Half marathon on Sunday and I am woefully under-trained
March 17, 2019 3:19 PM Subscribe
I am flying to California for a girl's weekend that revolves around a half marathon. Despite the best of intentions, I have not trained nearly as much as I should. As in, I haven't done more than 6 or 7 miles of jog/walking. My plan was always to jog/walk the half, but now I'm doubting my ability to do that. Should I downgrade to the 5k, disappoint myself, and admit defeat, or just try to walk the whole thing and hope for the best?
The good: I have all the appropriate running gear, and have done 3 races so far in 2019 (a 5k, a 9k, and a 10k). I have not had any significant injuries and I enjoyed the races. The half marathon has a 4 hour cutoff and is women-only. I just turned 40 and have been talking up this race to everyone that will listen and know what an accomplishment it would be to finish.
The bad: I am SLOW and really under-trained. My average pace in those races I mentioned above was about 16:30. On average I've gotten in only 1-2 runs per week of about 3 miles each (I'm just as slow on those). I am really out of shape and about 20 pounds overweight.
Is there any way in hell I can expect to be able to walk this thing and finish it? If my options are downgrade to 5k or get carted off in a wagon because I can't finish the half, I'd rather do the 5k. But I'm flying across the country try for this race and I want to push myself if it isn't mad to try. Advice?
The good: I have all the appropriate running gear, and have done 3 races so far in 2019 (a 5k, a 9k, and a 10k). I have not had any significant injuries and I enjoyed the races. The half marathon has a 4 hour cutoff and is women-only. I just turned 40 and have been talking up this race to everyone that will listen and know what an accomplishment it would be to finish.
The bad: I am SLOW and really under-trained. My average pace in those races I mentioned above was about 16:30. On average I've gotten in only 1-2 runs per week of about 3 miles each (I'm just as slow on those). I am really out of shape and about 20 pounds overweight.
Is there any way in hell I can expect to be able to walk this thing and finish it? If my options are downgrade to 5k or get carted off in a wagon because I can't finish the half, I'd rather do the 5k. But I'm flying across the country try for this race and I want to push myself if it isn't mad to try. Advice?
If I were you, I'd probably start and see how I went, with the proviso I'd drop out if I had to, either because the sweeper truck caught me up, or I just wanted to die. (And yes, on preview, as raccoon409 says, especially because you don't want to ruin the rest of the weekend for yourself by being deeply exhausted/in pain).
Would this be your first half? If so, I think there's a stronger argument for dropping down to 5K. You only get to run your first half once, and you don't want it to be remembered forever as miserable agony, with the course being cleared behind you. Me saying I'd probably start and give it a go is partly because I've run lots of halfs before so I've got a rough idea what I'd want to feel like at each stage of the race so would have a sense if I was in a good enough state to make it worth continuing, and it also wouldn't be a huge disaster if I stopped halfway through because it's not a landmark event to be ruined.
At worst, it's an opportunity to recalibrate your relationship with your running - doing the 5K is not admitting defeat. It's choosing a run that's appropriate for your fitness on the day. Running is full of disappointment as well as achievement, sometimes that means downgrading, or not running at all, because you're not as fit as you'd hoped, or are injured.
One helpful tip I read in some sports psychology book was to set yourself gold, silver and bronze goals, rather than a binary succeed/fail. Your bronze should be something you know you'll be able to achieve (probably doing the 5K for you). Silver is something that would be a real challenge, but you could probably do (I dunno - getting to the halfway point of the half?). And the gold is something that's a huge stretch, that you might - just might - achieve, if all the stars align (completing the half). That way, you're guaranteed something to celebrate on the day, the only question is exactly what it'll be.
posted by penguin pie at 3:48 PM on March 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
Would this be your first half? If so, I think there's a stronger argument for dropping down to 5K. You only get to run your first half once, and you don't want it to be remembered forever as miserable agony, with the course being cleared behind you. Me saying I'd probably start and give it a go is partly because I've run lots of halfs before so I've got a rough idea what I'd want to feel like at each stage of the race so would have a sense if I was in a good enough state to make it worth continuing, and it also wouldn't be a huge disaster if I stopped halfway through because it's not a landmark event to be ruined.
