Pre-race Strategies and Goals for Inaugural Charles Street 12 Race

It's Friday morning, that I'm writing this post and I'm pretty amped up right now.  I've been thinking about this race all week.  It's actually been longer than that, but the pit of my stomach has been pounding with nervousness and excitement for the last five days or so.  It's my very first long distance race and I wanted to jot down my goals and strategies for the race.

Goals:

1) I want to finish in 2:30 or better. - They say you shouldn't put a time goal on your first race, just cover the distance.  But, I'm always looking for a challenge or something to shoot for.  My training run of 12 miles was completed in 2:36.  I've had several 10 mile training runs that I was able to completed in less than 2 hours.  Races push the pace, so I feel if I can finish between 2:25 and 2:30 I'll be happy.  (Actually, I'll be happy when I cross the finish line... So, I'll be happy in any event.)

2) Finish with no injuries. - I'm thankful that I've been able to train up until this point with no significant injuries.  I hope to continue that streak with the help of the good Lord.  My first half marathon is planned for next month, so I've got to stay healthy in order to do well in that race.

3) Be in the moment at all times. - I want to experience this race fully, while running...  Enjoy the people around me, the atmosphere, the scenery.  This is the Inaugural running of the Charles Street 12 and I want to make sure that I'm not so focused on time and running strong that I don't take in the entire experience.

Strategies:

1) Start out slow. - I'm already going to be pumped and the juices are going to be flowing.  So, I need to make sure that I stay disciplined and run this race with patience.  I don't want to make the mistake of starting out too fast and burning myself out by mile 6.  I set my Garmin Virtual Pacer and intend to run at a 12:30 pace over the first half and dependent upon how I feel I'll pick my pace up.

2) Don't over hydrate and take nutrition at the proper times. - I've been hydrating all week and I'll be making sure to hydrate all day today.  I don't normally eat anything before my runs.  I may eat a Honey Stinger Waffle 15 minutes before the race begins.  Depending on the weather I normally don't start sipping water until about mile 3.  If it's warmer, I'll drink sooner.  I'll then take a gel or waffle around mile 6 and another around mile 9.  I shouldn't need anything after that, but, that'll be determined in the race.

3) Just be steady. - I know my limitations, I know my abilities and my training has gotten me to this point.  Stick with the plan and everything will be fine.

I'm just keeping it simple.  Nothing outrageous. I don't want to do too much and I want to stay focused on just finishing the race.

I'll see you after!!

Go slow to go far - My first 11 mile training run.

It's the 4th of July and I decided to do my weekly long run on this day, mainly because my weekend was pretty full.  My wife's work schedule would not have allowed me to do a long run, especially since I'd be watching the kids all day.  I just wouldn't be able to fit it in.

My mind was already set to do 10 miles, but 11 kept flashing in my head.  I said to myself that I've already done several 10 mile runs and I need to see if I can push past that, as I'm continuing to build mileage.  So, I started out and figured I would just see how I felt as I got into it.

I knew I would need to run at a slower pace, if I wanted to have energy for the latter part of this training run.  Of course the heat and humidity already had that taken care of, as I couldn't run much faster even if I wanted to.

My first mile was 13:43 and I figured that was a good pace.  It wasn't too hot at this point and there was a light breeze blowing... I was comfortable.

Fueling for this training run was also very important.  I figured I would fuel early and often to keep my body supplemented with the necessary nutrition to be strong throughout.

Around mile 3, I ate my Pure Protein protein bar.  I didn't want it to get soft and begin melting in the heat, since it was chocolate.  This would have been a complete mess. So, that was the first to go.

I felt pretty good.  I was moving along pretty steadily and around mile 4.5, I started to think about what I would do for water.  I really need to purchase a hydration vest for my long runs.  It has now become evident that I can't go without it.  I took a couple of dollars with me to stop at a gas station and pick up a water during the run.  I didn't think about how much I hate running with water bottles in my hands.  It's not fun and becomes somewhat of a distraction to me.

