Technology to Improve your Running: Interval Speedwork

Last week I talked about finding your maximum heart rate and how to apply it to your Long-Slow Distance runs:

https://gazelleintraining.blogspot.com/2020/04/technology-to-improve-your-running-long.html

Today, I'm going to touch on interval training.  Interval runs are probably the most important workout to you if you are looking to improve your finish times.  The typical structure of an interval workout is:

1. Warmup
2. Several iterations of high/low intensity effort
3. Cooldown

The main benefit from the higher intensity training is that it improves aerobic capacity to allow a person to exercise for longer periods with higher intensity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_training

https://support.polar.com/en/support/Overview_of_interval_training

Setting up a device to track your intervals is going to be specific to the device.  Personally, I usually don't pre-program workouts into my watch.  I keep an eye on distances and manually press the lap button.  This works great if you know your routes well, especially if you're running on a track which would be more accurate than your GPS anyways.

Plenty of people do program their watches with their workouts.  I can't list off every single watch, but here are links to a few different options.  If you are struggling to figure out your specific device, feel free to post in the Facebook group.  We can usually figure these things out together.

• Polar M400: https://support.polar.com/en/support/check_how_to_use_interval_timer_and_heart_rate_zones
• Garmin Forerunner 230/235: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner235/EN-US/GUID-51E58923-AD73-48A0-A72A-6EBC29910DB8.html

To help you figure out how fast you should be pushing yourself, find the Indicator Run spreadsheet in the Facebook files section.  You can enter a 5k, 3k, or 1 mile time at the top and it will project estimated race times, training paces, and intervals.

For our speed work last week (4x800m repeats), I entered a recent 5k of mine and got an estimated interval time of 3:25.

Here is a link to my workout: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4827884112

Unlike the LSD run last week, can see much more pronounced increases/decreases in my heart rate.  While the LSD run is looking to help you maintain your status quo for a longer period, interval runs are where you intentionally push your body to a more uncomfortable pace that you aren't able to maintain.

"Hard' efforts are highlighted

In the four laps, I hit a Max HR of 168, 172, 174, and 175.  This translates to about 90-95% of my theoretical max which is right in the range of what I'm aiming for.  Pace-wise, I was a little ahead (3:14, 3:13, 3:11, 3:12) compared to the estimated 3:25.  I want to emphasize, here, that faster is not always better.  Pushing yourself harder than you are ready can lead to bad workouts and even injuries.

In this instance, this pace is pretty close to in line with my 5k PR, which is a few years old now, but isn't that far outside of a pace I am ready for.  Since the intervals were consistent, I will chalk that up as a win for me.  If these times were less consistent (10+ second spread) then that might mean I pushed myself too hard (or too easy) early in the workout.  You're really aiming to be as consistent as you can throughout the workout.

Something to also point out is that you need to be able to recover between intervals.  When I first started these workouts, I wasn't easing back enough between intervals, which caused my later efforts in the workout to always fall short.  Now, that doesn't mean you stop completely.  Here, I let my HR drop to around the 130 range between the intervals.

Technology to Improve your Running: Long - Slow Distance

Runners are using a wide array of technology to track their every step.  In addition to time, portable/wearable technologies are tracking location, heart rate, and plenty of other metrics from your body.  Turning those numbers into actionable feedback is not trivial.  My goal with these articles is to analyze some of my own running to give you some tools so that you can critique your own performances.

My focus today is on the workout most runners (new and old) focus on the most: the long-slow distance (LSD).  The purpose of this run is to build your endurance via a long workout at an easy pace.  This strengthens your cardio and skeletal systems, increases fat burn, and improves your body's energy efficiency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_slow_distance).

The most helpful metric to establish at the start is your heart-rate training zones.

A few other articles on heart-rate training zones:
https://www.runnersworld.com/beginner/a20812270/should-i-do-heart-rate-training/
https://www.polar.com/blog/heart-rate-monitoring-sweet-spot-exercise-intensity/

To take the basic formula, a 40 year-old runner has a theoretical maximum heart rate (MHR) of 180.  Please note that depending on personal fitness and a variety of other factors, this number can easily vary +/- 12 BPM.  The best way to determine your maximum heart rate is to actually perform a live test.

This article gives a field test you can do to determine your MHR:
https://www.polar.com/blog/calculate-maximum-heart-rate-running/

MHR = 220 - AgeInYears = 180

Zone 1: 90-108 (50-60% MHR)
Zone 2: 108-126 (60-70% MHR)
Zone 3: 126-144 (70-80% MHR)
Zone 4: 144-162 (80-90% MHR)
Zone 5: 162-180 (90-100% MHR)

So, how do you use this information to critique your own training?

For a LSD run, you should be aiming for a heart rate between 65 to 70% of maximum (so starting in Zones 2 and maybe creeping into Zone 3).  These runs are slow and steady, so you should aim for a consistent heart rate/effort.  This is a good time to remember that lots of things will influence your heart rate.  Your fitness, weather, terrain, as well as how hard you are pushing yourself will all impact your heart rate.