At worst, it's an opportunity to recalibrate your relationship with your running - doing the 5K is not admitting defeat. It's choosing a run that's appropriate for your fitness on the day. Running is full of disappointment as well as achievement, sometimes that means downgrading, or not running at all, because you're not as fit as you'd hoped, or are injured.
One helpful tip I read in some sports psychology book was to set yourself gold, silver and bronze goals, rather than a binary succeed/fail. Your bronze should be something you know you'll be able to achieve (probably doing the 5K for you). Silver is something that would be a real challenge, but you could probably do (I dunno - getting to the halfway point of the half?). And the gold is something that's a huge stretch, that you might - just might - achieve, if all the stars align (completing the half). That way, you're guaranteed something to celebrate on the day, the only question is exactly what it'll be.
posted by penguin pie at 3:48 PM on March 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
How long did it take you to finish the 10k? Isnt that about half of a half marathon? If you double your 10k time and it's under 4 yes, you're good. You'll be friends, at roughly the same pace? Ask them if they dont mind being slow, back of the pack, so even if you have problems finishing, you'll be with friends. Good luck either way, and already finishing 3 races in 2019 is a huge accomplishment, congrats!
posted by j810c at 3:57 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by j810c at 3:57 PM on March 17, 2019
If I was the very last person to cross the finish line of a half marathon (or hell, who am I kidding? a 5k) and did so on my hands and knees, dragging myself through my own tears and vomit, I would consider myself a Fucking Rock Star. Don't hurt yourself, but if you think you can finish in under 4 hours, don't worry about being slow, is all I'm saying!
Having said that, i think you've had some good advice above about being able to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Either way, have a great weekend!
posted by kate4914 at 4:06 PM on March 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Having said that, i think you've had some good advice above about being able to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Either way, have a great weekend!
posted by kate4914 at 4:06 PM on March 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Yeah, you’ll be surprisingly fine once you get in the crowd and get going. You won’t be fast, but you’ll get it done.
posted by Middlemarch at 4:17 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by Middlemarch at 4:17 PM on March 17, 2019
Yay, do it! You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. The four hour cutoff is very generous, so run as far as you can and then walk the rest if you have to.
posted by JonB at 4:25 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by JonB at 4:25 PM on March 17, 2019
How long did it take you to finish the 10k? Isnt that about half of a half marathon? If you double your 10k time and it's under 4 yes, you're good.
That's not how running works, I'm sorry. You can't assume that you will run at the same pace over longer distances; you almost certainly won't.
tryniti, there's no shame in downgrading to a shorter distance because you know you aren't ready. Many, many runners do this, or pull out. The last race I did, close to 20% of entrants didn't make the starting line. There's no reason you shouldn't switch to the 5km and spend the rest of your time cheering your friends in the half. Use the race to get experience for your next one.
On the other hand: I ran your times in a couple of running calculators. Based on a 10km run at 16:30 minutes/mile, you could hope to finish the half in around 3:45-3:50. So you could look at it differently, enter anyway, and just be prepared that you might have to pull out. Again, no shame in pulling out - even greats like Dean Karnazes have done so.
posted by Pink Frost at 5:12 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
That's not how running works, I'm sorry. You can't assume that you will run at the same pace over longer distances; you almost certainly won't.
tryniti, there's no shame in downgrading to a shorter distance because you know you aren't ready. Many, many runners do this, or pull out. The last race I did, close to 20% of entrants didn't make the starting line. There's no reason you shouldn't switch to the 5km and spend the rest of your time cheering your friends in the half. Use the race to get experience for your next one.
On the other hand: I ran your times in a couple of running calculators. Based on a 10km run at 16:30 minutes/mile, you could hope to finish the half in around 3:45-3:50. So you could look at it differently, enter anyway, and just be prepared that you might have to pull out. Again, no shame in pulling out - even greats like Dean Karnazes have done so.
