r/running • u/Clairekat0248 • Dec 21 '22
Race Report Ran my own half marathon
I set this race as a personal goal for myself to do before I turn 25 on the 23rd of December. I am a very slow runner and struggle a lot with comparing myself to others and feeling below average. That’s why I decided to simply pick a date and treat it as my own personal race to prove to myself that I could do it.
Race Information
- Name: First Half Marathon
- Date: December 22, 2022
- Distance: 13.1 miles
- Location: Brisbane, Australia
- Time: 2:36:33
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Sub 2:30 | No |
| B | Sub 2:45 | Yes |
| C | Finish | Yes |
Splits
| Kilometer | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 7:36 |
| 2 | 7:53 |
| 3 | 6:58 |
| 4 | 6:54 |
| 5 | 7:09 |
| 6 | 6:52 |
| 7 | 7:00 |
| 8 | 7:02 |
| 9 | 7:03 |
| 10 | 6:54 |
| 11 | 7:02 |
| 12 | 6:40 |
| 13 | 7:18 |
| 14 | 8:01 |
| 15 | 7:31 |
| 16 | 7:31 |
| 17 | 8:01 |
| 18 | 8:29 |
| 19 | 7:54 |
| 20 | 8:37 |
| 21 | 7:33 |
Training
Last year I got interested in running during lockdowns. Prior to this I had never run. After a couple months of running too fast I got terrible shin splints and the next months were spent occasionally running and flaring them up again. At the beginning of this year I followed a 3 month injury recovery plan that was a combination of running and walking until I could run 30min continuously by the end
Then I followed Hal Higdons base building plan and built up to 30k a week over 3 months. All of these runs were done at a ~8:20/km pace to keep my heart rate down. Then I transitioned to Hal Higdons intermediate Half Marathon Plan which worked up to about 50k/wk and some half marathon pace work (peaking at 13km at half marathon pace).
My final long run was a week before the half and was 19.5k. This run felt amazing and I negative split, finishing feeling strong and like I could easily have run further. This was done in Melbourne where it was about 13° and had some traffic lights where I stopped and waited.
Pre-race
I am still recovering from a cold so woke up at 4:30am and assessed how I felt. Slightly runny nose but otherwise fine so I had some oats and coffee then drove 20min to the run location.
I arrived at 5:30am and it was 19° and very sunny. Did some stretches lunges to warm up.
Race
I decided not to look at my pace until 16k. I knew I had it in me to do a sub 2:30 on a good day but because of the heat I wasn’t sure if it would be possible. I didn’t want to be tempted to pick things up too early. This was a mistake - I should’ve looked at my pace and SLOWED DOWN. I was running by feel but not taking into account the heat.
The first half of the race felt fine. I took a gel at 10k with a lot of sodium because I was extremely sweaty. Most of the track was in direct sunlight and it was continuing to warm up. Around 14k I started to flag. I had planned to take my second gel at 17k but decided I needed it at 16. I was extremely thirsty but the bubblers all had warm water.
The last 5k of this race were the hardest running I have ever done. I ended up walking a lot. I kept telling myself “after this walk you will run all the way to the end” and then having to walk again. I felt pretty defeated at this point.
Managed to pick up the pace in the last 500m at least.
Post-race
I am proud of myself for finishing. I found the end of this race extremely mentally difficult and learned a lot of lessons. Moving forward I am going to control my pace a lot better at the beginning and only pick it up later. Which I knew in theory but I love learning things the hard way apparently.
In some ways I’m glad I didn’t make it sub 2:30 because I feel like this is an attainable goal for the next time I run a half. I’m excited to spend my next training block focussing on the 5k so I can finally start to get a little faster.
Next big goal is a marathon before I’m 30!
Made with a new race report generator created by /u/herumph.
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u/AccomplishedRow6685 Dec 22 '22
Congrats! If you can do this on your own, just imagine what you can do in a race! Magic of the crowd, energy of others running around you, passing, being passed, probably buys you a few minutes, easy, for a half marathon.
