Negative split at last! (Bergen City Halfmarathon)

Listen to your heart.... 

Yes, you know that all my training is about keeping the right heart rate these days, and little by little, it is giving more and more results. Just a quick recap of the recommendations (first from Mats and Christian, and then from Dag): all training happens either at zone 1 or at threshold heart rate, even the intervals. If anything happens in between, then it is progressive training where I start from zone 1 and work my way up to threshold HR, increasing speed at regular intervals. Already before the mentioned recommendations, I had started to not exceed the threshold heart rate, following the blog of Ingrid Kristiansen, but I was not good with zone 1 runs then. Now I have a lot of zone 1 in my training, not always by running but also by mountain hiking, swimming or biking. 

OK so what are the results? Not that they are very impressive (yet!) but still motivating: 10k PB in January, PB in the Fløyenkarusellen uphill race in February, my second best half marathon time ever in March, and PB of the Bergen City half marathon course two days ago. The improvements are small, mind you, but set into the following perspective, they are really uplifting: injury and no running in the whole of 2015, and falling behind of most my previous records during 2016. I am still VERY happy with 2016, as it gave me so many new experiences with a whole bunch of running buddies in Istanbul plus the euphoria of completing a marathon decently. But in 2017, I am finally catching up with myself of 2014! :-)

I won't bore you with the details of the race on Saturday, but I have some observations that I found interesting and that you might find helpful in your training. After the fitness test in March, Dag told me to start a long race well below threshold heart rate. On the other hand my threshold HR had fallen down to my zone 3, so I knew that there was no way to get a good half marathon time that way. So, three weeks ago I participated in a local, low profile half marathon just to test what I could do. I was not at all well rested for this race, but I managed to keep the pace I had decided beforehand very evenly until the end. The interesting part is that I was already at threshold HR from start, and after half way, although my speed was the same, my HR increased by about 10 beats. It was great to experience that I could go with much higher HR than I was told, and this helped me a lot during the Bergen City half marathon. For the first time ever in a race, I finally achieved negative split! My average pace was 10 seconds faster per km in the second half of the race compared to the first half.

I think the best way to become better at half marathon is to race more half marathons. In 2014, although I was faster in a sense, I did not at all have the same endurance as now. At that time, participating in a low profile half marathon that goes inside a forest was something I would not be able to motivate myself for. But now I can just join a race whenever I feel for it, without particular preparations, and this was actually my goal all the way from the start. When you race more, you get to know your body and your heart better, and you get to test how much you can push and when. My experience is that every half marathon feels easier than the previous, in fact quite pleasant. To keep the motivation throughout a race, I have acquired quite a few tricks which work really well for me:

Music. I just started with this recently, during the preparations for Amsterdam marathon. It was not easy to keep the motivation and the spirits high during the last long training runs, and I discovered how much better I felt when listening to music. My music list is very embarrassing, containing a crazy blend of old and new, oriental and pop songs, a complete mix of genres, but all fast and very rhythmic. Pick whatever works for you and try it out, especially if you have problems with motivation or losing speed during a long race.

Positive feedback. I find giving positive feedback to others during a race extremely rewarding. You get even more positive response back, and I always feel a rush of energy and increase of speed after such incidents. It is of course best if this comes naturally, but if not, perhaps you can even fake it until to you make it. ;-) I get very emotional during races, and whenever I see something or someone that moves me, I give a cheer, a clap, a thumb up, etc. This time, first it was the lady who was running inside a huge logo of the main sponsor of the race. I had read about her in the newspaper, but when I saw her at about the second km, I was surprised by how huge and impossible to run in her costume was. I clapped, cheered and gave her a thump up, and her response was invaluable! I repeated this whenever I felt for it: racers in wheelchairs, racers with strollers, slower marathoners who were still in their second round, ... Their response was so rewarding, and I immediately felt the increase in my speed. I was also fortunate to have many friends along the course who cheered me, Melkesyre with their kettle bells at the worst hill as always, Stian the world champ who ran with me along Fjellveien, Kari and Caroline who showed up surprisingly at unexpected places, and then the Melkesyre gang just 200 m before finish again. It helps, and it also proves that it's all in the head.

Nutrition. I always stop at every drink station. Whenever I did not do this it got back at me, so now I never skip one even if I feel good to go. About 200 m before a station I take a gel, and then I take two cups of water which also help clear my mouth and clean my sticky hands. Although one looses about 10-15 seconds by this (stopping means slowing down or walking), I think it pays off as better pace during the next few kilometers. At least for myself, I always feel a surge of energy and increased motivation after this. It is also a nice rewarding scheme; whatever the distance you are running, you can concentrate on the next drink station, promising yourself a short rest when you reach that point. It makes it easier to push when you have milestones.

Not exactly advice from an expert, but sometimes experiences of a peer might be more valuable than expert or elite advice. Last but not least: If you're struggling, don't forget that going easier on training might turn frustration into fun and improvement.