Some years ago, I hiked Mt. Whitney in California. This 14er is a strenuous grind. The trail starts at 8,360′ and the summit is at 14,505′ (6,145′ of elevation gain!). The round-trip is 22 miles.
My friend and I started at 4:30am, summited at noon and were done by 4pm. It wasn’t easy, but we were happy with our performance especially since neither of us trained for it.
Despite 3 solid months of training, running the half-marathon on Saturday was much harder. Here are the dirty details:
- Finishing time: 2:31:29
- Average pace: 11:33
- End of race state: Sticky (Peeps) and in pain
How It Went Down
The race had pacers. These were runners who ran at a predetermined pace and held signs so you could see how you were doing. For example, if your goal was to run the race in 2 hours, you just had to look for the guy with the 2:00 sign and run with him.
I started the race behind the 2:30 guy but passed him quickly. My goal was to conserve energy for the second half, so I didn’t plan to chase down the 2:15 guy until at least half the race was over. I’d try to enjoy myself and focus on the Peeps.
It all felt good at the start. The air was cool, but the sun was out. I was with friends. There was a lot of excitement. There were Peeps. Everything went well until around mile 6. It was at that time that my left IT band started protesting. And by “protesting,” I mean it started to hurt like a &^%$@!#* (insert your preferred colorful metaphor).
For me, IT band issues are an all-or-nothing proposition. They are either fine or it feels like the side of my legs are on fire. From the point that my left band started hurting, I had to stop about every quarter mile and stretch to keep the pain at a tolerable level. I never caught the 2:15 guy and 2:30 passed me a couple miles before the end.
There were times in the last 2 miles that I felt like my legs might give out. I’ve never felt like that before and it was disturbing.
My original goal was 2:00 and with a time of 2:31, I didn’t even come close. More thoughts on what I think went wrong in a moment…
What I Learned
Failure is good. While I’m not happy that I didn’t finish the race in 2 hours, I can certainly learn something from the experience of running and training.
I can do so much more than I thought I could: A year ago, I couldn’t run a mile. On Saturday, I ran 13.1 miles. And I ran 163 in the past 3 months to train for this. At 44, my hair is going grey, but I may be in the best shape of my life.
Less weight is more: Six months ago, I was overweight, had high blood pressure (130/80) and wasn’t feeling good about myself. Now, I’m almost below 15% body fat, my blood pressure is normal (115/65) and I feel great.
Less beer is more: I consumed less and if felt good. I usually don’t drink during the week, but Friday and Saturday I indulge. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found that alcohol screws with me more. I’m hot in bed and sleep poorly. I need multiple days to recover. I drank about 60 beers in the first quarter of the year and look forward to cutting that way back in the second.
Hunger is hard: I went on an intermittent fasting diet to lose weight. This involves only eating in an 8-hour window (10am-6pm). This helped me keep my weight down, but pushing through hunger isn’t easy. I plan to keep up with this food schedule though because I eat less when on it.
Peeps + running == sticky mess: I ingested many Peeps on the course along with GU energy packets. By the end of the race, I not only smelled bad, but was super sticky. It was not a pretty scene.
Running doesn’t lead to weight loss, at least not for me: It was difficult to lose weight while running. I found it much easier to lose weight walking fast. I think it’s because walking puts me in the fat-burning zone and running puts me above it. I cut back on my walking when training for the half, but am going to go back to it now to lose a bit more weight.
Sugar is the enemy: I LOVE sugar. You know, Peeps. However, I need to keep it out of my house because I struggle with willpower.
It’s mostly a head game: Building on the first point, the most important thing I learned from running the half-marathon is that the main battle is mental, not physical. Of course, you have to physically train for something like this. However, pushing through discomfort by getting my mind in the right place is the most important skill.
Where Did I Go Wrong?
So, I failed. Big time! I finished 30 minutes behind my goal. I can blame some of it on my left IT band, but not all of it. If my IT band had been OK, I think that I would have finished under 2:15, but not 2:00. Where did I go wrong?
I didn’t get down to a good weight: This was my biggest failure. I was somewhere between 155 and 160 on race day and I should have been closer to 145.