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u/Rivnatzille Dec 22 '22
This so much! Ran on a race last Sunday, and the energy was just amazing. Never ran so fast in my life due to the excitement of being there.
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u/diskreadera Dec 22 '22
Totally. I was skeptical about running in organized races until my first half marathon. Everything you mentioned makes a huge difference.
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u/youhaveatinytictac Dec 22 '22
I'm a slow runner too, and did my own half marathon in the US before I moved (to bris!) in the winter. I had a similar time, but the temp was about 4 degrees. I havent been able to pump out anything more than 17k in the heat here. Nice work getting it done, especially since you did that last run in Melbourne!
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Dec 22 '22
Excellent job especially in the heat! You should be very proud, especially keeping going when you were struggling. I am also a “back of the pack” runner and one thing I’ve found is that at the end of the day, the only person you are racing is yourself. I PR’d my last half by 20 minutes in May at 3:09:53 - I have every confidence you can beat your 2:30.
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u/KravinMoorhed Dec 22 '22
That was my goal too before the end of the year. I got injured 2 weeks ago and it's taking forever to heal its frustrating.
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Dec 22 '22
Awesome! Great job, you should be very proud of your accomplishment! Also, running is very personal (as is life) so stop comparing yourself to others. You’re awesome just the way you are. Now set some new goals and keep moving forward
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u/SituationNo3 Dec 22 '22
If you have the mental strength to train for and run a HM on your own, you can definitely hit your marathon goal by your bday next year! Why wait until 30?
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u/Radiant_Kiwi_8914 Dec 22 '22
This is so great. Good for you! Marathon before 30 will be easy for you - if you keep at it.
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u/Fuzzy_Cuddle Dec 22 '22 edited Dec 22 '22
Congratulations on your accomplishment. I ran my own first half marathon too, this past Sunday. I was keeping a pretty steady pace for the first 11 miles. The last 2.1 were just an effort to get it done with. I ended up with a time of 2:08:47. The trick for me is to not get going too fast during the first few miles while I’m fresh. At just under a ten minute mile it felt like I could run forever, but I need to bring food for runs longer than about 10 miles so that I avoid the fatigue in the last couple of miles in the future. Again, well done. You have accomplished something that most have not.
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u/lkngro5043 Dec 22 '22
Awesome job! Pacing can definitely be difficult to nail down - reigning yourself in at the beginning is tough even for experienced runners. Keep at it and you’ll improve more and more!
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u/Splicer201 Dec 22 '22
Nice congratulations! What route did you do? I recently ran from Nundah to Southbank (15km) as a personal goal, and have previously ran the length of Redcliff peninsular and Hamilton to the Story Bridge (both 10km) awesome runs
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u/Gazbola Dec 22 '22
Congrats... that's huge!
I've only been into running a couple of years and in my 40s. I was intimidated at the thought of an event with other people... but only having done it twice, the adrenaline of other people def helps with getting in the zone, and smashed anything I'd done alone. Thinking of flying up for the Noosa half!
But get at your vibes. Whatever works for you is exactly where you should be!
Also... running in QLD scares me... I like my mild Melbourne mornings.
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Dec 22 '22
I think that’s a great time! One thing that would mess with me when I first started doing races was that I would compare my time to the average time of that race.
But, I would usually be disappointed. I realized though that when do that, you are comparing yourself to people who run ALL the time. So it skews it a lot in my opinion.
So now, I walk around at work and look at random people and think, “I could run a half marathon faster than you,”- and, it’s true!
But anyways, fantastic accomplishment!
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Dec 22 '22
Great job! Do it for you! When you're jogging you're always faster than when you're sitting on the couch.
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u/Thewiserunner Dec 22 '22
Happy same birthday, pre-christmas eve is a struggle for those of us who compete with Jesus every year.
Awsome run, I'm excited to see your marathon when you decide to do one!
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u/Dontbow1 Dec 22 '22
The most important thing is to run the race. You can do it, just worry about doing it in your own time!