posted by Pink Frost at 5:12 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I say just go for it and see how it goes. I signed up for a half marathon and for various reasons promptly stopped running at all so was woefully untrained by the time the race rolled around. I jogged the first few miles, then walk/jogged the next bit, then basically just walked until the last quarter mile or so, which I jogged. I had no kind of impressive time but I finished. Ached for sure, but didn't feel like I was going to die or anything. Similarly, I entered the marathon for the following year, still never took up running again in the interim time and all of a sudden it was race day. I started as with the half, spent miles 14-19 just brutally flagging in the sun at a pretty slow walk and very aware of the sweepers not too far behind me as I passed them going around a loop. As it happens, the route went past my house, so between miles 21-22 I just said fuck it and walked off the course and up my front stairs, shuffled towards the bath peeling off my gear and spent the next hour soaking in the tub and nursing my aching body. Later when I looked up my chip info online, I saw I was at about 5 hours when I hit mile 21, so I would have had another 2 hours to complete the course, but in that case, I really didn't feel like I was gonna make it and the proximity to my bathtub and bed was too much to pass up. So for sure listen to your body because there was definitely a difference between "this really sucks, what was I thinking" and "I'm going to die on the street", and I, nobody stranger on the internet that I am, feel no lasting damage (physical or to my ego) for attempting a race I was woefully unprepared for and for quitting, or for completing the half marathon the year before at the back of the pack.
posted by Hal Mumkin at 5:37 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Hal Mumkin at 5:37 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
If my options are downgrade to 5k or get carted off in a wagon because I can't finish the half, I'd rather do the 5k.
Any chance you could negotiate this with yourself? Seems to me that prematurely downgrading your expectations to something you've done before is a bigger loss (in several ways, including what you get to experience) than run/walking, say, 9 or 10 miles out of 13, which would be about 50 percent further than the 10k you've done before, and then accepting a nice ride to the end. If you were asking if you should go on a loop run alone in the backcountry, I'd say "mmm, you might end up in a bit more pain than you want to be in." But you paid all that money for a nice, supported run -- take advantage! You say you want to push yourself anyway, so why not just give yourself permission to do what you can?
posted by salvia at 5:47 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
Any chance you could negotiate this with yourself? Seems to me that prematurely downgrading your expectations to something you've done before is a bigger loss (in several ways, including what you get to experience) than run/walking, say, 9 or 10 miles out of 13, which would be about 50 percent further than the 10k you've done before, and then accepting a nice ride to the end. If you were asking if you should go on a loop run alone in the backcountry, I'd say "mmm, you might end up in a bit more pain than you want to be in." But you paid all that money for a nice, supported run -- take advantage! You say you want to push yourself anyway, so why not just give yourself permission to do what you can?
posted by salvia at 5:47 PM on March 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I did a half marathon (a mix of jogging/walking) at right about that pace and I think our cutoff was 3 1/2 hours, and I did finish before the cutoff & was third from last. It felt really cool to have finished and being slow is NOT bad. It is just your pace. I say go for it!
posted by augustimagination at 6:21 PM on March 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by augustimagination at 6:21 PM on March 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
That's not a very good base to be taking into a half marathon. It's a very easy distance if you're regularly running 3 - 4 times per week with at least one moderately long run of at least say 15km. The thing that makes a half marathon hard isn't the distance, it's pushing your pace over that distance, if you go at a comfortable pace and your body is reasonably well adapted for running, then it's not a problem and it's not really that far.
But if you're going to be there anyway, and especially if you're going to be there with friends who don't care what their pace is, then I think you should go for it, but with the understanding and agreement that they should continue and finish without you if you decide you have to pull out. Just grab an Uber and cheer them on at the finish line.
I do a walking half marathon for charity every year with my wife and in some ways it's harder than any of my other long runs of the year. I walk a lot, but walking extra fast is, for me, less efficient than running, and hurts much more. We most recently finished that in 3:12, with no running allowed. Add a bit of running into the mix and you should be able to finish in under 4 hours very comfortably.
If you enjoy running events, you'll enjoy them far more if you invest a bit more time into your training. You shouldn't be concerned about being able to finish at all. If you're worried about that then I don't think you'll have as much fun as you should.
posted by The Monkey at 8:15 PM on March 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
But if you're going to be there anyway, and especially if you're going to be there with friends who don't care what their pace is, then I think you should go for it, but with the understanding and agreement that they should continue and finish without you if you decide you have to pull out. Just grab an Uber and cheer them on at the finish line.
I do a walking half marathon for charity every year with my wife and in some ways it's harder than any of my other long runs of the year. I walk a lot, but walking extra fast is, for me, less efficient than running, and hurts much more. We most recently finished that in 3:12, with no running allowed. Add a bit of running into the mix and you should be able to finish in under 4 hours very comfortably.
