Woo! More corral N friends! This is my first 1/2 Marathon. I only started running a few years ago and until this year my longest run was a measly 4 miles! I ran my first official road race for POT for this! I feel like I cannot remotely keep up with the crowd on here since I am SLOW as molasses. But everyone here has been super supportive. I keep having to remind myself that I will be out there actually doing it, no matter the pace and you will too!!
Happy to help! I think this is a good time to re-post one of my favorite post's I've made:
Two kinds of impressive: The person who finished in first may not be the most impressive, it could be who finished last (text reposted from earlier)
To me, there are two types of impressive (and neither is necessarily more impressive than the other). My basis for my opinion is the following.
1. I believe in perception of effort. The harder you run the faster you go. But everyone's 75% is equal to everyone else's 75% when relating perception of effort.
2. I believe that time spent running is an important factor, more so than mileage.
3. Mileage is a function of perceived effort x time. If you run faster (effort), or longer (time), then you increase your mileage.
Scenario 1
We have two people standing next to each other. I tell them both to run at 75% effort for 90 minutes. They both complete the workout.
Person A - 75% effort at 90 minutes
Person B - 75% effort at 90 minutes
Which is more impressive? Based on the information given, they are equal.
Person A ran 10 miles
Person B ran 5 miles
Which is more impressive? Based on the information given, Person A is more impressive. Person A's 75% effort is faster than Person B's 75% effort.
Scenario 2
We have two people standing next to each other. I tell them both to run at 75% effort for 13.1 miles. They both complete the workout.
Person C - 75% effort for 13.1 miles
Person D - 75% effort for 13.1 miles
Which is more impressive? Based on the information given, they are equal.
Person C finished in 1:45
Person D finished in 3:00
Which is more impressive? Based on the information given, Person D is more impressive. Person D ran at the same effort level as Person C, yet did it for 71% longer in time than Person C.
So, to me there are two kinds of impressive.
1. It's impressive to me that Galen Rupp can run at 75% effort and that equals a 5:00 min/mile. It's impressive because when I run at 75% effort it equals a 8:00 min/mile. Galen is faster than me at the same effort level.
2. It's impressive to me that Person D ran at 75% effort for 3 hours. It's impressive because when I run at 75% effort it equals 1:45. Person D is able to maintain the same effort level as me, but for 71% longer in time.
Hopefully this helps make sense of my idea. So when someone says I ran a 15:00 min/mile for a half marathon, but I gave it everything I got. I come away impressed. That person's perception of effort was the same as mine, but yet they maintained that effort for significantly longer than me.
Look at it one other way. When someone goes out and runs a marathon in 5:00, for me to match the same physical feat (same effort X time) I would have to run 40 miles instead of 26.2 miles. I don't believe I could run 40 miles in 5:00.
So I come away impressed by anyone that's running no matter what. Everyone one of you impresses me! If you have a goal, and you've been working hard to achieve it, then I will be equally happy for you when you achieve your goal no matter what it is.
