Blog Update from Running Ambassador Chris Stuchko
I don’t think I had ever noticed this before, but maybe my role as one of the the 2018 St. Luke’s Half Marathon Running Ambassadors has made me more aware of the countdown to race day clock on the homepage. It is the first thing you see when you visit the page. You can’t miss it. As I see each second tick by while I am visiting the site, it makes me feel like should be racing against something and that I need to put the computer down and get outside to run.
At the time you are reading this, it will be fewer than 20 days left before it is time to find that parking spot to make getting back to your car easier. (We may give a lot of tips on this site, but my great parking spot is not one I am ready to divulge!) You leave your car, walk towards the starting line at William Allen High School and then, doubts creep into your head …
Am I ready for this? Did I wear matching shoes? Did I prepare enough? Is my Garmin charged?
While some of those questions aren’t the most vital to success in a race, I think it is only natural as a runner to second guess our training as we get ready for any race, let alone a half marathon.
In the last few weeks since my previous blog post, we have had two important dates that can give us some perspective and focus on our running.
March 20 and April 1.
In addition to free water ice at Rita’s, March 20 is the first day of spring. While in the parts of Pennsylvania where the race is located spring hasn’t fully appeared yet, it is the hope that comes with this new season that is beneficial to runners. Warmer days, fewer layers, and a sense of renewal greet the final push of training. Not many people, including myself, follow a race training plan to the letter. The first day of spring was a great time to re-evaluate how things had been going.
I have had an up-and-down training cycle getting ready for the race. One week, I would hit the mileage and complete all the runs on the schedule. I would feel good and think that I am making progress. Then the next week, life would hit me in the face and cause me to miss some runs or cut some runs short. I always make sure I’d get my long runs in, but those early morning, middle-of-the-week, in-the-dark shorter runs turned into days spent in bed.
The second date is no joke or fool all all: April 1. While it is a day of potential practical jokes and for the first time since 1956 also Easter, this day is a great reminder that you cannot fool your training. If you have been putting the work in, you will have the potential to see the results. If you haven’t been training much at all, now is not the time to try and pack 12 weeks worth of hard work into 3 weeks before the race. This is the surest way to get injured or not have the energy you need to run your best race.
So as the days and time quickly wind down to race day, keep putting in the work, but remember to work smarter, not harder, as you approach that starting line.
Good luck and keep getting out there!