Highlights of 3/45-day Half-Marathon Challenge
This is a daily summary for my endeavors towards finishing a half marathon that is due in 42 days. You can read all about the challenge here:
As I said in the main post, today’s challenge was about the weather. It was extremely hot and my usual outfit includes one running shirt (short sleeves) and a running jacket that looks like a normal jacket but It comes very handy when I need to store my phone, since I like to listen to a podcast when I am running. I find that to be the perfect time to multitask, and defer your focus from discomfort while running.
(My armband snapped which I usually use to carry my phone. I am currently away from home but will get one as soon as I am back)
Today’s listen was:
Great piece.
Back to Run
Whenever you spend time doing something, you inevitably find some patterns and your body recognizes what works and what doesn’t. It won’t apply to everyone, but I still think there is a big portion of overlap in there.
Let’s analyze the run by looking at this chart
0–3km
Even though I advise against rushing in the beginning, I somehow tend to do that, but I believe I will correct that in the following days. The 3rd kilometer was a major breakdown mainly because I started picking up the pace.
6km
This was my first challenge to resist. You have to understand the psychology. My first run was 6km so I subconsciously thought that I matched it and there was no reason to push myself harder than that. Luckily the heart kicked in and I picked up pace slightly to continue running. Major lesson here; It is either you will or milk acid that will kick in and you will be asked by a tiny voice in your head to stop running. This is what will happen in the race at around 14th or 17th kilometer so we don’t want to neglect this feeling. Regardless of the distance you will be running, you will always have these thoughts.
Reward is on the other side of the fear
10km
I felt good after I stopped at the 10th kilometer. That’s the distance I had in my head and I am happy that I pushed myself to get there. Did I think of tricking my brain into running less and justify it as “It is only the second workout”? You bet I did. But that’s life.
The dips you are seeing might be from these turning points where I slow down and face the opposite direction. The street wasn’t too long so I had to circle.
Food
My last meal was 3 hours before the workout. I had chicken breasts (I love chicken) and some mushrooms with an onion/tomato salad.
Hydration
It is important to be hydrated enough before your run. I do this by sipping up to 1.5 liters of water during day. Unfortunately, I am not running away form Coca Cola yet.
TIP OF THE DAY
Give your body some time to warm up before you pick up the pace. It works as a miracle if you let it get warmed up. Your “Giving Up” moments will be prolonged (like the one I had at 6th kilometer). Usually you would have 2 major “Giving Up” moments in the race. The first one might come between 12th and 14th kilometer, and the other one would be around 17th to 18th kilometer. The idea is to train enough to defer these moments and pushed them beyond 21st kilometer. This might not happen within your first 45-day challenge, but we can learn how to handle it.
See you tomorrow!
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