Have I Changed My Mind About Long-Distance Running?

Half Marathon Reflection

With my first half marathon having been completed, I have had time to reflect on what I learned from the experience of training for and running that race distance. I am actually surprised at how I feel about the experience and had anticipated a much different outcome.

Firstly, I had never expected to do a race of this distance. In fact, I was pretty actively against it prior to getting whatever wild hair caused me to go for it. My previous longest race (10k) was not enjoyable, so going for a 21k half marathon was quite unthinkable at the time. I only decided to do a half marathon once for the bragging rights. To say that I had done it. While the actual run was difficult and the training was fraught with issues, afterwards I was surprised to find that I didn’t hate the experience.

Here is some of the things I got from this:

Weather, pains and fluctuating motivation make for a frustrating time during training.
I have a wall (mile 8) that can only be overcome with either perseverance or more training.
Endurance can be increased. I found that I can quite easily do 10k after having trained for the half marathon.
I recovered more quickly than expected from this race. However, I am not entirely sure if that is because of something specific I had done. I only know that I expected to be sore for days and was back to normal the next day.
This race had more runners than I had experienced in any other race. I now have a better understanding about what to expect from larger populated races.
I missed out on an opportunity for some sick swag from race sponsors. I didn’t even realize the number of sponsors and the items they were giving away. I have noticed that with each race I have done, I have missed opportunities to check out sponsors and mingle with the crowds. I really need to allow myself to stick around after finishing and enjoy the post-race atmosphere.
Finishing a race and looking through race results makes me wish I had started running when I was younger, but looking at the results of people near my age and older leaves me thinking that it is possible (with more mileage) to improve on my finishes.
Most people are not interested in details. They easily grow tired hearing uninteresting details about other people’s hobbies like running. Beyond, “Hey I ran a race” the rest is noise.
I need to enjoy the race itself more. In all the races I have done, from the start until the finish is me paying attention to my pace, checking my estimated finish time and mentally dealing with the struggles faced. I don’t spend much time just enjoying the world around me during these races. That needs to change.

Overall, I had a really positive experience with this race. Race day weather was perfect for me. The event itself was huge. They had three different length races happening at once and lots of activity. It was a very well organized event even though parking could have been less confusing and the event staff/volunteers more knowledgeable about simple things, like where the starting line is. The course was enjoyable and scenic. There were playgrounds, beaches, seaside condos/apartments with residents watching the race (even saw one resident let a women in the race use their restroom), cheering for and greeting the racers. It was a fantastic day for a run. I am glad that I had a camera to shoot some video footage along the way because I certainly should have been more present in the moment.

Looking Ahead

Now for a bigger question… What to do next. In the short time I have been running, I have come to realize that I hate running/training in the heat. For me, anything over 70 is too hot and I find myself not enjoying the time spent running. Being completely drenched in sweat, the amount of chafing and the increase in effort when it is warmer are all things I find quite unpleasant as the temperature rises. So I won’t be scheduling any races between now and fall, unless I find a race in early to mid-June and train in the mornings when May gray keeps the mornings cool. For now, the next for sure race will be the one in December that I have done twice previously.

That does not mean training stops completely. It does mean that training I do for now will not be race focused. During this period, I am going to trial different training platforms to see how they work and if their subscription rates are worth it.

The first ones I will be trying are ‘Train As One‘ and ‘Runna‘ which are both sub-based premium services with both a web portal and an accompanying smart phone app. Train as One is the one I am going to start with and it is an AI Training Engine that uses past training data along with goal information to create an adaptive training plan. The plan updates based on the outcomes of its scheduled runs and accounts for any interruptions in the plan like trips or injuries. The sub is cheaper by about half and the trial period is a week longer than Runna. This AI attempts to present training feedback reduced into simple numbers, but does give you the ability to access raw data and more detailed statistics about your running during the plan.

The goal for these plans will not culminate in a race, but rather I am looking to improve on my 5k pace and finish time as well as increase endurance. The first two sessions in this plan are assessment sessions. The first being a very short (just under a mile) and very slow baseline. That was done on May 1 (see the video below). The session for May 2nd will be a longer 3 mile run with a portion done at a pace as fast as I can manage. The speed evaluation portion is looking for the total distance I can cover in a 6 minute period. It does not have any expectation for what that distance will be and is up to me to set.

Shocking News?

Okay, so I have two announcements that may come as a shock to those who know me.

Despite my insistence that I would never do a long distance run again… I am planning on doing the same half marathon next April and I hope to get coworkers to do it with me.
In my 60th year (4 years and change from now to train) I plan on running a full marathon!!! What, what, what?? Yep. I want to do something big for my 60th. If I have to even reach 60, I want it to be meaningful and worth something.

In addition, I am changing my opinion on long distance running. I have seen that building endurance can make longer distance races more attainable. I only need to work on ways to get over the absolute boredom I experience after about a half hour of running. It is difficult to image now lasting 3+ hours of continuous running, but I will do it.

With this change in opinion on longer runs and having found that 10k was much more easily attained with the half marathon training, I will be looking to add in one or more 10k races somewhere in the schedule.

Stay tuned for more information about future races and my experiences with different training platforms. I am also still looking to put out blog posts on running equipment. At some point I will complete posts on shoe comparisons/recommendations and another on other wearable devices like watches.