Race Report: GHS "Swamp Rabbit" Half Marathon

Pre-Race:

8 weeks of 5K training + 12 weeks of half marathon training got me here! Friday evening, I checked the weather forecast and then tried to figure out what to wear for a 2½ hour run (temperature range was 33° - 48°). I decided to wear capris, a long-sleeve tee under a short-sleeve tee, a pullover, gloves and hat. I also had two carb boom gels (apple cinnamon flavor). I set my alarm for 5 am and went to bed at 9:30 pm but I didn't really sleep much, I tossed and turned all night long. I left my house at 5:40 am and arrived at the race start (Gateway Park in Traveler's Rest) at 6:30 am. I got my bib number then sit in my car to stay warm until 7:10 am where I got in line for the porta potty then headed to the start line. I found a spot near the back knowing that I was going to be using run 5 minutes / walk 1 minute intervals. Plus I didn't care what my time would be as it would be an instant PR since this was my first half marathon so there was no point in slowing down those actually there to "race".

 

The Race:

At 7:31 am, we were off. I quickly settled into a very easy pace knowing the first 2 miles would be my warm up. The first 4 walk breaks were hard, simply because I really didn't want to take them, but I knew they would pay off later on and sure enough they did! The first two miles were done and over with before I even realized it and to my surprise I was actually able to keep a sub 11 min/mile pace for almost 8 miles. It didn't even feel like I was running that fast but it had to be the most enjoyable 8 miles I have ever run!

Then during mile 9 everything changed. My right calf just cramped up unexpectedly. It hurt like hell and if you ever had a charlie horse you know how bad they hurt. It stops you dead in your tracks until you can stretch and massage it out and that's exactly what I had to do. I stopped on the side of the trail and stretched it out as best as I could. It sort of made me angry because I was doing way better than I had ever dreamed of and was feeling so great up until then.

[caption id="attachment_1890" align="alignright" width="224"] Finishing the GHS Half Marathon with a smile on my face![/caption]

Miles 10, 11 and 12 were brutal and it was all I could do to maintain run 2 minutes / walk 1 minute intervals. I was in so much pain but at the same time I was determined to finish and wasn't going to let a leg cramp prevent me from doing just that. Once I got to the top of the hill near the baseball stadium and headed down Markley St, I got a surge of adrenaline...maybe I was excited that I was so close with a little over a mile remaining or maybe it was the fact I wasn't the only one hurting. I could tell the girls and the one guy around me was hurting too. So I ignored the pain and just ran. I didn't care how slow I was going, I just wanted to keep running to take advantage of this slight downhill knowing there was one final hill left and I was pretty sure I would have to walk up it.

Once I turned the corner onto McBee Ave and actually could see the finish line, I couldn't help but smile. When I did, it was like the pain just disappeared and I just gave it everything I had left (which wasn't much) and crossed the finishing line at 2:32:00. My husband was there waiting for me at the finish and he was able to capture a few pics.

[caption id="attachment_1891" align="alignnone" width="300"] Finished the GHS Half Marathon![/caption]

Final Thoughts about the Race

Would I do this race again? Maybe but only if I get the same DealChicken.com (similar to Groupon) deal. To me, it just wasn't worth $70 and I'm so glad I only paid $35. Here are my reasons:

1. They ran out of water at 3 of the 6 water stations but luckily there was water at the two I needed the most...around mile 5 and 10 (right after I had consumed a gel). But I'm used to running up to an hour without water so it didn't really affect me all that much.


2. There were no technical t-shirts left by the time I finished (you got them at the finish, not during packet picket on race morning). Nor did they have any smalls left in the remaining cotton tees so I just got an XL for my husband. He can wear it mowing grass or whatever.


3. Where was the food? I was wanting a banana or some sort of fruit but all I saw were cheez-its and chips. Really? Maybe I missed the food table but my calf was hurting and I sure as heck didn't feel like walking around looking for the food table.

I did confirm one thing though. I find sprint triathlons way more fun than half marathons and probably won't be doing another half marathon anytime soon. I love local charity 5Ks and 10Ks so I'll keep doing those between triathlons but running for 2+ hours just isn't my thing. Still I'm happy I was finally able to finish one and it's one more thing I can't mark off my bucket list.

Week 1: Indoor Tri & Half Marathon Training

Monday - Treadmill Intervals

After last week's successful treadmill run, decided to incorporate intervals once again into my treadmill run. This time I did 2 x 4 minutes and 2 x 2 minutes with 2 minute recovery in between.

