This week I’ve done…nothing! (Well almost nothing – I went for a short, easy lakefront run last night).
I came out of the Green Bay Half Marathon feeling no worse for wear. However, I was run down going in to the race and still feel a bit off my game now.
Looking back on it, I made a mistake in my pre-race training run last Wednesday. My intention was to determine a target pace for the half, by running mile repeats at a slightly faster pace with a 1 minute of rest in between. The run went great – 8 repeats, a total of 9.25 miles (with warm up and cool down) in 80 minutes. And I felt great! But later that day I was wiped out, and by Thursday I came to the realization that I had pushed too hard. The moral of the story is:
I have not figured out how to properly taper for a half marathon.
So this week my body has been telling me to take it easy, and I’ve listened with a week of rest.
Tomorrow I’m running the Soldier Field 10 Mile here in Chicago for the first time. While this is a pretty popular race here, it’s not nearly a big deal as the Green Bay Marathon was last weekend. And it’s as close to a “home game” as I can get: the starting line is literally a 5-minute walk from our condo, and the course is along the lake-shore path where I do most of my training. So I’ll be well rested and ready for a logistically easy race.
Race report to follow!
Cancelled Races or Why do I run?
Why do I run?
As I mentioned in my last post, Sunday’s Green Bay Marathon was cancelled 2 hours and 35 minutes into the race due to unseasonably hot and humid conditions. I finished the half marathon before the race was called and didn’t in fact learn about the cancellation until a few hours later. But the news didn’t come as a surprise. Along the course I saw a handful of people receiving medical attention and a number of people in the medical tent after the race. With people struggling that early in the race, it was a foregone conclusion that things would get worse as the miles, hours, and temperatures increased.
There has been a lot of discussion in the following days about the decision to cancel race, an issue that everyone seems to have an opinion on. For the record, I think stopping the race was the right decision. There were definitely some issues with how the cancellation was communicated to runners and how everything was handled. But even with the best laid plans, I don’t see a race cancellation ever going smoothly without issue.
Looking at the marathon’s Facebook page, there are many of commenters who agreed with the decision to call the race early. And of course there are those that don’t agree with the cancellation or how it was handled.
I’ve read a lot of the commentary of those that were upset with the decision trying to put myself in their shoes and consider how I’d react.
- If I crossed the finish line at 9:40am and I didn’t get an official time because the race was cancelled at 9:35, I’d be upset.
- If I’d been training for months putting in the hours and miles and this was going to be my first marathon, I’d be upset.
- If I was a smart, experienced runner who maintained a safe pace, stayed well hydrated, and could have finished without issue, I’d be upset.
But the more I thought about it, the more one question came back to me: Why do I run? Do I really run so I can say I ran a certain race on a certain day in a certain time? I am as fanatical about my runs and times as anyone. I have a record of every race I’ve ever run, and I’m driven to get faster and to add better times to that log. But at that the end of the day, is it all about the numbers? For me, no.
I run because I feel good doing it. I run for the adrenaline rush of the pre-race excitement while standing anxiously at the start line. I run for the beauty encountered logging training miles along the lakefront and through the trails of the forest preserve. I run because I enjoy the company of my fellow runners in the gym and out on the trails. I run because it’s challenging, and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get from overcoming the challenge.
And at the end of the day, what’s a cancelled race? Another challenge. A bump in the road that disrupts the best laid plains, and forces me to regroup and try again. So yes, a cancelled race would upset me, and I’d stew over it for a bit. But then I’d lace up my shoes and go for a run.
2012 Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon
Yesterday I ran the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon in Green Bay, WI. I grew up in a small town just outside of Green Bay and we were back in town for a weekend visit to my parents, so it was a great chance to run this race for the first time.
The Cellcom is the “big” race in Green Bay and over 8,000 participants signed up to run this year between the full, half, and relay marathons. One of the usual race perks is that the finish line is located inside Lambeau Field, but due to stadium construction, the finish was moved to the parking lot just outside the stadium.
