Running Isn’t Always Perfect

Running isn’t perfect. You prep for race day and you’re picturing that epic finish, but sometimes you just need to prepare what to do when your run is falling apart.

Picture it; you’ve trained for 12-20 weeks, you’re about to toe the start line and the adrenaline is pumping. You take off – perhaps too fast – and you dial in on your goal time. You’re running along, feeling positive, and you’re loving the cheers of the crowds with signs that always offer a chuckle. And then it hits.

C R A M P S.

Do you know what’s fun about being a female in her mid-thirties who loves distance running? Absolutely nothing.

Distance running isn’t for the faint of heart, but when you’re training for a race and your run falls apart on race day, what to do? I have struggled on my fair share of race days – both half-marathon and full-marathon – but I have also had some great ones, so I wanted to offer you some tips on getting through race day when it’s all falling apart.

But First; Females & Running

Let’s be honest. Aunt Flo, or shark week as it’s commonly referred to in my family, can be a right royal pain in the abdomen. You never know how it’ll affect your training or race when it hits. Now, this isn’t to say you can’t run when shark week hits. Honestly, I feel far better (most of the time) after I get out and move my body. Do I usually have to slow it down? Yes.

You’ll learn over time how your body reacts. I make sure to increase my water intake and I’ll take an electrolyte twice a day instead of once a day.

Don’t let shark week get in your way. You can still run but I take every run easy, nor stress myself out too much about pace. Once that chaos is over then I’ll usually pick up exactly where I left off. Sometimes it’s the week prior; sometimes the week of. And apparently on race day with a fierce half-marathon goal is when my body flips the script!

That’s the fun in being female – mother nature always keeps us guessing 😉

Vancouver First Half 2022

I had huge aspirations for this half marathon. I felt really positive about it until about the 7km mark when the cramps I was trying to run through got much worse. Not the usual hydration cramp because those are manageable with a walk and some water. Period cramps can be the death of you. It’s rare, but it happens. And it happened during my race.

Here I was, worried about my calf but that was not my first problem. The calf problem kicked in around kilometre 11 or 12 – I can’t quite remember. My goal was officially out of reach. At kilometre 14, any chance of a personal best was gone.

I was D E V A S T A T E D beyond belief. I wanted to quit and Jason talked me off the ledge. I mainly walked and the mental struggle was real y’all.

Run Tip 1: Don’t start too fast

This is so difficult for so many runners, myself included. If you start too fast you’ll burn out. This is especially true with regards to the half-marathon and full-marathon distances. The start line atmosphere is real so if you’re not able to reign it in, you may hit the wall. However, if you start a little slower which is helped with the crowds at the beginning, you’ll have enough in the tank to continue pushing the pace and wind up with an overall negative split.

And so you can cruise toward that finish line feeling strong with that ear-to-ear grin and your hands up in the air!

Run Tip 2: Hydration

Don’t overhydrate the morning of a race, and hydration is super important in the week leading up to the race. My general rule is 100 ounces of water per day and 8 ounces of an electrolyte for the 10 days leading up to the race. I mean, generally, this is my water rule all the time, but I am more strict about it leading up to a race.

I run/walk my half-marathon and full-marathon distances, so I take a sip of water at every walk break. I put water in my hydration pack, and then if I need an electrolyte, I will grab it from the water stations. Rarely do I for the half-marathon since it’s the last thing I consume before the start of the race.

Run Tip 3: Walk breaks are OK!

If you’ve trained with run and walk intervals, this is not the time to change it. Roll with how you’ve trained – it will get you across that finish line.

Now, if you’ve trained to run straight through, it’s not a failure to walk. If you are a person who can run and drink water or take a gel, I applaud you. When you’re having a rough run, sometimes taking a walk break gives you a mental reset and you can pick back up and get back on track.

Run Tip 4: Knowing when to stop

A lesson that I should’ve learnt during my first marathon, but shockingly did not. If you feel off, you should stop. Now, this isn’t referring to just quitting because you don’t want to. You trained hard and you should get out there and give it all you’ve got. But, you do need to know when you should stop if there’s pain or if you’re unwell.

During my first marathon, two things happened. First, I was injured so I didn’t get my high mileage weeks in like I should have. I should not have started that race, and when the pain got really bad, I should have stopped at the medic tent and withdrawn from the race. The second thing that happened, was that it got incredibly hot in the second half of the race. Like, dangerously hot, relatively speaking to Vancouver that is.

If you’re in a lot of pain, you should bow out. DNF’ing a race isn’t a sign of failure. Especially if hydration is playing a part. I’ve run too many races and seen too many people trying to fight through situations they should opt-out of.

Run Tip 5: Food is fuel

Food is never something to decrease not only when training, and definitely not in the lead-up to the race. Regardless of whether you’re an elite or not, food is fuel for every runner. Not only leading up to the race but during the race. Use your training to test out gels or chews. I know some people who can use gels no problem, and others who use maple syrup. I’ve seen people use dried fruit as well, for those that can’t stomach gels.

This fuel is SO important during your run in order to run strong the whole time. If you don’t fuel properly, you’ll hit the wall. Trust me, you don’t wanna do that.

Pushing Through The First Half-Marathon

When Jason told me to just keep going – run, walk, or crawl – he wasn’t telling me to run myself into a tizzy. He was telling me to run when I could, and walk the rest. Even if I walked the rest of the race, I’d still come in under the time allotment and earn another medal. Sure, I’m not going to accomplish what I want to, but sometimes our bodies just can’t do what they’re supposed to when we want them to.

I had to take a few weeks off, and of course, the timing of shark week was awful, but there’s nothing I can do about it. And while I didn’t accomplish my goal (or bet for that matter) I am getting the opportunity to get a fresh set of eyes on my training from my good friend. He’s a dedicated athlete who loves to analyze his running, cycling and swim data, so now he can analyze mine until his heart is content 😉

Just because I am not getting a custom 12-week half-marathon training plan from Striderz, doesn’t mean I can’t still run with them. If you are looking for a run training plan for either the BMO full or half-marathon or the Vancouver Half in June, I would highly suggest working with Rabih. Stay up to date with them on social media if you’re not ready to commit quite yet.

I knew that I could keep going and even though I wouldn’t accomplish my goal and I’d be sad about it, I’d still get the medal. And we all know how much I love a medal added to my collection!

I hope that if you’re taking up running for the first time, or if you’re looking at tackling a longer distance, these tips will help you. Only over time will you learn what works for you and how you react to situations.

And never be concerned about running a long distance just because others think you’re only a real runner if you run-up to a marathon distance. If you run, you are a runner – no matter the distance.