Saturday run (East Texas Striders)

Saturday's run was a 3-miler following the half-marathon clinic hosted by the East Texas Striders (a local running club). We split into groups based on pace, and a few veteran runners were gracious enough to hang back with slow little me. I failed to account for the heat/humidity (it was already in the 90s by the time we started running), so I ended up taking a walk break at about 1 mile. We also missed a turn, which added an extra quarter mile to our run (all up hill, if you ask me).

Overall, it was a pretty decent run. The course they had mapped out was pretty flat, unlike the part of town we normally run in. The only downside is that we spent 3/4 of the run in direct sunlight.  We covered about 3.25 miles in just over 40 minutes, which is slightly better than my Race for the Cure 5k time. I'm pretty encouraged to see that I can run the same pace today in 90°+ heat that I ran 5 weeks ago at 65°.

I also got to experience the novelty of new running partners, since Matt decided he was going to sleep in. Everyone was super encouraging and helpful. A lot of them commiserated with me when I told them I was training for my first half. They were all genuinely welcoming and excited for me; I was also encouraged to learn that this process is hard for EVERYONE. If you ever get a chance to run with these folks, I strongly encourage it. They are just too cool.

The best part of the run by far was all the advice I soaked up from the other runners. Here's some that stuck with me.... the underlined ones are my favorites.

Veteran runners' advice for your first half/marathon:

• Train with a plan.
• Listen to your body (repeated ad infinitum). 
• Build up gradually (the 10% rule).
• Run with other people.
• The weekly mileage on your training plan is a MAXIMUM.
• For long runs and races, set a pace for yourself and whatever you do, don't go any faster.
• Adjust your pace for heat, hills, and humidity.
• Take the heat seriously and HYDRATE smartly (in Texas, that means getting glucose and salt in addition to liquid). 
• The first half is all about restraint. If you push yourself too hard in the first half, you'll pay for it in the second.

In other good news, I've completed another week of training which means another notch on the Wish List thermometer!