Imposter no more! I ran the whole way
I woke up Thursday morning not feeling excited about the race. I procrastinated getting ready to go. Angie even asked me if I was going to go.
Sometime later I realized why. I felt like an impostor. I’ve been blogging about this race and my training for it…but I’ve only been at it for a short time. I feel like I’ve been parroting information that’s been available for years but was new to me. Surely there are plenty of better authors on the subject.
(On the other hand, I did have some successes during my race preparation. I had set a goal of finishing in under 45 minutes. My last training run was just under 40 minutes.)
I got to the race and I saw people who looked like (and were) actual runners. My frame is not that of a person who has run consistently for years. In training, I always had to spend part of my time walking. I fumbled to attach my bib to my Cedar Hill PT shirt. (I had ordered clips that hold the bib in place, rather than use baby pins that would leave holes in my shirt. Note to self: In the future, try attaching the bib to the shirt before putting it on.) Fortunately, I got there early enough to still do an abbreviated warmup and find my way towards the back of the mass of people waiting to pass through the starting gate.
Being at the back meant it was a minute or so after the race started before I passed through the gate. I was OK with that. I wasn’t in a rush. One thing they didn’t have when I last did a race like this were “chips” embedded in the race bib that start the clock, so to speak, when you pass the starting line.
I thought to myself, I’ve done a good job preparing for this. I am ready for it. I’ve done the work.
As per usual, I had my heart rate monitor on and used my phone to track my run. The phone’s GPS also tracks how far I’ve run. I saw myself coming up to one mile and was pleased to see my heart rate was lower than usual for having jogged this distance. I kept going, noting this was farther than I had gone without slowing down to walk. (Granted, where I usually run there are more hills.) I passed mile 2. I became determined to not walk one stride of this event. About 2.5 miles in there was a steep hill. I thought, “I don’t care how slow I go up this hill, as long as I am jogging it.” And that’s what I did.
Then, I saw it. THE FINISH LINE. My posture grew taller. My stride length increased. I would finish strong.
As I got closer, I saw the race timer. I would pass it in under 40 minutes…but I knew my “chip time” would be faster than that!
“Paul face” went into full effect as I crossed the line, arms raised in the air.
My chip time was 37:27.
I did the “Run” part. I then moved on to the “Eat” and “Nap” parts of my Thanksgiving.
I woke up this morning feeling good.
I no longer think that I am an imposter. I am me. I’m imperfect. I can make better decisions. I hope writing this inspires someone else.
I’m deciding which race will be next. I plan to do the “Running of the Lights” in Tanglewood to bring in the New Year. And probably one more before then.
My training process
It started in July. I had been exercising inconsistently before then, but then I got my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor that links up with Bluetooth and records everything – including a diary. I found this very motivating, because I can look at the diary and stick with my goal of five hours of exercise a week. Since then, I’ve been consistent with that. I’ve had one or two weeks where I’ve been a little bit less. I’ve had one or two weeks where I’ve been a little bit more. That’s okay!
I varied my workout from road work (sidewalks where possible) and elliptical running. As the days got shorter, I spent more time on the elliptical.
An elliptical helps moderate the impact of running quite a bit. And with some “cross ramp” adjustments to the device, I can simulate elevation on a real-time street with the incline setting. Another benefit of using an elliptical trainer is I can monitor and keep my heart rate better.
Still, I knew that since my goal was a 5k run in Downtown Greensboro, that I’d better get used to pounding the pavement. So, there were quite a few 5k test runs on the road. So far, I’ve found the impact doesn’t really bother me, thankfully.
In fact, I believe that there is a benefit to impact in terms of the body having to grow more resilient to it, as opposed to the elliptical trainer, which is completely non-impact.
There was one training error that I made
A couple of months ago, I was watching these YouTube videos on proper running form, and I tried making some big changes in terms of how I ran. In doing this, I strained my hip in the process. Fortunately, that was just a one-time thing that resolved within a few days. But I recommend caution in getting too much training from YouTube.
Heart rate data helped
Over this training period, I learned a lot. I found a new way to calculate if I’m in my right target zone or not. And I found out about a measurement that’s new to me. It’s been around for a while. It’s called Heart Rate Drift, where, basically, you can tell if you’re working out at a constant rate.
Over time, your heart rate is going to increase. What’s probably happening is the amount of blood that your heart’s putting out with each stroke decreases a bit, so it must beat more frequently to keep the same volume pumping through the system. I found a neat little online calculator where you plug in your average heart rate your distance for the first half of your run, and same for the second half. Or I’m on the elliptical trainer, and they shoot for a range of a 3.5 to 5% drift.
Warmups matter
I felt great leading up to the run. I showed up at the starting line and just walked a little bit. There are a few standing movements that I did like an exaggerated walk where I lift my knee all the way up, straighten my leg all the way out, step far forward, pick my leg up in an exaggerated way behind me, that sort of thing. This is to actively take myself through a full range of motion. And I did what I would call a standing hip circle to put some rotation in. A few squats to lubricate the joints and I was ready for the starting gun.