I’m running a half marathon in 3 days. What?!
I am still in disbelief that I am running my first winter half marathon on Saturday: the Rock ‘N Roll DC Half Marathon!
Since it’s Wednesday, I’m linking up with Annmarie at The Fit Foodie Mama, Angelena Marie at Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced, Michelle at Fruition Fitness, and Nicole at Fitful Focus for Wild Workout Wednesday! Check it out to pick up some fun workouts to try!
[bctt tweet=”Sharing my goals for the @runrocknroll DC half marathon! #RNRDC #runchat “]
Goals for the Rock N Roll DC Half Marathon:
So, this is really weird for me.
While RNR DC will be my 7th half marathon, it will be the first time that I’m running a half that I did not specifically train for. My goal race is the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run coming up on April 3, and I’m about 7 weeks into training.
This is completely new territory for me so it’s a little bit scary to figure out how to conquer this race…if that’s something that I even want to do!
Racing Strategy:
The last time I ran a half marathon was the Annapolis Classic Half Marathon back in November, which I finished in a little over 2:15. That race started out awesome, but the bridge and rolling hills killed me in the second half of the race. Oh yeah, and I started out too fast.
With RNR DC, I don’t want to make the same mistakes. My main goal for this race is to properly pace myself! Looking at the elevation map, there is a big hill between miles 5 and 6, but otherwise, it looks pretty manageable.
I’ve been heading out of the starting line too fast, so I am going to go very, very slowly during the first few miles of the race to make sure I have enough gas in the tank when I really need it (usually around mile 8!)
While RNR will have plenty of great live music throughout the course, I’ll make sure that my Spotify playlist is ready to go and downloaded on my phone so that I don’t have to worry about limited cell reception. No technical difficulties!
Okay…even though I’m not racing this, I have to give myself a time goal or I just wouldn’t be Janelle. Based on my recent long training runs, I will shoot to finish in 2:25. If I finish faster, great! If it takes longer, that’s okay too!
Fueling and Hydration:
This week we’re experiencing very warm, spring-like temperatures in the 70’s that I couldn’t be happier about! There is a chance of rain on Saturday, but I’m hoping that the weather will hold during the race because otherwise, this is perfect running weather!
I’ll be wearing my new Nathan hydration belt and using my trusted Clif Shot Bloks for fuel. I have struggled with running while grabbing one of the water bottles from my belt, so this may slow me down during the race (which would be a good thing!).
I’m really excited to run through DC and enjoy the sights since it’s always a treat to visit the Nation’s Capital!
Oh, and if you’re running RNR DC or live in the area, we’re having a meetup with #WeRunSocial at the ProCompression Booth at the Expo on Friday at 4:30 pm. I’ll be there, and hopefully, I’ll see you too!
Workouts for the Week:
Wednesday 3/2: For the first time in several months, I went to Cardio Kickboxing class at the Plant! Since I moved from the office last August I could no longer go, but I had a few meetings at the Plant that day so I made sure to bring my stuff for lunch. As always, it was a lot of fun, a great sweat, and tons of laughs! It’s nice to be missed, and the feeling is mutual!
Thursday 3/3: Weight training class. We had another fun session and did some new moves with resistance bands – my arms were shaking!
Friday 3/4: Rest day.
Saturday 3/5: I decided not to run on Saturday and to continue to rest my shins.
Sunday 3/6: Finally back on the trail! Bret and I went for a 9-mile run along the Wissahickon. It was my first run in a week, and it felt like it had been an eternity. The pace was slow, and while my shins felt fine, my knees didn’t feel too great. I wore my old Nike Pegasus shoes since I’m still leery of my Wave Riders, but they have over 300 miles on them, so…yeah. But I’m glad that I was able to run as far as we did, plus explore some new trails!
Monday 3/7: Intermediate yoga continues to be a challenge. But we did lots of lunges that my body needs and my hamstrings were grateful for all the attention. I worked late so I couldn’t attend boot camp…probably for the best since my body needed recovery after Sunday’s run.
Tuesday 3/8: 3.5-mile run in the evening with Bret. The sun was set but there were still a ton of people out since the weather was so warm. I was happy to have a very solid run.
Week 6 Report Card:
I think I did a really good job this past week. I once again listened to my body and still had some really good mileage despite resting for a few days. I still can’t believe I’m running a half marathon so early in the year! The first of many in 2016…
P.S. – Today’s the last day you can use my code JANELLELOVE to get $10 off registration to the Love Run Half Marathon in Philly on April 10! After 3/9, my code is only good for $5 off until the race sells out!
Oh – and my giveaway for one free entry to The Love Run is open until Thursday 3/10! Enter while you can!
I am going to give this week of training an A! Bring on RNR DC!
Will you be at the Rock ‘n Roll DC Half Marathon this weekend? Have you ever used a race as a training run – how did it go?
Hey, 2:!5 is a great time for your first Half. There is a long climb in this course, but remember you get to run downhill afterwards – that’s what got me through the Reston course. Do you have plans for Saturday?