The race expo was on Saturday and was held in the atrium at Lambeau Field – probably the coolest venue for a packet pick-up/race expo for any race I’ve done so far. I’m pretty well geared-up, but it’s always fun to check out the vendors and see what’s new. USA Track and Field had a booth with some cool Team USA gear available just in time for the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately, they were out of my size in the one shirt I wanted, but they did direct me to their online store. USA! USA!
Race day came early Sunday with a 7am start. The big issue this year was the heat. Temperatures were forecast to be in the low 70s at race, start climbing into the 80s by 9am. The heat would impact all runners, but I was feeling for the full marathoners who would see the temperatures continue to rise during the second half of their race.
By chance, we ran into the parents of a good friend of mine from high school. My friend’s mom had her excellent camera and was able to capture some great pre-race, mile 3 and finish photos.
The half marathon and marathon share the same course through mile 12, where the half marathoners head back to Lambeau while marathoners continue on. The course winds its way through the residential neighborhoods of west Green Bay (or more particularly, the surrounding village of Ashwaubenon). Thankfully, most of these streets are covered by big shady trees, which would be very welcome in the morning’s heat.
I somehow ended up with a “Preferred” starting bib, which let me lineup close to the front with the elites. Unfortunately, it wasn’t warranted. I started with a pretty aggressive pace – the same pace I recently ran 10 mile and 10k runs at – but by mile 2 I knew this just wasn’t going to be a great race day. The heat was already taking its toll and I had been fighting a dull headache and congestion brought on by allergies for a few days. So I cut my pace and just focused on running a good race, keeping a close watch on how I was feeling and making sure to not overdo it. By mile 5 I was still running at a pretty fast pace, but I knew I would hit a wall if I kept it up (slowing down is harder than it sounds). So from then on, I walked for one minute at each mile marker to force myself to slow down. This worked and by Mile 10 my overall pace had dropped by a full minute per mile (and at each mile I found myself looking more and more forward to the walk breaks).
Just after mile 12, we made the turn back towards Lambeau, bid adieu to the full marathon runners (I was really feeling sorry for them), and made the last push to the finish. I came in just under 2 hours, far from the race I was hoping to run but given the conditions of the day it was a finish I was happy with. I was tired, sweaty, and glad it was over, but overall not too worse for wear. Undoubtedly due to the hot conditions, I witnessed a handful of people on the course getting medical attention, so all things considered I was pleased to finished unscathed. I picked up my finishers medal, and had a complimentary after-race root beer (I passed on the brat – just didn’t sound good to me).
While the weather was a bummer, the race itself was really fantastic.The organization was excellent – there were 10 fluid stations on the half marathon course alone, and I’m pretty sure I stopped at every one after mile 3. There were also gel and fruit at a couple of the stations. Each station was well staffed with friendly volunteers and they were quick with cups of water and Gatorade. The spectators were also amazing. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the course winding through several quiet residential neighborhoods, but the residents and spectators were there in numbers. There weren’t the thick throngs of people you’d see at a major urban race, but at several intersections people were standing 4 or 5 deep and more importantly, there were people cheering along the almost the entire course. Additionally, several residents had put out hoses and sprinklers to help runners cool down – I didn’t keep count, but there were at least 20 or so places on half marathon alone. On a day like yesterday, these were greatly appreciated. We really couldn’t ask for more from all those who came out to volunteer and cheer us on.
The news of the day was that the race was canceled at 9:25am due to the unseasonably hot conditions. The cancelling of the race warrants its own post, but given that temperatures hit 90 degrees and that medical and emergency personal were stretched to their limits dealing with heat related issues, it was the right call (adding insult to injury a cold front moved in last night and today’s high temp will be lucky to hit 72). But aside from the weather the race was well run and a lot of fun, one I’ll definitely consider running again in the future.
The First Post
Hello World!
Like many firsts, the first post is always a little awkward so I’ll just make it short and sweet, so we can get on to bigger and better things.
I am in Green Bay, WI for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and Half Marathon (I’m running the half).
I’m resting today, before hitting the race expo and packet pickup tomorrow and the race on Sunday. Updates to follow!