If you enjoy running events, you'll enjoy them far more if you invest a bit more time into your training. You shouldn't be concerned about being able to finish at all. If you're worried about that then I don't think you'll have as much fun as you should.
posted by The Monkey at 8:15 PM on March 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
The more I think about this, the more I lean towards saying that you should drop down to the 5km. I just feel like you haven't done enough to build up your fitness, and your muscle, tendon and ligament strength. Women's Health Magazine talks about this. I know when I was training, it took me a decent amount of time to go from a 10km programme to a half to a full, and I had to abandon and restart a few times.
I also agree with this point:
If you enjoy running events, you'll enjoy them far more if you invest a bit more time into your training. You shouldn't be concerned about being able to finish at all. If you're worried about that then I don't think you'll have as much fun as you should.
posted by Pink Frost at 9:10 PM on March 17, 2019
I also agree with this point:
If you enjoy running events, you'll enjoy them far more if you invest a bit more time into your training. You shouldn't be concerned about being able to finish at all. If you're worried about that then I don't think you'll have as much fun as you should.
posted by Pink Frost at 9:10 PM on March 17, 2019
If you have any knee, ankle, or hip joint issues -- I would drop down to a 5K to avoid injury risk. You need to build up the muscle and ligament strength to cushion and support your joints through the repeated impact of a long distance run/jog.
If you don't, then you can probably push yourself through this. You'll be sore but proud!
posted by amaire at 12:10 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you don't, then you can probably push yourself through this. You'll be sore but proud!
posted by amaire at 12:10 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Just grab an Uber and cheer them on at the finish line.
This is an excellent idea, if it works with the setting of the race. You don't have to wait to be picked up by the wagon. You could just pick an intermediate distance (e.g., the same as the 10K you did before) and get a nice long run in without pushing your body beyond what feels good but also without missing out on as much as you otherwise would. I've dropped off a race course that was threaded through city streets before; it was not a big deal at all.
posted by salvia at 12:21 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is an excellent idea, if it works with the setting of the race. You don't have to wait to be picked up by the wagon. You could just pick an intermediate distance (e.g., the same as the 10K you did before) and get a nice long run in without pushing your body beyond what feels good but also without missing out on as much as you otherwise would. I've dropped off a race course that was threaded through city streets before; it was not a big deal at all.
posted by salvia at 12:21 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
I was in basically this exact situation last year January, so I 100% feel your dilemma! I chose to go ahead and do the half, but said to myself at the outset that I would walk a lot more than my usual run/walk interval that I'd been training with. Full transparency: my decision to go ahead was motivated mostly by pride, as in not wanting to drop down when my companion was running the half, even though we do not literally run together as he is way faster than me. We had also traveled to be where we were, and it was a long-planned thing that I had intended to prepare for but things got away from me.
I vacillated during the entire race between pride "wow, isn't this a beautiful day, not many people can walk 13.1 miles at a time, I've really made good progress in my fitness journey" and self-loathing "OMG I can't believe I didn't train, I'm so far behind the pack, I suck so hard" ... I can 100% say that for me, the psychological challenge was >= the physical challenge.
I ended up in the very back of the pack with 3 other ladies who were strangers to me, and in the last couple of miles we had to finish "on the sidewalk" as we blew the 3:30 cut-off time and they had to re-open the roads. (We all finished sub-4:00, though, and that was with almost all walking.) The finish line was on private property, so all that was still set up at the end, but we had to run on the sidewalk to get there. It truly took all the psychological energy I could muster to make myself finish, and I would have cried at some point if my body had been hydrated enough to produce tears.
Most vital lesson: CARRY ENOUGH WATER because the last water station had already been broken down by the time we passed it and it was late enough in the day that it had gotten hot. Sad but true, I literally bummed a bottle of Aquafina off a stranger on the street who had already opened it and taken a sip, because I was that desperate. She was very kind and sympathetic, and she "looked clean" but OMG I will never let myself get to that point again.
I ended the race in a pretty bad frame of mind ... the finish line people were all SO cheery and supportive when we came across -- both the race officials and other runners -- but I honestly just wanted to cross the line and get my medal and disappear into thin air. I knew then and know now that it is an achievement to be able to do such a thing, even as slow and untrained as I was, but I couldn't help feeling like everybody who was cheering us at the finish was feeling pity on us for being last and I hated that. Like, even now just typing this up I'm having a physical reaction remembering all of it.