Before I started watching my heart rate, it was difficult for me to tell the difference between a run where I was running fast because I was pushing myself too hard vs. actually relaxing into the effort I should have been running at.

This is one of my own LSD runs:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4801139085

Knowing my body, I aim for a average HR of about 150 on LSD runs.  I did a really good job of keeping my heart rate down for the first half of this run.  There are a handful of peaks early on (around 0.5, 1.5, and 2.4 miles) which all correspond to hill climbs.

The back-half of the run is a bit more haggard.  Unfortunately, this didn't surprise me to see afterwards.  I failed to actually map this route before I laced up.  The plan had been to run about 6 miles and I ended up closer to 8.  By the time I was 4 miles in, this was becoming apparent.  This stressed me out, lost form to some degree, and probably pushed myself harder than I should have.

What I did well:

• Initial pacing.  HR increased over hills, which was expected, but I let it come back down.
• Pace felt manageable (if a bit too fast)

What can I do better:

• Verify my routes in advance.  
• To mitigate that problem, I could have stopped running early.  As it was, I ended up pushing myself harder to be home in the time frame I had given my family.
• Relax.  I tightened up and ran faster in the back half.
• Overall, I pushed too hard this run.  I shouldn't have that much Zone 4 running.

Something to remember is that every workout has a purpose (otherwise, why bother doing it?).  

Pound the Pavement for Peter 5k

Pound the Pavement for Peter 5k was my second stroller race with H.  Originally, I was going to be solo parenting this weekend, but Angelina changed up some of her plans so she was able to come out with us.  Two of our running mom friends were also running pushing their respective little ones (including one with a double).

I had run the race last year and snagged third overall.  The course is tough.  The first mile is very downhill, but you spend the rest of the race climbing back up.  This is hard enough running normally, but even harder pushing a stroller.

We arrived plenty early. picked up bibs, and found the rest of the crew.  The kids played together until it was time to line up.  I went out for a warm-up jog sans-stroller, which might have been a mistake because I stepped off a curb awkwardly and rolled my ankle a bit.  It's still a little tender, but nothing major.  I dusted it off, gave the little guy a snack and we took off.

The first quarter mile was, as expected, chaotic.  I got as far forward as I could.  Despite pushing a stroller, I still expected to be finishing in the top of the field.  I managed to avoid a few near collisions with zig-zagging runners and settled in.  The first mile was in the low-7 range, but, given the course, that was expected.

Something I forgot to consider was that kids have a tendency to stop wherever they happen to be whenever they feel like it.  Middle of the street.  Left side.  Right side.  All without warning.  I had to bounce around a few that stopped in front of me when we got to the first hill.

The guy who would go on to win the stroller division flew by me after the first mile.  I made a small effort to stick with him, but it wasn't going to happen.

I spent much of the last two miles talking to H to get my mind off the run.

"What color are the trees?" - Green
"What eats the leaves?" - Giraffe
"Are you tall like a giraffe?" - No, I'm small

One of the nearby runners was highly amused.

But around the 2.5 mile mark, disaster struck.  Puppy, H's chosen stuffed animal companion, dove off the front of the stroller.  Poor Puppy got rolled over by the stroller, but didn't have any lasting damage.  I circled back, picked him up, and resumed the worst hill on course.

The final climb on the course actually felt better this year than last.  Angelina cheered for me up the hill and we skated in around the 23 minute mark, good enough for second stroller and T-30 overall.

Big take aways:

• Stroller running is hard, but isn't as hard as I thought it would be before I started doing it.  That said, stroller running on hills is a while new ball game.  My quads were on fire after the last hill
• H is a little champ.  Having little conversations with him at the end of a race is a great distraction.
• Other parent support is invaluable at stroller races.  I would have been OK without Angelina at the race, if only because the other moms were there.  Having her there made everything run very smoothly.

Results: https://runsignup.com/race/results/?raceId=16254#resultSetId-110173

Starting Horde

Avoiding the little ones

Up the last hill

The only way we could get him in a finishers picture

Case in point, see the little guy running around behind me

Running Mamas Crew!

USATF Master's Indoor Track and Field Championships

Prologue

This past weekend, I had the honor of going to the USATF Master's Track and Field Championships to represent Atlanta Track Club.  In most running events, the Master's division is for participants 40 and older.  For the track events, USATF has set its threshold at 30.  When the meets are held close to home, ATC likes to bring as large of a squad as is feasible to maximize points in their team competition.  In each event, points are awarded for the top six places (8/6/4/3/2/1 points respectively).  Since much of the ATC Master's team is 40+, they try to recruit a handful of people in the 30-39 group to help pick up points that might otherwise go unclaimed. 

My wife and I were invited to join the outdoor meet in Baton Rouge last year, but the timing did not work out well.  Fortunately, the schedule came together nicely this year, so we spent the weekend in Landover, MD.

Travel

This was our version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

• Uber to MARTA
• MARTA to ATL
• Fly ATL to BWI
• Airport shuttle to AMTRAK station
• AMTRAK train to Union Station METRO
• METRO to Largo Town Center
• Hotel shuttle to Hotel

We were very happy to have the team captains for the 30-39 division on the same flight.  It made for a lot of good conversation and preparations for the meet as well as some good assurances that we were going the right way.

