On April 28th, I completed the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon. Runners, I have a confession to make: for this race I broke every training rule I have had for myself. I logged a total of 26.7 miles in April—13.1 of those miles are from the actual race. I never even ran as much as 13.1 miles in any single week while I trained. My longest "long run" was 7 miles. I drank too much alcohol the Thursday before the race. I ate something other than pasta with plain tomato sauce the night before the race. (I ate loads of dairy in a creamy pot-pie and macaroni and cheese instead.) I woke up the morning of the race merely hoping to muddle through by running two miles then walking one mile until I reached the finish line.
Was I miserable? Actually, no. I felt better during this half marathon than I ever have during a race of this distance. I ended up running the whole time. There was not one moment where I wanted to stop and walk. I felt so great I actually picked up the pace around mile 10, confident I could finish the remaining 5K strong. Because there was less training, I did not go into this race with lingering leg or foot pain. No shin splints, no sore knees, no aching feet. I must admit that I was more sore right after this race than I have ever been after any half marathon though.
My time? Was it terrible? Maybe for some, but for me, it was pretty good. I finished in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 17 seconds. That time is only 6 minutes slower than my PR, for which I never missed a single long run.
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| April Mileage |
I certainly won’t be adopting this complete slacker training regimen again, but my experience here coupled with my experience of breaking my ankle during the Chicago Marathon makes me wonder… Is less more? Are we overtraining? Do we put too much stress on our bodies before we even get to the race? What are your thoughts?
VALERIE WIESKAMP was born in the cornfields of Iowa, spent 5 years in Chicago getting her master’s degree while doing graphic design, and now lives in the cornfields of Indiana. There, she is currently pursuing a PhD in Rhetoric and Public Culture at Indiana University, Bloomington. If Valerie had any spare time between running and writing her dissertation, she would paint and play the piano. Valerie also enjoys traveling, spicy food, visiting her family in Iowa, and cooking (preferably with a glass of red wine in hand).
2 comments:
I was at the Derby race, too! I ran the full and had a 9-minute PR. I think the temperature was perfect and the course was mostly flat--allowing for a great day in those respects. Remember the rain around mile 5? And did you see the sweet nursing home residents cheering us on?
I have trained with high mileage and low mileage. For me, hitting 15-20 miles a week for a half marathon is plenty--especially if I run some of the miles hard and also do strength training like Crossfit to round out my fitness. I have had an ok half marathon on just a 9-mile long run, but I have had amazing ones while training for a marathon--so overdistance training (long runs of 14, 15, 16) really works for me. But all tend to be within about 10 minutes of my PR.
I think sometimes the low-key approach is just the thing we need. We go into a race like that with no expectations and are often pleasantly surprised! I can't train to PR every time. It takes the fun out of running.
It's neat to see what you can do in a race on little training---really makes you feel like an ATHLETE when you pull out a time like you did on little running! But I'm sure the time will come when you want to train hard, follow a plan, and beat that PR!
Yes, the conditions were absolutely beautiful! The rain was refreshing and the people cheering were fantastic. And the course itself was really beautiful.
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