I didn’t run the final week before the race: I had not run for a week before the race. I had planned to, but we were on vacation and I didn’t make time for it. Did I lose some of my momentum?
I didn’t heed the advice of others: I have a friend who is a physical therapist and Mrs. WoW is an occupational therapist. They both told me to do squats to stave off the IT band issues. However, my IT bands never complained during the training, so I didn’t do the squats.
I didn’t start training early enough: Running didn’t start to feel really good until the second half of March, about 10 weeks into my training. I would have been a lot better off if I started a month earlier.
I need to be more disciplined: This is the big one. Most of my issues can be traced to lack of discipline. I need to be mentally stronger. I have to eat less crap and stick to exercise schedules.
Where Do I Go From Here?
I have a 5K to run at the Berkshire Hathaway conference, so I’m not giving up running. At least not yet. Over the summer, I’m going to mix shorter distance running with long distance cycling though. No more long-distance running, at least in the near future.
However, I can’t let this go. The bottom line is this:
I didn’t fulfill my potential.
I need to do another half-marathon to redeem myself. However, it won’t be for at least 6 months. December sounds about right for attempt #2. Who’s in?
And one more thing. Peeps and beer are not so good together.
You know… I don’t think you failed at all. You ran a half marathon! That’s something a majority of people have never done or been able to do. It might not look like what you thought it would, but you completed your race and have a lot to be proud of!
Congratulations on the work you did, and good luck on the plan for the next quarter of the year!
Thanks for that! I know that I didn’t perform up to my full potential though and I have a difficult time getting past that.
I totally understand that. I’m a huge perfectionist (seriously, that was the senior superlative I won in high school) and tend not to do things that I don’t think I can execute flawlessly. One of the mantras I’m trying to embrace is “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” If I wait for something to be perfect, it will never get done, but if I go for whatever it is I want, the final product is typically good enough. I actually feel better having completed the “good enough” product instead of never attempting it in the first place.
Your full potential might have been running the race in 2 hours or less, but running it at all is probably good enough! There’s always a next time if you want to go for perfect again. 🙂
Thanks for the nice words!
You’re certainly right that the accomplishment is good enough. I need to appreciate what I did instead of stewing over what I didn’t.
And I was thinking more about it and I came to is this: If I had done it perfect the first time, I probably would have never run a half-marathon again. Since I didn’t do nearly as well as I would have liked, I’m going to do another one which will be another reason to get in better shape.
Sugar is my kryptonite. I have great will power when it comes to just about everything else, but not sugar. I’m going to try and shake the addiction this morning month.
Congrats on completing the half marathon. Even if you view it as a failure, I think it’s something to be very proud of.
Thanks for the kind words! And yeah, sugar is EVIL!!
Great job. You finished the race so that’s pretty damn good. Next time, train more. Learn from your failure like every PF blogger preaches. 8)
Yep, I’m gonna figure out what I did wrong and try again in December. You want in on this one? 🙂
Congrats on the half! Those have to be the best medals I’ve seen in awhile 😉
Keep me posted on a December half! Just make sure it’s not in the snow… I don’t want to run a half in the snow.
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“Keep me posted on a December half! Just make sure it’s not in the snow… I don’t want to run a half in the snow.”
Awesome! Let’s find one in the south and book it!
Come on down! I’ll treat you to a beer afterwards. 😉
Dec 8, 2018 Saturday
Race 13.1 Durham, NC
https://race131.com/races/race-13-1-durham-nc/details
Congrats on finishing Mr. WoW. Even if you feel you could’ve done better, you did do it, and that is something to be proud of! You got in better shape, you brought your blood pressure down naturally, and you set a goal and made it to the finish line. You will undoubtedly learn from this experience, and do even better next time.
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GAH, Mr1500, not Mr. Wow… too early, more coffee time…
Ouch, man. Sorry to hear about the IT band issues. Not sure if you need a doctor or an IT professional to help you with that, but I know you’ve got access to both.
Even though the time wasn’t what you hoped for, you did it! Which is awesome, and it’s more than I can say.
Cheers!
-PoF
Thanks PoF!
Maybe you can join us for the next one! We’ll find an exotic locale and go nuts!
