Saturday, November 27, 2010

Running "in the mile"

So I headed to the Stennis Space Center to run the half marathon. 
 With the cold weather prediction of upper 30s by the start time at 8:00 am, and my training this fall, I felt really good going into the race.  I was not disappointed today.  I ran 1:47:25, unofficial time.

Today was just one of those rare days.  For me, it was reminiscent of St. George.  In talking with friends after the race, for many, it was a PR day.  The course at Stennis is a GREAT PR course.  If you have good weather, it's "game on." 

The splits - (because you guys know I like the numbers and I like the details)
previous PR pace was 8:16 pace - Stennis 2009, so 8:15 was the goal for the day. Plan - start the first 2 miles a little slow, and then pick it up. 

1 - 8:08 - oops, 2 - 8:23, 3 - 8:13, 4 - 8:12, 5 - 8:16, 6- 8:14, 7 - 8:14, 8 - 8:12, 9 - 8:12, these are my favorites 10 - 8:05, 11 - 7:59, 12 - 8:01, 13 - 7:54 SWEET! .1 - 1:04
Negative split run - woo hoo - makes me extra happy :) (why I do not know)

What helped me through the run today?
* running "in the mile" - I've been working on ALL mental aspects of my running and it IS helping.  Today, I consciously made the decision to run each mile, and focus on that mile only.  In the early miles, this is not necessary because I am running so comfortably.  I can't remember exactly what mile I started this, but I think it was around mile 4 or 5.  At this point, I focused and said to myself - "just run this mile @ 8:15.  As soon as I made it to the next mile, I would do the same thing again.  It was a great feeling to be totally focused on the mile, in the moment.  Will this work every race, I doubt it, today was special.  (normally, I start the mathematical count down and as I pass each mile I think about how many miles I have left before the finish)
*In getting ready for the Rocket City Marathon, I just finished reading Running Within by Jerry Lynch.  Now let me first say, I am not an avid reader, so I haven't read tons of books, but of the books I have read about running, this one is by far the best that I have read.  If you want to work on your mental running game, it's well worth the $$s.  In this book, he gives many mental tips to survive the tough parts of racing - mantras, ideas, and tips.  The one that I focused on today was "hello fatigue - I'm busy right now, I will deal with you after the race."    Will this work every race, I doubt it, but today, it was helpful.  The book recommends acknowledging the fatigue (hello) and then making the comment above.   It was like saying yes, I am getting fatigued, but I am OK, and I can do this, and I will honor the fatigue after the race.  It worked for me today.  
* songs that helped today - where is your heart by Kelly Clarkson - when I heard the song, and that particular line of the song, it was like saying to me.  Do you have "heart" to do this, and FINISH this, or will you let this PERFECT opportunity pass you by.  It motivated me to step up.  

*Novacaine - Bon Jovi - this song came on late in the race and was perfect.
Lyrics to the chorus
I tell myself I (feel no pain)
But I'm feeling the pain (walk away)
Can't walk away
I'm hanging on the ropes of hope
It's getting hard to cope you know
When you're the needle running
through my veins
I've changed my name to novocaine

( I used the mental imagery to act like novocaine was numbing me to be able to cope and finish the race.)

Another reason I enjoy the Stennis race is typically there are some local runners who go to this race, near the coast of MS.  Today there were several, and most of them had a great day.  My sister-in-law, Sonja,  stayed at my house on Fri. night and finished her 2nd half marathon today. Jennifer ran like a 10 or 11 min PR today.  Bridgett ran a PR today.  (Jen, Bridgett, and I will be heading to Rocket City to run the full marathon, 2wks from today) Frank - was running his 1st half marathon today, and ran a great race, and came in 2nd in his age group.  Other friends at the race, Keith,Steve, Eric, Renee and Dennis, and Neil.  (Renee ran like a 29 min PR, and Neil ran a PR too)  I think most of our area runners either PR'ed,  or won a medal, or both in some cases. 

Good Day at the RACES!
 Sonja - 2nd half marathon finish today.
 Frank, Me, and Eric (thanks to Frank for the pics)
Me, Eric, and Jen
Keith, (Steve's son-in-law? sorry) Steve
Neil

 Bridgett on the left
After the race, Bridgett and I ran a couple of extra miles in hopes of helping some other runners finish the race.  It was nice to finally be able to chat with her.  She is super fast and ran like a 1:34?? -  PR today.  Go Bridgett!  Bridgett has already qualified for Boston and NYC for 2011.  Woo Hoo Bridgett!  Big Year Ahead!
Age group award - I wasn't listening, but I am told it was 1st place???

