Hello readers! It's been too long since I've blogged, but I promise to get caught up and keep em comin! I have about three blogs to do to catch up to today so bear with me. The first: Buffalo tri!
What a fun race! This event is definitely becoming my favorite race. The atmosphere, organization, and sheer size of the event make it such a great experience. And this year I had the added bonus of having family members race along side me. I challenged my Mary, Bill, and Andrew to make a relay to race me and they were all for it! Also my parents jumped into the event and did a relay with one of my sister's friends. Making for a wonderful family experience!
The race: Buffalo Triathlon: 1/4 mile swim; 13 mile bike; 3 mile run
Goal 1: Finish in 1:08
Goal 2: Finish in top 100
Once again it was a big sprint course with just under 1000 athletes. My goal for a 1:08 finish was outlined with a swim/T1 time of 7:30 a bike/T2 time of 41:00 and a run time of 20:00. Going into the race I knew these would be tough goals for various reasons. First of all, working all day every day at a bible camp left little time for training, so my biking and running was limited and my swimming was nonexistent. Another was the bike course. For the season I had worked on improving the bike leg as well as purchased a new bike, however the course was changed due to construction at the last minute causing us to race on a hilly course. With that in mind my strategy changed. I decided to all out attack the bike to get through those hills. After all, it's a sprint course...
Lining up for the start I knew my strength (the swim) would not be as good as in the past but I still had confidence to be one of the first out of the water. My sister and her friend started in a wave 4 minutes before me so I knew I had someone to chase. I was out of the water in 6:04 (29th)... ouch! I hustled into transition and was out of there with a swim/T1 time of 8:29. Time to ride! Like I planned I attacked the course, which for me, means I was still getting passed plenty. I caught my mom before the two mile and flew past, now I had to get Andrew. The hills were brutal but I didn't let up, after the swim I'd already lost a minute on my goal. No time to relax. I caught Andrew after mile 7 and kept surging. I could tell as was working but it was my plan, I was gonna stick to it. I hit the finish line in just under 40 minutes feeling great about the bike split. I exited T2 with a bike/T2 time of 40:58. With the tough bike course and still hitting my bike goal, I felt good.
I hit the run ready to make up more lost time fro. the swim, but found my bike legs were not disappearing as fast as I would like. I tried to stretch out the stride but everything stayed tight. Holy crap! I was tired and tight. Oh well, screw it! I shortened my stride and settled to run on biking legs. Almost immediately I was losing ground and I knew it, but the muscles just were not gonna fire. I held on, did what I could, and finished with a run of 21:21, not even under 7 minute miles... Lesson learned: Don't use it all on the bike.
I finished the race in 88th place, 10th in my AG. My final time was 1:10:45, 2 minutes slower than I wanted to be, but not every race is your best.
Breakdown:
Swim: 6:04 (29th) T1: 2:25 Bike: 39:50 (212th) T2: 1:08 Run: 21:21 (73rd)
My family all finished and loved the experience, I hope they want to do do it again. Overall it was great event although my finishing time wasn't what I had hoped. But hey! I dropped nearly 4 minutes from last year's time, so that is something to be proud of. Next year I will be back and I have even higher hopes! I am really looking forward to taking things to the next level and having a serious time cut at Buffalo!
Next up: Superior Man Triathlon. My first 70.3!!!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Fargo Half-marathon race report!
So this is a little late but better late than never!
Race distance: 13.1 miles
Competitors: 6000
Goal1: Under 1:30:00 (6:52 pace)
Goal 2: Top 100 racers
As I had mentioned in my previous blog I was coming off of a ligament strain in my knee and started running after a 3 week break about ten days before my race. All in all I was a little apprehensive about my goals so I hatched a race plan of go out hard and build up something of a buffer for my pace to slide. I planned to take out the first 3 miles at under a 6:40 pace. Then settle into my 6:52 pace and then use whatever I had left in the last few miles to hold on.
The race: I lined up with my brother and my friend Samantha who had also decided to take on the race. This put me pretty far back from the actually start line. I knew I would be passing a lot of people in the beginning but it would be something to make a game out of and keep my mind off of the race. Unfortunately it ended up being extremely congested and I wasted a lot of energy working through people in the first mile through accelerating and slowing and weaving back and forth. However my first mile ended up being a 6:38, feeling little strain or exhaustion I hammered the pace for the next few miles. I hit the 5 mile point at 32:32 and I knew I was in a good position well ahead of my goal pace.
