Monday, March 30, 2015

2015 Puerto Rico Half Marathon

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this race so if you guys notice any conflicting feelings in what I write on this recap, I apologize in advance. I also apologize for not giving away that I was doing this race. It was gonna be a surprise. Being my first race of the year, I have never done a "first" race so late into the year.
Get my vote for Running Short of the Year
 I have spent most of the past week trying to put together this recap and I can tell you, it has been a roller coaster of emotion. I don't know if to feel good or frustrated or whatever so I'm just gonna try to give you the facts and maybe you can help me reach a conclusion here.

I was under-trained, that much is certain. I managed to run pretty regularly during weekdays  for the last few months but I missed some crucial long runs, including the last two, so it's not like I was expecting to PR. In fact, it sort of played into my race strategy in a way. This year is all about two things: Participating in a triathlon and training for the Goofy Challenge. Part of my strategy for the latter, is to train to the point where running a Half Marathon becomes a "normal" thing. Well, as normal as running a Half could be. In other words, I want to be able to run a Half, taking it easy and not feel like a bag of soreness the next day. So, with the lack of long runs, taking it easy was sort of a given in this case. A PR was not even in the discussion for this race. I figured that if I finished somewhere around 3 hours, it would be great and still over 20 minutes less than my first Half Marathon.
Had to wear this the entire weekend
The course for this race is as challenging as it is scenic. Full of ups and downs including a couple of pretty steep hills and one long ascent right before the final stretch, which is mercifully downhill. Again, not the place to go try stupid things.

Come to Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Marathon and Half Marathon is, for all intents and purposes, still in it's infancy. I believe this is the third year it's been done. Despite that, it is very well organized and it is being touted as a destination race to bring in tourism. Sure enough there were many people from the U.S. and plenty of locals but it is still a bit of a way away from a "huge" race like say the World's Best 10K. I believe there were less than 3,000 runners.

The start time was 5am, which meant a 3am wake up for me. Not pleasant but this ensured I finished before the Sun and the brutal heat the island is known for, was in full strength. The downside, especially for the visitors from abroad, is that you run most of the race in the dark which kind of negates the whole "Run in Paradise" tag line of the race. By the final 2 miles of the race though, it's bright enough to get some breathtaking vistas of Old San Juan and the Atlantic Ocean. Awesome stuff.
Flat Frank, and now that I notice... my wife's bra.
My stomach had been feeling weird since the day before and I was trying to get in a bathroom visit before that start just as I ran into Frankie "The Jet" and his wife Nadya. Frankie (who still owes me his recap of the Star Wars Half) was running his first full marathon. He finished in less than 5 hours so you can understand why I call him "The Jet". Nadya was running her first Half and did awesome. In fact, she kicked my butt.

After sorting the bathroom issues we lined up, the anthems were sung and we were off. I quickly settled into a pace that I felt was comfortable. After a few miles, I realized that I was going a bit fast. Not Philly Marathon fast but still fast enough. I tried to adjust my pace but I have realized that when I use the Galloway Method, slowing down the running interval is an issue for me. It's just instinct I guess. You are walking and when that alert goes off to run you just take off. Then, since you are "fresher" than you would be if you were just running and since you figure you are gonna walk in a bit, you just keep running fast. I really, really have to work on that as I increase my mileage.

For 10 miles, it was all well and good. For a moment, I was thinking "maybe I can pull a sub-3 in my home turf. That would be so great!" It was around this time that the elites running the marathon passed me at a speed that I still can't believe is possible to sustain for 26.2 miles. I was supposed to take my second gel at mile ten but there was not an aid station close to take water to wash it down so I did not take it. Then at mile 11, the wheels came off in pretty spectacular fashion. After seeing 13's on my Garmin most of the way, mile 11 showed a 14. I knew what was coming next. Even though it has happened before, I'm still surprised at how sudden it actually happens. One moment you are doing fine then "pufff!" your legs simply don't want to run anymore. By the time I reached the next station I was walking way more than I was running. By the final mile I managed to run all the way to the finish but the damage was done. 3 hours and three minutes... I didn't come in last but it felt like I did.

That final stretch to the finish was brutal. Pardon my french but I was pissed. Very pissed. I feel better now that I have calmed a bit after sitting down to analyze the positives of the whole race, which were several, but it still stings.

