UPDATE: My initial instinct was correct to run about 11:20. I left my watch at gear check (why have I not thought of this before?) and ran sort of by feel. They had clocks at every mile marker and we started at gun time plus 30:00 exactly so it was a little too easy to keep track of splits. In the end it served me well, though, since it helped me pick up the pace to go sub 2:30. I had a slow crowded first mile (12:40 or so) and I panicked when I saw the 5:30 marathon pace group. I was worried about picking it up and sustaining it, but once I locked in a pace I had no problem even though my longest long run had only been 10 miles. I had no problems with my injury although I had to take steps to keep loose through my pelvis, since my pelvic muscles got pretty stiff around mile 7-8. Speeding up for a half mile helped and I settled back into my sustainable pace by mile 8. By mile 11 -- because of the slow start -- I knew I needed to gas it the last two miles to go sub 2:30 (I knew I would miss 2:28). I was able to drop the pace to 11:00 or so for mile 12 and then somewhere in the 10's (I read it from the clock splits as actual 10:00 pace, but that's my 5K pace, so that seems wrong). I only lost a second per mile after my 10K split (11:23 turned into 11:24) - I though that was pretty impressive since the hills come after mile 7, including the hill where I got injured last year. The weather helped by staying consistently about 45 degrees for the whole race. I got great crowd support for the last mile when I really pushed the pace, lots of people encouraging me as I passed a ton of people. After mile one, I had revised my goal down to 2:35 expecting positive splits with the hills and fatigue, so I was thrilled.
I missed another goal of beating a friend's full marathon time (we both wanted 2:28). He was 29 seconds than me for the full, good enough for 11th place.
Redemption. Gratitude. Healed gut. Oh, and Protons. I love my Protons.
Time: 2:29:36 (last year 2:51)
Pace: 11:24
I based my pace goals for an upcoming half marathon (this Sunday) on a recent 4 mile race time (10:20 pace). I had a chest cold and fever for that race, though, and I was sucking alot of wind.
Last Monday, while running a very, very easy recovery 5K at conversational pace, I ran my fastest 5K ever (9:39 pace) which kind of made me want to reevaluate my goals.
My training for this half has been low mileage due to rehabbing from an injury (with lots of crosstraining). I've incorporated lots of quality longer runs midweek (7-9 miles with repeats or tempos). I've had mostly 10 mile long runs most weeks since August - maybe a dozen ten milers altogether in the lead up.
My compromise with not going beyond 10 miles was to do back to back to back ten milers a couple weekends ago (10 on Saturday and 10 again on Sunday which went fine). I have reasons for not going over 10, but I won't go into it here.
McMillan says 11:09 pace based on my 4 mile time and 10:36 pace based on my 5K time. Going by 11:09, I was thinking of shooting for 11:20 pace, but yesterday's long, easy run was about that pace, or at most 11:30 including potty stops and a chat on the trail with my neighbor and with conversing with my running partner the whole time. Who knows what pace I was actually running if you strip all that away.
10:36 seems ludicrous since the fastest 10 mile race I've ever run was 10:59 pace. But 11:20 suddenly seems too slow.
What do you think? First miles will be slow just because of crowds. And it's hilly. What should I go for - what would you go for? I run hills in training,but I don't have any love for downhills.
I know I am faster - the proof is in my times - but it's hard to wrap my head around even going for McMillan's 11:09 pace. What would you do? I was badly injured at the only other two halfs I've done so the experience from those will not guide me well.
Where should I be looking to lock in a pace - since I have not run 13 in training this year, I am not sure how my endurance over the last 5K will be.
I missed another goal of beating a friend's full marathon time (we both wanted 2:28). He was 29 seconds than me for the full, good enough for 11th place.
Redemption. Gratitude. Healed gut. Oh, and Protons. I love my Protons.
Time: 2:29:36 (last year 2:51)
Pace: 11:24
I based my pace goals for an upcoming half marathon (this Sunday) on a recent 4 mile race time (10:20 pace). I had a chest cold and fever for that race, though, and I was sucking alot of wind.
Last Monday, while running a very, very easy recovery 5K at conversational pace, I ran my fastest 5K ever (9:39 pace) which kind of made me want to reevaluate my goals.
My training for this half has been low mileage due to rehabbing from an injury (with lots of crosstraining). I've incorporated lots of quality longer runs midweek (7-9 miles with repeats or tempos). I've had mostly 10 mile long runs most weeks since August - maybe a dozen ten milers altogether in the lead up.
My compromise with not going beyond 10 miles was to do back to back to back ten milers a couple weekends ago (10 on Saturday and 10 again on Sunday which went fine). I have reasons for not going over 10, but I won't go into it here.
McMillan says 11:09 pace based on my 4 mile time and 10:36 pace based on my 5K time. Going by 11:09, I was thinking of shooting for 11:20 pace, but yesterday's long, easy run was about that pace, or at most 11:30 including potty stops and a chat on the trail with my neighbor and with conversing with my running partner the whole time. Who knows what pace I was actually running if you strip all that away.
10:36 seems ludicrous since the fastest 10 mile race I've ever run was 10:59 pace. But 11:20 suddenly seems too slow.
What do you think? First miles will be slow just because of crowds. And it's hilly. What should I go for - what would you go for? I run hills in training,but I don't have any love for downhills.
I know I am faster - the proof is in my times - but it's hard to wrap my head around even going for McMillan's 11:09 pace. What would you do? I was badly injured at the only other two halfs I've done so the experience from those will not guide me well.
Where should I be looking to lock in a pace - since I have not run 13 in training this year, I am not sure how my endurance over the last 5K will be.
But I still didn't expect to have the gains I've had. It's really only because I started running with other people that I noticed (the fact that I have speed enough to run wirh other people is kind of a miracle in itself LOL)