I kept plugging away at a pace faster then my goal pace for the next 5 miles hitting the 10 mile mark at 1:05:45. That's when it started to hurt. My legs were tight and sore from pushing a pace much faster than I had anticipated. Knowing that I was well ahead of my goal pace I gave in to the pain and slowed down. It is so easy to think that you will just push through things mentally but when the moments actually arrive sometimes you just give in, and I did. My pace slowed to above 7 minute miles. And I had only a brief kick with about one minute to go. Finishing the last 3.1 miles in 21:56 for a total time of 1:27:41. I was happy with that! Well ahead of my goal and finishing 55 overall.
Basically a success! I was extremely happy, and took a lot out of the experience, I will definitely be back to Fargo in 2013!
Next up Buffalo triathlon race report!
Race distance: 13.1 miles
Competitors: 6000
Goal1: Under 1:30:00 (6:52 pace)
Goal 2: Top 100 racers
As I had mentioned in my previous blog I was coming off of a ligament strain in my knee and started running after a 3 week break about ten days before my race. All in all I was a little apprehensive about my goals so I hatched a race plan of go out hard and build up something of a buffer for my pace to slide. I planned to take out the first 3 miles at under a 6:40 pace. Then settle into my 6:52 pace and then use whatever I had left in the last few miles to hold on.
The race: I lined up with my brother and my friend Samantha who had also decided to take on the race. This put me pretty far back from the actually start line. I knew I would be passing a lot of people in the beginning but it would be something to make a game out of and keep my mind off of the race. Unfortunately it ended up being extremely congested and I wasted a lot of energy working through people in the first mile through accelerating and slowing and weaving back and forth. However my first mile ended up being a 6:38, feeling little strain or exhaustion I hammered the pace for the next few miles. I hit the 5 mile point at 32:32 and I knew I was in a good position well ahead of my goal pace.
I kept plugging away at a pace faster then my goal pace for the next 5 miles hitting the 10 mile mark at 1:05:45. That's when it started to hurt. My legs were tight and sore from pushing a pace much faster than I had anticipated. Knowing that I was well ahead of my goal pace I gave in to the pain and slowed down. It is so easy to think that you will just push through things mentally but when the moments actually arrive sometimes you just give in, and I did. My pace slowed to above 7 minute miles. And I had only a brief kick with about one minute to go. Finishing the last 3.1 miles in 21:56 for a total time of 1:27:41. I was happy with that! Well ahead of my goal and finishing 55 overall.
Basically a success! I was extremely happy, and took a lot out of the experience, I will definitely be back to Fargo in 2013!
Next up Buffalo triathlon race report!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Hello Ironman 70.3! Fargo half preview
So... I have the unfortunate situation of no longer being able to go to Australia to study abroad next semester. Bummer... however as an athlete I will be able to benefit from this. My Ironman goals have often been put to the wayside so that I can take other opportunities but this time I am going straight for it. I will be competing at the end of August in the inaugural Superior Man triathlon in Duluth, MN. For those of you who are not familiar with the 70.3 races, they are a half-distance Ironman. That means: 1.2 mile swim; 56 mile bike; and a 13.1 mile half marathon run!!! More on training for that at a later time.
But now... the Fargo half-marathon is comin up. I have four days left and getting back into shape after an MCL injury hasn't been the easiest. I started running again 6 days ago (10 days before the race.) Safe to say I'm not as in shape as I would like to be, however my goals still stand.
Goal 1: Finish under 1:30:00 (6:52/mile)
Goal 2: Finish in the top 100
On Saturday I tried a 10 mile medium effort run coming in at 74 minutes. And have been running easy hour runs until today I tried out a 5 mile run at my goal race pace, I came in at 34 minutes a 6:48 pace that felt a little too tough for comfort... But, it is what it is, and positive thoughts and hopefully the racing atmosphere will help me to realize my goals. The next couple of days I will have some easy shorter runs and no more workouts. Wish me luck, race report coming soon! Thanks for reading! :)
But now... the Fargo half-marathon is comin up. I have four days left and getting back into shape after an MCL injury hasn't been the easiest. I started running again 6 days ago (10 days before the race.) Safe to say I'm not as in shape as I would like to be, however my goals still stand.