After putting our things in the hotel room, we went to the event venue to pick our packets up and to check out where we would be spending much of the next three days.  We walked around the track a bit and I gave the high jump a try.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWExTdNpzs

This was a marketable improvement from my at-home attempts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq1uoGd-ReE

Day 1: 3000m

The biggest challenge for the first day of competition, for me, was in figuring out how exactly to prepare.  I was running the 3000m, which was the last race of the day.  Races are also run in the order of Womens => Mens, Oldest => Youngest, which meant I was in the last heat of the last race of the day.  It was scheduled for 6:45.  The event ended up being about 20-25 minutes behind, so my heat did not start until around 7:15.

One thing that was a little disappointing was much of the team had to take off before my race got going.  It was totally understandable, they all were getting ready for their own events the next day and, with the whole thing running late, couldn't afford to stay later.  A bunch made a point to stop by and wish me luck, which really meant a lot.  The ones that were able to stay behind all spread themselves around the track so I had familiar faces at all the corners.  Rockstars.

While I had my cheering section around the track, the hardest part about the race was that I was all alone on it.  I had two well behind me and seven or eight well ahead.  I knew my first lap was very fast and spent the next couple trying to slow myself down and let the leaders pull away.

Interpolating between 1400 and 1600 gives me a  5:36 1500m split, which is (Spoiler Alert!) only 6 seconds slower than I would actually run the 1500 on Day 2.  I totally had arm issues the entire back half of the race.  I had complete strangers down the back stretch yelling at me to get them down.  I could feel how tired I felt, though, so I'm pretty sure it's a strength/conditioning issue.  Needs more push ups.

All said, this was still about a 7 second PR in the 3k.  Previously, I had only ever run the "3k Indicators" as a part of our training programs, so conditions were a lot better in this race.  However, going sub-6 for the first 1600 is not a small feat relative to what I "normally" run.  I was very pleased with my performance here.

Oh, and, I was first in my age group (out of one).  So 8 points for the team.  Whoop whoop!

Results:

http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/201800022/event/129/Final

Splits:

Dist	Split	Cumulative
200m	0:42	0:42
400m	0:43	1:25
600m	0:44	2:09
800m	0:45	2:54
1000m	0:46	3:40
1200m	0:46	4:26
1400m	0:47	5:13
1600m	0:47	5:59
1800m	0:48	6:47
2000m	0:48	7:35
2200m	0:49	8:24
2400m	0:50	9:14
2600m	0:49	10:04
2800m	0:49	10:53
3000m	0:50	11:43

Day 2: Washington Sightseeing, 1500m, 4x800m, 4x200m

Neither Angelina nor I had any morning events, so we met up with my sister and her fiance on the National Mall and rented some bikes.  When we went ~8 years ago, it was about 20 degrees outside and I was a little under the weather so we had to cut the walk short.  The bikes let us visit the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, MLK Memorial, FDR Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial all in a short span.  I really like how they've set up the MLK and FDR Memorials as sort of links in a chain to make the Jefferson Memorial more easily accessible.

1500m

Going into the meet, this was the event I wanted to take the most seriously.  It had the least point potential (since there were 3 others in my AG for the heat), but the mile is something I kind of want to focus on this year.  Based on a 6min mile, I thought 5:30-5:35 was a good target.

Warming up, my legs felt very heavy from the 3000m.  I never really felt that confident in any of my strides in warm-ups.  Sitting here writing about this race two days later, I don't even really recall many of the details, since the craziness of the relays kind of overshadowed it.  I seem to remember it much the same as the 3000: starting a little too fast, settling in at a pace a bit slower, and finishing the back half with fairly consistent splits.

Finished fourth (of four) in my AG, good enough for 3 points.

Results:

http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/201800022/event/117/Final

Splits:

Dist	Split	Cumulative
100m	0:18	0:18
300m	0:41	1:00
500m	0:43	1:43
700m	0:44	2:26
900m	0:45	3:11
1100m	0:46	3:57
1300m	0:47	4:44
1500m	0:46	5:30

4x800m and 4x200m Relays

First of all, I had some real troopers on all of my relay teams.  These got completely thrown together the night before when our AG Captains met up with the Men's captain after I had expressed an interest in putting together teams.  The hardest part was that I didn't know any of my teammates so I was relying on a lot of descriptions and pointing at people from across the venue.  BUT they all worked out.  Races got run and fun was had.

A relay team takes on the AG of its youngest competitor.  As a member of the 30-34 AG, that allows for an opportunity to pull down some of the members from the larger age groups and potentially collect some more points.

The 4x800m was never going to be competitive.  Our first runner got lapped twice by most of the teams.  Which, I suspect, led the judges to miscount my laps.  I hustled through my first three laps and, when I was coming around, the judge held up 2 fingers (for 2 laps left) which confused me.  When I came around to finish my fourth lap, he held up 1 finger (for 1 lap left) and our 3rd runner stayed back (presumably wasn't counting the laps himself).

