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Thursday, January 17, 2013

I Want To Wear This Shirt

So I'm a crazy person and signed up for my first half marathon 9 days after I get married. This shouldn't shock anyone because I also mention wedding and/or half marathon in every single post.

Today is one month until the Brighton Half Marathon!

And I really really really want to wear this shirt.

This is the back of it.

It's definitely not the cutest race shirt out there. And I keep going back and forth about whether I should have gotten the blue instead of the charcoal. And I almost wore it once even though I haven't technically run the race yet but we all know how those running gods watch me like a hawk. 

This shirt has literally been sitting in my drawer for months. I don't know why they sent it with my race confirmation info back in September.

But I want. to. wear. it.

In exactly one month, I will wear the shirt.

But I have to run the race first. Duh!

So during my run yesterday, I buckled down and really thought about what I should be doing. What have I done right so far? What have I done really stupidly? I'm on week 13 of a 17 week plan, and I really want to make the most out of this last month.

I know I shouldn't have time goals, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have one in mind. I do have one. Kind of.

Right now, my goal is to finish around 2 hours and 30 minutes. Notice the word around. I'm okay with a potential finish above 2:30. Obviously I'm okay with below 2:30, too.

I'll get into specifics as race day approaches. For now, this is just my "one month to go" ramblings.  

Yesterday's run was the first time I become Garmin obsessed for the right reasons. Normally I check it and just want to go faster. This time, I checked it to make sure I was staying on pace and not going crazy. Because the number one stupid thing that I do is start off too quickly. I've been the queen of positive splitting recently. I'm not proud of that, but it's true.

For my "around 2:30" finish I have to consistently stay at "around 11:30" for 13.1 miles. Yesterday, all I wanted was to stay "around 11:30" for 5 miles just to prove that I could hold back.

Oops.

Not sure what happened at mile four. Probs thinking about eating chocolate biscuits or something.

The point is, I'm not setting super strict goals until I've had a few more double digit long runs. Lucky for me (kind of sarcasm) those are happening for the next 3 weeks. I know I can go faster than this because I was sort of half-assing that whole "hold back" goal. But I know I could (and probably should) go slower, too. My biggest fear is going out way to fast... It always happens...

On the plus side, I bought new gels!

Anyone tried these before?

After my first 10 miler of death (where I was ready to quit half marathon training and probably just life in general) I realized I need fuel. I tried to go without it for so long. But I can't. These were recommended by the guy in my local running store. Not excited to choke them down but excited to do a double digit run with these bad boys on my side! Maybe I can finish without crawling then....  

A few questions: 
Do you run with your Garmin during a race or do you prefer to "run on feel"? 
Do you try to negative split or run at a consistent pace? 
Gel, drinks, chomps, beans, what do you like and why? 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Taylor, I just found your blog today! I learned the same lesson about fueling on my 8-miler this past weekend. It didn't even occur to me to bring something on my run until I was about halfway through it. Definitely won't forget it in the future! I use Clif Shot Bloks, only because they're the only thing I've ever tried.
    Good luck on your 1st half marathon next month! I finished my first last year and will be running my 2nd, the same race I ran last year, in March. Hoping to also run my 3rd...and maybe 4th...and maybe 5th this year as well!

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    Replies
    1. Hiya thanks for stopping by! I definitely won't forget to bring fuel on long runs now, too! I've tried Clif Shot Blocks before but only before a run, never during. I don't know how I'd like chewing on those things while running...
      Good luck to you to on your half in March! I'm hoping to run a few this year, too! :)

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