Goal 1: Finish under 1:30:00 (6:52/mile)
Goal 2: Finish in the top 100
On Saturday I tried a 10 mile medium effort run coming in at 74 minutes. And have been running easy hour runs until today I tried out a 5 mile run at my goal race pace, I came in at 34 minutes a 6:48 pace that felt a little too tough for comfort... But, it is what it is, and positive thoughts and hopefully the racing atmosphere will help me to realize my goals. The next couple of days I will have some easy shorter runs and no more workouts. Wish me luck, race report coming soon! Thanks for reading! :)
Friday, May 11, 2012
It's Triathlon Season!!!
It's been a while but not much has happened. Once again I have hit a streak of bad luck... First getting hit by the car delayed my training, then bad weather kept interfering with the 5k in the outdoor season, and finally I strained my MCL playing tennis... talented.
That about sums up the month of April for me, however I left out one good point. PR in my 5k in the middle of all that bad luck at an 18:30. But now for the fun stuff.... my upcoming summer!
As I already mentioned I am heading to Australia at the end of July cutting my season a little short. However I will still get in a couple races. First next Saturday is the Fargo half-marathon. Due to the MCL strain I'm not quite in the shape I would like to be but I plan to make do. 6,000 runners and I would like to crack the top 100.
Buffalo!!! This has been my favorite race to date so I am comin back! This year I challenged my brother, sister, and brother-in-law to race me. Them as a relay, me as an individual. Also my parents and a friend will be forming a relay. It will be a family function this year and I am beyond excited.
A third race is still up in the air... I am looking into either the MinneMan in Oak Grove, MN or the smaller but more convenient Bismarck Tri. Stay tuned for the Fargo half race report comin next week!
That about sums up the month of April for me, however I left out one good point. PR in my 5k in the middle of all that bad luck at an 18:30. But now for the fun stuff.... my upcoming summer!
As I already mentioned I am heading to Australia at the end of July cutting my season a little short. However I will still get in a couple races. First next Saturday is the Fargo half-marathon. Due to the MCL strain I'm not quite in the shape I would like to be but I plan to make do. 6,000 runners and I would like to crack the top 100.
Buffalo!!! This has been my favorite race to date so I am comin back! This year I challenged my brother, sister, and brother-in-law to race me. Them as a relay, me as an individual. Also my parents and a friend will be forming a relay. It will be a family function this year and I am beyond excited.
A third race is still up in the air... I am looking into either the MinneMan in Oak Grove, MN or the smaller but more convenient Bismarck Tri. Stay tuned for the Fargo half race report comin next week!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Between Then and Now
So a few months have passed since last July. In that time a few exciting things have happened.
1. I got a new bike!!! My biking can use all the help it can get so I looked for an affordable yet fast triathlon racing bike. My previous had just been a simple road bike. With pedals shoes and accessories the whole thing cost me about $3000... Yeah, I justify it by saying it's my first car...
2. My second and final season of cross country came and went. Once again my goals were to finish every race and never finish last. I never finished last and I finished every race, even the one that I stopped and threw up after three miles. Jamestown caf food. Nuff said. I finished the season with a PR of 31:42 at our home meet. Over a minute and a half faster than last year's PR.
3. I'm going to Australia!!! At least I hope so... I have been accepted to study abroad at the University of Western Sydney! I just need to make sure my credits over there will transfer otherwise I can't go. Crossing my fingers!
4. Indoor track is over and we are on to outdoor. I took the final weeks of February and the first couple weeks of March off to avoid the same mistake of that need for recovery in late April of 2011. Learning how your body works is key. Unfortunately my motivation level has been down lately. I think I'm just getting tired from the day to day craziness of the life of a college student (who seems to commit to way to much...) It is getting to the point where I don't feel good on my easy runs, keep pressing and hope it's just a lull.
5. I had a first, and not a good one. I got hit by a car two weeks ago on my run. I stayed on my feet but still got nailed pretty hard on the hip and butt. A setback that I could've gone without. The worst part is he kept driving after blowing a stop sign and hitting a runner... not cool! But I'm feeling fine now.
That's it for now! The next blog should be about my upcoming summer races and then on to blogging about the current track season and workouts. We are all caught up to present day, I hope you enjoyed the brief history! Thanks for reading!
1. I got a new bike!!! My biking can use all the help it can get so I looked for an affordable yet fast triathlon racing bike. My previous had just been a simple road bike. With pedals shoes and accessories the whole thing cost me about $3000... Yeah, I justify it by saying it's my first car...
