Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Change of Plans

A long time ago I registered for the Palos Half Marathon as a goal race. I knew a lot of my running friends were going to be there. It is a flat and fast course so I was aiming for a big PR. Then, I tried to do too many things. I signed up for a ton of races and committed myself to a lot of other things. I can't PR them all so I have decided to choose goal races and stop trying to do too much. I've decided to run the Palos Half Marathon this weekend as a training run. I already beat my original goal for the year of beating the 2:00 mark for a half marathon. Now it is time to work on base building, fundamentals, and sharpening as I see what I can do!

I'm going to run the half marathon this weekend as a training run and just have fun with it. Old Kelly would have found this to be a real challenge. Post-marathon Kelly is okay with it and looking forward to the end goal.

I've decided to have two goal races this summer.

1) Rock N Roll Half Marathon
2) Jim Gibbons 5k

I haven't run a Rock N Roll race before, but I know there will be lots of people. I'm hoping to thrive off of the energy of a big race like this. I know there will be strangers around me to compete with so I can push it to the limit! :)

The Jim Gibbons 5k was my first 5k ever back in 2006. I haven't done the race in the past few years and I think it would be fun to reflect and reminisce about how much has changed since 2006. As this race is on a Thursday evening, I think it would be fun to get a group of Chicago Bloggers to come out and enjoy the fun! If you work in the loop, I can't think of a valid excuse NOT to run it! ;)

Have you had to change your race goals because you are your own worst enemy sometimes?

What are your thoughts on quality over quantity when it comes to racing?

29 comments:

  1. Michel@BabyweightmyfatassMay 1, 2012 at 9:52 AM

    I will be doing this race this weekend (on my 4oth birthday!) but just as a fun run/walk (prob more walking!)

    I've only changed race goals if I've been injured which just happens to be about 75% of the last 2 years.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Be careful lining up for RnR if you are using it as a goal race - it'll be important, because it is INSANELY crowded. So if you get stuck too far back, you could end up struggling trying to pass people. They changed the course last year to help with that, but still - so many people.

    I like using races as training runs - maybe because I am slow, it doesn't bother me as much :) I'd race every weekend if I could afford it, but not "race" them all, you know? Have fun in Palos!

    ReplyDelete
  3. If the course for RnR this year is the same as last year, I think you'll be fine. They changed it last year to be completely on city streets (no more lakefront path). Also, I found their corral system to be VERY efficient. You input your goal time when you register, and they put you in your corral accordingly. I think they had over 25 corrals last year. I was in a kind of high corral, and I crossed the start line in about 10 minutes, so not a lot of waiting around either. So as long as your predicted time is similar to what you are able to do on race day, you shouldn't have too much of an issue with weaving around people. At least that was my experience last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I registered so long ago....wonder what I out for goal time.

      Delete
    2. I registered so long ago....wonder what I out for goal time.

      Delete
  4. I know we've talked about this, but I think with the amount of racing we do, it is good to treat some races as goal races and others as training runs. Otherwise, if you race them at all full effort, you will burn out, or at the very least, risk injury. And there will be some disappointment if you are trying to race on tired legs. Plus, you can still see improvement even if you aren't racing. For example, when I ran the Chi Town Half, my time was 4 minutes faster than when I did RnR last summer, and it felt much easier. So even if you're not "racing" you can still gauge improvement based on your perceived effort.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I did 30 racing events last year and it took me a good chunk of the year to realize that I should run some of those for fun instead of worrying about my time. I think that's why I'm feeling a bit burned out on racing right now. But, I think I'll sign up for the Jim Gibbons 5K!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wahoo! Happy early birthday! That stinks that you are injured. I hope you are back to running soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the heads up on the RNR race. Doing a race in the city, it can be expected to be super over crowded, especially for a Rock N Roll event! Either way, I'm pumped and can't wait! I haven't used a race as a training run before so I'm very much looking forward to it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oops, I don't know what I put in as my goal time when I registered. Hopefully I'll be able to change my corral assignment at the expo or something? I guess I'll find out! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Last year you could change corral assignments at the expo. My cousin was a few corrals behind me and at first I asked if I could move back to her corral (because I assumed you couldn't move up), but they said she could move up to mine. Actually I think their exact quote was "you could move up to corral 1 if you wanted." Ummmm I think that misses the point of the corral system ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Also if you have your confirmation email from when you registered, it will have the time you listed on there. (I put in 2:00.)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'll be at RnR Chicago too! I thought it was a great race last year and didn't have problems with crowding.

    I prefer quality over quantity... But will use some longer races as supported training runs. I guess it all depends on how fast you recover from harder efforts to determine how many you will actually "race."

    Hmm... That 5k sounds cool I might have to look into it now :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think my body will like the break from racing as I've done so many so far this year. Yes, you should do the 5k! They have dryfit shirts this year! When I last did it in 2009, the shirts were still cotton.

      Delete
  12. Thanks! I see that I put down 2:00 when I registered back in November 2011. Good to know I can change it! Also nice to know that they aren't as strict as the Shamrock Shuffle, at least given my scenario! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm not feeling burnt out yet, so I'm glad I'm taking a break before that happens. You should totally sign up! I know Kim had it on her "maybe" list and I think it would be fun! The post race party has beer and a band--always a fun time!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think I've just made the same realization you came to a few weeks ago. I'm just happy to be going there to hang out with all my running friends and complete my first Palos Half Marathon! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. It's still on my maybe list! I think a blogger meet up is a great idea. Dweeby suburbanite question - how do we get to Lincoln Park from the Loop? Take the L?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Even asking about quality vs quantity raises a few questions for me. I ran back to back races last year for fun, so it was about quantity, but I was burnt out. At the same time, racing for quality makes me feel really low if I don't meet my time! LOL! Why is racing so tricky? This year I am picking and choosing things as they pop up. I am doing a HM this weekend with my BiL for fun. That Chicago 13.1 will be for fun, unless we have perfect weather in which case I will race it. Anyway, you are smart to back off and not race every race. Because it does leave you feeling drained! (imo anyway).

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes, you can take the L or the bus. It is pretty easy and I can help you with directions. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amanda - TooTallFritzMay 1, 2012 at 2:40 PM

    Not to derail your plan but are you not worried about heat for the RnR? It is certainly a concern for me so I basically wrote off that race for anything other than "fun".

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is definitely something I am concerned about for the RNR (as it is in July) but I'm hoping that by that time my body will be somewhat acclimated to the heat, at least more than it will be this weekend...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I wanna talk about the weekend weather possibilities.....or I might cry. :-(

      Delete
  20. I've PR'd that race before (but I'm not as fast as you). The good thing is...it's early enough in the year that there will be other half's if you don't PR that one...you can always sign up for another one later in the year! Good luck Kelly!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I definitely know what you mean. I guess since I already met my goal of breaking 2:00, and I felt I could have done better, as long as I break that I'll be a happy camper! :) I just hope my stomach is okay. I guess that's what all these long training runs will be for, right??

    I hope the 13.1 has great weather for all my friends that will be running it... and for my friends' Ragnar team that I'm volunteering for!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Britt @ Chicago Runner GirlMay 1, 2012 at 5:37 PM

    I like this ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I think this is a good thing! If you make each race a goal run, it means your goals are lofty enough so you work harder!

    ReplyDelete