Angelina (and others) were positioned just past the Start/Finish line and I gave them a "What is Going On?" shrug which they returned in kind.  I cranked out a fifth lap for the world's longest 800m and staggered in.  Still, we finished fourth (of four) good for more points.

Going into the 4x800m, I actually thought the 4x200m relay wasn't going to happen.  When putting together the teams, they were one person different and that person was not there for the 4x200.  But he ended up coming back to the venue just in the nick of time so now we got to run another race.

The 4x200m was a lot closer. I ended up taking the lead leg and had us in third.  The second leg saw us back in fourth and our third leg managed to take it back, putting a few second gap.  But their fourth leg was too strong and ran us down on the home stretch and winning by about a half second.

Results:

4x800: http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/201800022/event/201/Final

4x200: http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/201800022/event/282/Final

Day 3: High Jump, 4x400m, Clemson Basketball

The last day was a chill day.  Final day of the meet.  We had two other DC-Area friends coming down to cheer us on.  They arrived just in time to catch my High Jumps.

Going in, my High Jump goal had been 4ft.  I'm not sure how I arrived at that, but it seemed like a nice round number.  Arriving at the actual event, I was informed that 1.3m was the meet minimum for men (something I probably should have known, but, well, didn't).  I didn't do the math in my head then, but it works out to around 4ft 3in.

Now, I have never done high jump before.  In fact, this was my first field event ever.  I managed to clear 1.3m.  What's not shown in the video below was that the bar was wobbling all over and I sat on the mat for a heartbeat pleading with it to stay up.  And stay it did.

Returning to the competitors, it was absolutely clear to them that I was, at best, a novice.  Apparently, they were surprised the jump was allowed at all, as I had jumped off two feet.  Rules that I would have done well to look up in advance.

I tried to take in as many pointers as I could, but it was my turn up very shortly.  The 1.35m height proved to be a bit much.  After my third failure (and, thus, elimination from the competition) one of the other competitors took me aside to tell me he was amazed that someone would have the confidence in themselves to come out and try something completely new like that and I had a marketable improvement each jump I took.  I think that was the best I could have ever hoped to hear from the experience.

1.3m success: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4pvhhQQ88A&feature=youtu.be

1.35m failures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVMNZVZnknU&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBOnBobO5RM&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNapGYoMsf0&feature=youtu.be

4x400m

My last race of the meet was the final relay.  Speed-wise, this was the strongest of the three relays.  We were able to sub some of the throwers that had, dutifully, run the previous night for some runners.  Unfortunately, my legs were dead from the long weekend.  For how heavy I felt ahead of the 1500m, it felt even worse.

There were four teams that quickly separated into two groups of two.  I had a solid first 200m (around 28 seconds) and was just ahead of the fourth place competitor.  I gave out during the second lap, finishing around 1:03 while handing off.  Going around, we stayed close but couldn't quite pull back into it and finished fourth.

Clemson Basketball

Our friends visiting the last day took us back to their place for an evening of hanging out and watching basketball.  It was great to have an evening of decompression and relaxation before returning to work and parenting.  After spending a humbling weekend consistently finishing in the back of the pack, it was nice to vicariously live through my alma mater trouncing their opponent.

Conclusion

After crunching some numbers, we figured out the 30-39s accounted for close to 20% of the team points while making up around 13% of the team's members.  Atlanta Track Club ended up third in the team competition.

Overall, the weekend was a blast.  It was great having a team to compete with again and I got to know a lot of other athletes

Assorted Pictures

Team Uniform Reveal

Some race? I don't actually remember which one...

Hanging out with the sister

1500m start

1500m

Medals!

High Jump

Walking a Ragnar Leg: My Hardest "Run" Ever

This weekend was a big experience in how the shoe feels on the other foot.  Three weeks ago, sharp pains in my calf dropped me from 45 mile weeks down to 2-5.  I've made some therapy and medical rounds and came out with a diagnosis of tendinitis.  Nothing serious, but the best medicine for it is, unfortunately, rest.

Last weekend, I tried a 3:1 interval, and didn't get past the first mile before my calf hobbled me into walking the last three.  However, I could walk with no pain or discomfort.

Enter this weekend, Bourbon Chase: A 200-mile relay race along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Team Pink Elephants on Parade

My original commitment to the team was 18.6 miles.  Third or fourth longest in our set of 12.  With much thought (and generous teammates willing to run more), I got myself down to 13 miles.  This is doable, I can walk a half marathon, especially across three sittings.

The new leg assignment put me in position #7, the first runner in the second van.

[Aside for those unfamiliar with how these relays work]

Ragnar relays are all about 200 miles broken up into 36 legs.  You (typically) have 12 runners that each take a set of 3 legs.  You run in order 1-12 for all of them.  You split your group into two vans of 6 people.  One van is always "active" and has a runner running at any given time.  Van 1 transports runners 1-6 while Van 2 drives ahead to the 6/7 exchange.  Once runner 6 finishes, Van 2 takes over as active van and runs legs 7-12 while Van 1 drives to the 12/13 exchange.  This repeats until all 36 legs are completed.

