I Run

Last Sunday I raced the New Bedford Half Marathon. Again it was cold, windy, and a great deal of fun (just like the last time I raced here)! I beat my previous time on this course by almost two minutes (1:32:51), and it's a new half marathon PR for me. This was the third time I've run this course that winds its way around the city of New Bedford, MA. I think I paced myself pretty well, with the first mile my slowest at 7:29 as the crowd held me back a bit. Miles 5, 6, 7, and 8 were all under 7:00 since this is a gentle downgrade, then back to 7:00+ pace with the wind on the water and an upslope back to the center of the city. My placing was 42/162 in my age group and 389/1664 overall (7:05 pace) in a highly competitive field since this race is part of the USATF NE Grand Prix series. I think the faster runners make me run a bit faster as well, so I hope Boston provides the same kind of inspiration since a major percentage of the qualifiers there are much faster than I am.

I can really tell the difference in my fitness after training for a few weeks, especially when I try to push a little harder. I've found that with the Pfitzinger plan, after the halfway point I'm able to run my tempos longer, my intervals faster, and my long runs more evenly. The 20 (almost 21) miler I did on Sunday was by far my best in a long time. Since I felt good, I decided that I'd try to run each 5 mile segment a little faster than the preceding one. And I did, with my final 5 miles at under marathon pace. I know that the function of the long run really isn't to push oneself to go faster - it's more about time on your feet and building endurance - but I find that the addition of a little more speed helps me psychologically. As long as I don't push so hard that I'm not ready for my following workouts, the knowledge that I can endure some speed over very long distances is excellent feedback that I can use to improve my performance going forward. The pace I kept for this morning's 8 miles with 5x100m strides was about 15 seconds per mile faster than I usually run - a little harder - but not excessive. Knowing when to back off, though, is something I just have to keep in mind as I continue to improve my marathon pace.