3M Race Plan

The Approach - You have to put every race you run into the larger context of your training.

Half marathoners, this is, for all but Debbie, your first half marathon. You just want to get through it safely and relatively happily. You'll have AT&T three weeks later, which is enough time to recover, if you don't go absolutely nuts and blast yourself too hard on Sunday. Last year, almost all the half marathoners in my group and others that I knew were actually faster on the harder course at AT&T than they were at 3M, just because they had that first experience under their belt. So, appreciate this for what it is, work hard, but know that your true goal race still lies ahead.

For the marathoners - at one point, 3M was only two weeks before the marathon, and regardless of the admonitions of their coaches, people would blow themselves out at 3M and not be at their best for the marathon. With three weeks in between, now, you're a lot less likely to do that. I'd still urge you to run smart - you're coming off a 22 mile run, and you do have your goal race still ahead.

That level of consideration aside, I wouldn't worry as much about expending too much effort as I would getting injured. If you have a problem now, talk to me about it. If a problem arises during the race, you've gotta be mature enough to assess it honestly, and put it and the race in perspective. Why mess up your first marathon with a half marathon injury?

OK, let's talk about the race and the course. I think planning is one of the funnest parts of this sport. You get to play general, plotting and scheming your battle. For those of us that are prone to obsessing about a race, it's better to focus that energy on something useful than to sit around imagining that there are little gnomes planting explosives in your knee. Or something like that.

You have hopefully all reviewed the race preparation guide I posted. Some of you are prone to blowing things off, thinking it's not a big deal. Eventually, that will bite you in the gluteal region. Just humor me and do the prep work this week, OK?

OK, the course...

The start - Take it easy. It’s that simple. Unless you’re unusually experienced and disciplined, if you’re supposed to run 10 minute miles in a race, and you try to start at that, you’re going to run faster. Getting too swept up in the adrenaline and excitement, the press of thousands of runners, can all add up to an early critical error in your race. Going out too fast might not just be a simple mathematical fix of going slower later - you could burn yourself up, or at least take longer to get into your rhythm.

Do not bother trying to dodge around people - you’ll just burn energy. Look ahead, and pick a path through people that doesn’t have you darting around too much.

Watch your feet - People will be discarding clothing and plastic garbage bags - don’t trip on them. If you’re ditching clothing, for God’s sake, throw it safely off the road.

The first mile has you going north on Stonelake. It’s basically flat, but with some slight incline - only about 40 feet over about half a mile. At this point, that doesn’t matter - just relax, enjoy the start, and try to get into a rhythm.

Mile 2 - Running south on Jollyville should feel somewhat good. There’s about 50 feet of climb over the course of a mile - nothing to worry about.

Miles 3 and 4 - Running south on Mesa should still feel pretty good, because it’s somewhat flat. There’ll be some spectators here.

Miles 3.5-5 - This stretch down Spicewood Springs is fun, beginning about a 170-foot drop in elevation up through mile six. BUT, it’s also a great place to blow your race. You don’t want to go pounding down this. We’ve all learned that running downhill can still wear you out - moving your legs at a faster rate can easily overwhelm the benefit that gravity is giving you, giving you a net energy loss. On the other hand, if you try too hard to control your speed, you can break your rhythm and wear out your quads. Try instead to just relax and just hold your pace, taking advantage of the downhills to conserve your energy. This early in a race, it’s better to bank energy than time. And besides, on a decent downhill, you’re still going to get a little time benefit, whether you intend to or not.

The bagpiper is usually around here, too...

Miles 6-6.5 - Count your blessings. After a sharp right onto Shoal Creek, and a sharper right onto Foster, you spend all of a few blocks on Great Northern. Consider this a fairly mellow part of the run - just stay on pace and cover this middle distance. Shake your arms out, relax your neck, shoulders, legs and feet, and just run.

Miles 6.5-8.5 - This is the long stretch down Burnet Road. There’s a minor but longish incline, here, but you guys have had slightly more hill training than most groups probably have. You’ll do fine. Stay relaxed, keep your hips under you, and enjoy this stretch - there are usually plenty of crowds here. In the last half mile, you get rewarded with a long downhill, but again, use this to relax and recharge, because you have a couple of long climbs coming up...

Miles 8.5-10 - North Loop - the long incline. But most everyone in this group has run it at least 3-4 times just in the past six months, if not more. You know it, you’ve beaten it time and time again, even after more distance and more hills. Just hold your pace and your form, and get up it. Around 10, you get another climb, but grind through it - you’re about to get this course’s big reward.

The Big Finish -
At mile 10, you'll be turning right off of North Loop's long incline, onto Duval, beginning a great 3.2 mile fast stretch of downhills and flats to the finish. It’s almost a 200 foot elevation drop, a lot of it coming in a couple of smooth drops.

There are still occasional fluctuations, where there’ll be a slight incline for a block or so. Just ride through them, knowing another drop is coming.