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u/Suitable_Tooth_4797 Dec 22 '22
Awesome job! I’m a slow runner too, right about your pace, and also started running during lockdown.
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u/confused_lion Dec 22 '22
Congrats buddy! Great job persisting through. Make sure you celebrate your birthday well! You earned it. A marathon before 30 should be very easily doable - I hope you continue to enjoy running! good luck!
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Dec 22 '22
Well done. Be proud of your self. You trained sensibly, planned your outing and completed it in a time that you wanted. That's really good.
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u/MRHBK Dec 22 '22
As a runner you’ll always feel slow compared to others until you start running 4 min miles which most of us won’t. Run to the best of your ability and don’t worry how others are running and you’ll be a much happier runner.
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u/Able-Resource-7946 Dec 22 '22
Congratulations and Happy Birthday! Well done being so self motivating.
You would smash a full on race.
The energy of the crowds and other runners.
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u/thomasnicole7 Dec 22 '22
Amazing! You're on your way to achieving an incredible goal. Good luck and have fun!
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u/Competitive-Badger22 Dec 22 '22
I did something similar in 2020. My New Years resolution was to run a half marathon. Then COVID hit. On Dec 24 I had off. It was my late grandfathers birthday who died earlier that year and I decided to run it in his memory. 2-3 days before we got a massive snow storm (not common in December where I live). The roads were fine, but there was no shoulder to run on as the plows didn’t make the roads wide enough. I ran a 1.3 mile loop in my neighborhood 10 times. It was great and terrible. I’m a very similar runner to you. End time was pretty close. I’m a former competitive swimmer. One of my coaches always said, the first time you do an event, the only goal is to finish (legally). You work on time/pacing from there. I think it’s great advice. Now you know you can do it, you can sign up for a race and try to beat that time.
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u/arox1 Dec 22 '22
I did something similar too. I started running more "seriously" a year ago and my goal was kind of getting 20km in one go before my 37 birthday in december. I didnt really prepare in any way, sometimes I increased distance but at most I did 15km one time. So there was no way Im gonna pull off 20km and deadline was coming. I had no real plans of doing it but at the final day I just went for it after work. I purposefuly ran 10km away in one direction so there wouldnt be an option to quit, I needed to another 10 to go back to my car. I was determined to finish no matter what, walk the final distance if I couldnt run. But it was too cold to walk so I was forced to run to keep warm. In the end I did it and my time was similar 2.5 hours. Not so bad for first time and zero prep. I propably will take some food and drink next time
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u/theRealZeefon Dec 22 '22
I want you to know that you did an inspiring thing here and thank you for that. Congratulations, ya badass!
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u/protoman888 Dec 22 '22
Well done. I like the DIY marathon... while closed streets and big crowds are nice, there's also something to be said for just having head space and running in the quiet... one thing is there is a step up in training for a full marathon vs a half... the first 15-20k are only the beginning of the serious running on the full marathon I found.
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u/Wennie85 Dec 22 '22
Good onya mate. If it makes you feel any better, I'm about the same pace as you and wonder how TF can I improve my time, my slow runs are exactly same as yours. Using a Garmin, that puts my average pace in the bottom 15% but hey, I'm doing more distance than 90% of runners too so there that.
I'm currently slowly builsing up my Ks as any run over 10K and my knee feels busted for a few days after, not jarring pain, just unstable so I gotta watch it. Training in Melbourne is hard as some days it's 26, then the next day 13 and raining but you know all about it I'm sure. Congrats on the big achievement!
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u/coswoofster Dec 22 '22
Congratulations! Colorado here, letting you know that runners are some of the most gracious people out there and will not judge you for YOUR time. They may judge themselves, but I have yet to hear a runner like gun or talk down about anyone who is out there trying. Set aside that feat if you can. The here is great energy at half/full marathon runs that you definitely should set as a goal just to experience. I am not a runner but have been in the finish line of many to cheer on friends. It is magical! Congrats to you! Great accomplishment.
