b&b, the weather, seaside, etc later this week.

44 comments:

Katiebee said...

congrats to you paige!

{A*very} Blessed Life said...

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DID IT! So super proud of you! You rock! I linked to you today. Enjoy your accomplishment. You deserve it!

Love Being A Nonny said...

GOOD FOR YOU! WOW!! Fast or slow, you did it!!!!!

traci said...

oh my gosh paige. i am so proud of you. what an amazing accomplishment. i can't even run to the mailbox and back. seriously. i have never been a runner. good for you!!

Between You and Me said...

congrats for doing it and finishing with a smile on!
I did the hal higdon 1/2 marathon training guide, too, and also didn't do the cross training.
I regretted it, too.

I'm so proud of you, Paige!

Anonymous said...

Congrats! What a great accomplishment.

Razmataz said...

Amazing...congratulations.

i can't even run one mile said...

congrats paige...
the important fact is that you finished the run...isn't it?
If you were a dedicated half marathoner...and did it all the time...then you could put forth the energy into the real training....but since this was a "i'm going to just do it"...you did your best.
Don't give in to the beast girlfriend....
you finished...and ran it ....
that's what's important!

Sweet Grace Farms said...

You know what? You did it. You set a huge goal and met it. Yea you! I ran the Peachtree Road Race several years and one of the fast WALKERS passed me. Something to laugh about later, much later.

Living Life in the Lowcountry said...

Just the fact that you did it is something in my book! I am not a runner and I really admire those who are. I don't run unless someone is chasing me. With a gun. :)

Anonymous said...

who cares what your time was~you just ran 13.1 miles. Awesome!!

Courtney said...

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME... that is YOU! :)

Talia said...

CONGRATULATIONS! (insert a hug here!) I am a runner as well and boy, it is not an easy sport. You did it and you should be so very proud of yourself! Well done. The pace doesn't matter -- you did it and you finished! Kudos to you!

Heather said...

proud. proud. proud.

i do believe you look MORE beautiful with the glow after the race.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on completing the race!!! That's determination!!!

Bravehearted Beauty {formerly LLH Designs} said...

I love that you decided to go for it and didn't let anything stop you. What an inspiration you are!

I love your smile at the end of the race! And love that seeing your man made you cry.

Xoxo,
Linsey

Anonymous said...

Thanks for living life to the fullest!

Kristin said...

Congratulations to you and so very happy for you that you just decided you were going to do this half marathon and did it! Just inspiring to many. You should be very proud of yourself because this is something that not many do in life and that should indeed make you smile.

Janie Fox said...

Congrats you amaze me. I have said countless times, I couldn't run even if my butt was on fire. Good job my friend!

Kimberly said...

Congratulations! You did it! YAY you!

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

Congratulations, Paige! What a wonderful accomplishment! For years I ran four miles almost every day, and I have totally let it slide. I'm now expecting baby #4 and can't wait to get back to regular exercise ... but now I have hyperemesis and can't do anything but go from bathroom to bedroom. I'm so proud of you!

Farmgirl Paints said...

girl i run a 10:30-11 minute mile. i think you are a rock star! proud of you.

Shannon said...

Congrats Paige! You are amazing :)

ellieshine said...

YAY! I'm impressed you DID IT! so so so impressed :)

xo ellie

Sheri said...

Congrats - that's awesome. Love your post as usual - you rock!

Katie said...

Ah!!! You did it! Who cares about the finishing time... you finished!!!!

Marci @All Things Wonderful said...

That's awesome! Congrats. What a great accomplishment!

Kelli said...

I'm so proud of you! What an accomplishment. Can't wait to hear about it again next year. I'm looking forward to the rest of the post :)

Stephanie said...

Congratulations!

If you're looking for great prices on running shoes try 6pm dotcom.
They are owned by Zappos. I just bought my favorite running shoes which run $100+ in the stores for $39.99!

Jboo said...

Yay for you! So proud of you! Way to go girl! :)

xoxo

Janet

Teresa said...

WOW Paige!
You go girl!
I know your cute girls were cheering you on...and so proud of their COOL~FIT mommy!
LOVE the pink shorts!
Good for you!
Very inspiring!
xo

Anonymous said...

this is great paige! I died in the 11th mile my 1st half! By the 2nd one I was much more prepared. What a happy story!

Julie said...

You did it!!! So proud of you, Paige! xo

Seawashed said...

Thats awesome!!! Way to go! I used to run 10k's all the time 20yrs ago too. In the past 10 yrs every time I've began training to try again I get injured. So I am so proud of you just for doing it. It encourages me that maybe, just maybe, I will be able to run them again in my 40's...I'm also 44!

Anonymous said...

Congratulaitons!

Tina said...

I.N.S.P.I.R.A.T.I.O.N.A.L is all I have to say Paige!! Oh, and congrats again lovely lady! ~ Txx

Courtney Walsh said...

PAIGE!!!

Yay!!! I am sooo excited for you. What a HUGE accomplishment. I hope you feel proud of yourself, girl! You did amazing! :)

3 Peanuts said...

Congratulations Paige!!! I have tears in my eyes reading this. It is not about your time sweetie...it is about finishing the race...the same is true in life right???

I don't run at all..heck I don't even exercise (but it is my lenten goal now--just posted about it) so I am FULL of admiration for you! WAY TO GO!!!!!

Anonymous said...

wahoo!!! i am so proud and impressed! you are awesome!!! xo

Martha said...

well I think you should be proud of yourself...and sounds like everyone else is too:)
great job:)
xo

Jodee said...

Way to go, Paige! I am soooo proud of you! Can't wait for more posts with lots of pictures!

Jackie said...

I am so behind in posting comments to the blogs I read. I read faithfully every day & think I will come back to them later to post a comment. Somehow "later" never happens. :-)
But, finally, here I am today. A HUGE congratulations to you for your run. I admire you & all the others. Would love to do something like that someday.
Have a happy week!

patty said...

congratulations!!
i am 46- a few years ago, i took up mini triathelons, and loved it. i've wondered if it's something about that physical challenge that draws us back to it?! fun.
13.1... woo!

Yvonne from North Carolina said...

Simply W O N D E R F U L, Paige! Congratulations! Loved all of the pics. I've wanted to vacation in Seaside, FL after viewing Vera Bradley's 2010 summer catalog featuring Seaside and the Inn by the Sea. My husband and I are planning to book 5 days at the inn. Any suggestions on finding a good deal? So glad to hear it's just as pretty and charming in person as it is in the photos. I knew the town was fabulous because my nephew has participated in the race for the past 4 years. Again, congrats and thanks for sharing.