Rock and Roll

This past weekend I completed my second 1/2 marathon at the first annual SunTrust Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon in DC.  It was my best time in any race ever!

I had been training for this race with a group of friends and our average longer runs were at the best maybe an 8:45 pace/ mile.  My goal for this race was 1:45 and got in the group with pacers running at that speed.  I felt good, so I pushed on faster around people.  Race day for me is so much fun; there is so much adrenaline and all I want to do is pass the people in front of me, it is super motivating, especially on a nice day like it was this past Saturday.  The route through DC was nice and not as tough as I was expecting. For fuel I did a gu rocktane pre-race and one gu between mile 9 and 10.  These helped me keep up my carbs and balance my electrolytes for more efficient hydration.   I only drink water on the run.

Our training was thorough for this race.  A large group of friends and I always plan out a longer run on Saturdays. For the run we will vary the distance and the terrain so that our training doesn't plateau. Here is an example of a 6 week Saturday training guide:

Saturday 1 = 8 mile mixed flat and hill route
Saturday 2 = 10 mile flat run - try and work your speed here
Saturday 3 = 8 mile hills run
Saturday 4 = 11 mile flat run - this should be a more leisurely run pace
Saturday 5 = 9 mile mixed hill and flat run
Saturday 6 = 8 -10 mile run for speed - goal to do your fastest pace per mile

This is an example of a good schedule for someone that has been running at least 6 miles regularly/ weekly for about 2 months and wants to pick up their training. I will do runs like this on the weekend even when I am not training for a race, just to continue to challenge myself and call me crazy, but I also find it fun.

Post run Bliss = Me + a well deserved shamrock Beer for St Patty's day :)