TIME	INTERVAL	SPEED (MPH)
0:00 - 5:00	Warm up	3.5 - 4.0
5:01 - 9:00	Run 4 mins	5.9
9:01 - 11:00	Walk 2 mins	3.5
11:01 - 15:00	Run 4 mins	6.0
15:01 - 17:00	Walk 2 mins	3.5
17:01 - 19:00	Run 2 mins	6.2 - 6.3
19:01 - 21:00	Walk 2 mins	3.5
21:01 - 23:00	Run 2 mins	6.3 - 6.4
23:01 - 28:00	Cool Down	5.5 - 2.5

 

Tuesday - Indoor Brick

Stationary bike for 20 minutes followed with a 5 min treadmill run. Felt extremely well on the bike, kept the RPM above 90 most of the time and kept it on level 4-5. Then ran on a treadmill for 5 minutes and manage to go just shy of 1/2 mile.

 

Wednesday - Easy Run

Scheduled rest day. Yoga and stretching. 4 mile easy run. With Thursday evening's forecast calling for an 80% chance of rain and breezy conditions, I decided to just run in my neighborhood tonight instead. I started out way too fast as I usually do when I run alone and with it being dark, it was a bit scary so I'm sure my heart rate was higher than normal. I'm just not a fan of solo night runs but with an 8 am - 5 pm job, evenings are my only option if I want to run longer than 25 minutes. Or hit the treadmill which I may have to do next Thursday since my running buddy won't be there.

 

Thursday - Rest Day (Yoga)

4 mile group run. Rainy, cold and windy = Rest day. Yoga and stretching. Glad I ran yesterday instead!

 

Friday - Strength & Core

Strength and core exercises. 5 sets of 10 pushups and 25 crunches.

 

Saturday - Long Run

6.2 miles. Used run 4 minutes / walk 90 seconds intervals. Felt good until about 5 miles in and then I started noticing a pain in my ankle that would come and go. By the time I was 1/2 mile from home, it got really bad to the point it hurt to run.

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Woke up and my ankle was really sore but after soaked in epsom salt, it helped a lot. I can at least walk without a limp but  going up and down stairs still hurts.

Half Marathon Training: Week 1, Day 1

Today's Workout

• 10 min warmup jog


• 7 x 60 sec strides, 2 min recovery run/walk


• 4 min cooldown run/walk

This workout just about kicked my butt! I guess it's the heat, 86° with a feels like of 92°. I felt really good during my warmup, kept it slow and easy. Then it was the 7 x 60" strides with the goal of getting further with each one but that was easier said then done! By the 5th one I was struggling but at least I was able to complete this workout even if it was a lot slower than what I hoped for. Finished with walking lunges, seat kicks, high knees, lots of stretching and 50 crunches and 20 push ups.

• Total - 35:00 - 2.95 miles - 11:52 avg pace


• Active - 7:00 - 0.85 miles - 8:14 avg pace


• Recovery - 28:00 - 2.09 miles - 13:23 avg pace

Half Marathon Training - Week 5, Day 1

I was hoping to get a trail run in today but I couldn't find out what the conditions of Cottonwood Trail was after all the rain washed out the majority of the trails about 3-4 weeks ago. I didn't want to do another long run on asphalt since my hip flexor was really bothering me yesterday's run. So instead of 5 miles, I did a fast 2 mile out & back run, just to get something in today. And plus my 10K race is Saturday (day 4) so I should still get in 10-12 miles this week.

I started out at a comfortable 10:40+ pace for the first 1/2 mile and then increased the pace and intensity as I ran the remaining 1.5 miles. My first mile was 10:40, about 10 secs slower than my 5K race pace at about 60-70% effort. Once I hit the 1 mile mark, I turned around and increased the pace to around 70-80% of max effort. With 1/2 mile left to go, I put it into 80-90% effort and mile 2 averaged a 9:22 pace.

Today's Workout: 5 miles - Easy
Today's Weather:  48°F Sunny, Winds N 13 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 2

I was going to do my run earlier around 9am but the fog was so dense that I decided to just wait until lunch time. The humidity was still 100% so I knew it wasn't going to be a very comfortable run. I started out with a very slow 10 min warmup jog/walk to get everything loosen up.