Physically, I hurt pretty bad the next week or so, but no permanent damage. And I have done other, shorter races since then, so it didn't turn me off completely.
SO ... as much as I want to be rah rah and say YOU CAN DO IT ... I also would say check your emotional temperature. I'm sure you would be okay physically, but the whole thing was more of an emotional challenge for me. Of course, I fully admit that I came to this with a heap of psychological baggage, but I think it's probably baggage that a lot of us in the same age/weight/fitness categories share.
Good luck!! Please report back, or at least DM me and let me know how it turns out. I will be thinking about you next Sunday, and I hope you can have fun on your trip no matter what you decide.
posted by mccxxiii at 3:45 AM on March 18, 2019 [4 favorites]
I vacillated during the entire race between pride "wow, isn't this a beautiful day, not many people can walk 13.1 miles at a time, I've really made good progress in my fitness journey" and self-loathing "OMG I can't believe I didn't train, I'm so far behind the pack, I suck so hard" ... I can 100% say that for me, the psychological challenge was >= the physical challenge.
I ended up in the very back of the pack with 3 other ladies who were strangers to me, and in the last couple of miles we had to finish "on the sidewalk" as we blew the 3:30 cut-off time and they had to re-open the roads. (We all finished sub-4:00, though, and that was with almost all walking.) The finish line was on private property, so all that was still set up at the end, but we had to run on the sidewalk to get there. It truly took all the psychological energy I could muster to make myself finish, and I would have cried at some point if my body had been hydrated enough to produce tears.
Most vital lesson: CARRY ENOUGH WATER because the last water station had already been broken down by the time we passed it and it was late enough in the day that it had gotten hot. Sad but true, I literally bummed a bottle of Aquafina off a stranger on the street who had already opened it and taken a sip, because I was that desperate. She was very kind and sympathetic, and she "looked clean" but OMG I will never let myself get to that point again.
I ended the race in a pretty bad frame of mind ... the finish line people were all SO cheery and supportive when we came across -- both the race officials and other runners -- but I honestly just wanted to cross the line and get my medal and disappear into thin air. I knew then and know now that it is an achievement to be able to do such a thing, even as slow and untrained as I was, but I couldn't help feeling like everybody who was cheering us at the finish was feeling pity on us for being last and I hated that. Like, even now just typing this up I'm having a physical reaction remembering all of it.
Physically, I hurt pretty bad the next week or so, but no permanent damage. And I have done other, shorter races since then, so it didn't turn me off completely.
SO ... as much as I want to be rah rah and say YOU CAN DO IT ... I also would say check your emotional temperature. I'm sure you would be okay physically, but the whole thing was more of an emotional challenge for me. Of course, I fully admit that I came to this with a heap of psychological baggage, but I think it's probably baggage that a lot of us in the same age/weight/fitness categories share.
Good luck!! Please report back, or at least DM me and let me know how it turns out. I will be thinking about you next Sunday, and I hope you can have fun on your trip no matter what you decide.
posted by mccxxiii at 3:45 AM on March 18, 2019 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great advice! This will be my first half, and admittedly it is pride that makes me want to push for the half. The other factor that I didn't mention - I've been training in hot/humid but also flat conditions, and the race is in Napa Valley (not hot, not humid, and definitely not flat). I checked the results for a similar race the company just held, and there were hundreds of finishers at 3:45+ times, so that was encouraging!
But, I'm taking all the words of caution to heart also. I think I will try to do a 2.5 hour walk/jog this evening to see how I feel and what my time looks like, and make a decision on race day.
posted by tryniti at 6:16 AM on March 18, 2019
But, I'm taking all the words of caution to heart also. I think I will try to do a 2.5 hour walk/jog this evening to see how I feel and what my time looks like, and make a decision on race day.
posted by tryniti at 6:16 AM on March 18, 2019
Typically, when doubling the distance of a race, a rule of thumb is to multiply by 1.06 to find the pace you'll run that at, but as your training is lacking, 1.12 might be better. That's about an 18:30 pace, when you need about an 18:20 pace, putting you right at the edge of likely to finish.
