View Workout (Matthew Simonson)

Return to Log

BAA Half-Marathon

October 8, 2017 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
So maybe I should have run one two fewer hills yesterday while cheering in the hot sun... and that 4 x (mile + 800) workout on Tuesday may just have taken a liiiiiiiitle bit out of me. And biking 5 miles to the get to the race course? Maybe not the best idea, even if it was downhill. I ran 13 minutes slower than my PR, but given the conditions (warm, hilly, humid) and how I was feeling (sore, heavy in the legs, not energetic), I'm pleased with my effort. Could I have gone faster today? Sure, I didn't really leave it all out on the course, but I did pace it well and had a great last 4 miles passing a ton of people right up to where we burst into Whites Stadium for a glorious 160m dash to the finish. This race is also super-variable in its level of competition. A few years ago when most of our runners were off doing other (half-)marathons like Chicago and many of the international stars stayed away, I managed to finish 3rd for the BAA, helping us medal in the club competition. This year I have no idea how far back I was, but it was considerable. My main accomplishment competitively was beating the fastest guy wearing headphones (serious runners only wear headphones in training; in races just wrestle with our own internal demons to pass the time :)

Went for a cooldown with my former Williams teammate, now BAA teammate and newly minted Williams psych professor, Lauren Philbrook. I've really only seen her and her husband (also a former teammate) at races for the past 6 years, so it was nice to really get a chance to catch up. Then I biked a mile to brunch with my teammates and 6 miles home.

10 min strength training afterwards
10 min hurdle mobility drills too

Racing tip: If your legs feel like crap at the start of a race, they actually often get better as the race goes on, especially if its some weird soreness you hadn't experienced before. That's what happened to me today. On the flip side, if they start hurting halfway through...good luck with that.