These locations where both vans meet are called "Major Exchanges".  These places have more parking and amenities (potentially food, bathrooms, showers, music, or other things).  This also means they are the loudest, most populated of all of the locations since teams will have both of their vans roll through.

[End Aside]

Race Start/Leg 1 (GPS) (speed spike was me trotting down a hill.  It was super painful to go downhill on blistered heels, so I risked it)

I would take over from runner #6 at Maker's Mark Distillery; a gorgeous location.  After the Van 1 started at Jim Beam, we drove there and had a relaxing 4 hours to kill.  We sampled some of the product, checked out the beautiful glass sculptures, and made fun of one of our female members who accidentally wandered in to the men's room.  All great fun.

We didn't have cell service at the Distillery, so we didn't really no how Van 1 was progressing, but they rumbled in a few minutes ahead of schedule and their runner wasn't far behind.  I got into position, able to watch the runners stream in in various states of fatigue.  There were a few fun footraces to get to the next runner and see the replacements bolt away.

Then #6 arrived.  Flying.  She easily looked like the strongest finish of any of the ones I had watched.  I stepped into place and yelled for her to finish hard.  Reached my hand out.  Took the baton.  And.  Walked.

Runner #6 Coming in hot!

 I'm sure it was all in my head and I'm just being self conscious.  But it felt like the crowd got so quiet.  Every look was surprise that this fit looking guy was "just walking".  Pity.  Amusement.  My stupid brain amplifying every reaction, making it just about me.  I nearly burst into tears.

Some lady blocking the picture of the transition.  Oh, and a die hard Clemson fan in the foreground.

But damnit, I floored it and power stepped my way out of there as fast as I could.

I was overtaken a total of 8 times.  Not a bad showing.  And even registered two "kills" myself (the team-relay term for passing someone).

Team vans were driving the same route to facilitate the exchange between runner 7/8.  Since this was the first leg for Van 2, most of them were cheering everyone going by.  Most just "woooo"ing as they passed.  One super-unappreciated, "It's ok, this hill is tough".  Well-meant, but totally not helpful at all to my situation.

By mile 3, I could tell I was doing a number on my heels.  My VFF shoes are wonderful for running, but I still heel strike when I walk (especially walking fast).  I bit my lip and gritted through it, but I knew I'd be paying for it later. (Spoiler alert: I have matching blisters about an inch in diameter.  Go me!)

By the last mile, I started experimenting a little getting a little more of a speed walker's hip turn in, but I'm sure I was doing it all wrong.  I put zero effort into looking into or practicing this advanced skill.

I was super proud of walking through that.  This was one of the most mentally demanding runs of my life.  It was a combination of having enough confidence that this was what was best for my body and being able to ignore all of the negative spin my head was putting on all external input.

Leg 2 (GPS)

For Leg 2, I experimented with running.  My heels were murdering my feet, so I needed to try something different.  So I ran.  And it felt amazing.  It was 1:30 AM and I was flying through the dark.  Zero calf problems.

Was passed a few times at the start when I tried out walking, but quickly avenged every single one of them.  Racked up some 13 kills.  The 3.5 mile run was the longest and fastest run I've had in weeks.

Leg 3 (GPS)

Leg 3 was a bit of an unknown.  It was a lot hillier than Leg 2, which would be harder on my calf.

Leg 3 Start

I get to the start line, and a guy in a banana suit runs off about 30 seconds in front of me.  Brain goes into competitive mode: I CANNOT let a plantain outpace me.

And then he did.

For two miles I chased that banana and even dropped the hammer a bit down one of the hills.  But my calf's protest started to grow, so I swallowed my pride and walked in in the last two miles.  I had to let the banana go.

One of these days, Banana-man.  One of these days...

Weird aside.  During my "run" part on this leg, I passed a guy who called up "Hey!  How much do you weigh?"  To which I told him (165 lbs).  And he responded "Huh.  Big guy!"

Seriously?  I've had comments about my height all my life.  But "big guy?"  I don't even know.

Conclusion

A few years ago, I took a "sick day" of sorts at our ATC Half training and ran with some of the 12-14 minute milers.  One of them was marveling at the fact I could run a half under 2 hours.  To which I responded with something along the lines of "running a 3 hour half comes with its own challenges, some easier and some harder; never sell yourself short on that."

My first leg was the embodiment of that.

Race Report: Hotlanta Half Marathon

Summary
The Hotlanta Half was something very new to me that I have been wanting to do for a long time: to give someone else a great race day by pushing a wheelchair-bound person through a race.  I had the pleasure of pushing a wonderful girl by the name of Sierra 13 miles up and down through the city.  This was easily the most difficult but most rewarding race I've ever completed.

Training
Other than my normal stroller running, I didn't do anything special to prepare myself.  While that's better than nothing, logging zero time on hills while pushing was my biggest mistake.  Anyone who is looking to push in a race around Atlanta should try to get at least some time in on the hills, both up hill and down, to get used to it.