The first 8 min tempo went pretty good, until I got to about the last 3 mins and things started to hurt. I was averaging anywhere between a 9:20 and 9:40 pace, which was way too fast since I was forced to walk a bit during the recovery jog. The second 8 min tempo, I just didn't have much left and when I hit the two steep hills, it took 100% effort just to walk up them.

Overall, it was a very tough run and I did the entire tempo intervals wrong! I guess I'm going to have to set goal zones on my Garmin 305 to prevent me from running too fast which I almost always do with tempo and speed work.

Today's Workout: 10 min warmup, 2 x 8 min tempo interval with 5 min recovery jog.
Weather: 58°F, Partly Cloudy, Winds SW 6mph, Humidity 100% (yuck)

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 1

Really this is week 5 but since last week didn't go as plan, I guess it's week 4 and I'm a week behind. The first couple of miles, I really didn't think I was going to be able to go the full 5 miles, I was tired and really couldn't find a comfortable pace. Finally once I hit the 5k mark, I realized I felt stronger and was able to settle into a comfortable 11:16 pace the final two miles. In fact, I felt so good, I decided to finish my run with 6 x 30 sec sprints and to my surprise ran then in 5-6 min pace but of course I could only keep that pace for 30 secs max.

It felt great to finally complete a "long" run again and strong for that matter. The weather was absolutely gorgeous 64° and sunny so a lot of folks out walking and running. It's too bad the weather is going to turn colder and get back down in the 40s by the end of this week. I was really loving the warmer weather. 50s and 60s make for some great running weather!

Today's Workout: 5 Miles or 60 mins (whichever is longer)
Weather: 64°F Sunny, Winds SSW at 5mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 3&4

This entire week got messed up due to the weather and I haven't been running well either since that 7 mile run. Thursday, I attempted to run with my brother's German Shepherd but she kept stopping and it was a lot of tugging on her to get her to keep moving. Today, I was suppose to run 90 mins or 8 miles, whichever is longer but after 2 miles I started getting really bad lower back pain and hip flexor pain. That caused my form to change and every step it felt like someone taking a knife in my back so I decided it was probably best to just end my run early rather than risk further injury. I'm just sick of all the winter weather and cold. It's supposed to be in the upper 50s this time of year and we've barely broke out of the 40s. There is even the threat of light snow showers tonight. I'm so ready for spring and after today's run, I just don't know how many more cold weather runs I have left in me. I was really hoping to be running in shorts again by March but we'll see.

Today's Workout: 3 mile run
Weather: 43°F Cloudy, Winds 5 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 2

It was a very windy day so I altered my workout today. I bought my dogs a new hands-free leash that I attach around my waist. Wow, I was amazed how much simpler even walking them would be, let alone running. I took them out individually and took Kato out first since he is always the most excited about his walks. He did amazingly well and loved it. He stayed right next to me although wanted to go a bit faster than I was running which at 16 lbs, the little guy can run fast, just not very long so I just did 30 sec jogs with him with 2-3 min walking breaks.

Next it was Kelsey's turn. She was excited at the start and jogged with me the first time. She stayed beside me but slowed down. I felt tension so I had to stop and walk. Just 10 secs of jogging and she was done. She's more of a walker so we pretty much walked then on out.

Once I dropped the dogs off at the house, I then decided to do a fast 1 mile tempo run since I was pretty much already warmed up. The wind was pretty brutal. The first 1/4th mile is uphill and the wind was against me....a 25 mph gust hit me head on and going uphill, that felt like a wall and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Once it subsided, I continued on but it pretty much took everything out of me. Once I turned and went with the wind, it was much better. Still, it was a slow mile at 10:19 but on the RPE scale, it was 8-9 effort and went as fast as I could given the very windy conditions.

Workout: 3 Miles Hills (planned)
.75 walk/run with my dogs individually + 1 mile tempo run (actual)

Weather: 42° F Sunny, Winds 17 mph with gusts up to 25 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 1

I really was not looking forward to this run at all. I mapped out a 7 mile route in my neighborhood and off I went. I did my usual run 4 min, walk 1 min intervals as I always do with runs an hour or longer. It was a bit on the chilly side and clouded up quite a bit from this morning.

I felt great the first 45 mins and then things started to get a little more difficult. At 5.5 miles as I was going down the long steep hill, I started feeling blisters forming on the balls of my feet. It's also when I noticed my legs, hips and calves start to hurt as well. I was 1.5 miles from home so I had no choice but to keep going. Every step was becoming more and more painful but I just pushed through. My breathing was great, I wasn't out of breath or even felt tired, it was all physical pain. My body just wasn't doing what the mind wanted it to do.

