12 Miles

Yesterday I completed my last long run before the race on the 14^th.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  I am ready for this race.  I’ve learned a lot during this process.  One lesson I learned recently is that running is not just running especially if you are running competitively.  There’s a strategy that must be employed in order to be successful.  I didn’t know that before. I’ve learned to control my pace.  I’ve learned to control my breathing.  I read somewhere that when running a half marathon, you run the first 5 miles with your brain, the second 5 miles with your legs and the last 3 miles with your heart.  Sounds about right.  During those first 5 miles I concentrate on keeping the pace slow and steady, so I don’t burn up all my energy in the beginning.  The second 5, is when I must be strong because fatigue is starting to set in.  The final 3 miles is when I concentrate on speeding up and finishing strong.

Last week, I was discussing the race with one of the patrons at the gym and he told me about the Galloway Method for distance running.  Basically, it’s a walk/run strategy where you run for 10 minutes and walk for 1 minute throughout the race.  The idea is that during the walk you are able to rest and reset and prepare for the next 10 minutes.  I decided to try it during yesterday’s long run of 12 miles. 

 
After each mile completed, I took out my stopwatch and walked for 60 seconds.  Not only was my overall pace/time better than when I ran 11 miles (see previous post) but at the end of the run I actually felt like I could have kept going!  I completed 12 miles in 2 hours and 16 minutes and I am confident that I am going to crush my goal!  If you recall, my initial goal was to finish in less than 3 hours.  Then I changed it to 2 hours 45 minutes … now I believe I may finish my first half marathon in 2 hours 30 minutes.

Fingers crossed!