I really had my doubts about this one. I’ve run the Earth Day Half Marathon a few times (last year with a full-on case of whooping cough). And I know I can do that distance.
But every time I’ve finished that distance, I’m a wreck. I’ve never run farther. So I wanted to know, can I go any farther? At the end of each half marathon I shake my head and shudder at the idea of turning around and running that same loop again. It’s just never seemed plausible. But what if I decide I really want to try sometime?
So this morning’s Earth Day EcoChallenge run was a great compromise. At 20 miles, it’s longer than a half marathon, but not as long as a full marathon. I decided to give it a try. If I finish it, then the idea of a full marathon is still on the table. If I can’t finish the 20 miles…well, that will answer that question.
In case you’re wondering, my above comment regarding half marathons and never running farther also applies to training runs. (I’m not much of a systematic trainer.) I really, honestly, didn’t have any idea if my body would allow me to run beyond 13.1. And even if it did, would it let me get all the way to 20 miles?
I set my target time at 3 hours. That’s 9-minute miles. And, based on my training runs, that seemed like a pretty aggressive goal for such a long distance.
Eventually, the gun went off this morning and away we went. (The half marathon and the 20-mile race take place simultaneously, on the same course. The 20-mile racers just peel off and make a second loop.) I kept a pace of around 8:30/mile through the first 13 miles. I wanted to start out strong enough to build up some time cushion since I knew I’d fade a bit at the end…but not so strong that I wore myself out and REALLY faded. Know what I mean?
That pace proved to be perfect. Because, by the time I hit 14 miles and saw that I was just under 2 hours, I knew that meant I could run six 10s and still hit my goal. That was a big confidence boost. Even better, I managed to keep cranking out 9:15 miles. As a result, I came in way ahead of my target time, 2:53:38.
But how did it feel? Honestly, not much if any worse than the half marathon. By the time I hit that 13-mile mark, my hips and knees were pretty darned sore. But as I kept going, they didn’t hurt any worse. My left knee hurt from time to time, but nothing consistent.
I don’t know if I could have gone another 6.2 miles, but I do feel like I crossed the finish line pretty strong. So I don’t know if I’ll ever run a full marathon. But as of today, I certainly haven’t ruled it out!
But every time I’ve finished that distance, I’m a wreck. I’ve never run farther. So I wanted to know, can I go any farther? At the end of each half marathon I shake my head and shudder at the idea of turning around and running that same loop again. It’s just never seemed plausible. But what if I decide I really want to try sometime?
So this morning’s Earth Day EcoChallenge run was a great compromise. At 20 miles, it’s longer than a half marathon, but not as long as a full marathon. I decided to give it a try. If I finish it, then the idea of a full marathon is still on the table. If I can’t finish the 20 miles…well, that will answer that question.
In case you’re wondering, my above comment regarding half marathons and never running farther also applies to training runs. (I’m not much of a systematic trainer.) I really, honestly, didn’t have any idea if my body would allow me to run beyond 13.1. And even if it did, would it let me get all the way to 20 miles?
I set my target time at 3 hours. That’s 9-minute miles. And, based on my training runs, that seemed like a pretty aggressive goal for such a long distance.
Eventually, the gun went off this morning and away we went. (The half marathon and the 20-mile race take place simultaneously, on the same course. The 20-mile racers just peel off and make a second loop.) I kept a pace of around 8:30/mile through the first 13 miles. I wanted to start out strong enough to build up some time cushion since I knew I’d fade a bit at the end…but not so strong that I wore myself out and REALLY faded. Know what I mean?
That pace proved to be perfect. Because, by the time I hit 14 miles and saw that I was just under 2 hours, I knew that meant I could run six 10s and still hit my goal. That was a big confidence boost. Even better, I managed to keep cranking out 9:15 miles. As a result, I came in way ahead of my target time, 2:53:38.
But how did it feel? Honestly, not much if any worse than the half marathon. By the time I hit that 13-mile mark, my hips and knees were pretty darned sore. But as I kept going, they didn’t hurt any worse. My left knee hurt from time to time, but nothing consistent.
I don’t know if I could have gone another 6.2 miles, but I do feel like I crossed the finish line pretty strong. So I don’t know if I’ll ever run a full marathon. But as of today, I certainly haven’t ruled it out!
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