I did my best to slow my pace down and focus on completing all the running intervals without having to walk once, even going uphill and I succeeded with that. I finished the course with "Heart Attack Hill", a long and steep hill that you climb up and yes, it's usually where my heart rate spikes which is why I gave it that nickname.

After the run, I walked until my heart rate was below 90 bpm then went inside and probably stretched for a good 20-30 mins. It felt good to finish my first 7 mile run.

Workout: 80 mins or 7 miles (whichever is longer)
Weather: 42° F, Mostly Cloudy, Winds 8 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 2, Day 3

This week is slightly off schedule because of the weather and with rain approaching this afternoon, I went ahead and did my run before lunch. So instead of the 4 miles + speedwork, I went ahead and just did an easy 5k run, focusing on form and breathing and not worrying about pace much.

It was cold. At least compared to yesterday's mid 50s and sunny where I was in shorts and a tee shirt. Today I was back in my running tights and long sleeves today which made it feel like I was running through mud. From the first step to the last, I didn't really enjoy this run at all and just wanted it to be over with. Still it feels good to get my run in and not make the excuse to skip it because of the weather.

Workout: 3 Mile Run - Easy
Weather: 38° F, Overcast. Winds NNE 6 mph.

Half Marathon Training - Week 2, Day 2

I had to wait and run today since yesterday was very raining and never got the chance to get in my run. It was a beautiful day, mid 50s and not a cloud in the sky and virtually no wind. Warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt and be comfortable. I started out with my usual 10 min warmup jog then did three 6 min tempo intervals with a 5 min recovery walk/jog in between. During the tempo intervals, I paid special attention to my breathing and form. The first tempo interval felt great. I kept my pace consistent and breathing under control. The second interval I think I started out a bit too fast because it felt like it was never going to end and ended up slowing down a lot towards the end. Then in the last tempo interval, I did pretty good up until the last 90 secs that went up a steep hill...not fun but I made it. Overall, this tempo run felt great once I was done but it did feel tougher than I expected probably because I was a little hungry and not properly hydrated.

Workout: 10 min wamup, 3 x 6 min tempo w/ 5 min recovery in between.
Weather: 54° F, Sunny. Winds Calm.

Half Marathon Training - Week 2, Day 1

After Friday night's ice storm left the roads and sidewalks covered in snow, sleet and ice which made them impossible to run on, I had to reschedule my long run for today. For the most part, the roads were pretty much clear, dry in most places, wet in some and ice patches here and there but Wadsworth Trail (asphalt) was a different story. It still was covered completely in snow/ice/slush in areas where you couldn't even see the pavement. But I went on my run anyway.

The first mile and a half which was on Wadsworth Trail, was a bit tricky. I had to watch my step on the slushy snow and ice as well as jump over large puddles to avoid getting my feet too wet. Once I got onto the roads of Woodrigde, things became much easier since the road was pretty much clear. I did my usual run 4 min/walk 1 min intervals and at 70 mins, this would be my longest and furthest I've ever ran. I ended up going 6.21 miles...whoohoo...a 10K! Finishing under 70 mins is actually my goal finish time and I will keep it at that since race nerves and adrenaline actually make racing a lot harder than training runs.

Today's run felt great but the balls of my feet did start to hurt during the last 3 intervals so that concerns me as I will be increasing mileage for the half marathon. Other than that, I finished pretty strong. I pushed it the final 5 mins which was completely uphill and that took a lot out of me. I was quite surprised at my average pace given the wintry conditions and because I felt like I was running much slower than usual. Guess the hills on Thursday paid off.

Today's Workout: 70 min run (run 4/walk 1 intervals)
Weather: 40°F Sunny, Winds Calm

Half Marathon Training - Week 1, Day 4

I decided to do a 1.5 mile out and back route of the most hilly part of my neighborhood. The first mile felt fantastic, I made it up both the smaller steep hills and even up the long 1/2 mile gradual hill which is the first time I ever was able to do that without walking. I passed the park and then started heading up the first long steep hill. I made it up 2/3rds of the way before I had to walk. A short rest and then continued on to run another 1/2 mile to hit my 1.5 miles before turning around.

