The Half Marathon – Learnings

On Sunday I ran the Silverstone half marathon for the second year in a row and this year I completed it in 2h46m. Last year I completed it in 2h40m. I was a little gutted that I didn’t do it faster than last year. I really believed that despite not having trained that much that I was in better shape than last year and would be able to do it faster.

About 6 weeks ago I smashed my PB at 5k by over 4mins; I did it in 35m which is the quickest I’d ever done it and was also my personal target from when I started this whole process of getting fitter and healthier 4 years ago.

Training

Apart from the 5K I ran the only other major training I did, aside from the exercise I do day to day, was to go hill running which I did a week before the half marathon. I also incorporated skipping and did that between badminton games. I’ve gotten pretty good at it now! 🙂

I’d also been playing more badminton singles and that was helping with my fitness. My diet hadn’t been great on the build up to the event and I sort of felt like I’d put on a bit of weight even though everyone around me told me they thought I’d lost weight.

The Race

I started off in the same way that I would normally do, slower than most other people and I paced myself according to how I was feeling. After about 2 miles I gradually increased my pace. I felt pretty comfortable I got into a good rhythm.

After about 5 miles I began to feel tired. I thought I was experiencing the end of my first wind and then I waited for my second wind which came but didn’t last long.

By mile 9 I was thoroughly exhausted and ready to give up. I started to get a pain in my left knee and I faced a tough decision. Do I continue and fight through the pain or do I give up and save my knee for another day. I decided to continue and it was only sheer will-power that got me to the end of the race. I had absolutely no physical energy left and it was only the determination to complete that enabled me to continue.

5 days later and my knees are still in pain but I’ve been told by a reliable source that the pain is only temporary and that I luckily didn’t do any long term damage.

Learnings

When I got to end I thought “I’m never doing that again” but a few days later I was still determined to do the marathon. Next time I do it though I will make sure I am in full physical fitness. Because of my car accident I knew I still had a few remaining issues and I realise now that I should have waited longer before getting into the running again.

Another important thing I realised is that even though I’m in good state of health and physically fit it’s not a good idea me running a marathon while I’m still 19stone. I realise now that I would need to lose at least another 3 stone and increase my physical stamina dramatically for a continuous 26mile run. I always thought that I could run 26 miles at my current physical level but I realised clearly that I was kidding myself.

I don’t by into any of the notions that as you get older, the less you should do, or the weaker your joints get, or that running is bad for your knees. Despite all that I do and my size I generally have less knee and back problems than a lot of people I know of who are roundabout my age. I believe that if you do it well with the conscious intention of getting stronger and pay attention to what you’re doing you will be able to get stronger and fitter and even strengthen your joints.

Since my I don’t get my guaranteed place in the marathon until 2011 next year I’m planning to go on one of those charity treks and climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I love running up hills and climbing so it’s a different kind of challenge I’m really excited about!

14 Responses

  1. Kartikey says:

    “I don’t by into any of the notions that as you get older, the less you should do, or the weaker your joints get, or that running is bad for your knees.”

    Absolutely. Leave these advices behind.

    “I believe that if you do it well with the conscious intention of getting stronger and pay attention to what you’re doing you will be able to get stronger and fitter and even strengthen your joints.”

    Maybe another post on this.

  2. Jens Upton says:

    Hiya

    Congratulations. I’ve never run competitively but I reckon that’s a good time considering the small training you did.
    I enjoy running short distances 2 – 3 x week and mixing it with other exercises. I like hill sprints too. All the best!

    thanks
    Jens

  3. Amit Sodha says:

    Hey Kartikey…I definitely agree with you that another post on that topic is necessary! Thanks for the suggestion! 😉

  4. Amit Sodha says:

    Hey Jens..

    Thanks for the comment…if you decide to do a full run let me know how it goes.

    Also what do you classify as short distances?

    A

  5. Jens Upton says:

    Hiya

    Short distances for me are 2 – 4 miles. I’ve never knowingly run more than about 5 miles.
    I like to train for short durations and include bodyweight workouts with runs and sprints.

    Some runners have said to me they go 5 – 8 miles 3-5x per week. So my runs are comparatively short!

    Jens

  6. Amit Sodha says:

    I wouldn’t define 2-4 miles short. If you can manage that a few times a weeks that’s amazing. Running is great for the body. People do come up with all sorts of myths about running and that it can be bad for you. I don’t buy into it for a second!

    I’ve seen the same guy out running everyday for about 10 years and he’s still going strong!

    I find that 5K or just over 3miles is the ideal distance for running.

    Thanks Jens!

  1. November 18, 2010

    Scintillating Read: The Half Marathon – Learnings http://bit.ly/9fZr6N #inspiration

  2. December 21, 2010

    Scintillating Read: The Half Marathon – Learnings http://bit.ly/9fZr6N #inspiration

  3. January 12, 2011

    […] If you don’t know my story then it’s safe to say that this has been quite a journey for me, from the first time I ran a 5.5km race back in 2006 to my second half marathon in 2009. […]

  4. May 29, 2011

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  5. July 27, 2011
  6. October 16, 2011

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  7. October 17, 2011

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  8. June 9, 2012

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