I was aiming to run the race "in around 3 hours" which I did. So what's my problem? I wasn't aiming for a PR and I wasn't supposed to go sub-3 on this one so what gives? What pisses me off is my inability to execute my racing strategy.
Awesome bling
If I had played it conservatively and ran slower, I'm pretty sure the bonk would not have happened. It was a totally unnecessary mishap and on top of that, I would have probably finished in around the same time anyway. Ok, ok so you might probably think "but Frank you ran a pretty good race and finished in the desired time. Better yet, you finished." Well, yes you're right but I'm thinking long term here. This is a mistake I simply cannot make at the Goofy Challenge. On this race, it just means I bonked and was sore during my goddaughter's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's later that day. At Disney, this could very well send me to the sweep bus during the Marathon. There is much work to be done. Three years I have been running, and I still can't kick the habit of running races like the fate of the World depended on it.

Still, I'm not gonna leave out the positives. The fact that I can run for 10 miles no problem at this pace, even with training issues, is a testament to progress. This is the guy who could barely run a mile and a half after all..

Done
Having said all that, I think I'm gonna start a campaign for runners to come do this Half. Apart from my particular issues, this was an awesome race with great volunteers and good crowd support. Once the Sun comes out you get to enjoy some beautiful scenery and the final stretch all the way to the finish is one of the most gorgeous I have ever witnessed in a race. The bling is the best I have seen at any race in the island. So come to Puerto Rico. Run this race and witness how beautiful this island is and celebrate with me at the finish after I obtain redemption next year. You can even take a dip on the beach right at the finish line.


15 comments:

  1. A dip in the beach is always good after a race! I do know your frustration though. I felt the same way at princess half this year at Disney. I beat my time from last year but I still thought it wasn't a good race and I was exhausted through it. I blame that on running the Goofy challenge a few weeks prior and then doing the 5k and 10k during princess weekend as well as the half.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will be waiting for you to come next year. Post-race beach fun here we come! LOL

      Delete
  2. You ate definitely progressing as an athlete, Frank. Getting pissed off for making tactical errors in a half is bad ass!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the fact that you didn't sugar coat your emotions about your experience. I bet things would have been different if you had been able to take your second gel. For my last marathon, I looked at the map the of the course the day before the race and then wrote on my arm what mile/water stop I would take my nutrition. Maybe that would help with the bonk. With that being said, you still did fantastic! And you are setting such a good example for your girls! Keep up the good work and keep rockin' those shorts! :) PS - I recently bought a lady version of those shorts based on your blog about them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was definitely a tactical mistake. I knew exactly where and when to take my gels for the Philly Half and yet for this one, I just said "I'll just take it them on miles 5 and 10" without really thinking about where the aid stations were. You can bet I will be more aware next time.

      Delete
  4. Thanks for this review and being so honest about your experience! This is one I'm thinking about doing at some point in the future. The great thing about your experience here is that you have plenty of time before Goofy to fine tune your strategy for pacing and fueling. I'm sure the hills didn't help either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hope you do come down to do it. You are gonna love the course. And I couldn't have put it better regarding Goofy. A lot of time to work on it for sure.

      Delete
  5. i love how honest you were about your emotions. Sometimes it is good to get it all out there! I would definitely work on fueling in your training and see what works for you. I used to only fuel every 3-4 miles but I decided one day to try to fuel every 2 miles and oh my goodness, what a difference it makes! I take a shot blok every 2 miles and then every 6-8 (depending on how I feel, I shoot for 6 but sometimes 8 works better), I will swap out a shot blok for a clif shot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely something to think about. Sometimes I like to think I don't need that stuff so much but that's my ego talking. Maybe 3 miles per gel is a good number to shoot for.

      Delete
  6. I was at a running class once and some people were asking about water - do you carry it with you, do you drink at the stations, and someone mentioned that when he ran a marathon, the water stations weren't in the right places - so he might carry water next time. I like Sarah's idea about mapping out your gel/water breaks ahead of time. AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Change your focus! This was a great training run with some bling (medal) at the end. I think it's great you were really focused with your race strategy. The best part is all of the things that did go wrong! Why? You'll know how to deal with them should it occurs again. That kind of experience is what makes you a stronger and more experienced runner!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This race is on my bucket list. Thanks for the great write up!

    ReplyDelete