At this point, I was realizing just how tired my legs were becoming already. I was ready for the run to be over but had another mile to go. At 2.75 miles is what I nicknamed "heart attack hill", a steep hill that by the time you get to the top, you feel like you're going to have a heart attack and that's just walking up it! Jogging up it is an entire differently story and I only was able to jog up about half way. Walking up the last half on tired legs took everything out of me. I walked slowly for about 30 secs to recover and then jogged until my 3 miles were complete. Wow, was I tired! I probably couldn't of gone another mile.

Today's Workout: 3 Miles - Hills
Weather: 46° F Sunny, Wind WSW 6 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 1, Day 3

I started out with a very slow warmup jog. I always tend to start out with a fast pace and I'm trying to keep myself from doing that. The first tempo run felt really good. I got into a nice pace and rhythm and kept it there. I focused on my form and breathing. The 2nd interval felt really close to the first but I was on the rolling hills so it was a bit tougher but still managed to keep a consistent pace. The third interval started with an uphill and into the wind and that wasn't fun. My body wanted to stop and walk but my brain said no so I pushed myself to keep going even if it was a slower pace. Once I got to the top of the hill and turned back onto Caldwell, it got much easier and was back into my 9:40 tempo pace.

The weather was beautiful. It was sunny and yes it was windy but compared to yesterday, it really wasn't that bad. And it sure didn't feel like 38° with the sun out, more like 48°. I finally didn't overdressed and had my running tights, a long/sleeve tech tee and a light jacket, gloves and headband. It was perfect and I never got too hot.

Today's Workout: 10 min warmup, 3 x 5 min tempo with 5 min recovery in between.
Weather: 38° F Sunny, Wind W 12 mph.

Half Marathon Training - Week 1, Day 2

Wow, it was windy and I was expecting it to feel cold so I wore track pants and a jacket. Bad idea, after 1/2 mile, I was already hot and wishing I wore capri tights and a long/sleeve tech tee instead. But I didn't bother going back home since it was just a 2 mile run.

From the moment I started running, I knew it was going to be a tough run into the wind and it was. I did my best to keep my heart rate in zone 3 and had my FR305 HR alert set for 160 so I would know when to slow it down or walk. It went off a several times, mostly in the very beginning since I always start out too fast and when I was near the top of a hill which is expected. I'm hoping this teaches me my "true" easy pace so I'm not going all out every single training run. Overall it was a good run...wind and all.

Today's Workout: Run 2 miles while keeping HR in Zone 3 (133 - 152 bpm).
Weather: 52° Partly Sunny. Wind WSW 16 mph, gusting up to 28 mph.

Half Marathon Training - Week 1, Day 1

I'm planning to run in the Greer Earth Day Half on April 25. It will be my very first half marathon. But on March 6, I will run the Reedy River 10K as a way to gauge my progress and make sure I really want to do the half... 13.1 miles still scares me at this point.

I'm somewhat following the 13-week training plan by iRUN Greenville but with my own modifications. For my long runs, I'm using a run 4 min, walk 1 min ratio and plan to use this same ratio for the half marathon itself. I'm doing my own tempo intervals and will be running hilly routes instead of speed or track work since there really isn't a running track near where I live. I may throw in an occasional trail run for fun once the trails dry out...it's been a wet winter.

I met iRUN Greer at Greer Memorial Campus and no surprise that I was the only one that is currently using this method so I was on my own this morning. Maybe more people will show up next week but anyone in the Greer/Spartanburg area is welcome to join us...and it's free. There is a walk-to-run group already in progress (they did week 3, day 3 today) and a few others training for the half that are up to 7-8 miles, so there is something for everyone.

But back to my training run which was for 1 hour using the 4/1 run to walk ratio. The first 4 intervals or 20 mins felt great. I never had any difficult breathing with my 10:00 - 10:30 pace or had any pain in my legs, hips or ankles as I sometimes do. Then all of a sudden, it started getting really hard and the 4 min interval started to feel longer and longer and the 1 min walk break felt shorter and shorter. Around 50 mins, my hip flexors started to hurt but I only had 10 more mins to go so I just pushed forward. Beth, the coach of iRUN Greer, joined me at that point and she pushed the pace a little faster which is never a bad thing. The last 30 secs of the last interval was uphill so I decided to give it a final push up the hill knowing the end was near. It actually felt better in my hips and legs, probably because running uphill forces me to use proper form but my breathing was quickly becoming out of control. Overall, it was a pretty good run, still a bit too cold for me with temps in the high 30s and a light breeze. I'm so ready for spring and warmer temps...but not the humidity.