…catch it…

AKA: 500 festival Mini, 13.1, Indy half marathon - Whatever you call it, the event is the largest half marathons in the US. It’s HUUUUGE!!! 35,000 people lined up at the starting line on a cool Indy morning. This is my second half marathon; however, this was my first time racing in the 500 Festival Mini. I was amazed at how many people attempted this event. I happened to be seeded in coral Q which was about 2-3 blocks from the actual starting line. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the starting line as the mass of people moseyed ahead.

My actual pace was considerably faster than those around me so I had a lot of side stepping to do to get through traffic. I had to look way up ahead to chart a course of least resistance through the crowd. It’s a lot more work to have to navigate through traffic than to just run straight ahead. The blockage started to open up about mile 5 and closed right back up when we entered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The herd started to thin out a bit more around mile 8 and I started to stretch my legs a bit more. The first half of the race was held down to 9-10 minute/mile pace due to the traffic. I checked my watch and started figuring out what I needed to do to cross the line in under 2 hrs. I really had to pick up the pace and click off a few 7-8 minute miles to meet my goal. I felt good so I started to pick up the pace.

There was still an amazing amount of traffic at mile 10, but I was determined to beat my last time of 1:58 so I kept pushing my way through the traffic and getting a little quicker mile after mile. My legs felt fine and my heart rate was under control so I kept charging towards the finish. I hit the mat at 1:57 and then immediately stopped as the traffic was backed up from people getting their finisher’s medal and having their timing chip removed. It took about 10-15 minutes of inching forward to get through this area and on to the FOOOOD. My legs were not real happy about running 13.1 miles and then stopping cold.

This event is served as a training test to see how well my triathlon training is progressing. My main interest at the moment is triathlons and running is my weakest event. As I transition from sprint events to longer events, I find that I really need to improve my running if I want to complete an Iron Man event in 2009. I’m about 10 weeks away from competing in my first half Iron Man event which is made up of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 half marathon run. At the conclusion of the Mini, I started wondering what the event would have been like if swam 1.2 miles and rode for 56 miles before the event. Ut-oh…it’s time to dig a bit deeper and really focus on giving 100% during every single workout.

[The cool]

• Largest 13.1 in the US
• Pretty good bands scattered along the route
• Plenty of water/aid stations
• Flat course

[The crummy]

• Ridiculous number of people
• Long port-a-pot lines
• No cool down zone after the finish

I’m fairly certain that I’ll sign up for the 2009 Mini despite the number of people.  Next time I will be seeded closer to my actual race pace and have a more rewarding experience.  But before that I have to conquer the half  Iron Man this summer and a full marathon in the fall. Rock on!

What possesses men and women to rise before the sun, line up with thousands of strangers and race through the town’s streets? Is it a personal challenge, a benchmark or a driver for change? All three? Something else? Perhaps a drunken dare? Whatever the motivation, setting goals and participating in local events is an excellent way to improve your fitness.

Sixteen weeks ago I set myself a goal to complete a half marathon in under 2 hours and finish in the top half of the field. When I started training, my longest run was only 5K. I was running 2-3 days per week and competing in sprint distance triathlons. As triathlon season started winding down, I switched to a longer distance training program from www.runnersworld.com/smartcoach which seemed to work quite well. I made a few mistakes toward the end of my training; however, I am very happy with my finish time of 1:58. I’ve also learned the importance of following the training program as closely as possible. Continue reading →

Sets, reps, cardio, supersets, machines, free weights - where to begin? Getting fit doesn’t have to be intimidating; however it takes a tremendous amount of work. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but setting expectations correctly from the beginning is one of the keys to success. There’s no quick easy solution to getting fit. There’s no magic pill - no secret workout routine - no fast acting diet. Sure genetics plays an important role, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started.

Commitment
It’s going to be more difficult than you can imagine. You’ll want to quit. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll get cranky and probably start to hate me. So why start in the first place? The rewards are worth it. Commit to the program and improvements will come gradually over time. These changes will improve all aspects of your life. You will develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Continue reading →