My family is going to get brunch after the race so I’m looking forward to that. Other than that, I’m not sure what’s going on! I’m usually not in love with going downhill, but I think I will for this race!!
Goodluck in your half. I have that problem too, running out too fast. Looks like the weather forecast will be nice.
Thanks a lot, Lacey!
I ran this race last year in pouring rain so I was pretty miserable so I don’t remember much, but there is a huge hill around mile 5 or 6! I wasn’t prepared at all for that monster hill so I always feel the need to share this information with anyone running the race!
Thanks, Kimberly! Okay so it’s a huge hill? I hope it doesn’t psyche me out too much!
The weather looks a lot better this year! Good luck this weekend. I will be doing my CB practice run this weekend so I will be thinking of you and hoping it ‘s not raining on us both
Aw, thanks, Deborah!
I’ve never used a long race like that as a training run. It sounds like a lot of fun. I’d have to really make sure I ran it like a training run and not a race! Hope it goes well for you. Looking forward to the recap.
Thanks a lot, Julie! I’ve still got my fingers crossed that it’ll work out!
Love your attitude and your race strategy! Pacing really is so important and going out to fast can seriously kill you (I’ve done that way too many times). Can’t wait to read your recap, I will be following along on IG to see how you do!!! Best of luck <3
Thanks a lot, Annmarie! I have to beat myself with some kind of mantra to make sure I don’t start out too fast!
You are so right, Janelle, fueling and hydrating is a must in the days prior to running your Half, followed by pacing yourself, especially in the beginning! I hope the weather will hold up for you! Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Thanks, Ilka! Even though I didn’t train for the race, I’m trying to be as smart as I can!
Good luck with the RNR. I can’t believe that race is almost here, but then again, isn’t this weekend we spring the clocks forward? I know it’s not officially spring yet, but that’s one of my first signs that spring is coming.
Thanks, Lesley! Yes, daylight savings is coming back over the weekend. I’m glad spring is here at last, looking forward to a fun race!
Good luck! I’ll be out of town this weekend, otherwise would have been cheering for ya’ll. See you at Cherry Blossom.
Thanks, Jennifer! Definitely see ya at Cherry Blossom!
I think using this race to practice proper pacing sounds really smart, especially since, like you said, you didn’t specifically train for it. I hope you have a blast and run solid splits!
I wish I could run a race in DC and meetup with you. I’ll be there June 1-3 with little to no downtime for my annual school trip. Maybe we could figure out a way to do a very early morning run together! I’ve always wanted to run the mall but we always stay outside DC so I never can!
Ali, we have got to cross paths one of these days! Come run with my in Philly! Unfortunately, I’ve got a half marathon (lol) in Philly on June 4 so I won’t be down in DC at that time. Fingers crossed that the race goes well!
Good luck this weekend, you got it and it seems like you’ve got a solid plan in place.
Have such a fun race!!! It’s going to be beautiful!
Thanks, girl!
I am doing the Rock and Roll DC half too! Registered last minute, and now working on the last details… thanks for your response on the bib pick up! I should have checked that on great detail before dropping the CC numbers!
This is my second half marathon, and using it as a training race for a Marathon in April. But now I’m starting to get nervous, I’ve never ran in DC before!
Have an awesome race! Will be sending positive vibes all around!
Hey Ana, I’m glad I was able to help you out! That’s awesome that you’ll be running RNRDC as well! This is my second time running in DC (I ran Cherry Blossom last year) but it’s a different course. I hope you have a great race!!
I ran in several half’s while I was training for my full marathon. Just remember to go at your own pace and try not to get caught up in the excitement of the crowd. I know it will be hard running in the RNR! Good luck to you!
Thanks, Tricia! I’ll do my best not to get caught up in it all.
Glad that you already know about Calvert Hill. Its quite a hill (its not uncommon for people to walk up it), and it catches a lot of runners off guard that haven’t done their research and don’t know about it. Are you going to the meetup Friday afternoon at the expo? I’m hoping to make it there, but if I don’t or you aren’t, hopefully we can meet up before the race on Saturday.
Okay, now I’m really scared about that hill!! Hopefully it doesn’t kill me, lol. I’ll be at the meetup on Friday, I hope to see you there, if not on race day!
I didn’t have an exact goal going into my half last weekend and just ran on effort. I (finally) didn’t go out too fast and felt good at the end. Good luck at your race!
Thanks a lot, Rebecca! Hopefully I keep my pace under control!
I’ll be cheering on the left hand side of the road before mile 12. Have fun out there!!
Good luck! Hope the weather turns out good. Have fun!
Hey Janelle, Good luck with your run this weekend. (Sorry I haven’t been commenting on blogs much lately.) I am sure you will have a great race. Think of it as pace training 🙂
We still have snow but spring is on its way. Crossing my fingers for nice weather for you!
Good luck this weekend! Sometimes I like to pretend I’m running a race as a training race, which is why I run them so slowly… 😉