The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain! And…on the streets of Barcelona at the Mijta Marato de Barcelona!
Spain has treated me well these past 3 months. My girlfriend, Gigi, and I had already planned a week away in Barcelona, Paris, and Dublin, so as I had mentioned previously, I took the opportunity to try to test myself at a half marathon in Barcelona. I showed up in downtown Barcelona at 5:00pm the night before the race, straight from the airport, and sat, with a great sense of unbelonging, as the race directors casually informed us that the pacer would go through 10k in 28:30. The director, who seemed to be seeking some sense of approval, asked, “That’s good?”, in broken English, before dismissing us all. I proceeded to pick up a complimentary t-shirt assuming that this would be the only thing I would truly walk away with that weekend.
To my complete surprise, I walked away with new PR of 1:04:58 and a newfound sense of confusion and wonder, much like Colonel Hugh Pickering and Eliza Doolittle do in My Fair Lady after Eliza overcomes her thick English accent. While I lost by over 5 minutes, I couldn’t help but think that while I was not yet a king, I had managed to convince the running aristocracy that I could pass as at least the Dutchess that Eliza desired to emulate. Colonel Pickering would indeed be proud. I knew I had a 65:00 in me as much as I knew I had the sub-2:19 in me last November, but to dip under the barrier, this weekend, was a bit of a surprise given my ~67:00 PR, the last four 100+ mile weeks worth of marathon training, and a less than adequate taper. My surprise is outlined below through both a previously unseen (by myself) and potentially misinterpreted two-minute long scene from My Fair Lady (thanks Gigi):
Young Austin’s real-time race day reactions:
- Start – 10k -> This is going well so far (0s – 34s of the below video)
- 10k – 15k -> 30:45 through 10k….let’s just do this again (35s – 42s)
- 15k – 20k -> I think I’ve got this! (43s – 52s)
- 20k – 20.75k -> Somehow under a time crunch, is this course long? (Whatever chaos is going on prior to this video)
- 20.75k – 21.0975k -> Had to sprint for that sub 65:00, but I got it!! (53s – 1:56)
- Immediately after the race -> Well, that happened, woohoo! (1:57 and beyond)
What went well:
- Low expectations: I believe there is HUGE power in having minimal expectations. I capitalized from the benefits of this in Barcelona, and experienced the benefits of truly having zero expectations in past races as well (Texas Relays 3200 in 2009 thank you). I went into this race with the goal of setting a PR, which was either 67:00 if you count the split I ran through the middle of the 2016 US 25k championships, or 68:24 if you count my official finish time at the hilly Ealing Half Marathon. For someone with a 2:18:05 marathon best, this goal seemed attainable, and while I was nervous, I viewed the race as simply a great opportunity to lower my mark and test myself at a challenging phase in the training cycle. Anything else was a bonus! Going forward, I’m going to try to see if I can use this type of psychology considering I have already run the 2020 US Olympic Trials marathon standard, and really have nothing to lose as long as I gain experience along the way.
- Mental Self-Talk: I remember distinctly what was going through my head at various points in the race, which is a good sign that I’m improving in my ability to control my own thoughts through the hardest phases of long races. With three miles to go I went through a half mile portion where I repeated “re-dem-ption” along with my footsteps. Dramatic much? Yes…but I viewed this as my change to “qualify” for the 2016 trials, in post. In 2016, after a year or more off from serious training, I trained for 5 months for the Houston Marathon and made a serious attempt USATF lowered the standard to 2:19. While I ran 2:21:38 in my debut, my comrades, friends, and former training partners ran incredible sub 65:00 performances to qualify for the trials, leaving me to always wonder whether “what if.” While it was incredible to watch those guys battle the heat in LA that year, I knew I had to prove that I belonged at that distance.
- Focus: While I’m now strongly convinced a half marathon is a bit too short for my meditation theory, I was able to practice this skill through the mid portions of the race. The pace felt quick, and the race really isn’t that long, but I did a great job of settling into, and sharing the pace with three other guys who finished in sub 65:00. I was able to focus on each footstep, and making sure I was simply floating my way through each mile. Occasionally, I would reassess and attempt to run, e.g., the next two minutes without any effort in an attempt to relax my breathing, control my stride, and make sure I wasn’t putting in any unnecessary strain.
Conclusion
After 4 weeks down post Valencia, and a series of 6 truly high mileage weeks [86, 91, 105, 105, 105, 78], I am very happy with where I am! The mental work will continue to take a high priority, as will the nutrition, sleep, strength, and recovery. With 9 total weeks, 6 of them being challenging (1 recovery week and 2 weeks of tapering), the scale of training seems increasingly attainable. Continuing to have fun and experiment with semi-profession running life and fully professional work life is a massive priority of mine. I have a quick trip to San Sebastian to look forward to in 3 weeks, a wedding in New Orleans, and am hoping to schedule a quick trip to Belgium on the Eurostar.
Do Good,
Young Austin