Novice Half Marathoner Runs 235 Miles in 101 days - Bring On The Race and Guess My Pace!

Happy 10K Face!

A Look Back On My Runs

When you are training for a half marathon, we all know the run didn't really happen if you didn't measure it! I'm even beginning to doubt if I can even run without a GPS watch on my wrist. With all this data, I thought I'd take a look back at my runs and see what I could see.

Insight # 1 - I ran a lot of miles in winter!

235 miles in 101 days to be exact! I officially started my training on January 1. Prior to training for this race, I had only run one 5K in April last year, and one 10K in November last year. My plan was to keep my long run base to about 8 miles once a week, then add a mile to the base every two weeks or so until I eventually hit a long run of 12 miles. I sort of kept to my plan, but I have a bad tendency to over train and pushed too far forward on the long runs in March. Thankfully I realized and pulled back before I burned out completely!

Insight #2 - My pace modestly improved over time. 

Not perfectly, but I can see a trend to improved pace over time. I've included here a few tables as evidence that I'm not just kidding myself. I can see real improvements over the shorter distances, and maybe some improvement, though inconsistent, on the long runs.

Three Mile Progression - From the 11's to the 10's

Six Mile Progression - From the Upper 11's to the Lower 11's

Long Run Progression - Maybe a slight pace improvement?

Insight #3 - Hill Training Has helped Improve My Confidence

My earlier training runs - through January and February were on flat courses. I experienced a setback in my pace in March when I took on runs with hills that mimic the hills of the half marathon I'm training for. Every time I conquered the "big hill" I felt more confident that I can do it on race day. I even developed a little habit where I slapped a light pole at the bottom of the hill before turning around to run up it. For some reason, that little move said:

"I'm in charge, I'm going to make it up this hill - it won't take me down!"

Insight #4 - The 10K Is The Sweet Spot Between Endurance & Pace

I've enjoyed training for a half marathon for many reasons, not the least of them being that I wanted to see if I have it in me. That remains to be seen on race day! However, I've gained a lot more enjoyment than I thought I would in seeing how fast I can go for the 5K and 10K runs. 5K's feel a little short, but the 10K is just the right balance of speed and endurance. I'm thinking about focusing on 10K's as my preferred race length once I get through the half marathon. We'll see!

So wish me luck! The run is a week from tomorrow! 

Based on what I've shown you in data - can you predict my pace?