Roche’s goal for his athletes isn’t just to finish the race-it’s to have fun throughout the entire process, from day one of training all the way through to the finish line. Below he shares his strategies and offers a sample training plan for runners hoping to put in their first 13-miler (give or take a bit) on trail. David Roche, a running coach, founder of the popular training program Some Work, All Play, and coauthor of The Happy Runner, has plenty of experience preparing rookie and elite athletes for race day. I did the Rock ‘n Roll half there a few years ago and I loved it.Completing a trail half marathon is an achievable goal for almost anyone, with a little bit of structured training. The Blues always has great medals and good music. Mississippi: There’s the Mississippi River Half/Marathon (run across the river) and the Blues Marathon. Alabama: The Rocket City Half or Birmingham half marathons are supposed to be great. This race sells out fast! I did it last year…the town is very small, but the course is very pretty with a GIANT mountain that you run (or walk) up for a mile. Also in Tennessee is the Oak Barrel Half in Lynchburg (Jack Daniels distillery). Jude campus where you get to see some patients and their families, great finish line. The expo is great, awesome medals, great crowds, you run through the St. I’ve done this lots of times (it’s practically my backyard). Jude Memphis Half Marathon (1st Saturday in December). I didn’t see that anyone commented on Mississippi, Tennessee, or Alabama so let me fill those in (and I’ll add Missouri for good measure). Other than that, I don’t have any strong feelings - but suspect you do. I kind of want to do the Little Rock half simply so that I can stay in the Capital Hotel again. The Anchorage half is on my “maybe” list, just because SBS seemed to dig it. Like a Bachelorette at the beginning of the season, I haven’t yet given any races a rose. That seems reasonable, yes? I have myself about 80 percent convinced that it is. Plus, plus, plus, I’ve decided that I don’t have to run any of these races with any great haste I just have to get from the start to the finish on my own two feet. Plus, plus, the rest of New England should be fairly easy. Plus, if my plans hold, I’ll knock Massachusetts off during the upcoming retreat. With 44 states left and, realistically, at best, 25 more prime running years, that’s less than two races per year. I love the Pittsburgh and the Wineglass weekends, mind, but it’s time to see something new. While I’ve run a bunch of half-marathons total, many of them have been the same race over a series of years. When I isolated races that started with pinning on a number and ended with a medal, there were six. Mostly, though, a woman’s got to have a quest in this life and I can think of very few reasons why this shouldn’t be mine.Īt first, I figured I’d already knocked out at least ten states, given all of the places I’ve run because of AMR. I looove to travel and haven’t seen anywhere near enough of the U.S. Running a couple of half marathons every year seems like it’s within my reach. I poo-poo’d it at first, because I am a poo-poo’er by nature, but the idea is starting to grow on me. In a text chain, a BAMR friend floated the idea of running a half in every state. That may change, mind you, but right now, I’m good with ambling along. I discovered during this weekend’s long run that I still have the speed and focus for one zippy mile but maintaining two zippy miles is a non-starter. For now, the idea of trying to beat my PR (did you know I just set a new PR?) makes me want to throw up a little bit. I’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next. The smell alone pulls you to the finish line. The race ends with a grilled chicken lunch.
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