Midge’s 2011 Iron Horse Half Marathon

I have so many mixed feelings right now – I am so glad that the Iron Horse Half Marathon is over, but I’m very sad that the training team experience is over, for now, at least. This was my 7th half marathon in 2 years, and the one that I was most nervous about. Could I still do this? I managed to injure myself by going from zero to half marathon last year, and while I slogged it out for over a year doing race after race, the pain caught up with me and I did some significant back sliding after the Run The Bluegrass Half in early April. By the end of June I couldn’t run for 2 minutes without walking!

Enter the training group for the Iron Horse offered by Endurance Base Camp and John’s Run/Walk Shop. Eureka! This was a chance to start back at the beginning and maybe not make the same mistakes. After 16 weeks of dedicated effort, I managed to regain some fitness and improve my pace and accomplish my goal!

I was worried about the Iron Horse event – it is a very hilly course, and there is the 14 minute pace that one must maintain… I’m sure most of you never gave that a second thought, but I have never been a fast runner (some would say I don’t “run” at all), but during the spring I had some injuries and went from slow to slower, and the 14 minute pace seemed to be a tall order.

Training through the summer heat wasn’t so good for my confidence. I was still slow, but gradually getting stronger. Following the training plan, I gradually saw improvements. I already had the Air Force Half Marathon on my racing calendar in mid-September, and by then I was getting a bit stronger. I had hoped to beat a time of 3 hours in the Air Force Half, but came in at 3:00:21. Close enough, and that gave me the confidence to know that I wouldn’t be escorted off the course at the half way point. I could do this!

The cooler weather helped my pace tremendously. I started to see my training times get a little lower. Again, this boosted the confidence.

Gary’s training plan, with each day serving a different purpose, was music to my ears! Previously I followed a plan that just listed miles. Unfortunately for me, I did too much too soon, wasn’t strong enough for that plan, and developed injuries. Before I was a one pace wonder – whether it was a 3 miles run or the long weekend run – I did the one speed. Now, I can do spurts of “faster” and “faster yet” when called for in the training plan.

As the race approached, we practiced race morning routine. I had never done this before, and perhaps that factored into the “bonking” that I always did before. Two weeks ago we met in Midway and went over the route. It helped to know how long it would take to get there, where to park, get an idea of the course (crikey!). We also practiced what to eat the night before, what to eat that morning 3 hours before the run, and practice gels during the run. This might seem so basic, but I had never practiced this before (nor really focused on race nutrition) and the results showed it. That practice helped make today a better day.

This morning we got up at 4:45 so we would have our pre-race breakfast done by 5:00 AM. I tweaked my choices a bit from what I had last time, and hoped it was a good choice. I think maybe I had too many calories this morning, but I was certainly “topped off” as I stood at the race start. I felt strong during the race with respect to nutrition. I didn’t have that bonking feeling at all during the race.

My hip pain kicked in earlier today than it did 2 weeks ago during our practice run. Then it started to hurt at 6 miles, this morning it was at 5 miles. I know what I need to fix in the next few months, but today wasn’t the day to whine about it. It hurt, I slowed down, especially on the uphill grade, but I managed to finish under 3 hours (2:56:21) on a MUCH more challenging course. This is the most challenging half that I’ve done to date. And considering the hills, 4 minutes faster than Air Force is AWESOME!

One of my favorite things today was the support of the team. I was one of the last ones to finish, and I got to see everyone go by on the double loop route. Everyone looked so strong and I’m so pleased for everyone who ran today. Folks cheered me on as they passed, and I cheered them on. A few of our fallen soldiers came out this morning to support us, and I especially appreciate Nancy waiting for me at the finish line.

Thank you Gary for all of your support! I really look forward to the next training team in January.