Patriot Half Race Report

[sgf726]

Hi All,
My report from Saturday's Patriot HIM. This was my 3rd race of the year (first was an OYL in April) and the second was a sprint which became a Duathlon due to bad weather.

I was using this race as a training race for LPIM which is 5 weeks away.

In general it was a good race, the weather wasn't too hot (high 60's) but it was windy.

My overall goal for the race was to break 6:30, and I finished in 6:29.04
My other goal was to make sure I ate and drank consistantly so I would have good energy on the run. I am training to eat on a set pattern instead of when I am hungry as often on this races I don't get hungry my energy just gets low.

Swim: The swim is my weakest, I am usually one of the slowest swimmers and Saturday was no exception. The swim was on a large pond (its supposidly the largest freshwater pond in Mass) and the wind made it very choppy. I never really got into a rhythm on the swim and was a very slow 57 minutes.

Bike - I had a strong bike, the bike course was small rollers but no big hills, I rode in my large gear the entire race. I am used to riding hills so I found the course relatively easy. I did well with eating 100 calories every 45 minutes as planned and drank about 2 bottles of brew (I was suppose to drink 3 but couldn't stomach that much fluid). I think because it was cooler and I wasn't sweating much I didn't need as much. I tried to keep the run at a steady pace (slightly faster than desired IM effort) but not as hard as a shorter race.
The goal was to have a strong bike and position myself well for the run. I finished the bike in 3.16/17.1 pace so was pleased with that.

Run - The run was great, I felt really strong on the run, my coach and are using a run/walk pattern to train for IM where I walk through the aid stations to make sure I am eating and drinking. This gives me the recovery and I find my overall pace is faster than when I try and run the entire 13.1; I had to made a quick bathroom break in the first mile which cost me 2 minutes but still passed many people on the run and finished the run at 2:07.04/9:38 pace. I was thrilled with this, its only 12 minutes slower than my 1/2 marathon PR and was after biking and swimming.

Overall I finished 18/42 in my AG, so top half :-)

I know have 5 weeks to go until Lake Placid. I am feeling real good about the bike and the run. I went to LP over Memorial Day Weekend and rode the bike course twice (its hilly) and did one loop on the run course (rolling except for the steep hill back to LP that you have to twice at mile 12 and 24).

I am still really nervous about the swim. Next week I am doing a 2 mile swim training race, this will be the first time I have swum that distance so if I do OK with that will feel better for the race.

Sharon

[Susan Otcenas]

Thank you for the report! Congratulations on meeting your goal despite challenging conditions on the swim portion!

May I ask you a question? Was the run/walk strategy on the half marathon your idea, or your coach's? What was the driving force/reason behind it? Do you think is was a successful strategy and one that you will carry over to LPIM?

[sgf726]

Hi Susan,
It was my coaches idea, he has had me use it on most of my long runs this spring. We either do 14/1 or 9/1. I plan to use the same strategy for the IM as it seems to work. He's position is it allows proper time to take in food and drink and a small recovery. I also find I can push it a little harder especially when approaching the aid station as I know I am getting a short break :-)

I haven't used it for shorter races (10K or less run) but it seems to work for the longer events. Last year I did my first HIM and I know its hard to compare as that was a much harder bike course, the run courses were similiar in difficulty and my run on that race was 14 minutes slower.

[Susan Otcenas]

I ask because I would like to use a similar strategy for my upcoming Ironman (as well as a TOUGH half coming up this weekend) but my coach has been fairly anti run/walk. For Ironman, I'd like to use a 9/1 strategy for the first half of the run. If I'm feeling good, I'll continue to do it, but I think I may need to switch to a 4/1 strategy after that. But she seems dead set against me training that way, or considering it for the event. But I'm trying to be realistic, whereas I think she's being a little unrealistic given my demonstrated running ability (or lack thereof).

[sgf726]

Did your coach specify why s/he was against training that way? I am a fairly strong runner and when I asked him about it since I noticed all the runs were that pattern, he said he wanted me to get used to it, so it wouldn't be new for the race. If its something you want to do, I would try it and see how it feels.

I volunteers on the run last year at LP and the majority of people where walking the aid stations (or more).

When is your IM?