2. My second and final season of cross country came and went. Once again my goals were to finish every race and never finish last. I never finished last and I finished every race, even the one that I stopped and threw up after three miles. Jamestown caf food. Nuff said. I finished the season with a PR of 31:42 at our home meet. Over a minute and a half faster than last year's PR.
3. I'm going to Australia!!! At least I hope so... I have been accepted to study abroad at the University of Western Sydney! I just need to make sure my credits over there will transfer otherwise I can't go. Crossing my fingers!
4. Indoor track is over and we are on to outdoor. I took the final weeks of February and the first couple weeks of March off to avoid the same mistake of that need for recovery in late April of 2011. Learning how your body works is key. Unfortunately my motivation level has been down lately. I think I'm just getting tired from the day to day craziness of the life of a college student (who seems to commit to way to much...) It is getting to the point where I don't feel good on my easy runs, keep pressing and hope it's just a lull.
5. I had a first, and not a good one. I got hit by a car two weeks ago on my run. I stayed on my feet but still got nailed pretty hard on the hip and butt. A setback that I could've gone without. The worst part is he kept driving after blowing a stop sign and hitting a runner... not cool! But I'm feeling fine now.
That's it for now! The next blog should be about my upcoming summer races and then on to blogging about the current track season and workouts. We are all caught up to present day, I hope you enjoyed the brief history! Thanks for reading!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Timberman Triathlon
Finally.
I had wanted to do this race since 2007, it was now 2011. Better late then never. I would like to say that with the many years of anticipation leading up to this event that this was a perfect race. That didn't happen. Racing is about mentality, if something goes wrong in your personal life an endurance race can really tank. Triathletes of all levels, even the pros, have bad races when they are having bad days. I was having a bad day...
We don't need to go into too many details but long story short: I was in the process of being dumped, so my head wasn't in it. I was convinced that I could show up and still race at my peak level, but when you are out on the course for over two hours there is a lot of time for thinking, and when that thinking is missing some positive thoughts, your best is not what is going to happen.
I don't mean to blame my ex or make excuses for a poor race. She is a wonderful person and I respect her decision, at the same time I won't pretend it didn't effect my race. But enough of that, how about the race!!!
Timberman Triathlon, June 9th 2011: 1 mile swim; 22.9 mile bike; 6 mile run
Race plan/goals: Go out hard on the swim, do your thing! Improve on T1 from Buffalo's disaster. Steady on the bike, working too hard will screw over the whole race. Even paced run, assess level of fatigue and decide on a pace that can be held for 6 miles. Crank it up at the end! Goal time 2:28:00
Swim: Rain delay for the start, not a pretty day. I sprinted out the first couple of minutes and then settled into a long strong stroke with little kicking. I held on a guys wake for the first half and then pushed ahead of him at the turn around. Came out at 20 minutes, not great but not bad. Also I wasn't really tired so that was a good sign. 20th overall 2nd in my AG
T1: I made some improvements. I had my clothes on under the wetsuit however I still struggled getting it off, maybe removing the timing chip will be faster? Try it next year. 2:26 not bad.
Bike: Long... Slower course and my weakness. Huge 4 mile climb that is repeated as it's a two loop course, however that climb is undone by a fast 1 mile steep downhill. 2nd time around I missed the turn and ended up doing probably an extra 3/4 mile, oh well. The 2nd loop the climb killed me. Rough bike time, especially with that extra distance. 1:24 104th overall 7th in AG
T2: Smooth and fast, highest ranking of the day at 12th, counts for something. 0:51
Run: After a bad bike I really needed to make up ground. I flew for the first mile at a 6:45 and realized it was too fast. I settled at about a 7:30 pace for the next two miles but I was getting tired. My pace dropped dramatically and I hardly had any kick. 47:30 an average of 7:55. 52nd overall and 6th in my age group.
Final time: 2:35:27 69th out of 120 and 7th out of 7 in my AG. Definitely room for improvement. These Olympic distance athletes were far better than the sprint course athletes I had encountered in buffalo. But it was a start, I had completed my first triathlon season.
I had wanted to do this race since 2007, it was now 2011. Better late then never. I would like to say that with the many years of anticipation leading up to this event that this was a perfect race. That didn't happen. Racing is about mentality, if something goes wrong in your personal life an endurance race can really tank. Triathletes of all levels, even the pros, have bad races when they are having bad days. I was having a bad day...
