2018 3M Half Marathon Race Report
I think there were questions regarding my sanity when I decided to run 3M Half Marathon on Sunday. I think most of my endurance athlete friends understand, but I’m sure that a lot of non-athletically minded folks didn’t understand why in the world I would want to run a race unprepared.
Let’s back up to June when I first started having troubles with my knee. Running became pretty much impossible. I had pain with every run and sought professional help from two sources. Ultimately, an orthopedist diagnosed me with “chondromalacia patella” more colloquially known as “runner’s knee.” Fantastic. I was already signed up for 3M, but he told me if I was careful with my training, I should be okay. I wasn’t okay. Anytime I ran more than a couple of times in a week and combined it with a “long” run on the weekend, my knee protested. Eventually, I threw in the towel and wrote off 3M after limping back to the house at the end of a 5 mile run in early November. I decided I just wasn’t going to be able to be a runner any more and threw myself fully into training with Camp Gladiator.
About a week before 3M, I was feel pretty bummed about not being able to run. I figured I would pick up my packet and goodie bag (for those who’ve not run it, the swag bag is full of 3M supplies like tape, stickies, band-aids and more). My knee had been feeling pretty good and I always sort of joked that after over 10 years of being an endurance athlete, I could probably go run a half marathon without training. It would hurt and be slow, but I figured it was doable. So I decided to go for it.
I told very few people about what I was going to do. I knew I’d have my phone with me and Roger was prepared to pick me up off the course if my knee gave out on me or something else went wrong. I just felt weird telling people I was racing when I really wasn’t headed out for a “race” but more of a very slow, very long run with 7,000 of my new besties.
I didn’t taper or change up my routine the week before, blasting out three fairly intense CG workouts that week. The weather was looking like it might be unusual. Usually 3M is cold with a tail wind. Sunday was looking warmers, and humid with possible rain and a steady headwind.
Sunday morning I popped four ibuprofen and arrived at the race at 7 AM, went through the long (20 minutes) bathroom line and took my place pretty far back in the corral. I’ll be honest, I was actually feeling pretty nervous. Standing there I started wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. The race began and about 5 minutes later I arrived at the start line and began running. Shortly thereafter, I was passed by Amy who was out for an easy training run preparing for her upcoming ultra. She went on ahead and I just tried to settle in.
The first couple of miles, my knee was feeling a little twitchy or maybe it was just my imagination. I was hyper aware of every step on that leg and I kept trying to just settle in to a pace and flow. I’m pretty good with pace, but since I hadn’t done any kind of pace workouts and had no particular pace goals, it was hard to find my stride. I just tried to keep it nice and easy. Easy long run training pace.
Finally, after a few miles, I found my pace and my knee seemed to be behaving. I did run with my GPS and looked at it now and then, but I wasn’t overly fixated or anything and it’s interesting to look at the data later. It’s interesting to note that my PR for a half marathon was this race two years ago. I ran it in 2:05:55 at a pace of 9:37/mi My average heart rate during that race was 179 bpm (yes, really). In contrast, I finished yesterday’s race in 2:23:28 which is a 10:57/mi average pace. My average heart rate was 166 bpm. So the intensity was definitely much lower yesterday so I did great there.
I saw Roger and Emmaline fairly early on, which was nice and gave them a thumbs up that things were good. Then a short while later I saw Amisha (my primary CG trainer) and she was so excited to see me, it gave me a great boost. I broke the race up in my head. Lately my “long” run has been around 3-4 miles. So I told myself I just needed to run three 4-mile long runs followed by a 1 mile cool down. Easy, right? :)
Things were going along pretty well until I got to around mile 7 and then I started to feel like I was getting tired. I sucked down a gu which didn’t really help and my stomach was feeling weird around this point. By mile 8, my feet were starting to hurt, but I was excited that I had completed two of my three 4 milers so that was encouraging.
Miles 9 and 10 were probably a low point for me. Things were getting really hard. I was tired, my feet hurt and my hips were really starting to complain and feel very tired. I usually tell myself to trust my training, but I had no training to trust. I started going through a list in my head of all the people that I love and that inspire me. I started with my family (especially Emmaline who trains so hard at gymnastics and always pushes on) and friends, moving through my CG family, then moving onto some people in particular that inspire me: my friend Laurie who was out there against so many odds in the wheelchair division, my friend Michelle who could barely walk last year, let alone run, my friend Sabrina who has just started working out in the last year and has completely changed her body (and her life), Amy, who I mentioned is training for an ultra. Then I would start over with my list. That helped a lot. I was out there, able-bodied and strong and I was running. Running what would likely be my last ever half marathon.
At mile 11 I saw Roger a final time and told him it seemed like I was going to do this. If my knee blew up now, I could walk the last two miles. I didn’t care anymore, I was going to finish this thing. I got a new surge of energy and repeated my list of people in my head. At mile 11.5 I looked down to see 2:05 - my previous PR and I still had another 1.5 miles to go. Mile 12 was actually my fastest mile (downhill helped). Mile 13 was mentally and physically pretty tough. I just wanted to be DONE and my low back was starting to hurt. I tried focusing on my form. It started to rain somewhat (it had misted sort of off and on through the race, but never really rained).
The finish line was changed this year and the run up to the finish seemed to take FOR EVER. But finally, I made it. I was done. 10 total half marathons. Mentally, it felt great! Physically, not so much! Today I’m okay. My knee is okay, but my right foot hurts and my hips are a disaster. My quads are a little sore, too, but they’ll be fine and I’ll be stronger for it. And with that, I close the chapter of my life as a “runner.” Onward to new adventures!