[Susan Otcenas]

Canada on August 26th.

When I asked her about using a run/walk strategy both for racing and my LSD runs, she basically said "No one has ever come to me and asked me to coach them to walk the marathon." Which, of course, is not really what I'm asking. Her philosophy is that one should train slooooow enough that the run is entirely aerobic, thus allowing you to run farther and more consistently. And I *do* complete my long runs like that now. Very slow at very low heart rates. When I finish, I usually feel like I could just keep right on trucking, even after running for a few hours. Which is great, and works really well on days where I'm just running (or swimming and running).

But, I don't run well off the bike. I do lots of long bricks and they are really hard for me. By which I mean I can't stay in that same low HR mode, no matter how slowly I run. My HR is always 20-30 beats higher at the same pace on my brick runs. And during a race, it's a wonder I don't have a coronary on the run. So, realistically, I *know* I will have to run/walk, but I don't feel like I have her support for that strategy.

I wonder, did you and your coach refer to a good published source material that I might be able to use as a starting point for a conversation on the topic? For the record, I generally like my coach, but on this one point, I feel like we don't have a meeting of the minds.

_____

Good to see you have a swim race scheduled before your IM. I'd bet it will do wonders for your confidence level. Like you, I'm more nervous about the (mass start) IM swim than anything else. I did a 2000M swim race at the lake a few weeks ago and it was a real confidence booster. Plus, I've volunteered to be the swimmer on TWO tri relay teams during July. I figure I need all the OWS practice I can get (I go to the lake twice a week right now, plus do pool swims) and if I can get more *race* OWS practice, all the better! Let us know how your swim race goes!!

Really looking forward to your IM race report! Sounds like you're very well prepared. Is it your first?

Susan

[colby]

I followed that principle (nobody wants to train to walk the marathon) for all of my training, but then found I frequently walked the aid stations in order to eat and regroup, even in the Ironmans where I did run more of the marathon. In Florida, when I finally did basically run/jog the entire marathon (because it's pancake flat ), I still walked most if not all aid stations. Since the aid stations are about 1 mile apart, it's manageable chunks, and I found I was able to "run" faster between them. This year, I did more of my long runs thinking about that strategy, but so many things are different from year to year that I'm not sure I'll be able to tell how it pans out.

I get that you can't run every long run at your race pace, but I'd rather have as much be on autopilot as possible without demoralizing myself into thinking I'm failing because I'm walking. I want to train for success, not necessarily train for the ideal. I'm not going to win, podium, or even qualify for Kona (yet? dream...), so I'd rather focus on being smooth, easy, and consistent. For me, a race where I run even or negative splits would be amazing, regardless of walking aid stations.

[sgf726]

Susan,
I will ask my coach about any published materials. He is in Europe this week but when he returns next week. He's actually a very well respected coach and was USAT coach of the year in 2010 as well as coaching some elite athletes. I am lucky that he is also the fitness director at my gym and coaches some middle of the pack AGers like myself.

Like Colby said I am not trying to win, place or even Kona qualify I am actually just trying to finish the race in under 15 hours.

I think that different coaches have different perspectives on the training and the goals as well. I actually don't do LSD runs, as slow as some others recommend. I had asked him about that because I had read that you should do your LSD runs at 1:20-2 slower than marathon pace, and I do mine about 45-60 secs slower than my marathon pace. He had said that since I am more of an endurance runner than a sprinter that my gap between a 5K and Marathon Pace is smaller than average that I shouldn't slow down my long runs that much.

It does seem like there might be a slight mismatch with your coach. Perhaps she's not training you to walk a marathon but she is training you to finish an IM - totally different in my mind. My coach actually said (and I am not sure if I believe it) that is actually easier to run the marathon at the IM then just a marathon because you are not running as fast. I couldn't walk for a week after my first and only marathon so far.

I am terrified about the swim, both the mass start and the fact that I have to swim 2.4 miles

Its great that you are getting the practice with the OWS. I have not been out in the OW as much as I would like so far this season but plan at least once a week between now and the race.

Good luck with your HIM this weekend.
Sharon

[sgf726]

Not from my coach but this is the person that I have heard the most about regarding the run/walk method for marathons:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html