I get to mile 5 and I decide that I'm going to go for the 11 today.  So at the 5.5 mile mark I'll turn around and head on back.  Now, I like to do out and back training runs for the psychology of it.  I've seen the course already and I won't be finished until I get back to my car.  So, there's no need to get anxious and continuing to wonder "are we there yet"...

At about the halfway point (5.63 miles to be exact), there was a Shell gas station.  This was perfect, because I could get water, get A/C and get somewhat of a rest while waiting in line.  I stepped in the door and it was wonderful.  It felt like a refrigerator in there!!  The A/C felt so good on my legs!!  This was great... AND they had a little line that was formed, so I could enjoy this wonderful goodness for a few seconds more.

I bought my water, drank some and began my trek back to my car.  I felt OK at this point, but, my body knew that it had run 5.5 miles in the heat.

At mile 6, I took some orange flavored Clif Shot Blocks.  I normally take some more fuel around mile 7, but I needed some fuel already in my system at mile 7, so early and often.

Now, I don't know what got into me at this point, but during these long runs your mind tends to go places.  For whatever reason, I began to chant the words of
Sherman Klump, "Yes. I. Can.  Yes I Can" in my mind.  I don't know where it came from, but this was my mantra for a good part of the way back.

At mile 8, I was moving pretty steady.  I was feeling the effects of the heat and my water had already begun to lose it's coolness.  In fact it was almost luke warm by this point. I decided to take another Shot Block.

Around mile 9.75, a cyclist who I had seen on my way out was coming up behind me.  He shouted, "Good Job!! Great Way to Work!!" and passed me.  This was the encouragement I needed.  It came at the right place and at the right time.  I had a second wind!!  Where did that come from?!?!  That encouragement was provided in such a perfect moment that I literally got goose bumps!!  I was thankful, because my mind was in the middle of fighting a battle at this point.  My body wanted to quit, but my mind provided the determination to keep going.

That's a part of what I enjoy about this sport.  No one else can do it for you.  It's you vs. you.  Even in races, as runners, we're not really competing with others, we're competing against ourselves.  And if you're not mentally strong, you will lose that battle every time.

At this point, I had a renewed mindset.  I was ready to be done, but I was also ready to keep putting one foot in front of the other until I reached my goal.  Mile 10 came and went and I had officially run farther than I had ever run before.  I could've stopped at that point, but I set a goal and I was going to achieve it.  Not to mention, my car was still about a mile away.

I looked at my phone and Map My Run said 10.89 miles.  I was way too close to stop now.  All my water was gone by this point and it was just a matter of staying steady and continuing to move forward.  Before I knew it, I heard a voice say "Total distance 11 miles, time 2:30:14."  I smiled.  I did it.  I said Thank You and I began to walk to my car.

Running to me is like love was to Alfred Lord Tennyson...

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

I was talking to my running buddy yesterday and expressed to him, how I was coming off a terrible week of training.  No injuries, no excuses... In fact, looking back on the week, I really could have fit my scheduled training runs in if I stayed disciplined.  Frankly, I should be up to about 25 miles per week and this particular week I only ran 13 (extremely disappointing).  What was more disappointing, was that the majority of my mileage for the week, came from my long run of 9 miles!

After talking with him further, we came to the conclusion that it could've been a whole lot worse.  Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem came to mind and I modified it a bit.  I concluded that it's better to have run, than not to have run at all.  Perspective began to set in.  If I ran 2 miles, it would've been better than sitting on the couch and not running at all.  That's about 24 minutes of exercise for me and 24 minutes of exercise is better than no exercise at all.  Right?

Sure, the initial disappointment still hasn't left completely; but, I'm dealing with it.  It's not so much the lower mileage, but the lack of discipline on my part that I'm most upset about.  So, what are you gonna do??  Instead of dwelling on it, we will move into a new week.  A week that we can make a positive change, a week of improvement, a week that I'll be able (with the good Lord's help of course) to reach my goal.

That's the good thing about life's journey and running.  We can always improve...