Half-marathon training – Week 16 – The 10 miler

This week I did the longest training run on my schedule: the 10 miler. Technically it wasn’t on the schedule until next week but I really just wanted to do it this week. It went pretty well – 107 minutes of fun!

I used this run to test out my race day hydration and feeding schedule:

• Pre-run: a bowl of oatmeal with honey and lots of water at least an hour before the run
• Run: a few ounces of water every mile and a gel pack with lots of water every 4 miles
• Post-run: 500 mL of gatorade and a banana right away, then more water

I’ll have more pre-run lead time on race day so I might also have a banana with breakfast. I haven’t tested out the sport beverage that will be available on course so I think I might just stay away from that.

So my week 16 total mileage was 20 miles (5+5+10) plus the stationary bike and weights on Wednesday and an ultimate game this afternoon.

If anyone is interested in reading some good running articles I highly recommend John Bingham’s column No Need for Speed from Runner’s World. One of my favourite articles is 13.1 and Done. Here’s an exert:

First off, the race isn’t half of a full marathon; it’s a full half-marathon. I’ve seen many marathoners, myself included, take the distance lightly, thinking it can be knocked out as a training run. It can’t. Some 10-K specialists think the half is like a really, really, long 10-K course. It isn’t. It isn’t like any other distance at all, not even its predecessor the 20-K. It is a race distance unto itself.

That’s right folks. I’m running a full half-marathon.