Training for a Half Marathon (Run #3)

My third training session was better than my first but not better than my second.

If you don’t know, I’m training for a half-marathon trail running race in August. I’m 40 years old, and while I hike and bike a lot, I’ve never really been a runner. I started running to the trail for this event and realized I love trail running.

Now I’m competing against myself, and this run wasn’t as good as my last.

I’m not beating myself up for it, though. That just means I need to try to put more effort into my runs. I’m going to keep trying so that I keep improving.

The overall goal is still to finish the half marathon and not be last if I can help it.

Technical Stats

This is what I recorded with my Garmin Velo Active watch and submitted to Strava:

Mileage: 3.60 (last was 3.62)
Average Pace: 16:02 /mi (last was 15:28 /mi)
Moving Time: 57:51 (last was 56:05)
Elevation Gain: 338 ft (last was 354 ft)
Average BPM: 127 bpm (last was 122 bpm)

I don’t admit the calories burned because I don’t think that metric is really that accurate or even that relevant.

Location

I did the same route as before at Dixon Springs State Park.

Notes

I ate before I ran, as I did on the last run, which kept me from needing to refuel. I really didn’t notice any difference on this run other than my legs hurting from the start. They were sore from a 7+ mile hike I did over the weekend, so I’m assuming that hike is why I didn’t perform better on this run.

My Kit

This is what clothing, footwear, and gear I used for this run:

Shoes: Merrell Moab Speed 2 trail running shoe (Coyote color)
Socks: Under Armor Ankle Socks (quite comfortable in hotter weather)
Shorts: CompressionZ Half Tights (navy blue)
Shirt: Amazon-brand dry-fit shirt
Watch: Garmin Velo Active (old but still works great)
Pack: Osprey Siskin 8 hydration pack
Hydration: Water and water with Fluid Tactical electrolytes
Fuel: Trail bar

The shoes are still awesome. I got them soaking wet from my weekend hike, and they still held up well. I’ll be reviewing them soon on Hiking with Shawn. The compression shorts I wore were also very nice, but I still like the Janji Trail Half Tights more than any of the others. I have a lot of half-tights and compression spandex shorts/tights for hiking, and I’m using them for running since that’s what they were made for, to begin with.

Final Thoughts

Even though I didn’t beat my last stats, I’m happy with the results of this run. Soon, I’ll be taking a day off work, starting early in the AM, and attempting to run/fast hike the 049 loop which will be around 10 miles in total. I’m excited about it as it’s one of my favorite hiking trails.