The last couple of weeks, we have had athletes racing at the half marathon and 20k (12.4 mile – very close to a half marathon!) distances, with most of these athletes in the throes of marathon training. With the upcoming Twin Cities Marathon weekend, and various other fall marathons coming up, I suspect many readers may also find themselves racing a half or similar distance in preparation for the fall marathon. Even if you don’t fall in that boat, the same principles apply to any situation where there’s a “rehearsal” type of event in preparation for the big day, whatever that may mean for you.
First off, I’ll share a bit of our experience. I reported last week on the 20k, which Annie Frisbie and Joel Reichow ran in the midst of marathon training. Since then, Kevin Lewis and Tyler Jermann raced the City of Lakes Half Marathon. As you might expect, some of them came away feeling really good about their race, while others did not. After a race, it’s easy to focus on the result and lose sight of the fact that it was just one day, and there’s some variability in how you are going to feel, especially in the midst of marathon training.
That being said, here are few things that we try to do in the aftermath of a rehearsal-type race. Again, I’m using the specific scenario of a half marathon prior to a full, but the same principles can be applied more broadly.
1) Do an objective assessment of the race performance. This can certainly include looking at your time and place, but should also include a thorough analysis of the elements that contribute to performance. Did you come in well-rested, hydrated, and fueled? Did you find an appropriate level of excitement and nervous energy, or were you either over-stressed or struggling to find the required level of excitement for the race? What was your race plan and how well did you execute it? Were there areas of your fitness that were ahead or behind where you thought they would be? When unexpected or challenging moments arose, did you respond in a productive, helpful way, or in a way that may have exacerbated the issue you were experiencing?
2) With all of this information, you may identify some things that seemed like a big deal at first, but are in fact to be expected based on where you are in your training and preparation, or were simply unavoidable given the circumstances of life. It’s not worth spending a lot of energy concerning yourself with those types of things. However, you will likely be able to identify some elements that you can address in a meaningful way as you build towards the goal race itself.
3) As you take note of those areas that you can address and improve upon, set some goals, intentions, or targets for yourself for the weeks ahead. If your marathon is just a few weeks away, you have a limited time. While you may not expect to be able to make big changes, some subtle adjustments can go a long way toward making that goal race a better experience. For example, if you noted that you were very tired going into the race, lacked any “pop” in your legs, and felt low on motivation, those could all be signs that you would benefit from a reduction in your training load. If you’re going into the final weeks prior to your marathon, that’s exactly what most training plans call for, so you are in luck.
4) Finally, include others in this self-evaluation process, and take their insights into account. Talk through your race with a coach, trusted training partners, or a friend or partner who knows you well. Regardless of whether the race went objectively well in terms of performance or not, you can use it to make you a smarter, stronger runner for the weeks ahead.
Chris Lundstrom is the head coach of Minnesota Distance Elite – formerly Team USA Minnesota – which includes some of the top distance runners in the USA, including Annie Frisbie, Dakotah Lindwurm, Breanna Sieracki and Joel Reichow.