Congrats on finishing the half! Runners always put crazy time goals on themselves and often miss them. If this was your first half, I think your true goal was to finish it. You did so and then some. This is a win, not a failure.
Oh and your comment “I didn’t start training early enough:” is something every runner says after every race. Congratulations Mr. 1500, you are now a runner! Feel like coming east coast for the next one?
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Ha, I’ll never call myself a runner, but thanks for the kind words.
And hmmm, an East Coast one sounds interesting…
Congrats on finishing your first half marathon! You’ll get to your time goal with experience and training. You didn’t know what was needed to complete a half before. Now you do.
Have you considered trying interval training (running with short walk intervals)? For your pace you would probably run 5 minutes and walk 30-60 seconds. Something you might want to look into. It sounds counter intuitive, but it can get you closer to the 2 hour mark.
Thanks for the kind words and suggestion on interval training! I’m definitely going to do that before the next one.
Congrats on finishing the half marathon! It might not be the time you wanted, but you finished — in my book that’s an incredible win!
Good job Mr. 1500!
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Thanks Mr. Tako!
Anyone who goes from not being able to run a mile a year ago to finishing a half-marathon (at all, let alone while in pain) is a hero in my book. Way to go Carl!
Thanks MarciaB!
And thanks for coming out to meet us! If I was talking gibberish, it was because the race messed my head!
This is just the beginning. Next race? You’ll nail it.
Btws – We’re coming back to Longmont (the whole fam) for a week this summer. Would be great to buy you a beer or bring you a package of Peeps in homage (assuming you haven’t kicked the habit by then…) It’d be equally great if you’d lay on the charm to convince Mrs. Cubert that we need to move to the front range. A case of Peeps, perhaps??
Ha, next race is already in the planning stages!
See you in Longmont! And you won my heart with Peeps. Wait, you’re coming from the frozen north. Will the Peeps be frozen?
And yeah, we’re already putting together a PowerPoint for Mrs. Cubert! If that doesn’t work, does she like beer?
I’m proud of you! And if you’re serious about redeeming yourself, can I recommend http://napleshalfmarathon.net/ ? It’s looking like it will be my return to distance races, with the BRK 5K being my first official race back after my foot surgery!
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Thanks so much Mrs. PoP! I’m really looking forward to the Berkshire 5K!
The timing for the Naples one is pretty good! Let me confer with my running partner, Mr. WoW….
Big congrats Carl, don’t look at it as a failure. It’s a toughness step. If you want to keep pursuing running (which I highly recommend), you’ll look back on that time in a few years and laugh, because you’ll be crushing. I’m older than you and I keep getting faster (although it tends to hurt a bit more 😉
AF! Thanks so much for the encouragement! I’m really looking forward to my next 5K in 4 weeks!!!
You picked a goal, you did the work, you put in the time, and you learned things to improve for next time – how is that failure a bad thing? Would you consider this an (implied bad) failure if the story was told to you by someone else? Sometimes we see others more clearly and are more forgiving of them than we are to ourselves.
Failing a rather arbitrary goal isn’t the issue… did you fail correctly? To me it would seem you did.
“I need to be more disciplined: This is the big one.”
Be careful of that one, willpower is overrated and quickly exhausted… consider designing your lifestyle so that willpower isn’t the driver. Think habit and gamification.
At the very least, now you can shave!
Wendy, are you for hire as a life coach? 🙂
My friend, I am here for you, whenever you need an independent cheering squad (or a smack ’round the ‘ead)
I definitely need more smacking than cheering! Hope to see you again soon!
Screw that time, you finished!!!! Congrats, that is quit the achievement. Very proud 😉
Thanks Team CF!
Congratulations. Definitely not a failure! Most people in America would be happy to “run” a mile – big props for making it 13.1.
Hopefully you’ll continue posting now and then about your training – they are motivating for us couch potatoes. BTW, what’s the agreed window that one can keep using small children as an excuse – 24 months? 🙂
Thanks Aaron!
I will continue posting, but am going to change things up a bit. I’ll focus on strength training for the next 3 months,
“BTW, what’s the agreed window that one can keep using small children as an excuse – 24 months?”
