Crashed and burned at mile 10 of half marathon Saturday
So, did my last running race with basically "old school" training Saturday at Charlotte Half Marathon. I live in CHS, where there are no hills.
Had dropped into the Dec OS on Monday the 6th, to have my test results for pacing, only didn't really think about the effects of hills on pace and HR. I can run downhill as fast as I want and my heart rate comes down, then I can run as slow as I want up hill and my heartrate goes up.
Anyway, through about 10 miles I was on-pace and then everything fell apart.
Now before I found the Haus in November, I really spent this year re-building with no time golas, just a desire to compete, finish, and NOT cause any secondary knee problems.
Have a lot of work to do to even come close to what I used to be able to do before my last knee surgery in 2007.
Bummed in Charleston
Paul
Comments
Sorry to hear about the crash and burn. Tell us a little more about your preparation for the race. How much mileage were you doing? Also, did you have a pacing strategy? What was it and how did you develop it? What about nutrition before and during the race?
So have been doing tris since 1987, but had two knee surgeries in 2000 and then another in 2007, so until this year had not really been able to train consistently since 2000. For the last year I had been following a heart rate training manual, did four other road races, six triathlons, and two open water swims this year. My last tri was an Oly in mid-September and while slower than they used to be, finished strong with no knee issues.
Did a 10 miler road race on November 13th, two lap course first lap held HR btwn 155-160; second lap held 164-170, negative splitted by 30 seconds.
During the half was planning on easing into it with MP for first 3 miles, then HMP for middle 6-7 and then gut it out home. The race course was hilly with the first 10K being mainly rolling down hill, then rolling, then from 10-12 rolling uphill.
Had gels with me and took one at 5 one at 8 and one at 11. Didn't feel like I burned out from nutrition crash (have done that before), aerobically felt good, but my hip flexors, lower back, and lower abs were killing me.
I have only really just begun to get into the EN philosophy and so ... ... ...
Appreciate any insights you might have. I have my first HIM in 12 years in May ... ... and this race was supposed to tell me if my knee was up to it. Didn't have any "structural pain".
Thanks,
paul
Did your pacing strategy dramatically increase as a result of your OS run test? Sometimes zones from a 5k test don't always extrapolate out to a half mary that well. How did your pace differ between the race in November and this one?
Could be that you were just tired from your first couple weeks of the OS or you just had a bad day. Could have been the hills in combination with those things.
Well in the 10 miler, I went entirely based on HR, maintained right around MP pace. My strategy changed for the half mainly based on reading the pacing strategy hack, start at MP, build to HMP and then gut it out.
Based on the EN/VDOT system that meant that I was using HR and pace as a strategy and picked up from MP to HMP after about 3 miles.
This week's OS workouts have been great, although my legs are toasted after yesterday's run and this AM's bike.
I suspect the change in race strategy and hills were what led to my challenges.
thanks