We don't need to go into too many details but long story short: I was in the process of being dumped, so my head wasn't in it. I was convinced that I could show up and still race at my peak level, but when you are out on the course for over two hours there is a lot of time for thinking, and when that thinking is missing some positive thoughts, your best is not what is going to happen.
I don't mean to blame my ex or make excuses for a poor race. She is a wonderful person and I respect her decision, at the same time I won't pretend it didn't effect my race. But enough of that, how about the race!!!
Timberman Triathlon, June 9th 2011: 1 mile swim; 22.9 mile bike; 6 mile run
Race plan/goals: Go out hard on the swim, do your thing! Improve on T1 from Buffalo's disaster. Steady on the bike, working too hard will screw over the whole race. Even paced run, assess level of fatigue and decide on a pace that can be held for 6 miles. Crank it up at the end! Goal time 2:28:00
Swim: Rain delay for the start, not a pretty day. I sprinted out the first couple of minutes and then settled into a long strong stroke with little kicking. I held on a guys wake for the first half and then pushed ahead of him at the turn around. Came out at 20 minutes, not great but not bad. Also I wasn't really tired so that was a good sign. 20th overall 2nd in my AG
T1: I made some improvements. I had my clothes on under the wetsuit however I still struggled getting it off, maybe removing the timing chip will be faster? Try it next year. 2:26 not bad.
Bike: Long... Slower course and my weakness. Huge 4 mile climb that is repeated as it's a two loop course, however that climb is undone by a fast 1 mile steep downhill. 2nd time around I missed the turn and ended up doing probably an extra 3/4 mile, oh well. The 2nd loop the climb killed me. Rough bike time, especially with that extra distance. 1:24 104th overall 7th in AG
T2: Smooth and fast, highest ranking of the day at 12th, counts for something. 0:51
Run: After a bad bike I really needed to make up ground. I flew for the first mile at a 6:45 and realized it was too fast. I settled at about a 7:30 pace for the next two miles but I was getting tired. My pace dropped dramatically and I hardly had any kick. 47:30 an average of 7:55. 52nd overall and 6th in my age group.
Final time: 2:35:27 69th out of 120 and 7th out of 7 in my AG. Definitely room for improvement. These Olympic distance athletes were far better than the sprint course athletes I had encountered in buffalo. But it was a start, I had completed my first triathlon season.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Grandmas Marathon
The race!!!
Goal time: 3:56; a 9:00/mile pace
Plan: Start off easy, stay easy, keep running, do what it takes to finish. Simple.
Pre race athletes drop off the warm up clothes and water bottles in their marathon bag into huge garbage bins at the start line which are then driven to the finish. After dropping my bag into one of the many garbage bins and walking toward the start line I'd realized I had left my timing chip in the bag. I ran back but had no idea which bin I'd used. A volunteer was carting a bin off to the truck and so I called at him to stop, I frantically dug through the bin and found my bag and chip. Finally something had worked in my favor! Maybe I'm not so unlucky after all!
The gun went off as me and 8000 other participants surged towards the starting line, and then we were off. The first 5 miles we are blur, I was dodging in and out of much slower runners and just having fun. I couldn't help myself, I was having a blast and just laughing out loud. Emotional reactions are sometimes weird... With so many participants to distract me I don't even think I lost an ounce of energy those first 5 miles.
Turns out after starting way at the back of the pack, I'd already passed 5,000 runners!!! No wonder I had been so distracted...
But the racers were thinning out and now it was time to check where I was. I hit the 10K/6.2 mile point at 45 minutes, whoa! I figured I'd start out at about 8 minute pace and see where things took me, telling my parents at about what time they should be where in the race to cheer me on. But I was flying at a 7:20 pace. I felt good so I just kept plugging!
The speed stayed strong and before long I was at 13.1, halfway with a time of 1:35. I couldn't believe my pace! I was hoping to hit this point at about 1:48, I was well ahead of that. I kept on going but the infamous 20 mile Wall was creeping into my consciousness. For those of you who don't know the Wall is something many newcomers to marathon hit at about mile 20 in their marathon, it is a complete physical 180. You are feeling fine then suddenly you feel like you can't go another step. They say you can't possibly describe it, but anyone who has ever hit it knows just what it feels like.