Questions that I cannot answer:

  1. why does it feel so awesome to run a pr?  For me, these days,  it’s usually only a few seconds pr, and even if it’s only a 1 second pr, it just feels different, and why is that, why does it even matter?  I do not know!
  2. why does a negative split run feel so much better than any other type of finish.  Seriously, if you finish a race @ 1:47 why does it matter how you got there?  Today, I ran a negative split and I ran a negative split at St. George, and it just feels TOTALLY different, like I’ve achieved something bigger, but I haven’t – why is this?  I do not know.
  3. why does a pr give me a high like most people drink a 6 pack of beer to get?  I do not know!

18 comments:

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

GREAT JOB!! I loved the 'running in the mile' advice.. I need to work on that. PR's feel amazing and I am so happy for you! I feel that same high and negative splits are amazing:) You did so good!

Unknown said...

Ginny, congrats!!. You are awesome. I love your attitude. You are a strong person mentally and physically. ...ROCKET CITY here she comes.

Julie said...

Way to go Ginny!!! Damn, you are so freaking fast!!! I don't know how you do it!?! I have been attempting to get my time down to 1:50 all year with no luck. You are amazing girl!! Congrats on a fantastic PR and age group win! You rock:)

Christine said...

Congrats on an awesome race!! It sounds like the perfect race - good job!!

LMC said...

Congrats Ginny! This was an awesome race for you. You have worked so hard this training cycle and it is totally paying off!! The negative splits made me smile because I know you love those as much as I do! Yeah, I don't know why either!:)

Just a little reminder as you head into the marathon on 12/11, remember "this is totally do-able damn it".

Sam said...

Congrats on your PR! So happy for you! Love the "running in the mile". Will have to use that in my next race.

brooks running said...

Congratulations on your race...Great job..Keep it up!

Pining for Pinterest said...

Way to go on your race!!!

Petraruns said...

Great going on your PR and your attitude - really like it and it's inspiring. Going to steal me some of those ideas!

HappyTrails said...

Awesome job on your PR Ginny - and the negative split makes you feel like you were on top of your run and strong enough to ramp up to the finish. Enjoyed the report - glad you had fun!!!

Tasha said...

Congrats on a great FAST race time!!! You are my hero! How the heck did you become that FAST? WOW!!!

Matthew Bradford said...

Thanks so much for the comment! I'll let you know how BTR is. They've been super-responsive over email, but I've got it feeling it may not be super-well organized.

Looking to PR, so crossing my fingers. Have fun at your race this weekend and I look forward to reading about it!

Jill said...

Woohoo, girl - that's a great 1/2 time! PR's at our age are just so hard to comeby and therefore that much more rewarding, I think. Crazy - the only time I have ever negative split a marathon was in StG - we are twinsies. In so many ways :).

Have an awesome weekend!! So close to Rocket City!! So wish I were there with ya - but soon, I hope!!

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

Congrats on the PR! Wow- those last miles were so fast!

Chris K said...

Very impressive time. Congrats on the PR. I think PR's are so cool cuz we put so much work into the training. I guess it's like when a golfer practices alot and breaks 80 for the first time. It's the sweet fruit of our efforts.

Unknown said...

Oh, I just loved this post. You put so much into your training after having such a difficult summer and look what you did!! I'm so happy for you and I enjoyed those three important questions at the end. I think that reaching your potential no matter your age, condition, nor stage of life is just something that makes us feel amazing. When you know you're tried SO hard and you DID it...you just get that high. Congrats again, how motivating to know that you CAN do it and will continue to do so! There is no ceiling!

Johann said...

Well done! An overall perfect race day! I think it's all about reaching goals you work for. I don'r care about PR's anymore because I'll never run the times I did 13 - 15 years ago when I set all my PR's. However, I now aim for different distance goals and some other extreme running goals. I'm just as happy when I get these.

{will run for margaritas} said...

HI! SO happy that my mom (kelly p) sent me your blog! You are SUPER fast - great run! Looking forward to following your running journey's! Good luck this weekend!