Zero months! Babies make great training partners! Put the baby on your back and start doing push-ups! 🙂
After never running before, I ran nearly 200 miles from May to October 2017. Every other morning, like clockwork, even while on vacation in Portland and Seattle and Amsterdam and Maasbracht. Then a mistimed log jump with an unfamiliar bike while mountain biking led to a cracked rib and I stopped. I haven’t laced up the shoes since, even though a month later I was feeling fine.
Now I’m inspired. You did a pretty amazing thing, and when it started to really suck you powered through it and finished anyway. I’ve registered for http://www.curebraintumors.org and have one month to get in shape for a 5K…. starting tomorrow morning in rainy 59° weather. Thanks for getting me back on the horse!
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
Adam! Nice work on registering for the 5K! Get back on that horse and get at it!
And rainy and 59 sounds like good running weather to me!
“I didn’t fulfill my potential. I need to do another half-marathon to redeem myself”- welcome to the rabbit hole of road races. I’ve definitely heard that one before. Round 2 we’ll tackle the IT problems, I’ve got them too so we’ll hold each other accountable on the squat train!
“Round 2 we’ll tackle the IT problems, I’ve got them too so we’ll hold each other accountable on the squat train!”
Yes! As soon as my legs stop hurting, I’m gonna start squatting!
YOU DID NOT FAIL! Failure is not showing up. Failure is saying this is to hard and not training. You took on a challenge and you finished the race. Who cares what your time was YOU FINISHED! . So lets get that thought out of your mind right now.
Listen I spent 10 years fighting cancer and I when I kicked that in the ass I realized I was in shape, but fat and round and depressed were not the shape I wanted to be in. So one ice cold January morning (-42F wind chill) I met up with some folks and went for a run. I was timed as slow, and I have not looked back. I decided to go big or go home so I am training for Ironman Wisconsin. I get down when my swim times aren’t good, or my run times suck but I just have to remember that 3 years ago I couldn’t do anything. We all start somewhere and you have started. I hope you continue, if you need help let me know.
There are no limits,There are only plateaus, But you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. -Bruce Lee
Wow, nice work on getting your health back. Your story is inspirational and motivating.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am definitely going to continue. I think I have my next half-marathon picked out (Durham in 8 months).
Do some 5k’s or 10k races throughout the summer and then build up to the half. It’s easier to keep the joints lubricated than having to start from scratch. Look for a running store in your area that has fun runs. We have one here in Milwaukee that has Monday fun runs starting and ending at Lakefront Brewery. Half price beer at the end. Motivating!
Agreed. Next 5K is in a month at the Berkshire meeting: http://investinyourself5k.com/event-info/
We have a lot of the same vices, it seems. Beer is my big one, though sugar sure comes in a close second.
My half-assed rule now is that I don’t drink unless it’s a social event. So no after-work IPAs (or three) just because I had a hard day.
My surgery doesn’t allow me to really run much yet, but I’ve been swimming the past few days and that feels fine. Maybe I’ll swim my way to a healthier place.
I’m still tipping the scales at 180, which is way, way too high for me. I’m jelly of your 155-160!
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Beer and sugar are tough. I’m fine without beer during the week, but then Friday rolls around… Bad habits die hard. Regarding sugar, I’m going to go without it for a month and see how I feel after that. I hope the urges die down.
Imagine I’ll be saying just about the same things to myself in a month after finishing my first half (I will finish, damn it!). Should have trained harder. Should have been more focused. Should have… etc etc etc
I’m a handful of years older than you. Hadn’t run a single mile between, oh, maybe high school and turning 45. Yet at 47 here I am finding myself in objectively the best shape of my life. I’ll probably always have regrets about waiting this long to improve so many things in my life, but I’ve improved ’em nevertheless. I’ll take it… 😉
Congrats on the finish!
Nice work Sean. Let me know how you do.
It is amazing how much better your second half will feel. After my first half, I had full body soreness for at least a week. It was miserable and painful. I ran a 2:33. The next half, I dropped 12 minutes and was sore for maybe a couple days. 8 years later I’ve plateaued at about 2:12 but I’m only sore for about a day. Your body just gets used to it I guess. Congrats on the finish!!
I can’t wait for the second one and I know what you say is right; the second will be much easier to deal with.
