I completed the Lake Powell Half Marathon last weekend. It is a really fun course and a well-managed event, but I had probably one of my worst times ever: 2:34! I could tell about 4.5 miles in though, that this was not going to be a course "for time" for me. It's a net downhill but also a combination of road and trail, ups and downs, and possibly a bit of altitude thrown in, although I never really felt like I was out of breath. It was my first real race of the fall season and I had never been to Lake Powell before so it felt good to cross it off the list.
Next week begins my 12-week descent to the Arizona Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, where I've set the goal to complete it in less than two hours. My current half PR is 2:07:10, so shaving off a little over 7 minutes is kind of a lofty goal, especially since it's been about 8 months since I was even able to run that fast. Many other runners and blogs of the running kind have suggested getting a coach for this kind of thing, either online or in person. Here's how that's been going:
I reached out to a member of the family that had recently started his own online coaching business, shortly after the half marathon I PR-ed at. He seemed to think that a sub-2 hour goal was reachable based on my current fitness level at the time, and we agreed to connect later in the year when the RnRAZ date was closer. I've tried emailing a couple of times over the past 2-3 weeks and he seems to have gone radio silent on me. Now, I also happen to know he has an actual coaching job at an actual university now, coaching actual athletes, so I understand if he's busy, but I felt a little bit stuck.
I reached out to three additional coaches online. One never responded, one I felt was too expensive, and one basically told me a sub-2 was too ambitious in a 12-week time frame and that I should shoot for something in the fall of 2016. I appreciate the honest assessment (I would have been really upset if I had paid for a program with no results!), but truthfully, it did sting a little to hear that.
So, thankfully for me, I have some experience in things not working out according to plan! I had been trolling Pinterest for sub-2 hour marathon plans since the conclusion of the Lake Powell Half, knowing this was my next "big" race. And just in case I couldn't find a coach or I couldn't afford one, I needed to have a backup plan.
After reading through the plans, this is the one I decided on.
I like it because:
* So I haven't actually read Jeff Galloway's Marathon: You Can Do It!. Anyone know if it's on audiobook?!
Next week begins my 12-week descent to the Arizona Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, where I've set the goal to complete it in less than two hours. My current half PR is 2:07:10, so shaving off a little over 7 minutes is kind of a lofty goal, especially since it's been about 8 months since I was even able to run that fast. Many other runners and blogs of the running kind have suggested getting a coach for this kind of thing, either online or in person. Here's how that's been going:
I reached out to a member of the family that had recently started his own online coaching business, shortly after the half marathon I PR-ed at. He seemed to think that a sub-2 hour goal was reachable based on my current fitness level at the time, and we agreed to connect later in the year when the RnRAZ date was closer. I've tried emailing a couple of times over the past 2-3 weeks and he seems to have gone radio silent on me. Now, I also happen to know he has an actual coaching job at an actual university now, coaching actual athletes, so I understand if he's busy, but I felt a little bit stuck.
I reached out to three additional coaches online. One never responded, one I felt was too expensive, and one basically told me a sub-2 was too ambitious in a 12-week time frame and that I should shoot for something in the fall of 2016. I appreciate the honest assessment (I would have been really upset if I had paid for a program with no results!), but truthfully, it did sting a little to hear that.
So, thankfully for me, I have some experience in things not working out according to plan! I had been trolling Pinterest for sub-2 hour marathon plans since the conclusion of the Lake Powell Half, knowing this was my next "big" race. And just in case I couldn't find a coach or I couldn't afford one, I needed to have a backup plan.
After reading through the plans, this is the one I decided on.
I like it because:
- The most challenging speed work already seems set for the treadmill. The author has provided the speed I need to run at, and for how far. I probably won't accomplish the suggested pace unless I'm on a treadmill, so I think I can work with that.
- It gives me a reason to sign up for 5ks again. Remember when that used to be a big deal?! I can't wait to run some short, fast, cheap races!
- I'm a sucker for anything with some math behind it. If the Jeff Galloway marathon math example provided is true*, and if the derived half marathon calculation provided is true, I totally follow. I'm not sure yet how I'm actually going to be able to run a 7:30 mile yet, but you gotta have something to shoot for, I guess!
- Since I'll be concurrently training to pace my friend through her first half marathon, some of the long runs seemed to be close to the distance I would need for that plan, at this stage of the game. I may have to run (or walk) a few more miles to keep up with her, but I think (hope) it won't hurt my training for this.
* So I haven't actually read Jeff Galloway's Marathon: You Can Do It!. Anyone know if it's on audiobook?!
Comments
Post a Comment