Race Goals: Brookings Half Marathon

Leading up to the 605 Running Co. Half marathon, I had thought if everything went perfectly that day, I could maybe come in just under 1:55. I knew my training was there prior to my knee getting pissed off, and I wasn't sure how much my endurance had been effected by some significant time off, especially from the long run, which is typically my weakness.

It just so happens that a 1:55 also corresponds nicely with my Brookings half course PR of 1:55:07. So my absolute A goal for the day is to run my course PR, ideally sub 1:55.


If this doesn't happen, my B goal would be to run under a 9 minute pace. It would be a huge thing mentally for my average pace to be an 8:xx.
My C goal, would be to run faster than the 605 half.
I love this race, so I just want to enjoy it and work hard. 

Brookings Half Marathon Race Goals

About a month ago, I jotted down my goals for this weekends race A, B, and C. My race plan was a range of my A and B goal, with the final time coming down to what I had left for my final 3-5 mile kick.

A goal: 2:02 9:20 pace

B goal: 2:05 9:35 pace

C goal: 2:07 9:45 pace

Now that the race is getting closer, I'm not really sure what the heck my goals are. Hah. I want to run hard, and I'm prepared (I think) to go to a place mentally where it hurts without giving up (uff... that sounds hard, right? maybe I'm not that mentally prepared...hah).

The weather looks great, my training has gone extremely well, and I've seen huge progress in my fitness levels in the past 6-8 months. So I think my plan for tomorrow is a bit of a no-plan. I'll do my standard "take mile 1 easy" easy pace tbd based on how my body feels tomorrow I suppose. Followed by 5 miles at comfortably hard, then the next 4 a little harder, and the final 5k with whatever I have left. Normally I have splits and all that fun stuff all calculated out, but doing so this go around is just freaking me out.

So I think what my goal is for tomorrow is: run hard, leave it out there. Worry about the time on the clock when you cross the finish line. We'll see how that works for a change.

Looking Back on Training

A couple of weeks ago, I started looking back at past training cycles. This is one of my favorite pastimes (I'm so lame, I realize). I was thinking about goal times for the Brookings half marathon, and had a hard time wrapping my mind around a sustainably hard pace for 13.1 miles, as one does.

I started looking back at my training from 2014 for the Brookings half marathon, when I ran a 2:02 and was training for a sub 2 half. I was shocked to see that my training wasn't anything special. A 2:02 half seems so fast right now, that I expected my training to be really strong, fast speed work, good mileage, strong long runs. Um... not so much. There were some decent speedwork sessions, and some long runs. A lot of weeks with one run. A lot of long runs that said, "really hard, walk breaks, blah...etc." And apparently I raced two half marathons on back to back weekends. And still ran a 2:02. My long runs are slightly speedier, but WAY more consistent both in pace and frequency. My tempo runs have more miles in them, roughly the same pace. My speedwork has faster paces at longer intervals.

January 2014 60.5 miles 2017 72.4 miles (slightly sub 11 v. 10:38 pace)
February 2014 80.2 miles vs. 2017 41.8 miles (slightly sub 11 v. 10:36 pace)
March 2014 52.2 miles vs. 2017 89.5 miles (10:45 v. 10:27)
April 2014 65.7 miles vs. 2017 110ish miles (10:20 v. 10:40ish)

Whoa.

The cool thing about looking back on this data is to give me confidence in what my training has been like in this cycle. Which might be one of my strongest cycles outside of marathon training (which is where my current half PR exists). Hopefully I'll be able to remember this when I'm running the race next weekend and it feels hard.

Here's to doing hard shit.

or something like that.

Brookings Half Marathon Goals

It has been two years, almost to the day since I've gone sub 2 in a half marathon, at this very same race. There was a time when I first started running and racing that sub 2 was the coveted unicorn goal for me every race (much like sub 4 has been for the last four years). Then came a breakthrough of sorts where I would run under 2 hours for 13.1 mile training runs. Womp. I'm currently trying to work back to that point, but in the meantime I'll be shooting for a sub 2 finish at tomorrow's half.

My race plan is to start somewhat conservatively for the first 3 miles hitting 9:30-9:40 pace, then dropping to 9:10-9:20 pace for the next five miles and then attempting as fast as I can for the last five miles. I've been working on my speed quite a bit since the NYC half, so hopefully that will be to my benefit, and the race course is nice and flat, just like my quads and IT bands like it.

Also, the weather is 100% Jerbear approved: 39* at the start, with a real feel of 32*. Aka perfection. No rain, no snow, no sun, 7 mph winds (basically a whisper compared to the 40+ we've been having SINCE SATURDAY SWEET JESUS STOP NOW), and 42* at the finish, with a real feel of 38*. Let's all keep in mind that if I was in shape to PR this race it'd be 95*, 99% humidity and a 40mph wind that adjusts its direction based on which way I'm running during the race. ;)

Unicorn goal: Sub 2, sub 9 minute pace. I think that puts me at a 1:57. All the stars in the universe would need to align for this to happen.

Pugasaurus goal: Sub 2, even by a hair of Ollie's chinny chin chin.

Minotaur goal: Sub 2:05. The best race times I've posted since my last sub 2 have all been in the 2:04-2:06 range (and those times are all 18+ months old too). A 2:02 would be nice because I like palindromes. But not as much as I like a time that is 1:5X.