And 2;12 is pretty great!
you made it. reading the blog is kinda felt like private gomer pyle in full metal jacket but you completed the task. you know what they call the person who graduated last in their class in medical school? doctor.
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Perspective from a fellow runner: this is not a failure at all! It’s nothing short of impressive that you were able to finish the race despite IT band issues. I had an ITB injury last year and holy %$#*** was it painful. So… yeah. In my book, you’re a hero, and I’m sure you’ll reach a new personal best on your next half.
Thanks for that!
IT band issues are quite miserable, aren’t they? I had to really focus to push through.
Next half will be in December, possibly Durham. Can’t wait!
Here’s one in the south in Dec.:
https://jeffgalloway131.com/
You might also check out the Galloway Run-Walk-Run method. There’s some evidence that it quickens your pace and reduces the chance of injury. He’s a former Olympian and has authored several books. He has one specifically for completing a half. I haven’t done the Atlanta race because it’s at a bad time of year with my job, but I’ve met him at a Disney race and he’s very knowledgeable and super nice!
Also, please don’t consider this a failure. You finished. You may have under-performed (in your mind), but you finished.
This race is a contender! Atlanta is a good place and the timing is great!
Thanks for the suggestion for interval training. I’m going to definitely do more of it when my legs stop hurting!
Also, thanks for the kind words! I am very happy just to have finished and shouldn’t forget it.
Gosh Carl. You’re upset at “not living up to your full potential.” But this is THE FIRST TIME you ran a half. That’s pretty damn impressive.
I do the same thing. I step on stage for a musical improv class show and I inevitably get upset because I know I could have done better. Well, yeah. It’s the first time I performed that form. It’s all about learning – not about “shoulds.”
Congrats!
Thanks Tom for the kind words and encouragement!
If you’re interested in a SoCal race (recommended for lovely weather in December!) I’m a fan of these two halves:
http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=56112
http://runwalnutcreek.com/
Congrats on finishing the first of hopefully many more races to come! Welcome to the addiction 🙂
—
http://www.areweadultsyet.com
Thank you for the recommendations! I’m going to run them (get it, “run”) past Mr. WoW to see what he thinks!
And yes, it is an addiction indeed!
Well done – my first race as a half marathon as well. What one are you doing next?
But peeps? Is this an american thing?
Cause I’m sure here the best you get is a banana or orange!
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Thanks! And I’ll try another half-marathon in December.
Peeps! Yeah, probably American and only a small percentage of citizens as they are kind of nasty! In a good sorta way!
Nice work, and congratulations! Heck of an achievement with the bonus of better health. I also find beer is more satisfying when it’s well earned 🙂
Cheers!
“I also find beer is more satisfying when it’s well earned.”
Truer words have never been said. The beer I had after that thing was done wasn’t a good beer, but man, it tasted great!
I used to run half marathons but haven’t really been able to since I injured my lower back last year (running accident).
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You did not fail at all! You finished. As long as you didn’t DNF, you didn’t fail. Also a good reframe for your thinking: “but did you die?” You did not! You lived to see another day! Nice work on the finish, and thank you for inspiring me to pursue fitness in both physical and financial health. Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words!
Mr.1500, I think you did an awesome job! You didn’t give up even with that IT band pain. I had the same injury, so I know how painful it is… It was great talking to you about different hikes and backpacking ideas. I Can’t wait to try the half dome! Remember R.I.C.E for a faster recovery from the injury. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation! 🙂
It was really nice talking to you! Thanks for the encouragement before/during the race and please do look us up next time you’re in Colorado!
Congrats on finishing, and making so many positive gains!
Regarding your comment that running doesn’t lead to weight loss (at least for you), you’re likely experiencing what is known as “The Exercise Paradox”:
http://theplantedrunner.com/the-exercise-paradox-why-running-wont-make-you-lose-weight/
TL;DR: After a certain exercise level is reached, you stop burning more calories until you get to like crazy olympic training level. Basically your diet is the governing factor of weight loss at that point. I know this seems to defy the laws of thermodynamics, but it’s what the data shows!
Ahh, thank you for that explanation. The book I’m reading now recommends high intensity interval training for weight loss. Any thoughts on that?