Pre-Race
For whatever reason, I had it in my head all week that the race started at 7:30.  A even mentioned it to me the day before and I argued that it was 7:30 (and never bothered to double check).  Turns out it started at 7.  Good thing I was aiming to show up "an hour early".  I got there around 6;20 and found out I had a lot less time to get ready than I thought.  Not a big deal.  Our team of three had assembled: a good running friend of mine and a guy who had run with this group for a while.

We rolled our way over to the start and got going through the city.


Race
I had the first shift on the stroller and I started out way too fast.  The first mile took us up along Centennial park, past Mercedes Benz Stadium, and then started to head towards turner field.  I handed off to Courtney and my legs were already feeling a little like jello.  Not where you want to be after mile 1 of a half marathon.

The marathon leader overtook us shortly after I handed off the Courtney.  In about 1.25 miles, this guy made up a 3 minute gap.  He was flying.  We wouldn't see second place for at least another minute or two.

When Eric took his first shift, I got a little taste of what I hope running with me is like.  We hit a really long downhill on the back side of Turner field and he took off with Sierra.  It was amazing to watch him accelerate down the hill.  For those of you who haven't run with me, this is something I do all the time when I'm pacing people.  It's one of the ways to play games and have fun while I'm not racing.

My second turn with the chair was about as hilly as the first.  From a few blocks beyond Turner field, back up the hill towards the Olympic rings.  I was hoping to make it all the way TO the rings, but had to get Courtney to take over right when my watched ticked off the mile.

We wound around Atlanta a bit going through parts that I recognized from the Thanksgiving Half.  When going through water stops, it was great getting the volunteers to cheer for our captain as we went through.

My next stint pushing was on the beltline.  The course runs the length of it towards Piedmont park, so it's a nice long 2 mile or so downhill.  Much more favorable than the first few legs.  BONUS because I knew our ATC Run Lead Crew were going to be waiting for us at the Old 4th Ward Skatepark.  Angelina had the little guy out there cheering for all the crowds going by.



 Beyond the beltline, I really don't remember a whole lot.  We went up 10th, and eventually circled back into Piedmont and exited on 12th.  Really, whoever designed this course picked the most challenging parts of the Publix and Thanksgiving courses and found a way to hit them all.

I attempted to take a shift going up 12th, but couldn't manage much more than a walk with the chair.  Courtney tried to joint-push it with me, but eventually just took it.  My legs were completely shot.  Cardio-wise, I was fine, I just had no strength left.  I spent the next miles trying to recover and was able to take a half mile stint through Georgia Tech, but some stinking PF-like pain in my heel hobbled me up the last hill.

With great encouragement from my teammates, I managed a final push over the last quarter and we all got Sierra across the line.

Post Race

We got water and headed back to the tent area.  Both my teammates expressed concern for me, but I was unhurt, just had very weak and tired legs.  Sierra's parents thanked us for running with her.

Conclusion
Pushing a chair through a race is very demanding.  This was easily the hardest race I've ever run, and I only had the chair for 3-4 miles.  Getting to see the excitement on the captains faces and see how happy it made their parents was an awesome feeling.  I'm not sure I want to make this a regular thing; but I do want to do this again.  I'm not sure that Hotlanta is a course I would want to do this on again.

10/10, one of the best race experiences I've ever had.

Race Report: Flying Pig

Stats/Goals
Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Current PR: 1:38:26, (11/28/2014,Thanksgiving Half Marathon, Atlanta GA)
90% Goal: 1:40;00
50% Goal: 1:35:00
10% Goal: 1:32:30 (BQ Pace @ Half Distance)

Result: 1:31:34 (http://pig.onlineraceresults.com/individual.php?bib=14776)
GPS: (https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1719858979)
Mile Splits: (5/4/2014 Relative in parenthesis, last run of Flying Pig)
7:09 (7:48) -0:39
7:00 (7:19) -0:19
6:59 (7:40) -0:41
7:03 (7:34) -0:30
6:58 (7:44) -0:46
6:47 (7:18) -0:31
7:15 (7:59) -0:44
7:11 (8:00) -0:49
6:57 (7:39) -0:42
7:10 (7:49) -0:39
6:22 (7:19) -0:57
6:45 (7:01) -0:16
6:33 (7:30) -0:57

Summary
I really wasn't sure to expect from myself at the Pig this year.  I hadn't really raced a Half Marathon since November 2015 (Savannah R&R) which was rough and my training has been really hit-or-miss since last summer due to various injuries/illnesses but the past two months have gone really well.  Fortunately, decent preparation combined with absolutely perfect weather to yield a huge PR.

Training
I haven't updated this blog since Peachtree of last year.  The biggest reason being that I pulled my hamstring two days afterwards and have rotated sickness and injury ever since.  It was a nice parade of hamstring, calf, ankle issues along with a stomach bug or two plus bronchitis (probably from daycare).