Here's where you can take a look at how you feel, and decide whether to turn it up or not. If you do increase pace, do it gradually. Don't go from 11:30 per mile to 11:00 unless you are darned sure you can hold that for 3 miles. The best plan is to try to pick up 5-10 seconds in mile 11 and 12, with the option to crank it up a little more in the last mile.

I like to pick several “go points” near the end of a race, where I think the factors will come together to make for a good place to boost my speed a bit. I ran a 5K last year seriously hung-over. The first mile was a struggle. But, I hit my first go point, where for a week, I had known it was where I would make my move (insofar as I ever have “a move”). Being psychologically prepped for that made a tremendous difference, and I was able to pull out a PR.

The stretch through campus can be challenging - the crowds get sparse, and it gets relatively quiet, and you lose sense of how close you are to the finish. Trust that you are very close. If you haven’t keeled over or give up yet, it’s too late for that - keep running.

In the last mile, feel it. Regardless of what's happened so far, it's going to be over soon. That last mile is all yours, and you are in control of how you end the race. Think of the finish line, and the crowds cheering, and your friends that'll be there, proud of what you've accomplished.

You’ll come out of campus crossing MLK, and you’ll be able to see the finish. Try to boost your pace a little (but don’t burn up too early). Pick someone ahead of you, and catch them. Pick another, catch them. Stay relaxed - you want to think of running strides, not sprints. You don’t want to pull anything, here, you just want to pick up the pace.

Run all the way through the finish. Do not let up at all until you've crossed both finish mats.

Some other things to think about:


Pace. In terms of pace, I can talk to you individually about that. For almost everyone, I just want to give you a speed limit. Here's what I'm doing: your time trial time gives us your predicted pace for the half. I'm adding 10 seconds per mile. The first two miles, you need to try to be 30-45 seconds even slower per mile. After that, you don't exceed that predicted pace, until mile 10...

Run your own race. Ignore people passing you. Some won't finish, you'll pass some of them back up if you're smart, and hey, everyone but one person is going to have at least one faster person out there. You get sucked into someone else’s run, and you’re probably ditching at least six months of training and experience. Run your own race.

Do what you have to do, as soon as possible. Gotta pee? Pee. The first mile of the course will be lined with men facing bushes, and women hunkering in the weeds. Might be gross and unseemly, but you're there to run a race. Got a rock in your shoe? Get it out right then. Give up 10-15 seconds early rather than 5-10 seconds a mile for the rest of the race.

Fight the urge to strip. I mean, in addition to your usual urge to strip. If it's very cold, you're going to heat up in the first couple of miles. DO NOT DITCH ALL YOUR WARMTH unless the temperature drastically changes. I did this at the 2006 marathon, and it was perhaps my biggest mistake. After a couple of hours, your core temperature is going to drop back down. Leave the gloves on. If you do take them off, keep them. Stuff them in your waistband. Keep your hat and your long sleeves. You can always push the sleeves up.

Run friendly. Remember who we are - the group for non-uppity, non-elitist runners. Thank the volunteers, especially the kids. Thank the cops guarding the intersections. Wave thanks at the spectators. Encourage your fellow runners. You can be focused on your race, but make it part of your routine to spread some love. You’ll feel better for it.

Drink water. If it's cold, cold water doesn't always seem appealing, but you need it. People get dehydrated in winter races because they're cold and don't drink as much water as they usually would. Take it, drink it. And thank the volunteers.

Run the crown of the road. These roads have a lot of camber, so when possible, run the center stripe.

Draft. Drafting is not just for doped cyclists and NASCAR. If we get winds, use the crowds to your advantage to, um, break wind for you. You know what I mean.

Break the race into manageable chunks. Don't try to bite off 13.1 miles, run a mile, or two or three miles at a time. Think about these chunks when you familiarize yourself with the course.

No iPods. You’re not going to be able to use them at AT&T, might as well practice now. Use it before the race to get in your happy place, but during the race, you want to hear the crowds and the bagpipes, and you want to find the motivation in yourself.

Again, run your own race. This includes your running partner. If you're running with someone, and you get separated, be prepared to be alone for a while. DO NOT try to speed up to catch them. If you do decide to catch them, give yourself a long time to do it. Keep an eye on them, and make it a multi-mile mission. It’ll give you something else to focus on, too. Decide you'll get to them near the finish.

Trouble. You're going to have rough spots, unless you're a freak and/or you're running waaaaayyy too slow. When you do, focus on your form - keep your head up, shoulders back. you may be tired, but slumping makes things worse. You get less air, and it will turn your stride into a shuffle. It all starts with your eyes. If the eyes drop to the ground right in front of you, your head will follow. Your neck, being tilted, will cause your shoulders to shift forward. Pretty soon, your butt is hanging out behind you, and you’re wondering why you can’t breathe well, and why your neck, shoulders and back hurt.

Think about all the time and effort and will you've spent training. You've had tough runs, and gotten through them. Get through it now. Don't trade away a few minutes, or even an hour, of moderate pain for regret that'll last until you get a chance to race again.

Which, granted, will just be in three weeks.