| jeffreypratt ( @ 2008-11-30 14:53:00 |
Seattle Half Marathon
Well, that was fun. I really liked the course (especially compared to the hilly beast that was Seafair) and there were a lot of people out having a great time. The weather was great, too--not too warm, not too cold. I wasn't too keen about the scheduling and having to train in the gym/dark while worrying about other projects, but we toughed out the training and used Thanksgiving dinner to store a little extra fat for the run.
I also didn't really set any goals. I've been kinda nuts in the past about goal-setting and race day rituals. This time, I decided to just let it happen because I didn't feel particularly well-trained. For example, I noticed that when I try to carbo-load, I don't feel well the next day, so I skipped that altogether in favor of pizza and beer for dinner last night.
The results? Continuous five minute improvements:
Here's what the Garmin has to say: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activ ity/7226515
I started feeling a headache coming on right around mile one, and fought it for most of the run. I also had some random aches and pains in my knees, feet and hips from the cement that I don't normally feel because we like training on trails. Oh, and the portable toilets along the course had huge lines...I thought about taking a potty break but I'd see 20 people in line for the Honey Bucket and I'd just keep going. By the time I got to the end, I'd forgotten about it.
Another thing that I enjoyed this time: I bought a hand-held water bottle at the expo and it was a lifesaver because I didn't need to stop at a single water stop. I wonder how much time I wasted before slowing down to walk at each water stop? I really liked being completely self-contained with water and shot blocks.
According to my trusty calorie tracker, I burned just north of 2300 calories during my run today (and it doesn't account for calories burned repairing the damage--the soreness that my doctor likes to call "a little friend who follows you around all day and reminds you that you did something healthy"). That's more food than I eat in two days sometimes, and could explain why I'm dying for nachos right now.
Next up: Vancouver in May. I've always wanted to do the Vancouver run. It will be interesting to see if I can beat a five minute improvement...
Well, that was fun. I really liked the course (especially compared to the hilly beast that was Seafair) and there were a lot of people out having a great time. The weather was great, too--not too warm, not too cold. I wasn't too keen about the scheduling and having to train in the gym/dark while worrying about other projects, but we toughed out the training and used Thanksgiving dinner to store a little extra fat for the run.
I also didn't really set any goals. I've been kinda nuts in the past about goal-setting and race day rituals. This time, I decided to just let it happen because I didn't feel particularly well-trained. For example, I noticed that when I try to carbo-load, I don't feel well the next day, so I skipped that altogether in favor of pizza and beer for dinner last night.
The results? Continuous five minute improvements:
- '07 Seafair: 2:50:54
- '08 Seafair: 2:45:58
- '08 Seattle: 2:40:30
Here's what the Garmin has to say: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activ
I started feeling a headache coming on right around mile one, and fought it for most of the run. I also had some random aches and pains in my knees, feet and hips from the cement that I don't normally feel because we like training on trails. Oh, and the portable toilets along the course had huge lines...I thought about taking a potty break but I'd see 20 people in line for the Honey Bucket and I'd just keep going. By the time I got to the end, I'd forgotten about it.
Another thing that I enjoyed this time: I bought a hand-held water bottle at the expo and it was a lifesaver because I didn't need to stop at a single water stop. I wonder how much time I wasted before slowing down to walk at each water stop? I really liked being completely self-contained with water and shot blocks.
According to my trusty calorie tracker, I burned just north of 2300 calories during my run today (and it doesn't account for calories burned repairing the damage--the soreness that my doctor likes to call "a little friend who follows you around all day and reminds you that you did something healthy"). That's more food than I eat in two days sometimes, and could explain why I'm dying for nachos right now.
Next up: Vancouver in May. I've always wanted to do the Vancouver run. It will be interesting to see if I can beat a five minute improvement...