mindplunge

I’m running the San Jose half Marathon this weekend!

This weekend I’ll be running my first half Marathon in my life. Although I’m pretty excited I’m also a bit scared. Who wouldn’t before a first race (1/2 Marathon none the less)! My training schedule fell apart the last month so another reason to be scared… But I will finish! I feel prepared, maybe not for the full 100% but I’m certain I can do this!

I’ve received the last notifications of the organization and all forms are filled out. For those who can’t make it to the South Bay there is an actual live webcam! Visit www.rnrsj.com to view the finish line! The magical race number to watch: 7179. I expect to run a 2:30hr time so with the start at 08:00AM I should cross the finish line around 10:30AM.

And for those living near San Jose come see me finish! Start and Finish is at the Plaza Cesar Chavez and since this is a Rock and Roll ½ Marathon event, tons of entertainment is offered. For the runners there is a live band every mile (13 bands). At the finish line there is the Festival. Lots of bands, beer and an expo!

Of course I will follow up on this post with the end result and how things went. I’m excited! Now I have to compile a Marathon playlist to accompany me on my race…

W1D3 (rnrsj)

A late post for the ending of my first week… Got caught up with some actual work! The last training in my first week was a 10K distance. I ran on the road again after running the backyard trail for a while. I noticed that when I run trails my pace is much faster (almost a minute per kilometer) then when running on the road. Anyone can explain this to me?I tried to figure it out but there are so many possibilities why this is happening.

Anyways… the run was pretty uneventful. Not too hot, nice breeze coming from the lake, no traffic and a perfect playlist on my iPod.

I’m kinda cheating on my schedule. I ran another 5K tonight so I’m ahead of the program. I still will stick to the running days but I feel I could add more mileage to it. Better than cutting down on the runs!

W1D2 (RNRSJ)

Yesterday was Day 2 of my 12 week program in preparation of the San Jose Half Marathon. Another 6.5K and surprisingly I ran the same time (-4 sec) as I did on Tuesday. I guess it indicates that I can hold my pace. I always wonder during a run if I’m going too fast or too slow. Now I know… I’m on target. Here is my schedule for the next 12 weeks:

As you can see week 7 will be a real test… Stay tuned!

How does running a Marathon work?

I’m a total newbie when it comes to running an official race. The Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon will be my first race ever. I never entered a 5k or a 10k race simply because my training workouts are usually this distance. I didn’t feel the need to compete or run with a big group of people. I prefer to run by myself as well…

So why all of a sudden entering a race, a half Marathon non-the less? I just want to make it official. Can’t exactly explain why but I feel the need to have an official time, a BIB number and hopefully a medal! I truly believe you don’t have to run a race in order to call yourself a ‘runner’. Anyone who puts on his or hers running shoes and goes out for a run qualifies for me as a runner. For me, signing up with the RNRSJ is the next logical step. It feels like completing a part of being a runner.

How does running a Marathon work?
Seems easy right? You show up at the start, run and finish! There is actually more to it than this. I’m doing some research on running Marathons and here’s in brief on the logistics of running a (half) marathon.

Registration
It all starts with registration. These days most Marathons allow you to sign up through a website. Prices vary from race to race. Some have promotional codes for a discount. Make sure to research as this could save you 10% or more! You will get a conformation by mail or email. This conformation letter is needed to pick up your bib (the race number you pin on your shirt). The bib number can be picked up two days before race day. Make sure to check out the rules on this. Most races don’t allow picking up your bib on racing day itself!

Race Day
During registration you might had to fill out what your expected running time would be. Based on the answer given you’ve been assigned a certain corral. You simply can’t go towards the start line, line up and start the race. Elite runners (competitive runners) are positioned at the start line first. After the elite runners are the various corrals. Each corral has a specific time expectance. If you are a slow runner and you think you can finish the half marathon within 4 hours you probably are in the last corral.

In San Jose each corral holds 1,000 runners. There are several corrals for a certain time so there might be 6 corrals of 2.5 hours.

Timing
You might think: what if I start in the back of the group? The runners in front of me already passed the starting line minutes earlier than me! True, that’s why there electronic measured tag time. Tag time (Chip time) is recorded by an electronic tag that is attached to a runner’s shoe. Your tag records the time at which you cross the start line, the finish line and several split times in between. Tag time is often shorter than gun time because tag time begins when a runner crosses the start line while gun time starts when the gun is fired.

Tag time is the most accurate form of marathon timing available because it measures the exact time between a runner crossing the start line and the finish line. Tag time also records several important splits, providing an accurate record of a runner’s pace.

The RNRSJ half Marathon is using the chrono track system.

Okay, maybe not a ‘brief’ explanation on how a Marathon works but now you are up to date on how the logistics of a Marathon works. Next time I’ll talk a little more about the San Jose race. Course Map, event information, etc. Tonight will be day 2 of my running program. Stay tuned!

Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon (rnrsj W1D1)

This is the first post in a series of training runs/logs for my upcoming half Marathon race in San Jose on October 4. As you might know I started running last year with the C25K program. I never ran in my life and here we are today, my first training session for a half Marathon. I never thought I would be running this distance but due to some rigorous changes in my life I’m actually doing it!

I’m going to be short about today’s training run. Nothing too exciting, a regular 6.5Km run. Any run between 5 and 10K I consider an easy run these days. What a difference a year ago, 5K would be my ultimate run… The only difference today with my regular runs was that I ran during the evening hours. Normally I’m running in the mornings (06:30 – 07:00) but with the rising temperatures here in California I find it easier to run at night these days. It was still low 90’s (32 Celsius) but the sun was creeping behind the hills. Perfect conditions…

Let’s talk about the race! I signed up for the Rock ‘N Roll half Marathon in San Jose. The Rock and Roll events are characterized by live music along the route. 20 live bands will entertain the runners during their half Marathon. These Marathons are nationwide with cities like San Jose, Virginia Beach, Seattle and Chicago to name a few. All the same concept, half a Marathon with music.

The San Jose course is known as ‘fast and flat’, a great opportunity to set a new PR. Since this will be my first race ever I don’t have to worry about a PR. Any time will be my PR! I do have a certain time in my head but I’m trying not to focus on it too much. I’m just gonna have fun my first race.

Feel free to follow my journey to my first Half Marathon. All posts related to this will be in the category RNRSJ (Rock ‘N Roll San Jose) or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive all of my updates. If you rather receive updates by email please fill out the box to your right !

Again, this was a ’short’ introduction to my training runs. My next posts will reveal my actual traing schedule, running times and much more!