I had a bright spot in September/October where I did the Cartersville and Chicago 5k.  Cartersville was a cross-country race, so I used it as a tuneup for Chicago, but ended up running 20:58, which was a nice confidence booster.  I ran well at Chicago, but ran out of gas at the end and later realized I was in the early stages of bronchitis (20:13, 18s off PR).

All in all, #yearofthe5k was a success.  I hit my biggest goal of breaking 20 in the 5k and crushed my 10k PR at Peachtree.

January this year saw me shaking off some lingering injuries.  I had some calf tendinitis that took 6 weeks of consistent PT exercises to clear up.  That lead me into the spring training programs a little unprepared (since they start a little more intense due to the compressed schedule of Publix).  I ended up dropping back in pace a bit, which was probably the best thing I could have done.

I was determined to make March/April my injury-and-sickness-free months.  A stomach bug in March put the kibosh on that idea, but I only missed out on 5 days or so of training.  Otherwise, I was still able to get in a speedwork day on most weeks and was able to peak out at 14 miles three weeks ahead of Flying Pig.

Race Weekend
We drove up on Thursday so we could take the whole weekend at a relatively easy pace.  The family had races Friday night, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon while mine was a 0630 start on Sunday.  I love that Flying Pig starts early, but it's still a rough wakeup.  Temperatures were supposed to be chilly (low-40s overnight lows) but lower humidity made it feel a lot warmer than 40s in Atlanta.

Shortly after arriving, I quickly realized I hadn't packed any running socks.  Bad for the oversight in packing, but good for laying out my outfit on the first night to verify.  Unfortunately, no one at the expo carried my brand, so we made a quick trip out to REI.

Bouncing my race-day choice of attire off Angelina, she was skeptical about my lack of sleeves (I usually dress a layer or so warmer than her).  I had an Under Armor, but didn't want to overheat, so she broke out the pair of arm warmers she wore at Chicago last fall.

I also made the call to leave my handheld in the room.  This is the second time I've attempted a half without a handheld.  The first was awfully hot Savannah.  Regardless, I've never run what I'd call a successful half without my handheld.

"Nothing new on race day" checklist for those following along at home:

• First time wearing the pair of socks I just bought
• First time ever wearing arm warmers of any variety
• Second time ever running a half without carrying hydration (had 3 GUs though)

Pre-Race
Staying at a downtown loft made race-day travel so much easier.  In the past, I've gotten up at 0400 for Peachtree for a 0700 start.  I was able to sleep in (lol) until 0445!  This gave me plenty of time to eat a Clif bar, get dressed, forget the bottle of water I was going to carry (doh), and get in the corral by 0600.

The water wasn't a major concern.  Just wanted something to sip and possibly something to wash down a pre-race GU if I had wanted it (I didn't).

Last time we did the Pig, it took a while to figure out the start locations.  We were thrown off by the fact the Saturday 5k/10k events started at a slightly different location.  I was prepared, this time, and had no issues getting my gear onto the bus.

Quick aside:
Flying Pig has an *amazing* gear check system.  They have about a dozen school buses parked with bib number ranges taped to the windows.  You walk up to your window, hand them your clear bag with your stuff in it, and walk away.  They drive the buses to the finish area (which is probably about a mile from the start), and you pick it up out of the same window you dropped off.  No lines, no waiting, really, really, easy.
End aside

I had two hat options with me (ear band or full hat) and had a throwaway jacket I ended up feeling comfortable just leaving in my checked bag.  Weather at the start was nothing short of perfection.  Wind was calm, it was crisp and chilly if you were just standing around, but running around for 5-10 minutes before hand was plenty enough to warm up.

One of our friends racing stopped by at the corral to say 'hi' before the race, which was nice.

I had finally settled on a plan: stick with the 3:10 pacer until we hit the base of the hills, then try to push ahead a bit, hopefully getting the 3:05 pacer within view before the course split at mile 8/9.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a 1:35 half pacer.

I was caught completely off guard by the National Anthem and all of sudden we were off and running.

Race
I spent mile 1 calming myself down.  I had a huge mental dichotomy going.  I really felt no pressure in hitting 1:35 on the day; I would have been completely happy with 1:40 and finishing healthy.  On the other hand, I had near perfect running conditions and the last half I raced (a year and a half ago) went very poorly.  Redemption.

The first mile felt easy and I tried to keep 4 strides per breath.  That got us to the base of the first bridge.  I edged my way to the front of the 3:10 group and took the downhill off the bridge a bit faster.

The Kentucky side of the course had a few road changes due to construction and had a few road surface issues (mainly loose rocks/gravel) that bothered my feet, but it didn't last long.  I was going to write about how I slowed down a bit climbing the two bridges to go back into Cincinnati, but the splits look pretty even in the data, so go me?

I let the 3:05 group pull away through the next few miles.  I could still just see them.  I have no concept of how close the 3:10 group was.  I made a concerted effort to not turn around once the entire race.

It was great turning back into town, especially now that I knew the layout of the city a lot better.  our loft was actually just off the course and I knew pretty much exactly where Angelina would be spectating.  Mile 6 would be my fastest mile until the end (downhill+kick) which I attribute mostly to a bit of excitement seeing them.

