Nuun Half Marathon Recap

So back in September when Team Nuun posted about hosting a virtual half marathon race for it's ambassadors I was a bit hesitant to register. My focus at the time was on an 8 hr mountain bike race a few weeks away and I wouldn't be able to start my full run training program until about 4 weeks into an 8 week program. I lowered my run volume about half way through August when my mountain biking prep was ramping up. Before I lowered my run volume I was running around 30km a week 3x per week (1:30 long run, easy run and a speed session). However, ending my season of training and racing in September seemed a bit early and I wanted to get my run fitness up a bit before I entered my off season. Well that and the swag package Nuun was offering was pretty sweet, so I did what anyone else would do in my situation and registered for the race.

The training program

So after I completed 8hr mountain bike race and took a week off, I jumped into the training program with about 4 weeks left. I was in good aerobic shape but needed to get some miles back under my legs. I was hesitant to jump back into my higher mileage, so I took a very conservative approach ramping up for three week and one taper week before the race. I kept my runs to three per week mostly at MAF pace (MAF is a heart rate method keeping my heart rate at 180-age = 142 bpm which was around 5min/km in pace). Nuun did an amazing job sending out weekly beginner training programs and I tried to follow them when I could. I kept up some biking, swimming, and lifting as well during the half marathon prep.

Race Day

Virtual or in person race, I still get a bit nervous on race morning. It might be because of my fear of injury or just the feeling of pain you know is going to come when you race. This was my second virtual race this year, 5k in the spring and I also completed a 10k time trial about a year ago as well. The weather up here in Toronto had a last blast of summer these past few days having a high of around +20 degrees Celsius, and a perfect +7 degrees at 7am when I wanted to start. I had my usual pre race race meal about an hour and half before the start of my run. This included a half cup of black coffee, an English muffin with half peanut butter on one side, and the other half with Nutella and a banana. I ate, relaxed, rolled out and warmed up before I drove to my pre determined race course. (I wrote a previous post regarding the pros and cons on virtual races and if your time is faster or slower here).

I decided to race on a looped course with the intention of my car being used as an aid station where I could pick up a drink, gel, and drop off some clothing as the temperature warmed up. The elevation was flat for the most part and the road was uninterrupted by many cars that early in the morning. Other cyclists had the same idea as many were parked on the side of the road getting ready for a rare November outdoor ride.

My goal for this run was to maintain a 4:45 min/km pace as I knew I could do that as most of my runs indicated that was my a bit lower than my MAF pace. The big question for me was if I could run the distance without feeling much pain. I have been having a subtle ache in my knees recently during my long runs. My team of physiotherapists, massage and chiropractors I see regularly couldn’t relate it to any specific weakness and the common thought was it was just the increase in mileage in a short period of time. Also just three weeks of training and a week of a taper isn’t much to base a new PR on. So off I went, feeling good for the most part as I listened to a podcast with guest David Goggins. His story has always been a go to listen for me whenever I’m hitting a low in training. I made it a goal to run more by feel and not really spend too much time looking at my watch regarding pace. The times I looked at my watch was more regarding distance, as I didn’t really know how long the loop was and if I wanted to finish the race at my car or go directly home (and get a drive back to my car later that day). I also had to make a decision regarding what time I wanted to have my nutrition at the car as I hate running with a bottle. As I approached the 8k mark, I remembered glancing at my time and was surprised to see my pace (4:20ish) and connect that to how I was feeling (I was feeling good for the most part). I figured I would just continue running on what felt good and by the time I reached 16k I knew I was going to finish faster than my initial goal of 1:40 and thought maybe I could push for a new PB? I didn’t hold too much stake in that thought and continued running by feel. Finally by km 19 that achy feeling came back in my left knee, but at this point it was more about finishing strong now as I blocked out that feeling and pushed the final distance. But wait, how long is a half marathon? Was it 21.2km?21.4km?21km? In my last km, I decided to try and ask google a few times, but I was unsuccessful. I just thought heck, I will run with 21.4 just to be safe (it couldn't be longer than that?). There was no banner, no music, no finish line, just hitting stop on my Garmin signaled the end of the race. As I walked back up to my car and uploaded my run, I knew I ran pretty well but was happy to see my Strava results showed that I had ran my third fastest half marathon. Not bad I thought (as I also stopped twice to urinate at the side of the road as the time ticked away). I also recalled my fastest time was actually during a BQ marathon attempt before I stopped at km 24 from pain in my IT band. I later looked up that my second fastest time was just 7 seconds faster. Overall I was happy with my time especially because I ran this one based on feel and not looking at my pace, maybe if I pushed myself a little harder during the run I could have gone a bit faster? As I still had some energy “left in the tank” at the end of the race. I was more happy that I didn’t suffer any injuries during this race or even during the build up as I could have pushed too much too soon (as I always have in the past). I drove home with a smile on my face and was happy with my result. I got home took some photos, drank some shakes and had breakfast. Usually after my runs I’m pretty sore for the rest of the day. As the afternoon continued I didn’t feel beat up as I have in the past. The day wasn’t a write off and I was able to do the usual Saturday activities with my family.

Looking back, I’m super happy I was able to be part of the Nuun Virtual Half Marathon as I was able to push one last goal before the end of the year. Seeing the updates and posts other team members made throughout the day brought back the same feeling of accomplishment and lots of smiles you see at the finish line at races.

It’s now time to enter the recovery phase of training for a few weeks. But before I do, there are a few more days of +20 degree days I fully intend on taking advantage of. Oh and I usually end a race block with some sort of reward for myself. This time around it was a new pair of running shoes and some fast food awesomeness!