It is just over three weeks until I race the Vancouver Half Marathon for the 4th time. I am aiming to PR and have been training hard, more, and differently than any race I’ve done in the past. The last time I ran the Vancouver half, I ran it as part of a training plan for a Marathon a couple months later, and did it at an easy pace (overall). It was fun. I love this race. The route, the scenery, the expo; Vancouver does it up right. (The Marathon is a different course and is also super amazing).
I don’t know that I get super nervous about races. More like excited. I mean I try and do my best and I get a bit antsy in the week before but I know that at the end of the day no one cares but me, and there is little to no fan fare or competition except for that which goes on within my own head.
As I have spent the last 9 weeks training for this, and the first 3 weeks took a huge turn for the worse weather wise, I have really only had (or will have had) 8 solid weeks, out of 12, to run 5 days a week, get my speed work in, and follow the program in all its glory. I do have a strong base and have been running a long time, so that’s not terribly concerning. However, I have never consistently run 5 days a week and had 1-2 speed sessions as part of that week. I also have a big tendency to “do more”. If a day says a 45 min run, I likely will do an hour. A 30 min easy run, might end up as 35-40 min…8 X 60 second sprints will likely be 10. I don’t know, I just do that. One speed session I remembered it saying 4 minutes repeats in a high zone…It was actually 2 minute repeats. (NO wonder I couldn’t hold the pace for 4 minutes! That was a hard workout…oops)
So last week was such a speed day where I might have done a bit much. The following day I did feel some plantar fasciitis pain (calves tight). Then this past Saturday, I rolled out of bed to get that early morning, before-work 35 min easy-run in. My upper spine felt tight and sharp and I had reduced range of motion but I ignored it and assumed it might loosen up on the run. It did not. I got about half way and the shooting spinal pain was too much, I couldn’t move my head! I had to walk home. Once there I attempted to lay on the floor on a heat pack. I couldn’t stretch. I literally got stuck on the floor because the pain was so sharp and spinal shearing that my boyfriend had to support my head in order for me to try and get back up!
I went to work and shockingly got through four clients because I could basically keep by upper body in one plain and not move my head much. It was bad that evening but the next morning it was there but greatly reduced and it was Sunday long run day and I had 18km to run. That actually went really well. Deep breaths hurt; certain shifts of my head hurt, but the impact wasn’t bad at all and I ran my 18.5km at a nice pace and it felt easy and overall very comfortable (only would have been better without the shadow of this spinal seize pain lingering over me).
Today is a rest day (except work) and the pinch was pretty bad this morning, but has gone down to livable levels with heat and moving around. My plantar fasciitis pain is not really there now either. Beyond these body setbacks, I am starting to think about race strategy and the realistic notion for my pace.
My training has been heart rate and time based. My race plan has always been pace based. In order to reach my goal, I need to run at a 5:10-5:15 min per kilometer pace. That’s fast for me. Maybe too fast. I can run at that pace, but can I run at that for 21.1km? As noted in my original post in this series, the last time I ran that kind of time/pace was in 2013 (near it in 2016). I am older now. Has that ship sailed? If I couldn’t beat 1:52 at 38, can I beat it at 45? I mean, I like to think yes, and I’m training harder and more than ever, but is that delusional. Is it just reality that a 1:50 Half marathon is not something that will happen for me?
Strategy wise; do I run for pace or heart rate? I know mid zone three is a good race pace and if I hold there, I will be working hard but not so hard as to phase out, and not so easy that I’m cheating myself. If I run at mid zone-3, I will know I did my best regardless of pace. But I’m not sure that is the pace I want. But if I hold 5:15 for a while and it’s too much, I’ll peter out by the end and may be unable to even hold my regular mid-hard pace. Obsession! I am trying to realize that I have three weeks left, recovery and tapering to do and time to heal (hopefully!) this nagging spinal pinch and allow my body to recover from training and get into healed, rested, and processed, race mode.
I also know that I have a Half Marathon 6 weeks later and could totally try again. Although, running all out then jumping back into training to try and beat that 6 weeks later may also be a poor choice, and unrealistic. I plan to just enjoy the second race. Try, but not push as hard as I can.
I also don’t think its counter productive to realize that the pace you hope for is maybe not a realistic goal. If your try hard, train hard, and do your best, then it is what it is. It’s not like one can decide to just make some crazy goal to run at an elite level and simply train for that. This pace is not an elite level by any means, but the point is that your fastest pace is kinda what it is. If you train and do the work and literally run your absolute fastest pace; that’s what you got. You don’t really get to pick some arbitrary number out and just do that. Just because I could’ve potentially been that quick seven years ago, doesn’t mean that is limitless to me, based on age and other factors at play.
I also understand that running is hugely mental. There is a big side to it that is about “how bad you want it” and what you believe you can do, and mustering through barriers and discomfort. (obviously all within reason). You literally can do more than you think you can. You can achieve running feats that are beyond comfortable.
So currently, I’ll nurse this spinal issue and keep on training as scheduled. I will trust the process and do the work. I think I will race with heart rate zones in mind but keep an eye on my pace too. If my zone is mid three and I’m close to my intended pace, maybe I’ll push it; but if its not, then I’ll race as hard as my heart rate says is manageable and try and hold that hard threshold zone and not listen to how hard it is and how much I’ll want to slow down. Then either way, I’ll know that I ran my best and left it all on the course. I will keep believing that I can make my 1:50 PR goal time, but I will try and not be delusional about it if I truly cannot.
Periscopecake 