Let’s back up to June when I first started having troubles with my knee. Running became pretty much impossible. I had pain with every run and sought professional help from two sources. Ultimately, an orthopedist diagnosed me with “chondromalacia patella” more colloquially known as “runner’s knee.” Fantastic. I was already signed up for 3M, but he told me if I was careful with my training, I should be okay. I wasn’t okay. Anytime I ran more than a couple of times in a week and combined it with a “long” run on the weekend, my knee protested. Eventually, I threw in the towel and wrote off 3M after limping back to the house at the end of a 5 mile run in early November. I decided I just wasn’t going to be able to be a runner any more and threw myself fully into training with Camp Gladiator.
About a week before 3M, I was feel pretty bummed about not being able to run. I figured I would pick up my packet and goodie bag (for those who’ve not run it, the swag bag is full of 3M supplies like tape, stickies, band-aids and more). My knee had been feeling pretty good and I always sort of joked that after over 10 years of being an endurance athlete, I could probably go run a half marathon without training. It would hurt and be slow, but I figured it was doable. So I decided to go for it.
I told very few people about what I was going to do. I knew I’d have my phone with me and Roger was prepared to pick me up off the course if my knee gave out on me or something else went wrong. I just felt weird telling people I was racing when I really wasn’t headed out for a “race” but more of a very slow, very long run with 7,000 of my new besties.
I didn’t taper or change up my routine the week before, blasting out three fairly intense CG workouts that week. The weather was looking like it might be unusual. Usually 3M is cold with a tail wind. Sunday was looking warmers, and humid with possible rain and a steady headwind.
Sunday morning I popped four ibuprofen and arrived at the race at 7 AM, went through the long (20 minutes) bathroom line and took my place pretty far back in the corral. I’ll be honest, I was actually feeling pretty nervous. Standing there I started wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. The race began and about 5 minutes later I arrived at the start line and began running. Shortly thereafter, I was passed by Amy who was out for an easy training run preparing for her upcoming ultra. She went on ahead and I just tried to settle in.
The first couple of miles, my knee was feeling a little twitchy or maybe it was just my imagination. I was hyper aware of every step on that leg and I kept trying to just settle in to a pace and flow. I’m pretty good with pace, but since I hadn’t done any kind of pace workouts and had no particular pace goals, it was hard to find my stride. I just tried to keep it nice and easy. Easy long run training pace.
Finally, after a few miles, I found my pace and my knee seemed to be behaving. I did run with my GPS and looked at it now and then, but I wasn’t overly fixated or anything and it’s interesting to look at the data later. It’s interesting to note that my PR for a half marathon was this race two years ago. I ran it in 2:05:55 at a pace of 9:37/mi My average heart rate during that race was 179 bpm (yes, really). In contrast, I finished yesterday’s race in 2:23:28 which is a 10:57/mi average pace. My average heart rate was 166 bpm. So the intensity was definitely much lower yesterday so I did great there.
I saw Roger and Emmaline fairly early on, which was nice and gave them a thumbs up that things were good. Then a short while later I saw Amisha (my primary CG trainer) and she was so excited to see me, it gave me a great boost. I broke the race up in my head. Lately my “long” run has been around 3-4 miles. So I told myself I just needed to run three 4-mile long runs followed by a 1 mile cool down. Easy, right? :)
Things were going along pretty well until I got to around mile 7 and then I started to feel like I was getting tired. I sucked down a gu which didn’t really help and my stomach was feeling weird around this point. By mile 8, my feet were starting to hurt, but I was excited that I had completed two of my three 4 milers so that was encouraging.
Miles 9 and 10 were probably a low point for me. Things were getting really hard. I was tired, my feet hurt and my hips were really starting to complain and feel very tired. I usually tell myself to trust my training, but I had no training to trust. I started going through a list in my head of all the people that I love and that inspire me. I started with my family (especially Emmaline who trains so hard at gymnastics and always pushes on) and friends, moving through my CG family, then moving onto some people in particular that inspire me: my friend Laurie who was out there against so many odds in the wheelchair division, my friend Michelle who could barely walk last year, let alone run, my friend Sabrina who has just started working out in the last year and has completely changed her body (and her life), Amy, who I mentioned is training for an ultra. Then I would start over with my list. That helped a lot. I was out there, able-bodied and strong and I was running. Running what would likely be my last ever half marathon.
At mile 11 I saw Roger a final time and told him it seemed like I was going to do this. If my knee blew up now, I could walk the last two miles. I didn’t care anymore, I was going to finish this thing. I got a new surge of energy and repeated my list of people in my head. At mile 11.5 I looked down to see 2:05 - my previous PR and I still had another 1.5 miles to go. Mile 12 was actually my fastest mile (downhill helped). Mile 13 was mentally and physically pretty tough. I just wanted to be DONE and my low back was starting to hurt. I tried focusing on my form. It started to rain somewhat (it had misted sort of off and on through the race, but never really rained).
The finish line was changed this year and the run up to the finish seemed to take FOR EVER. But finally, I made it. I was done. 10 total half marathons. Mentally, it felt great! Physically, not so much! Today I’m okay. My knee is okay, but my right foot hurts and my hips are a disaster. My quads are a little sore, too, but they’ll be fine and I’ll be stronger for it. And with that, I close the chapter of my life as a “runner.” Onward to new adventures!
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