How I trained for both of the half marathon races I completed
I tried to do as much research as possible before I started training for the 13.1 miles I had set my mind to completing after I sustained an injury to my left knee and foot. I had to have my ACL, PCL, LCL replaced with cadaver ligaments. I also have a nerve injury to my left foot, which caused permanent foot drop. I did not want to start running again too soon without completing the physical therapy and training regiment my trainer had prescribed. It took me three surgeries over a six-month time span to stabilize and build back my leg to the point where I started to think about running again. Once I got the green light to start running I had to start out in an anti-gravity treadmill, which allows you to adjust how much of your own body weight you want to put on your legs. You have to put on a pair of neoprene shorts that have a zipper around the waist that zips into
a treadmill. This will make an airtight seal around your body to take the pressure of your legs. The seal allows you to adjust your bodyweight from around 30 percent up to your normal body weight. It took me around a month to be able to put my normal body weight on my left leg again while running. Now I was able to start running again outside.
I found the 16-week training plan a good fit for me. It allowed me to slowly build back my endurance and had planned days off for a good recovery. I felt like it had a realistic training plan in place for someone who doesn’t have all day to just go run. I printed the schedule off and put it up on my refrigerator and put my plan into action.
I had to complete a lot of running evolutions while I was in the military where I had to meet certain time restrictions. I was able to run a mile and a half in nine minutes forty-five seconds after I had already completed a five hundred yard swim. It was hard for me to accept that I would no longer be able to run as well as I used to. I decided that I was going to focus on distance with this challenge and not speed. When I started the first week I was only able to maintain about a nine minute fifty second mile pace for three miles, so by no means was I setting any land speed records, but I could tell that this was something that I could do if I stuck with it. My endurance would build back up and the runs would become easier.
I had a pair of running shoes that had good support and set up my ipod to have a mix of tunes to keep the runs as interesting as I could. I started driving routes near my house to see where I could accumulate the mileage required for the weekly schedules that did not have a lot of stop lights and traffic to deal with. I noticed that my times improved when I didn’t have to focus so much on my surroundings. Having to stop and start running again was very demoralizing for me I would wonder why the heck am I out here doing this.
I chose to run the state park on Shore drive that had groomed trails with mile markers already in place. The softer terrain helped minimize the stress on my leg as an added bonus. There are also slight incline variations to change the stride I was using.
I could bring my running gear with me and go hit the trails after class before I got home where it became harder to motivate myself to go out again and complete the run I was scheduled to do for that day. I would just plan ahead on days I knew I was supposed to run and not consider my school day complete until I finished my run. This routine was very helpful throughout the workouts. Getting into the correct mind set makes a big difference when you have a long-term goal in place like finishing a thirteen-mile race.
I also had to increase the amount of fluids I drank through out the day to help replenish every thing I was loosing during the runs. I would bring a thirty-two ounce water bottle and drink it over a couple hours before I would go run. I started filling up a one hundred and twenty ounce camel pack and carrying water with me on the runs that went over six miles. I soon realized that the camel pack would get lighter quickly as the run goes on. It played a mental trick on me I started being able to know how far I had ran by the weight of the water I was carrying.
When I finally got up to eight miles I had a hard time pushing through the last part of the run. I started to hit the runner’s wall I had heard about where you just feel like you cannot go any further and your mind starts to tell your body to stop. Your body can do amazing things so do not give into the temptation to stop just because something starts to become difficult. I knew what was going on, I had exhausted all the energy I was able to obtain from my lunch I had eaten between classes and needed more calories to burn.
I found that the gel packs where a great source of energy for me when I started to feel myself start to slow down I would have one with some water and be able to continue. There are many different types on the market try a couple and you will be able to figure out what flavor works for you. I would not recommend taking them without water though because they are more of a syrup consistency and can be hard to swallow while running.
I had hit the double digits now I remember completing the first ten mile run on week eleven and looking how far I had come and realizing that I only had to gain another three miles over a five week period to reach my goal. I had got into a routine where Saturdays had turned into my long run so I would always get a good meal Friday night that had some healthy carbs. Drink plenty of water the day before so I would set my self up for success. Get into bed at a decent hour and have a granola bar with some peanut butter on it for breakfast in the morning about a half an hour before I drove to my friend’s house.
http://www.halfmarathons.net/5-tips-make-weekly-long-run-easier/
My friend Tommy had talked me into driving over to the oceanfront where he has his long runs already mapped out. I met Tommy when I used to live at Chix beach. He was my neighbor in the condo next to mine. Neither of us are small framed guys where running just comes easy for us. We both have to train hard to complete these runs. We both weigh around two hundred fifteen pounds. Tommy is the one who turned me onto this running program because he has used it in the past to complete races and had good results with no over training injuries. Tommy is also a Fleet Marine Corps corpsman which is a basically a field medic. I felt more comfortable doing the long runs with someone who knew my injury situation and was extensively trained in first aid and patient care. It also made it easier to do the runs with another person we could talk and motivate each other to keep going. The main factor was I could not wake up on Saturday and turn my alarm off with no one knowing. It made me accountable to showing up and finishing the entire distance that we had to do for the long run of the week.
I would get there to his house about 7:30 in the morning, before the sun really started beating down on us and run along the boardwalk for six miles. Then we would head down to the runners path on the side of the road on General Booth and run past the Aquarium down to the biker bar for our turn around point. Tommy would drive out there and stash Gatorade in the woods for us, which was great because we did not have to carry the extra weight. We had three routes depending on the distance we needed.
The boardwalk made the run seem to go by much faster with everyone else out there running and walking. There are mile markers on the boardwalk and water fountains. There is nice even ground with no potholes to have to watch out for. There is a separate route for people who are on bikes and people who are walking will stay over to the side to allow the runners plenty of room to pass. You just have to make sure and find out if there are any festivals planned for the weekends because they will close certain portions of the boardwalk to allow the workers to set up for whatever the event is. The ability to look over the beach and see the ocean with all the beach activity made it a very nice part of the run for Tommy and I. Finding a place you want to be will take the some of the burden off your mind and allow your thought to wander freely.
I began to have more of a love hate relationship with running instead of it just being something I had to do and got no enjoyment out of. I could fall into a nice relaxed rhythm now when I ran. I was never truly in love with running but I loved the feeling of completing a long run and having the rest of the weekend to relax knowing that I had completed my weeks training regime. I also did not feel so bad when I ate and drank what I wanted Saturday night. The extra calories I had burned off with the run earlier canceled out the beers I would partake in on a Saturday night. The long runs also made me sleep better at night because I was exhausted after an early morning long distance run. Things started to fall into place the closer I got to the end of the workouts.
I had finally made it up to the weekend of the race. I was nervous and exited about how the run would go. I had never run with so many people before. I knew that there was going to be water every mile. I had decided that I would try and keep my own pace and not start off too fast and burn out before the end. I told my friend to have a good race and I would see him at the end. The race was broken up into different heats to allow the people who are in a similar pace to stack up together.
You have to put an estimated completion time when you register for a race. I had put two hours and ten minutes on my race ticket based off of the pace I felt comfortable with over the last 16 weeks. I saw a guy holding a sign that said 9:45 minute mile pace and knew that is where I should be. I could see up ahead in the sea of people as the faster runners began to start the race I put my headphones in and told myself I could do it. I put in a lot of work over the last four months and it was finally time to see some results. I completed the Shamrock half marathon in two hours and eight minutes. The Yuengling they had at the finish line tasted amazing. If you are contemplating training for a race I would definitely recommend it. It is good to challenge yourself you will find out a lot about yourself during the sixteen weeks you are out there training.
Good Luck
Jarrod Smith