April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life. This week's topic is My Worst Race and what it taught me.
My worst race for sure was the Disneyland Half 2012, I finished but not well. I had just come off a strong Inaugural tink race, which was my first half marathon with intervals. I had bought an interval timer and even printed out the Galloway training plan. However as my training started in May, I took the time off between the races and decided to work on cardio by doing Insanity 3-4 days a week. Once training started, I ended up with shin splints from needing new shoes. I bought new shoes over 4th of July weekend and they were my favorite shoes (I just retired them a few months ago-they took me through 2 tink halves, 2 princess halves, 2 DL halves (including 2 Dumbos!) and my first marathon. I couldn’t donate them because they mean the world to me so I have them in my closet for a mud run) but my shins still hurt and my training was off for sure.
My other issue was it was my first summer in Pasadena which is amazing in the winter (it actually gets cold!) but brutal in the summer. Those 80s and 90s come early and I was miserable. I didn’t work Fridays so I tried to do runs on Fridays and they always ended miserable because I would start around 9am and it was already too late. I ended up doing a final 14 mile training run 2 weeks before the race and ended the training run crying because I was so worried the whole time that I would never be able to finish even though I did finish.
I ran the race with my friend Mari and still felt undertrained. We finished in 3:09:16 and took great pics but I did not feel strong. I promised myself to remember this feeling and to never feel that way again. I have stuck with my training for every race since then.
LEARNED:
· Training is vip and I will never slack again-for real. I actually have a Minnie calendar that just has important events and my miles are in it (1 dollar in the dollar section at Target!)
· Training in Pasadena is cray cray in the summer-runs need to start before 6 am and I do this now
· Rotate through shoes-I just bought 2 new pairs I am rotating in and 2 pairs of racing shoes (1 to break in and 1 to save for later). I will start to rotate in my old racing shoes as well.
· Get new shoes before the pain starts. If I feel shin pain, time for new shoes
· I do most of my long runs at the rose bowl, will occasionally go down to the beach to make sure I can do the miles and there are restrooms and water fountains. Trying to run around my neighborhood got very boring
What have you learned from bad runs?