one race down...

well... a week ago today I did my first race. The Carlsbad Half Marathon. My goal was to finish under 1:30:00, so i was going to try to maintain a 6:45/mile pace. The race started at 730am so I woke up around 5am, had a cup of coffee, "took care of business", drank a bottle of water, and had a harvest power bar. When I got to Carlsbad Mall (location of race start) it was still dark and people were starting to pour into the parking log. I hung out for a while, talked to a couple chicks that parked right next to me, and then just listened to my ipod. When i run, and before i run all i ever listen to is rap. that morning i was listeing 50 cent and the game.

about 40 minutes before the start i went for a super easy 20 min jog, went to the bathroom like 10 times (nerves), and then headed for the starting line. when the gun went off i was probably 20 yards deep in the start pack and it took me 18 seconds to cross the starting line, good thing it was chip timed. for the first half mile i felt like a running back dodging in out of people to get to the front of the pack. so it was on... long story short, i finished the race in 1:21:40, which equates to 6:14 min miles. Way faster than i was originally shooting for. my competitive nature and adrenalin just took over, but by the last 3 miles my quads were killing me. i have never felt pain like this from running but i pushed through. it was a good time.

lessons learned:
1. dont go out so fast.
2. do more tempo training.
3. do sprint workouts.
4. dont set HR limits on watch.

It took me a couple of days to recover but still had a good week of workouts. yesterday i rode for 3 hours and got in a hilly 45 miles. today i went for a swim in la jolla cove. it was rad, and then for a 13.5 mile run in PQ canyon. I only have a couple more workouts unitl i leave for Colorado on thursday. 4 days for relaxing, partying, and snowboarding. should be fun. when i get back i will doing more race specific workouts.