Every personal best race is special and this one was no exception! I can easily see why the half marathon is such a popular race distance. I chose the Illinois Half Marathon in Champaign, Illinois for this race. The course is very flat and fast and the weather always seems to be ideal – this day was no exception.
I went in loosely with a goal of 80 minutes (6:06/mi pace). My previous half marathon best was 1:22:57 set exactly two years prior at the same race. My training cycle had given me a lot of confidence and my 5k speed had been solid lately. I was hoping my endurance would carry over from my marathon PR seven months ago. The plan? Start out at 6:10 and see how that feels, knowing that if I’m feeling good, I’ll usually start to pick it up naturally.
Miles 1-4 (6:08, 6:10, 6:08, 6:10)
A lot of people running out fast in this race, which is another reason I like it. 6:10 pace felt effortless as a result. I settled in with a group where one guy was being overly talkative and just thought “please don’t say anything to me.” haha! I’m all game face during races, sorry! My mantra here is always “calm, controlled, strong.” I focused on staying patient and not reacting to anything internally or externally.
Miles 5-7 (6:04, 6:03, 6:08)
Ok, starting to get serious here. I noticed I was, in fact, speeding up naturally. “Awesome!” I thought. My heart rate was still not off the charts so I didn’t fight it. Mile 7 has the biggest ascent of any mile in the race so I knew not to be aggressive there. I took a swig of Gatorade around halfway (my only “fuel” for the race) and still felt good! New mantra – “fluid.” I just wanted to focus on a nice relaxed stride.
Miles 8-10 (5:57, 6:08, 6:06)
The splits were fine here, but I ceased to feel good. I was checking my watch more frequently thinking, “gosh, is this mile over yet?!” I found myself without a pack to run with and was relying on occasional spectators to help me along. New mantra – “relentless.” This word helped me so much this cycle. Today it meant that I was making the decision to go for it. No thinking, no debates, I knew when the time came, I wasn’t backing down.
Miles 11-finish (5:59, 6:05, 5:45, 5:22 for 0.1)
I told myself going in – “If I cross 10 miles at 61:20, then I have a shot.” Guess what my 10-mile split was! I have renewed hope now and think, “you’ve come this far! Who knows when you’ll have this chance again!” I crank it up to what feels like 5:00 pace! New mantra – “Fly!” – This is how Ryan Hall described how he felt during his American record half marathon performance. I wanted this feeling too and it is the only thought my mind could muster in this last stretch. Coming into the stadium for the finish, I was shocked to see I was well below 80 minutes. 1:19:44. Sub 1:20! A 2+ minute PR. Two years ago, this pace was my 10k PR! I cross the line and find a place to fall over (not kidding!).
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways this build up – I challenged my 5k speed more than I have before, including setting a 5k PR (twice) in the weeks leading up to the race. Having that extra turnover and speed really helped me to close this race well and have the confidence I needed.