Racing to see the family

Mile 7 starts the biggest of the climbs on the course.  It also has some of the biggest and most supportive crowds (at least on the Half portion).  There was a guy with a pink cardboard F (probably 18 inches tall) with a megaphone right at the base of the hill saying, "You're not anywhere close to the top, so get the F up the hill" (like, literally saying the letter "F", not actually swearing, because that would not be cool).

Other cool spectator story was that there was a Clemson family hanging out at the first little crest of the hill around 6.5.  They had two boys (around 5/6) in Clemson gear.  I didn't have the breath to start a Cadence Count, but I pointed at them (since I was in my Clemson shirt), which confused them a little, but their dad cheered a bunch.  More on them later...

I did my best to let my pace fall a bit, but keep an even effort through the hills.  Atlanta training was clearly my savior, as I slowly passed people while still feeling like I was moving comfortably.  Miles 7/8 were, understandably, my slowest of the race, as those two miles featured 270 of the 690 feet of elevation gain on the whole course.  There was a single quarter split that had 80 feet (steep stuff for a road race).

One awesome part of this section of the race is that all this climbing eventually leads to a beautiful view over the whole city.  It was a clear, crisp day, the sun was out, and it was a stunning view of the city.  It's always great when tough parts of the course lead you to little rewards like that.

Still feeling good.  Arms at a good angle

I lost sight of the 3:05 group around some of the twisting and turning in the park, but saw they were a lot closer when we got to the final straightaway before the half and full courses split.  I didn't catch them before the split, but I was closing in.

At the split was where I made my biggest mistake.  I started eating GU #2 around 8.5, which there was nothing wrong with itself, but I managed to miss the water stop at mile 9, which meant I would have to wait until another mile to wash it down.  Not huge, but it was uncomfortable and completely avoidable with better preparation.

The half course takes you back to Cincinnati where it loops back on itself.  In my typical fashion, I picked up a lot of time flying downhill (clocked a 1:30 quarter split at one point).  Remember the Clemson family?  Well, they had moved to the other side of the road (so they were cheering on the "front of the pack" going downhill rather than those still going up it) and they started going crazy when I went by.  They moved over to cheer for MEEEEE (at least that's what I told myself and made me feel really good in a moment my body was starting to not feel so well).

It wasn't until the downhills that I actually had the spare mental time to start projecting out finish times.  I hit mile 10 at about 1:10;30 and was able to quickly eliminate finishing under 1:30 (one of my long-term goals I have, but had no plans on even coming close to it this race), bit my 10% goal (1:32:30) was certainly within reach.  I had done the first 5k faster than the 22:00 I needed to close, so I knew it was within reach, I just needed to keep my legs moving under me.  Plus, 11/12 are the most downhill miles on the course.

I had my first "bad" pain during mile 11.  I had some light shooting pains through my fascia (tendons connecting heel to your toes via bottom of your foot).  In retrospect, this might have been due to hitting the downhills as hard as I did.  The pain dissipated within a few minutes.

I managed to keep some semblance of the downhill speed into the final (flat) leg of the race.  Instead of seeing me at 12.5 as planned, I had family waiting to cheer me on right before the finish line.  I'd find out later I was far enough ahead of my pacing on the first half that they weren't sure they'd get to 12.5 in time.

The very end of the race was borderline agony.  I pushed myself to a pace close to what I was keeping on the downhills and managed to hold it for about half a mile before slowing a bit in the last quarter just to squeeze out the last seconds of the race.

My form was definitely compromised by the end and I was very glad to be able to finally stop.

Running into the finish.  Arms super tight, form starting to fade.  Clearly exhausted

Post Race
After grabbing a medal and Mylar, I sat on a curb just before the water stations for a few minutes coughing and generally catching my breath.  Even now, I'm still in a bit of disbelief at my result, besting my 10% goal by nearly an entire minute; a pace 0:30 per mile faster than my previous PR.

A nice volunteer walked a water to me, which I gladly took and a second checked in on me a minute later asking if I needed medical.  I guess I looked like I was struggling.  I politely declined, and started progressing through the water/banana lines to the (lightly used) port-a-potties.

After 30 minutes or so post-finish, I think I felt about as good as I'd ever felt at the end of a race.  I haven't run yet (it's on the schedule for tomorrow) but I'm also feeling a lot better than I have recovery-wise.


Conclusion
I think the biggest factors in my finish were:

• Familiarity with the course
• Solid race plan
• Solid gear choices (with a good amount of morning-of flexibility)
• Adequate training
• Minimal expectations

I've always felt I perform best when I put myself under a lot of pressure.  I wanted to perform, but I truly didn't care if I did or not.  Amusingly enough, these were the exact same time goals I had for Savannah.  I didn't even realize that until I sat down to write this blog.

I think the name of the game for me this weekend was options.  I knew where I wanted to start and generally wanted to do.  If things went south, I had plans.  If things went well, I had plans.  When presented with a day like we had for that race, though, you have to snatch it.  I would have loved to have trained up to run the full for this race, but I'll just have to hope for similar conditions somewhere this fall.