Race: Air Force Half Marathon
Date: September 15, 2018
Location: Dayton, OH
Time: 1:55:33
Overall Rank: X out of XX
Age Group Rank: X out of X
Results: http:
I ran the Air Force Half Marathon yesterday and beat my previous time from 2017 by 38 seconds (8:50/mile pace). I worked really hard for those 38 seconds, so I feel very accomplished. It was a hard race after mile 8 or so. The sun broke through the clouds about that time, and despite my best efforts, I think I got dehydrated in the 80-degree temperature. Evidence of this was a mild abdominal cramp during the run and the significant leg cramps I got after I finished. Otherwise, my legs felt strong and my breathing didn't seem labored. My heart rate averaged 90% of my maximum, which is a pretty high workload to sustain for almost 2 hours (1:55:33 to be exact). My cadence averaged 169 steps per minute, which is reasonable for a tall person like me; however, it dropped to less than 160 spm in the last 20 minutes of my race, which probably indicates I was tiring out. On the other hand, most people, after about 90 minutes of exertion, transition from reliance on glycogen energy stores in the liver to reliance on fat energy stores. I’ve been reading a book on running, and the author states that fat can fuel a runner indefinitely, but that the running speed is slower compared to when the exercise is fueled by glycogen. Was that what I was feeling? Or maybe since I read that only a day or two ago, it was fresh on my mind and I grasped on to the idea to explain the growing shadow of exhaustion I saw coming up behind me as I ran into mile 11. In any case, I pushed on, knowing that I’d be done soon, and that Shannan would be looking for me at mile 12.5, and I wanted to be doing my best when she saw me. She took a photo then, and in viewing it, I shudder to think that was “doing my best,” but I was.
Overall, I am really pleased to have had a good performance. I needed to do well, since I’ll be running twice the distance at Ironman Maryland in two weeks. I’ve struggled a bit in my running this summer, so an unqualified success today was necessary to keep my confidence strong going into my upcoming race. I can also rest easy knowing that my knee problems did not cause me any discomfort today, and my new shoe inserts worked perfectly so that I don’t have any arch pain, either. Running has not been nice to my body this year! My only advice to myself is to hydrate even more before my next race, and of course, go at a slower pace so I don’t overheat.
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