Quick Note – Still Sick

I don’t know what kind of evil I ingested but it’s kicking my ass; today is day 7 of Flu-From-Hell 2012!   On the upside, it seems to be abating but it’s certainly taking it’s sweet time.  On that note, I leave you with this:

Have a good one….

Quick Note – Road2Hope

Hey, just a quick note to let you know that a recap of the Road2Hope half marathon is coming but I’ve been knocked on my ass this week with a nasty virus and as such haven’t been much good for writing.

Thanks for your patience

Have a good one.

Road2Hope Power Anthem!

When going into a race, I usually try and pick a kickass song to drive me home in those last lonely miles; for Hamilton’s Road2Hope half marathon I decided that it would be fitting to choose a band from Hamilton.  Home town race, home town band (it doesn’t hurt that they’re awesome).  So with out further adieu I present: Monster Truck – Runnin’

“Come on, fire it up, I keep on runnin'”

Tomorrow’s Half Marathon anthem! #Road2Hope

Road2Hope Half Marathon Goals

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages

After much deliberation, consolation, postulation, inspiration, hesitation and perspiration I’ve finally decided on a race plan for Sunday’s Road2Hope half marathon.

Short version: I’m going to shoot for a 1:45
Long version: Go get a coffee this could take a minute to get through….The feedback from my pacing inquiry a few days ago was split 50/50.  Half of you suggested I take it easy, then make a push near the end if I was feeling good, the other half called me out and told me to go for it.  Essentially, it came down to my gut.  When I decided to actually RACE this half (instead of merely running it) the idea was to see what I was capable of; to dig deep, to push my limits and leave everything out on the course.  To do this I can’t just back away from a time that scares me, it’s time to step up.

With that being said, it’s time to set the definitive list:

A – 1:45 (5:00 min/km)
B – 1:50 (5:15min/km)
C – 1:52:30 (My current HM best although it is from 2008)
D – Don’t poop myself (always a plus, stolen from Claire)

OK, maybe it wasn’t that long, but at least now you have a coffee: you’re welcome 😉

As with any race prediction/result; If I hit my goal I’ll do a happy dance, and if I don’t it makes for good blog material.

Wish me luck!

Pacing & Racing…What to Do?

Morning folks!

Looks like this year’s Road2Hope race weekend in Hamilton is quickly approaching, and I should probably talk about it since it’s become a yearly tradition for me. To be honest, the race has kind of snuck up on me. My training has been pretty good despite (or maybe “because of”) using a lighter training plan and incorporating more rest & cross training. Regardless, I’m feeling pretty good and looking forward to race day.

For the past two weeks I’ve had a friend of my wife join me for my long runs, she’s in great shape but mostly focuses on short-medium distances. She’s MUCH faster than me but has no experience over the long haul so it’s been mutually beneficial (she pushes me, I keep her even-keeled for the long run). She’s never run anything longer than a 10km race and even our longest training run (12.4km) is well short of a half marathon, but she’s decided that she wants to run the half marathon this weekend with me despite all this. Unfortunately, there’s a problem: I told her that I wanted to run at a steady 5:15/km pace, which I THOUGHT was a 1:45 half marathon…unfortunately it’s not. It’s actually a 1:50 half marathon pace. Not a big deal right? Welllll…after finding my mistake (math was never my strong suit) apparently she’s still married to the idea of a 1:45 race. It’s more aligned with the pace she’s used to training at so I see where she’s coming from, but I’m not so sure. Moreover, I’m not sure if I’m reluctant to jump on the faster pace because I’m scared to push through/hard or because I’m trying to be responsible veteran racer and trying to keep us both from blowing up.

We’ve had some great paces on our training runs and I’m right on the cusp of making the move to the faster race pace in my own right, but right now I’m in limbo. SO: Do I push for the faster pace and hope for the best or hang my hat on the race plan I setup 2 months ago when I didn’t know how I’d feel on race day?

Opinions?

What would you do?