Congratulations! I think the time you posted at the half-marathon from where you started originally in that amount of time is very impressive. As you mentioned endurance takes time to build up. As far as your weight I would recommend not only cutting sugars but carbohydrates in general and increasing good fats. That way you don’t feel like you’re starving. A good book about this is Eat Fat Get Thin. you could run 24 hours a day and get fatter if you’re eating more calories than you burn so you need to be at a deficit.
Thank you for the book recommendation! I think your advice is solid and I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar and carbs (especially the crappy ones). I’ve been increasing lean protein too.
In any case, I’ll check out the book.
Congrats on the half marathon…I think your self reflection on how you can improve is similar to this blog and the FIRE movement in general. Always great to strive to be better tomorrow. The fun thing about sports is there is never perfect, there’s always something you can change to get a better time or score more points, but the main thing is you are putting yourself out there! As the great poet Steven Tyler of Aerosmith once said “Life’s a journey, not a destination”.
Cheers! 🙂
Cammie!
Thank you for the kind comment! Yeah, I’ve always thought that life is more fun with some goals!
Funny you mention those lyrics because I swear that I listened to “Amazing” just a couple days ago.
Congrats on the half marathon.
Sugar is my addiction too. I am an emotional eater and also a selfish eater. When I say selfish, I mean that when I am eating something sweet, like a bag of peanut butter m and m’s or a quart of ice cream. I will keep eating it until it is all gone, because if I don’t someone else in the family will see it and want some. So when I would want some more the next day or when ever, there wouldn’t be any left. To solve that problem I just eat it all in one sitting 🙁
It also drives me to eat way more than is satisfying. I don’t know if everyone has this issue, but when I eat my first EL Fudge cookie, its great. The second one, not as great, but still great. 3rd one, even less than the 2nd, etc until around maybe cookie 10 then are just good, but I keep eating anyway, mainly because of the not wanting anyone else to eat it, but just habit??
How did the 10-6pm eating time frame help? I find that I am not necessarily hungry when I get up but that could be because I was eating right up until bedtime the night before. Yet I eat breakfast anyway because I know that it is breakfast time and I should eat something?!?
I should probably go to a counselor about my eating and emotional well being 🙂
Thanks for the congrats! Now, if my legs would stop hurting…
I’ll hide the ice cream and cookies when you’re over! 🙂 I know what you mean about “less satisfying.” It’s a great example of diminishing returns. You can tweak this to your favor though. When I am out and buy something sweet, I buy the smallest portion I can and/or split it with someone else.
“How did the 10-6pm eating time frame help?”
I ended up eating less. I’m not hungry when I wake up (between 5 and 6am), but I do get hungry around 8. By holding off until 10am or even noon, I ended up eating less food overall. Intermittent fasting supposedly has other benefits as well. Check out this Tim Ferriss podcast: https://player.fm/series/the-tim-ferriss-show/237-exploring-smart-drugs-fasting-and-fat-loss-dr-rhonda-patrick
This is an awesome post. Especially because now I know not to put Peeps in my beer!
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Excited to read your finishing story and what you learned. Running is such a journey, but a great one to be on. Glad to hear you’re going to train for another one. This may be the beginning of a running passion 🙂 Come to the East Coast to run another half, I’ll be able to join you! I’ll be running Atlantic City in October, but during the school year we don’t get time off to travel far for races so we stay close to home. Great work even with the IT Band issue!
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Thanks Kate! The East Coast may very well be an option, but I’ll probably do one a little later in the year since I won’t start training until September.
If you’re around in July, maybe we could do an informal 5K. I’ll be in Philadelphia and NYC in July.
I’m super amazed dude! Running a half marathon is just crazy. 🙂 And I like running!
I’m super proud of you and completely agree. Doing it just proves to yourself that you can do more than you thought! A realization all of us need to have. It’s amazing how much we limit ourselves in our heads.
But seriously on the other hand your love affair with peeps is just Blah!!!!Ewww! Lol.and with Beer! 😲😵 Like someone else said I’d accidentally run a half of someone was chasing me with them 🙂
By the way I’d never heard of pacers, learn something new every day!
Awww, thanks so much Roamer! It wasn’t easy and I’m still in pain almost 2 weeks later.