We run this race because God has given us a crown. We don’t need to win the crown, we just have to receive it.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 NASB
Run. Endure. Finish Strong.
We’ve been training for a few months now. We are only three weeks away from our big run. But now the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced the run organizers to cancel. #Coronavirus #BentonvilleHalfMarathon
It’s a hard choice for the organizers. And for the runners, especially first time half marathon runners, this is devastating news. For those who have been training and weekly pushing their bodies to new distance or pace goals, their big motivation has been removed.
This year would be my third Bentonville Half Marathon, my goal was to just run it faster. Yet I have many friends that I have encouraged to run their first half, and a few are now very demotivated.
My message to you all is to focus on taming the flesh and silence the voice of the lazy flesh sack we live in.
Be determined to press on and conquer those 13.1 miles. Many races are switching to a virtual format. This means you still have to prove that you ran the miles to get the medal.
And although the lights and the camera may not be there, the action will be. When you run 13.1 miles for the first time in your life it will still move you emotionally. Don’t give up your training just because you won’t be around thousands of other sweaty faced runners.
The true goal is to overcome the voice of the quitter in your head. And prove to yourself that you can do it. This is your motivation! Not the crowd at the finish line, but the one doubting voice in your mind that you must silence.
There are not many life changing goals that have ever been reached without hard work, obstacles, challenges and/or pain. Many times those goals are achieved without a finish line and no audience to speak of. But the goal was still achieved.
Will you give up? Will you let the voice of fear and laziness win again? Or will you Run, Endure and Finish Strong?
Taming the flesh and extending the mission that God has created you for.
Running 101 – MyFitnessPal Blog created several videos for the beginning runner and for those looking to improve their run times. There are some very helpful tips here as we move into running season and especially if you are training for your first 5K or even half-marathon.
Upper Body Form
When to Run
How Often to Run
What to Eat, Drink and When
How Fast and Far to Run
Cadence and Stride Length
Hill Running
No. Maybe. This short video from the MyFitnessPal Blog explains the answer.
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/watch/running-muscle-growth/
In late summer a wild idea popped into my head. Our F3 group should do a trail run together in the rocky terrain of northwest Arkansas. I’m sure that is probably due to the event advertisement for the Bella Vista Back 40 Trail Run popping up on my Facebook timeline.
I had to talk myself into it before asking anyone else to join me. In the past I had told myself and others that I wouldn’t do a trail run due to the risk of injury.
After I decided I would do it, I sent a note to the F3 group and found out that Yazoo and Sniper were planning to go as well. So, we signed up for the 13 mile run.
Sniper and I trained together on the trails around Lake Atalanta in Rogers, Arkansas a couple of times. And I trained on those trails four different times.
I found out quickly during our first training run that I would need shoes specifically for trail running in this rocky terrain. I love my Brooks Ravenna running shoes. So the next week I went to Rush Running in Bentonville and asked them to give me the trail running version, it was the Brooks Cascadia 10.
My longest training run at Lake Atalanta was about 7 miles at a pace of 10:40/mile. This may sound like a slow pace to road runners, but I assure you I was moving quite well for a new trail runner in that terrain and elevation variance.
The Trails at Lake Atalanta in Rogers, Arkansas are well maintained and they are marked with various levels of difficulty. I highly recommend these trails for a new trail runner. It is near historical downtown Rogers and after your run you can quickly jog or drive up the hill and have a cup of coffee and breakfast.
There are also numerous paved trails around Lake Atalanta that I train on regularly including an option to train on the grueling hill between the lake and the Railyard Mountain/BMX bike park which adjoins the downtown area.
My first training run of two miles caused a good bit of soreness in the hips and calf muscles. So, I made sure to start using the lateral movement elliptical machine on my cross training days at the gym.
On the week of the Back 40 race I checked the weather forecast and everything looked clear but cold. So I geared up appropriately with my running gloves and UA Cold Gear top and leggings (I wore my branded gear from my online store). I also wore my Brooks Cascadia trail running shoes that I picked up at Rush Running in Bentonville and my Junk headbands to cover my ears and neck.
On race morning I ate my protein bar and drank a Zipfizz. I met Yazoo and Sniper at the parking area at Bella Vista Blowing Springs park and we started our pre-race prep. This actually just means that we went to the restroom a couple times until we had everything out before the race started. We also did a few active stretches and static stretches.
The starting line was packed and buzzing with excitement. The race organizers of this event, along with the volunteers, are amazing. The starting line area, as well as all the aid stations, are well supplied and supportive. And the runners are all kind on the trails.
This event had distances from 5K, 13 mile, 20 mile and 40 mile for the run. There was also a mountain biking event the next day with the same distances.
We started the race and had a fun time together running in the woods of Bella Vista. The trails were nice but challenging to a new trail runner. I definitely used a few different muscles and ligaments in my hips and legs that I normally don’t use as much in paved running. But my training helped mitigate that.
I really enjoyed the Back 40 trail run and the mumblechatter with the folks on the trail. And to top it all off, they had fried catfish for all the finishers at the finish line.