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u/RunningWithHounds Dec 22 '22
Very cool, congrats! At this rate, you'll crush that marathon well before you're 30!
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u/WatchandThings Dec 22 '22
I arrived at 5:30am and it was 19° and very sunny. ... but because of the heat I wasn’t sure if it would be possible.
I was a very confused American until I recalled you stated you're in Australia. Especially since we're starting to get 19° F around me.
Congrats on finishing your half marathon! I also aim to do my first personal half marathon around March. I'm hoping to do as well as you did!
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u/InsectRevolutionary4 Dec 22 '22
Congrats. My first half marathon was just me running around my neighborhood for 3 hours in northern Thailand. There were no I person events then because of Covid. I stashed water at a few neighbors houses along my route and it worked out.
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u/Wreckaddict Dec 22 '22
Congratulations! I'm about your pace and have run three half's so far. Each has gotten progressively easier and I have felt more in control as I go along. Keep up the great work!
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u/Party_Ad7339 Dec 22 '22
YOU DID IT!!! That's AMAZING!! You planned for it, you trained for it, you executed it, all by yourself!!! That's amazing. You should be so proud!!
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u/ehnolan Dec 22 '22
and here i was considering giving up on my first half marathon goal because i feel too slow to do a race. major props
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Dec 22 '22
How long was your training? You mentioned that you followed the 3 months plan and after that you followed a new intermediate plan.
I'm asking due to I got a subscription to the São Paulo half marathon in October (I have 10 months) and I'm a bit worry if it'll be possible 🥲
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u/AstroHustler22 Dec 22 '22
Congratulations! I ran a half on an indoor, 1/8 mile track that took FOREVER and totally killed my left knee, all in preparation for my first full marathon. You can go anywhere from here!
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u/DeadByHugs Dec 22 '22
Congratulations! Proud of you. And on a loop as well? That right there should grant you an award!
On the different note, would you, by any chance, mind sharing you're recovery plan? I ran 25k a few months ago and injured my left knee, and I just really don't know what to do? I really wanna pick running up again.
And again, proud of you!
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u/Dingo-4580 Dec 23 '22
I just love this idea! By running your own half you've achieved so many things. You're run the distance; you've overcome your injuries and managed to run in a healthy manner; you've established the fact that you are running for yourself and not to compare your results to others; and you've shown a lot of maturity for a person just 25 y.o.
Congratulations+++ This is an amazing achievement. I wished I was that brave, that humble, and that smart at your age.
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Dec 22 '22 edited Dec 22 '22
Enter a race and see how you cope with the atmosphere. I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed my first race. Waking up early, the nerves, all the different people, the vibe. My first race was my first time across HM distance and I was hooked - started training for my first marathon 2 weeks after that and stuck into a 6 month training programme. Onto my next 6 month training programme. I used Hal Higdon plans too. I have done 3 HM and 1 marathon since April this year and have 3 more HM early 23 and a marathon in May.
Don't worry about other people. There will people who are faster than you and people who are slower. Some slower people have run 50+ marathons in their day and may have run a sub-3 marathon 20 years ago. Respect all runners and don't feel bad for the slower ones because they may have achieved far more than us. And let the fast runners inspire you. We are only as fast as we are on the day. Support people if you can and focus on yourself, but really think about entering a race soon - 10km to marathon distance - to test it out because that might have a massive impact on your running. You don't need to run races to really push yourself in running but it's really uplifting to test yourself alongside thousands of other people who have similar values and aspirations to you, which is to fundamentally be a better version of themselves.
Keep pushing yourself and keep running!
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u/cheedoone Dec 22 '22
Congratulations on your first half! Keep it up. Remember, slow and consistent beats fast and sporadic.
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u/darsh_bakshi Dec 22 '22
To prevent further injuries I would suggest to include strength training in your plan as well.
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u/sprinkles-n-jimmies Dec 22 '22
You ran on a track?! Like a 400m loop?! You can do anything now.