Winter is the time most people relax and take stock in their fall racing season. Whether training for a marathon, a cross country season, or even a series of road races, racing often winds down as the temperatures drop and the days get shorter. Thanksgiving often mark a last hurrah, one final chance to see what you've got in your legs, before retreating back into the winter slog of base training for the spring.
Not for this guy.
I still have one final race on my schedule this training block: the USA Half Marathon Championship hosted by the Houston Marathon on January 18th. As it's name suggests, it's one of the premier half marathons for American athletes.
I'll most likely be racing against some runner named Meb and other people like him. I'm going to get my ass kicked, and it's going to be fantastic.
Wait...what?
This race attracts the best runners in the country, and -- just being realistic -- I know I'm not quite at the level where I can mix it up with the best of the best. They're running 1:01:xx, and I'm running 1:05:xx. That said, those guys will often drag us slower people to faster times than we though possible.
It can be hard to find races with an appropriate level of competition -- not just in finding one where people will be running near you, but in finding one where a lot of people will be running near you. As it's set up to be a race with the best American runners, there promises to be a lot of people running near me. In front of me, in a pack with me, and behind me. I think everyone, no matter what your overall pace or finishing time, can relate to this: competition breeds speed. When there are more people around and in front of you, you can run a faster time.
And this race, for me, is all about time. With the best competition around on a flat, fast course, I'm going all-in for sub-1:05. That's one standard for entry into the Olympic Marathon Trials, and the US Half Marathon Championships is the place to do it. I can guarantee that I won't be the only person there going for it, as well. I willing to bet that the race will break up into two sub-races: the guys at the front battling for places, and the second-tier of guys battling for time, the magical sub-1:05. I'll be in that second race.
So my mileage is back up and I'm starting to crank my workouts a little bit faster. I finally got within spitting distance at Indy Monumental, running 1:05:28, so now I'm just trying to squeeze out an extra 2 seconds per mile.
You might also be wondering, "Hey, I noticed this race is called a US Championship race. Are there other Championship races at other distance?" There are, in fact.
This is just part of a year-long running series, the USA Running Circuit, which hosts professional-caliber competition at every distance from the mile to the marathon. It's the closest thing this sport has to a professional road racing league (like the PGA Tour in golf or the ATP in tennis). It's a really great concept for the sport, and I wish more people knew about it. For your everyday running enthusiast who is passionate about road racing, this is an awesome way to connect with the professionals. So anyway, check out that link I posted above. Chances are there's a race somewhere near you.
Not for this guy.
I still have one final race on my schedule this training block: the USA Half Marathon Championship hosted by the Houston Marathon on January 18th. As it's name suggests, it's one of the premier half marathons for American athletes.
I'll most likely be racing against some runner named Meb and other people like him. I'm going to get my ass kicked, and it's going to be fantastic.
Wait...what?
This race attracts the best runners in the country, and -- just being realistic -- I know I'm not quite at the level where I can mix it up with the best of the best. They're running 1:01:xx, and I'm running 1:05:xx. That said, those guys will often drag us slower people to faster times than we though possible.
It can be hard to find races with an appropriate level of competition -- not just in finding one where people will be running near you, but in finding one where a lot of people will be running near you. As it's set up to be a race with the best American runners, there promises to be a lot of people running near me. In front of me, in a pack with me, and behind me. I think everyone, no matter what your overall pace or finishing time, can relate to this: competition breeds speed. When there are more people around and in front of you, you can run a faster time.
And this race, for me, is all about time. With the best competition around on a flat, fast course, I'm going all-in for sub-1:05. That's one standard for entry into the Olympic Marathon Trials, and the US Half Marathon Championships is the place to do it. I can guarantee that I won't be the only person there going for it, as well. I willing to bet that the race will break up into two sub-races: the guys at the front battling for places, and the second-tier of guys battling for time, the magical sub-1:05. I'll be in that second race.
So my mileage is back up and I'm starting to crank my workouts a little bit faster. I finally got within spitting distance at Indy Monumental, running 1:05:28, so now I'm just trying to squeeze out an extra 2 seconds per mile.
You might also be wondering, "Hey, I noticed this race is called a US Championship race. Are there other Championship races at other distance?" There are, in fact.
This is just part of a year-long running series, the USA Running Circuit, which hosts professional-caliber competition at every distance from the mile to the marathon. It's the closest thing this sport has to a professional road racing league (like the PGA Tour in golf or the ATP in tennis). It's a really great concept for the sport, and I wish more people knew about it. For your everyday running enthusiast who is passionate about road racing, this is an awesome way to connect with the professionals. So anyway, check out that link I posted above. Chances are there's a race somewhere near you.
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