PB and Jen

Here is a belated update from my March race.  I ran the Tobacco Road half marathon for a second time. When I signed up my goal was to beat my time from 2015 but it wasn’t in the cards.

First of all, I made the mistake  of starting too late to start my training. I had been running ,but not consistently and I wasn’t building the longer distances according to the schedule.  Secondly, I made the mistake of increasing the miles too quickly to add the miles. To make things worse, I went out too hard on that longer run.  As a result I had a lot of cramping and had to cut the run short.  A few days later I developed the calf pain (in the post tib area) that I suffered from in the past.

I realized at that point that I needed to step back and adjust my training. I added PiYO and yoga back into my routine and decreased my weekend distances.  I considered not running the race at all but eventually decided I could still do it if I changed my goals.

My race was not about beating a previous time. It was about racing smart and finishing without pain or injury. Since I continued to have calf issues during m my training, I knew I risked cramping during my run. At this point, I was afraid of not finishing. My NEW plan was to force myself to maintain a slower than usual race pace for the first 7 miles. After I was able to push harder.

It was awesome when I hit the halfway point and observed that my legs were feeling good. Running smart and pacing myself were my strength last March.

This is what I love about racing –  it’s more about discipline than anything else.  Beating last year’s time is always great but  I try to remember to be grateful for what I can do and make sure I maintain a healthy body so I can continue to run for many more years. Sometimes simply completing the distance is the goal.

I have to say that finishing felt pretty awesome.

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