Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Race & Recovery Advice
Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Race: Good
USA Soccer Game: SAD
I was hoping to top off my Saturday morning half marathon race with a US soccer win, but it didn’t happen. Darn. The game was exciting and frustrating all at the same time. We had some great moments of play and opportunities on goal. However, we had some major let downs and that’s when Ghana scored. I have to say its been pretty cool to see how hyped up the entire country of Ghana is over their soccer teams success. Go Ghana….win it all!
My race day performance and this soccer game were very similar. While I had a decent half marathon result at 1:33, I was disappointed how I felt. My legs never loosened up and I never hit a “feel good” moment the entire race. I was beating myself up about it for a day and have slightly gotten over it. I mean, it is my second best time ever! My goal is to break 1:30 and I REALLY want to reach it when I race again in August.
This was my first Rock ‘n Roll race experience. I ran the half marathon. Here is an abbreviated version of my race day experience and thoughts of the course:
- Like: good start line accommodations with food set up, refreshments, and music
- Like: that I finally got to meet Bob Martin from Tacoma. He rocks!
- Dislike: being in Corral 1 so I went out wayyy to fast. But, that’s kinda my own fault, right?
- Like: miles 4-9, Scenic route along L Washington Blvd
- Dislike: the music. I don’t know what I expected but some of the bands sounded worse than my best karaoke and that’s bad.
- Like: The awesome volunteers at the water stations.
- Dislike: the cheerleaders at mile 2 shouting “almost there, just keep it up” I thought I had missed 10 miles or something. I felt really sorry for the marathoners who had to hear that. But, great to have the support and motivation. Thank you cheerleaders!
- Dislike: running through the I-90 tunnel. (hot, stinky, loud, and dark)
- Dislike: that I never got into a good running rhythm but I did stay with the 1:35 pacer and ended up with a 1:33 time
- Like: The finish line festivities
- Like: the weather. Cool and cloudy. A runners delight!
- Like: the 20,000+ people out there running the streets of Seattle
- Like: the expo. Tons of great vendors. 3 pairs of shoes later…
Overall: I liked the race and the course. I was under the impression there would be bands at every mile, but maybe I made that up. Some sections of the race didn’t have a band for miles. I’m not a big fan of music while running (you rarely see me with an ipod running), so it did not bother me only a few bands were on the course.
The 3rd half marathon race in 2 months is behind me and now I will focus on a rest week before hitting it again to prep for the next race in August. In fact, this brings up an important discussion about REST. I think many of us runners treat rest days as if we are allergic to it. Running is probably one of the more addictive exercises that put endorphins through our bodies giving us the “runners high” . just like the druggies, we crave that high.
However, it is important to schedule in rest days after you race. Post race rest days are intended to allow your body to recover from the stresses of your previous race. Improvement occurs during this recovery phase and not from the race itself. Furthermore, non running days allow the opportunity for muscle glycogen to be replenished.
Your body needs time to recover so do not jump back into pre race levels of training. This can lead to reduced level of performance and possible injury.
After a half marathon race, take a complete rest from running for 2-3 days. In fact, this is a good time to cross train so you can stay active while minimizing any additional stress to the primary running muscles. Resume regular training after one week and you have no lingering muscle or joint aches.
After a marathon, you should take an entire week off from running. Even more if your body doesn’t feel ready to return to running. Follow the off week with a week of easy running and in the third week, begin doing your workouts, but at no more than 90% effort. If you have no aches and pains after 3 weeks, then you can return to regular workouts.
Most importantly, listen to your body. I can give all the advice and suggestions I want, but ultimately your body will tell you what it wants or does not want. One thing I will suggest is recording your workouts and making a note on how you felt. This is the best way to recognize the signs and symptoms of over-training and needing a break.
Congrats to all of you who raced last weekend. Please continue to send my your race reports and accomplishments. I enjoy hearing from you.
Posted by admin | in Run, Uncategorized | 4 Comments
This was my 4th half marathon. I thought it was a fun race but I’m not sure I would do it again. The start was a cluster. Traffic was so backed up getting there that we missed our corral and had to start in corral 23 (instead of 10). We spent the first 5 miles running around people. I had muscle cramping at mile 8 and had to walk so I missed my goal by 7 minutes….BOO! My finish was 2:13.
I had convinced myself that this was my last race but now I’m planning to run the Seattle half.
@Courtney: yikes, that’s too bad about the start. I was on a 5:30 bus because I had heard the traffic was congested last year. I guess you never can plan for last minute hiccups day of race. So frustrating tho. Glad you aren’t letting it stop you from racing again…..see you in November
That’s a great finishing time! You are very close to your goal of sub 1:30! Exciting!
This was my first marathon. I got dropped off at the start just in time to jog to my 4 hour pace group. I loved having some one pace me. It sure stopped me from going out too fast. At about 7 miles, I got in front of the pacer and just kept running comfortably. At 13.1 miles, I was at 1:59:30 with no sign of the pacer behind me. I picked it up for miles 13-19 and gutted it in to run a 3:54:50. A great experience. Looking forward to doing Denver in October.