A Training Day gone NEGATIVE…. :)

runhappy1So I decided in January to sign up to do a back to back marathon (6 weeks in between – PF Chang Rock n Roll to Phoenix Marathon).  I decided that if I got my PR of sub 4 at PF Changs then the Phoenix Marathon would be my “happy training day”, pick something to work on and commit to it while having nothing but fun for the whole 26.2 miles.

Well let me first say, there is NO SUCH THING as running 26.2 miles for “fun”.  exhaustedrun2 My friends kept telling me that, but I thought I really could do since I wasn’t going for any “time” or “goal”.  My main goal was to not get angry but rather stay happy, no matter my time.  I was not to go to the HURT BOX at all.  Well, after my first marathon, I decided I would change things up and go for a different method on this “training day”.  I would aim to do a negative split.  The theory behind a negative split…

  • Running at a slower pace in the beginning of your workout or race allows your muscles and joints to warm up thoroughly, which can help prevent injuries such as pulled muscles.
  • It gradually increases how hard your heart and lungs need to work, so it’s less of a shock to your system.
  • Mood-boosting endorphins will naturally be flowing in the second half, so you’ll have increased energy that allows you to run faster without feeling much effort.
  • Running faster in the end of a race puts you at an advantage psychologically. You’ll feel more confident and have a sense of strength as you pass other runners by.
  • They offer quicker postrun recovery.
  • When consistently doing negative splits in training runs, you’ll inevitably become a faster runner.

So…there you have it, a ‘basic’ definition of a negative split.  And of course the one that appealed to me the most in that list was the one where it said you would run the second half with increased energy without feeling much effort.

Well guess what?? LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES!!!  whyyyyMile 22 sucked just as much as it would have if I didn’t do a negative split AND psychologically it HURT EVEN MORE because I knew I had “no time in the bank” to make up for the fact that I was dying (and once again, this race I wasn’t going for the time but if I were, I would have been devestated on how much I held back on the first 13 miles).  Once I realized that my “training day” was a bust, I do have to admit, with the pain I was in, it was very hard for me to continue, I was no longer “mentally IN IT” because my lesson was learned.  I had a great support team running with me on my training day, Melissa and Cindy, and they were too cute.  toofartoquitThey kept trying to use all of my “inspirational coaching speeches” to keep me going (“come on, now you work through the pain”, “you can do it JA”, haha and even cuter when Melissa finally says “I’m trying to use all your inspirations but it just doesn’t work for me” so then she started to “bust a move” and dance for me (I would post the video but I’m sure she would kill me 🙂 but by this time, my mind and body was no longer in it.  I learned what I needed to know and that is…on paper, you can say NEGATIVE SPLIT is the way to go…but in reality, those last 6 miles still SUCK and there is no such thing as “running without feeling much effort” haha. phxmthmelcinjac

Now realize this, I’m smart enough to know that trying it only ONE TIME and not really ever having “trained” that way had alot to do with it.  But as a coach, I could never just spew out to my clients and say how much easier it would be for someone to run a “negative split” because they would feel so much better if they did, because “it ain’t true”.   Mission accomplished.

I thank all those who came out to cheer me on and support me, Amberly, Suzie, Michelle, Elizabeth, Becca, Melissa, Cindy, Kelli and Jarrett (your great finish line cheers and smiles).  And to those who I knew were there on my journey, just not physically 🙂 Lindy, Karen, Leigh 🙂  DSC_0200 Melissa and Cindy, I thank you for putting up with my “ugly Julie-Anne” and my meltdowns, and all of my walking.  I promised this run was to be happy, and even though I realized that just wasn’t going to happen and can’t exist, I still had to hold onto my goal going in which was to not allow myself to get angry (I save that for real RACE DAYS, and it ain’t pretty which is why I don’t like it to surface very often, haha).  So even though, I was disappointed to discover what I did about the NEGATIVE SPLIT theory, I am very happy that I committed to my “training day” and didn’t allow my ego to get involved.  I only hope this will make me an even better and knowledgeable COACH 🙂  Quitting was NEVER AN OPTION, but walking definitely was, hee hee 🙂 no matter how Melissa and Cindy tried to “coach me” to the finish 🙂 Love you girlies. Thanks again.

phxmthnmile12

NOW WHO’S READY TO COMMIT TO THE 8 WEEK RUN COACH CHALLENGE??  Official start date is Monday, March 11th, 2013, but you have the week of Monday, March 4th to do your RACE DAY TEST RUN.  Remember, you will only be committing to 2 runs per week, at your own level.  Join in on the fun.  Hold yourself accountable. Get committed. Have fun. Train SMART.

Go to SHOP and purchase the 8 Week Run Coach Challenge for $39 ($5 a week basically)

You do have to own all of the treadmill run podcasts.  Any questions, just ask, I’m here for you…..every step of the way!

 

comments [1]

Karen McGrath

Mar 03, 2013

Oh JA! I hope you know that your training was a success! Even if it didn’t feel like it! 26.2 is hard to complete even if your pieces of the puzzle are ‘all in place’! I know you may feel disappointed but please remember the recovery for a full marathon takes 2 months! I know you know that! Hold your head high! You rocked this course, no shame! Love you big!

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