Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon Lessons

This past weekend I ran the Philadelphia Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. Due to a lack of preparation and 10,000 miles of cross country travel the week prior my expectations were low. Despite my poor mindset in the early stages I not only was able to overcome my self doubt but I was able to set a new PR of 1:35:54. I want to use this post to focus on the lessons from the run that are relevant to all of us. Lesson 1: Mental Outlook We are all in control of our mental outlook when competing in an event. When I first started the race I had my told myself that 1:40 was my goal. I picked 1:40 as I knew this time was challenging but attainable. By setting a realistic goal I set myself up for mental success in the early miles. Positive outcomes yield positive thoughts which influence your posture and form. Negative thoughts can lead to poor posture which can lead to injuries due to poor form. Furthermore if you are mentally defeated early in a race those thoughts will become self-fulfilling as you fight through your first 'wall' or 'bonk out'. By building positive results in the early part of the race my outlook changed which pushed self doubt into the background. Lesson 2: Trust Your Training Not every training plan goes according to schedule. Full time jobs, families and other outside commitments can pull us away from our optimal training plan. A training plan should serve as a guideline. If you are able to complete 80-90% of your training plan and have been honest during your workouts than you should trust the work you put in. If your training plan called for 4 mile run, circuit training and 7 mile run but you listened to your body and took a rest day instead of circuit training that is OK! Knowing your limits and boundaries during training is just as important as testing them during a race. Being honest with yourself will allow you to set a realistic goal prior to the race. Odds are you are in better shape than you believe. Lesson 3: Nutrition is key One of the mistakes athletes make is changing their diet in the 24-48 hours prior to an event. If you do not regularly eat pasta why would you shock your body prior to the event by carbo-loading with pasta. The possible negatives far outweigh any positives especially in events of less than 3 hours. The same goes for sports drinks, gels and meal replacement bars (such as powerbars, etc). Gatorade has a PH of 2.7 which makes it very acidic and could cause severe stomach issues during a race. These products certainly have a place at these events but they should also have a place in your training. For my race the only changes I made was to add a second sweet potato into my meal (one for lunch and one for dinner) to up my carbs. I regularly eat sweet potatoes so I was not worried about any adverse effects. The morning of the race I had a half a bottle of Green Juice with a tablespoon of MCT oil 1.5 hours prior to the start. Lesson 4: Listening to your inner coach I took the first mile with trepidation but as the race went on and miles passed I still felt strong. As I continued to feel strong my inner coach told me to pick up the pace. My second 5k pace was 10 seconds faster than my first 5k. Realizing what I had achieved the inner coach in me set a new goal of 1:35-1:36. I found my stride and miles 6-13 were within 2 seconds of each split. I had achieved my impromptu new goal and a new PR! After the race I thought to myself that if I would of started faster I could set an even lower PR. But as time passed and I reflected on the race I realized that I ran the perfect race for me that day. Had I taken the race out too fast and hit a wall or encountered an issue I was not mentally prepared at the time to overcome that issue. By setting a realistic goal I was able to build self confidence which was necessary to help me overcome the challenges I faced in the latter stages of the race. By trusting my training and not changing my diet prior to the race I was able to acquiesce my inner coach after that first 5k and know I could push my pace. Your race, whatever that may be, is the end result of months of training so it can be viewed as a gift to yourself. The lessons above can help you to maximize that gift. --rich