In the spring, I was considering racing the Geist half marathon. If you’ve been reading for a bit, you’ve heard me talk about it. At that time, I would look at the schedule laid out for me and I just didn’t want to do it. I was burnt out, having ran three marathons in 7 months. Pretty much as soon as Marshall was born, my mind was on a marathon PR. So after I accomplished that, my brain was just over it. (Why I started training for triathlon instead- much needed break from running)
Coming off the half Ironman, my head has been back in the running game. What I don’t want to do is go sit on a bike for 4 hours on a Saturday. I’m back at running 6 days a week rather than 3 and I’m liking it. Proof that breaks are important. It feels good to run fast again, on legs that aren’t tired from the bike. They are tired in a different way some days, but a different kind of tired.
On Monday- Glenn and I decided to act like we were in college and go out with some friends for a handlebar Indy tour and after go out for dinner and drinks. If you live in Indy, I’m sure you know what Handlebar Indy is- but if not, it’s basically a bar on wheels that seats 16 people and you pedal around downtown, making stops at bars and really wherever you want.
Our night may have ended at 10:30, but we drank way more than we are used to (had a blast with everyone) BUT, my goodness we rode the struggle bus all day yesterday. It’s funny because I woke up immediately thinking about my training and thinking about how getting out of bed to get water seemed like a task, let alone, doing any sort of intense speed training.
Even though I couldn’t wait for the day to be over yesterday and feel like a million bucks today compared… the FUN was worth it. Maybe next time, we’ll remember we can’t handle the booze like we used to be able too… 10 years ago.
Here’s a pic of the group before taking off. We haven’t hung out with this group a whole lot outside of running with a handful of them and I have to be honest… I wondered if the crowd would be fun- THEY DELIVERED. Thanks to Amy for inviting us. (My new running BFF Ashley and her husband even came too- she’s a keeper. The friendship has officially stuck.)
Ladies having fun. I knew the name John Wooden, and connected it with Martinsville, but didn’t actually know who he was. Amy was ashamed.
I seriously had so much fun with these girls. AND YES we are all runners. And YES, we all go to speed work on Wednesday mornings (when we can). So, you are missing out if you don’t come out. This group is fun, and we don’t take ourselves TOO seriously. PS- Lauren in the IU shirt is also a runner for Team Oiselle with me! We are the Indiana girls on the team. 🙂
And PS- yes we did take Handlebar Indy to next level and play flippy cup while watching people run stairs up the Indiana War Memorial. (The team with the most IU grads definitely won) Then, we took it to next level again and ran up the memorial ourselves. I was the last one up.
The aftermath… running down (well I ran, Glenn rode his bike- he couldn’t muster up a run yet… although he did get 8 miles in later when I was slothing around) to my parents house in the morning to pick up Marshall and our car: (I’m going to miss having them in Indy… talk about convenience) We look and feel miserable and taking care of a 1 year old in this state is not ideal. WOAH.
ANYWAY- I really started this post to show you what my training looks like- but I felt that it was far too important to leave out the fact, that we don’t just run and we know how to have a good time too. Right? Am I right?
Below, I want to share with you the training I’ve done and what I have left before the half in 2 weeks. There are two weeks (this week and last) of super high mileage for half marathon training, (what I could consider high milage at least!) but other than that nothing too crazy. I’ve done this, because I’ve always thought my half marathon confidence to be higher when I’ve been banging out big miles. It makes 13.1 seem not so long. By the way- the paces below were the paces I prescribed myself- I didn’t always hit them exactly. Sometimes a little faster, sometimes a little slower. Flexibility is key.
I had a rough tempo run last week- got through it but it was hard. I was able to hit my paces much “easier” today on my speedwork compared to how winded and tough the tempo felt last week. I really needed that. After this week wraps up, the hard work has been put in and it’s time to relax, enjoy the taper and not freak out about the race.
So, that’s my plan. I know this is going to hurt, but I also know I have the ability to make it happen and have put the work in to do it. The most important piece come race day, is my mental game. The body will be there and ready, I just have to execute. Instead of being nervous, I need to start getting excited, because running a new PR is exciting. It hurts while you are doing it, but the finish line and PR high you ride for the weeks following (sometimes months if it’s a big one!) make it all worth it.
What do you think? Do you find that running higher miles during half marathon training is key? Do you generally race a half while marathon training?
Do half marathons scare you more or the whole thing? (the speed required for the half is what makes me nervous…. it’s a different kind of hurt!)
Have you experienced HandleBar Indy or have one in your town? DO IT! (Your welcome for the PR Handlebar Indy)