At mile 20 my time was 2:28, I had been averaging 7:24 per mile... and no wall, mile 21 passed, mile 22 passed and then I hit the legendary "Lemon Drop Hill" of Grandmas marathon. It is a short but steep hill that inconveniently sits at 22 miles into the marathon. Any cross country runner knows that after a steep hill you have take a little time to "get your legs back under you" before you return to pace. After 22 miles, this does not happen! I had hit the Wall!
Those last 4 miles felt like the second half of the race... My body was done but my mind wasn't. I wanted to stop running so badly but I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to start running again. So I plowed on at a high 8 to low 9 minute/mile pace... One foot in front of the other and repeat... and repeat...
The physical part was over. This was all just a mental game. Cramping was coming into my legs and side aches were appearing but I hobbled on determined to reach my goal. Mile 25 passed. I wanted to push the pace but just couldn't do it, it all hurt too much. With 1/4 mile to go I found sudden energy in my legs, the end was in sight!!! I burst forth and crossed the finish line with my arms in the air and hearing the announcer's voice, "Robert Heinzen! What did you just do? You just ran a marathon!!!"
A little over two years earlier my all out mile was a 7:47. On June 18, 2011 I ran 26.2 miles at a pace of 7:44/mile to finish at 3:22 minutes. A whole 34 minutes ahead of my goal.
Success.
Goal time: 3:56; a 9:00/mile pace
Plan: Start off easy, stay easy, keep running, do what it takes to finish. Simple.
Pre race athletes drop off the warm up clothes and water bottles in their marathon bag into huge garbage bins at the start line which are then driven to the finish. After dropping my bag into one of the many garbage bins and walking toward the start line I'd realized I had left my timing chip in the bag. I ran back but had no idea which bin I'd used. A volunteer was carting a bin off to the truck and so I called at him to stop, I frantically dug through the bin and found my bag and chip. Finally something had worked in my favor! Maybe I'm not so unlucky after all!
The gun went off as me and 8000 other participants surged towards the starting line, and then we were off. The first 5 miles we are blur, I was dodging in and out of much slower runners and just having fun. I couldn't help myself, I was having a blast and just laughing out loud. Emotional reactions are sometimes weird... With so many participants to distract me I don't even think I lost an ounce of energy those first 5 miles.
Turns out after starting way at the back of the pack, I'd already passed 5,000 runners!!! No wonder I had been so distracted...
But the racers were thinning out and now it was time to check where I was. I hit the 10K/6.2 mile point at 45 minutes, whoa! I figured I'd start out at about 8 minute pace and see where things took me, telling my parents at about what time they should be where in the race to cheer me on. But I was flying at a 7:20 pace. I felt good so I just kept plugging!
The speed stayed strong and before long I was at 13.1, halfway with a time of 1:35. I couldn't believe my pace! I was hoping to hit this point at about 1:48, I was well ahead of that. I kept on going but the infamous 20 mile Wall was creeping into my consciousness. For those of you who don't know the Wall is something many newcomers to marathon hit at about mile 20 in their marathon, it is a complete physical 180. You are feeling fine then suddenly you feel like you can't go another step. They say you can't possibly describe it, but anyone who has ever hit it knows just what it feels like.
At mile 20 my time was 2:28, I had been averaging 7:24 per mile... and no wall, mile 21 passed, mile 22 passed and then I hit the legendary "Lemon Drop Hill" of Grandmas marathon. It is a short but steep hill that inconveniently sits at 22 miles into the marathon. Any cross country runner knows that after a steep hill you have take a little time to "get your legs back under you" before you return to pace. After 22 miles, this does not happen! I had hit the Wall!
Those last 4 miles felt like the second half of the race... My body was done but my mind wasn't. I wanted to stop running so badly but I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to start running again. So I plowed on at a high 8 to low 9 minute/mile pace... One foot in front of the other and repeat... and repeat...
The physical part was over. This was all just a mental game. Cramping was coming into my legs and side aches were appearing but I hobbled on determined to reach my goal. Mile 25 passed. I wanted to push the pace but just couldn't do it, it all hurt too much. With 1/4 mile to go I found sudden energy in my legs, the end was in sight!!! I burst forth and crossed the finish line with my arms in the air and hearing the announcer's voice, "Robert Heinzen! What did you just do? You just ran a marathon!!!"
A little over two years earlier my all out mile was a 7:47. On June 18, 2011 I ran 26.2 miles at a pace of 7:44/mile to finish at 3:22 minutes. A whole 34 minutes ahead of my goal.
Success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)