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Name: Calgary Marathon - Half Marathon
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Date: May 26, 2024
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Distance: 21.1 km
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Location: Calgary, AB
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Website:
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Time: 1:51:14
Goals
Goal | Description | Completed? |
---|---|---|
A | Sub 2:00:00 | Yes |
B | Sub 1:55:00 | Yes |
C | Sub 1:50:00 | No |
Splits
Kilometer | Time |
---|---|
1 | 5:44 |
2 | 5:22 |
3 | 5:29 |
4 | 5:31 |
5 | 5:19 |
6 | 5:36 |
7 | 5:18 |
8 | 5:23 |
9 | 5:22 |
10 | 5:17 |
11 | 5:13 |
12 | 5:07 |
13 | 5:05 |
14 | 5:16 |
15 | 5:18 |
16 | 4:59 |
17 | 4:58 |
18 | 4:56 |
19 | 4:59 |
20 | 4:55 |
21 | 4:42 |
22 | 1:12 |
Background
I (M32) started running last summer. Due to being busy at work, lack of motivation and using my evenings to learn coding I had been slacking off on any form of exercise. I was looking to fit in a quick workout 3 times a week. I have always hated running as a taller person (6'4" and 215 lbs) but I was looking for something to do and felt like I wasn't making much progress riding our Peloton bike so I started the Peloton learn to run program. I went finished that and successfully could run for 30 minutes (yay!!!).
After starting to enjoy this a friend and I discussed the idea of doing the 10km race. Then I chatted with some co-workers who said they were going to try and do the half and said I should try as well (unfortunately work commitments would prevent them from doing it). After doing my first 10km run in the fall it didn't seem like much of a challenge, so the half was decided on.
Training
I started reading this sub and struggled with finding a plan and ultimately settled on the plan from . I was far enough out I was hoping to run this training block twice through the winter, but weather and an aversion to running in the snow derailed this a bit. Overall I stuck to it ok for the first block, but I really committed for the second block. I found running four times a week worked well for my schedule.
First setback came 3 weeks out from the race after doing a 19km long run where I started to develop pain in my left calf. I took a couple days off and tried to come back and couldn't get through an 8km run. I took 5 days off and it seemed ok until my next long run I started feeling the same pain in my right calf! I suspect this was from a pretty drastic increase in mileage starting in April. At this point I started getting fairly anxious about maintaining training and being healthy for the race. I did one more 16 km long run that felt ok and started to taper 2 weeks out.
Race
The day before the race I did a mild carb load, eating a big pasta dinner. The morning of I had a coffee, bagel with peanut butter and a Maurten 160. Fueling for the race was going to be 3 Maurten 100's and then drinking Nuun at the aid stations.
From reading this sub I knew it was important to go out slow and build throughout the race. I was targeting 5:30/km for the first 10 km and then speed up from there aiming for around 5:10/km. This pace I found to be quite fast in training but I was hoping adrenaline would help out a bit.
The race started and it was much more crowded than I expected and I didn't navigate it all too well, going a bit slower than I wanted but I figured it was better than jumping through gaps and burning out.
The out and back hill a few km's in caught me off guard. I knew there was two hills at the start but did not realize they were going to be this big and long. I tried to just stay steady and control my breathing and got through them ok. I took my first gel after the first hill, before heading up the second.
Up until the 10 km marker I was just focused on staying steady. I had a minor side cramp at 8km and just tried to control my breathing and it went away.
Saw my fiancée, my friends fiancée and his mom at kilometer 10. This ended up being a great boost and it was awesome to see them cheering us on. After passing them I had my second gel and tried to pick up the pace a bit. Was doing ok until kilometer 14 where my right calf started to act up again. I knew from my training runs I could run through it and it wouldn't get worse so I tried to not focus on it on keep on grinding. Pounded back the last gel after this and kept on.
At this point I was hitting below 5:00/km and it was feeling good. Challenging but I felt I could keep this pace, despite not doing it once during a long run in my training. Not much was going on until kilometer 18 when going through a cheer station I passed a woman who had apparently had a bowel issue was still chugging along. To be honest the shock that hit me kinda distracted me for the next kilometer. She was still jogging so I assume she was ok. Do what you gotta do I guess.
Shortly after 21 km marker I knew we were getting close so I tried to put the hammer down while keeping a little bit in the tank for the last sprint. I felt strong hitting the last hill and could start to hear the noise from the finish line. 500m out I started to go as fast as I could, building speed into the last 200m sprint.
Post-race
Met up with my fiancée and had a NA beer and protein drink. We stood in-line for the bag check as it started raining. The line was huge and it was windy and cold making for a miserable time. In hindsight I really wish I didn't bring a bag as I didn't really need it.
Assessment
I am quite proud of my result. Going from a complete non-runner to running a half marathon is a pretty cool accomplishment. I am especially proud of how I finished the race. I set new 1km, 5km and 10km PR's all in the second half of the race.
What's Next
I am heading on my elopement/honeymoon soon so I am looking forward to a few weeks of rest to hopefully help rest the calf issue I am having. I may go see a PT when I get back depending on how its feeling.
I plan on doing a mix of strength training and running through the summer. My work schedule in the fall doesn't allow for fitting in a fall race, so it will likely be Spring 2025 for the next one. I am tempted to do a coaching program for the winter so I don't need to think about a training plan - I tend to overthink finding one and knowing if I am doing enough/too little. I am hoping this would be enough time to train for attempting sub 1:40, but maybe that's too ambitious haha. Maybe a full marathon will be in my future as well!
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