Race Report: Lake Area Endurance 1/2 Marathon
Race information
- What? Lake Area Endurance 1/2 Marathon
- When? June 24th, 2017
- How far? 13.1 miles
- Where? Alexandria, MN
- Website: https://www.runthelakes.com/
- Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/1055566286
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Run without stopping | Yes |
| B | < 2.5 Hours | Yes |
Splits
| Mile | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9:02 |
| 2 | 8:53 |
| 3 | 9:26 |
| 4 | 9:24 |
| 5 | 9:40 |
| 6 | 9:57 |
| 7 | 9:54 |
| 8 | 9:32 |
| 9 | 9:52 |
| 10 | 9:28 |
| 11 | 9:29 |
| 12 | 9:33 |
| 13 | 9:57 |
| 14 | 9:52 |
2:07:05 Official Time
Training
I followed a 4 day a week running schedule from the time I signed up on which was back at the end of April. 3 days during the week were 3-4 mile runs and my long run was on Saturdays. Longest run during training was 8 miles without stopping. A couple weeks prior to the race I started biking on non-running days which was a nice change of pace. I had purchased a new pair of Brooks Ravenna 6 running shoes on sale back in May. I ended up not using them during the race after realizing they had been the source of a lot of my training pain. I was constantly having pain on the outside of my right calf along my fibula. I had originally attributed the pain to a recent change in my running form (went from heal running to more mid-foot running). About a week prior to the race I was having shooting pain in that area of my calf, which was really causing me to worry about my chances of actually finishing the race. The pain was a constant shooting during the day while I was at work. I took Aleve and Ibuprofen and iced as much as I could. All that to say I have a strong feeling that the Brooks shoes were the cause of my training pain as I wore my older Puma running shoes during the race and a few days prior to the race and did not have any shooting pain at all. I am planning on getting a pair of properly fitting shoes before my next race.
Pre-race
I really wasn't that nervous at the start of the race. I had to drive an hour to get to the start of the race. I ate a bagel with some turkey bacon, a dunkin donuts vanilla frappuccino, an Emergen-C packet, and an Aleve about 2 hours before the race. The race itself was pretty low-key with about 90 or so runners from teenagers to elderly people. It began and ended at the YMCA and was pretty family orientated. Which I thought was a great atmosphere for my first 1/2 marathon.
Race
The race went far better than I expected it to go. My main goal of running without stopping was met. Based on my longer training runs I was expecting a 2:30 finish time and ended up at 2:07:05 so that was a big surprise. Around mile 9 was where I hit a great stride and gained a heap of confidence. Right about that time my right calf and right knee started to get a bit stiff, but it was not concerning and I kept going. I was passed quite a bit during the race but ended up passing a few other runners around mile 10 and 11. I crossed the finish line solo about 30 seconds behind and ahead of the two closets runners. I think I scared the gal taking bib numbers because I ran through the finish line for an extra 20 yards towards her. She told me to slow down saying "you can stop now, the finish line was back there" Lol. I had my Fitbit Charge2 tracking through my iphone. I wasn't sure if the fitbit updates were going to be beneficial to me or completely mind-fuck me throughout the race. I actually like hearing my splits, time and distances as a ran. The weather was as close to perfect as possible. Low to mid 60s, got spit on around mile 8, 10 mph breeze, partly cloudy.
Post-race
Right knee and calf were tight and a bit sore. One blister on my middle toe, a little thigh chaffing. Annnnnnnd I forget to band-aid my nipples. Showers have not been as pleasant since Saturday. This was my first race finish aside from a 5k a few years back and an indoor triathlon back in February. I have a lot of confidence about what my body is capable of following Saturday and am now curious and excited to test my limits going forward.
What's next?
A triathlon sprint in August, maybe another 1/2 marathon in August as well and then the Medtronic Marathon. I attempted the Medtronic Marathon back in college in 2007 and made it to mile 19 before the pace car caught me. I said to myself that I would finish that marathon before I did any other and this is the year.
Thanks for reading.
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Posted Jun 26, 2017, 8:48 PM UTC