Half Finished, Two Thirds to Go

Today I welcome back my favorite guest blogger, my better half, my partner in crime, my lovely wife Melissa. Without further adieu, here is her latest triumph.

It started last summer, while I was sitting at my desk at work, thinking I had missed the boat. Jim had signed up for a 70.3 race, along with some training friends, and he emailed me one last time. “Do you want me to sign you up too?”

And I thought, “Hell, no. Is he crazy?”

But as the days passed I got to thinking about what races I was going to do in 2013, and what my next goal should be. I had done 3 more sprint triathlons in 2012, along with a few other planned running races, but I hadn't given much thought to 2013. Ironman races sell out quickly, in a matter of hours. And Raleigh 70.3, an inaugural event, was no different. So, I sat at my desk and thought it over. And over. And I thought, what a shame that I didn't sign up for that race. Lots of people we know are doing it, and I'll be there anyway to support Jim. What a bummer. For some reason I just wasn't in the right mind set when he asked me.

So, in November, when the Ironman Foundation opened up some charity slots, I jumped on the chance and registered! On November 2, I became an official registrant of Ironman Raleigh 70.3, to be held June 2, 2013-- 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. And exactly 7 months to prepare.

Thus Is Born The Half Marathon Entry

So, HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THIS THING? The immediate concern was my run training. I have biked more than 56 miles on a few occasions, and swum around (or more) than 1.2 during workouts. But, considering I had never run more than 7(ish) miles, I figured I'd better start working on my run. I discovered a February half marathon race in town that really turned out to be great timing-- the LOVE ROX Half Marathon. November through February(ish) is considered "off season" around here for triathlons, so it was a great time to build my running mileage base and train my body to carry me for all those miles. Then, when triathlon training started in earnest, I would already have a nice base to work from. Perfect. So, on November 6, I put on my best running gear and headed out in the mildly cold weather for a nice, short run.

LOVE ROX Half Marathon

I had 15 weeks to train for this half marathon, which seemed like plenty according to all my sources. Even though I'd trained for triathlons during 2012 and done a few road races, I had actually slacked off on my running August through October.

Over the course of 15 weeks, my weekly mileage grew from 8 miles to about 25. My long runs were on Saturdays. As I increased my mileage each week, I celebrated each time I hit a new milestone. First it was 8 miles. Then 9.5, then 10.5, then 12. I tracked my runs with my new Garmin 610, and looked over my mile split times each week. While my splits were uneven, they did coincide with the terrain (hills=slower pace), so that was as expected.

The coldest weather I ran in was 27 degrees, with a slight wind. I've discovered that I heat up rather quickly, though, so I wear layers in the cold and peel them off as I go. I recorded my clothing choices and the weather in my Garmin Connect log, so that I can refer back to it in the future-- I take note of what I wore, and what I peeled off during the run (usually the gloves, arm warmers, hat and extra shirt come off at some point.) I used my long runs as practice for nutrition, and experimented with using Carbo Pro in my water bottles and using Honey Stinger gels during the run as well. The nutrition plan will be even more important at Raleigh, but I figured there's no reason I can't start experimenting now.

On my long runs, I also experimented with turning off my iPod for at least some of the run. First, I would turn it off for only a few miles, usually at the beginning. Then, I left my iPod off for at least half the run, only turning it on during the second half to give me a boost. On my last long run, 12 miles, I did not turn it on at all. I ran the whole 12 miles without listening to my iPod! Why did I do this? Well, at Ironman races, using iPods or other devices is absolutely not permitted, so, I figure, I'd better start getting used to it now!

And lastly, who can forget the mantra? I have an assortment of mantras that I use. My favorite, based on a poem I wrote, is "Today is the day". But during this training for a half marathon, due to my increased mileage, I had additional time to reflect and come up with some others: "Worth it in June" is one of them, as is "It's gonna be hot in June". You see, while I was lucky enough to train in cold weather for the LOVE ROX half marathon, it will only get warmer from here on out. And, in June it is likely to be quite warm. This will change things quite a bit for me, as I have noticed that my run pace gets slower the hotter it gets outside.

So How Did the Race Go? 

Splendidly.

Two-loops to complete (potential mental obstacle for me)? No problem!

Thirty-seven degree weather? No problem!

Wet, rainy snow coming down on us? No problem!

Hill on the back side of the course (miles 4-5 and 10-11)? No problem!

I would say it went as smoothly as I could have hoped. There were so many Pro K Racing teammates (the triathlon team I train with) volunteering on the course & there were other Pro Kers running the course, so it was awesome to see everyone and cheer others on. It meant a lot to me to have that encouragement. There were also some friends who I was not expecting, who were waiting near the war memorial to cheer me on! It was so awesome to see them there too. And of course, Jim was there too, cheering for me at different spots on the course, and there to grab the gloves and shirt I had peeled off. And after the race, what a nice surprise-- Jim had bought me some flowers to congratulate me. Awesome! My first half marathon is in the books. Now what?

Oh yeah, there's that Raleigh thing. I've got two other disciplines to ramp up. I'd better get cracking.