Perhaps try doing some searching on race walking, and see what you can do there? At the pace you're moving, depending exactly upon your gait, a determined walking pace might be more efficient than your jogging. If so, walking it would be easier to actually maintain that pace. As you're realistically not going to be making cardio improvements between now and the race (I'm assuming it's in the next weekend or two), I would think spending 2-3 30-40 minute sessions to see what sort of fast walking pace (don't even bother trying to jog) you could get up to and maintain might help determine if you should drop to the 5k vs. making the run. At the very least, if you can take some form hints and make your walking pace faster, that will speed up your average walk/jog pace.
One other thing that I'll say, is having had a DNF in my history, it's left me very aware of what a lack of training (or condition specific training) can do, and left me more determined to not do that again. I.E. even if you're borderline at being able to make this within the time limits it could be good to do. If you make it, it will be a bit more of an achievement. And if you don't, you'll remember this and be able to use this in your head to better motivate to training.
posted by nobeagle at 6:23 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Perhaps try doing some searching on race walking, and see what you can do there? At the pace you're moving, depending exactly upon your gait, a determined walking pace might be more efficient than your jogging. If so, walking it would be easier to actually maintain that pace. As you're realistically not going to be making cardio improvements between now and the race (I'm assuming it's in the next weekend or two), I would think spending 2-3 30-40 minute sessions to see what sort of fast walking pace (don't even bother trying to jog) you could get up to and maintain might help determine if you should drop to the 5k vs. making the run. At the very least, if you can take some form hints and make your walking pace faster, that will speed up your average walk/jog pace.
One other thing that I'll say, is having had a DNF in my history, it's left me very aware of what a lack of training (or condition specific training) can do, and left me more determined to not do that again. I.E. even if you're borderline at being able to make this within the time limits it could be good to do. If you make it, it will be a bit more of an achievement. And if you don't, you'll remember this and be able to use this in your head to better motivate to training.
posted by nobeagle at 6:23 AM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Ah, if it's not flat then that does change things a lot, I'd assumed a flat road marathon. Can you see the elevation profile or results on the same course for previous year? I did a mountain marathon at the weekend which also had a half and the slowest finisher for the half took 07:34:15!
posted by JonB at 9:17 AM on March 18, 2019
posted by JonB at 9:17 AM on March 18, 2019
I think you'll be fine - I have done quite a few half marathons on very little training. And I trained for the London Marathon in New Orleans - hot and humid and flat here, and it was not hot nor humid nor flat there, and it was fine. (I mean, some people might call that course flat but it sure wasn't NOLA flat.) Anyway, good luck and I really hope it's cool and you do it! (Oh yeah, also I'm overweight and slow.)
posted by pyjammy at 2:17 PM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by pyjammy at 2:17 PM on March 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Update: I did 8.5 miles last night and averaged a 16:16 pace, so I think I'm going for it! Thanks for all the advice and encouragement, and I am promising myself that I will be better trained for the next one.
posted by tryniti at 5:27 AM on March 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by tryniti at 5:27 AM on March 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
Some races have an early start available for people who expect to have a high finishing time (maybe 3:30 and up). Worth emailing the race director to see if that's an option. You wouldn't start with your friends, but they'd probably catch up to you at some point, and you wouldn't have to worry about holding people up at the end.
posted by disconnect at 7:37 AM on March 21, 2019
posted by disconnect at 7:37 AM on March 21, 2019
Response by poster: FYI fir future readers, I decided to go for it and finished at 3:37. I was on Pace to finish around 3:15 despite the ridiculous hills, but I came up lame in my bad ankle around mile 11.5 and had to limp the last few miles. I'm so glad I went for it and had a great time. I signed up for another half in November and promise to actually train appropriately this time.
posted by tryniti at 9:44 PM on March 24, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by tryniti at 9:44 PM on March 24, 2019 [10 favorites]
I'm stoked for you, well done.
posted by The Monkey at 2:45 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by The Monkey at 2:45 AM on April 2, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
You might be able to start off with a run walk and then around mile 6 just power walk the rest but you’d likely be cutting it close.
There would be two considerations for me: 1. It can feel really shitty to be ther last person to cross a finish line especially when they’re breaking down the course behind you (yes, someone has to be last and your lapping everyone on the couch and all that jazz but it still sucks). I’d look up last years race results and see how many people actually finished around the 3:30-4hourmark. 2. You might be kind of wrecked for the weekend and not really be able to participate in the rest of the weekend activities.
I’d likely switch to the 5k, but you’re the best judge of you
posted by raccoon409 at 3:35 PM on March 17, 2019