March Races: A Necessary Evil
- rickdmoore
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
“Because, sir, you are an idiot.”
That was my response to the question I asked myself when I stepped out of my warm SUV into the cold early morning wind near the State Capital in Des Moines.
“Tell me again why I’m doing this? Why am I running a race in on a cold morning in March?”
This wasn’t my first experience with March races. The last eight years have produced everything from heavy rain to subzero wind chills to snow to ice to various combinations of each.
Hence the question I asked myself as I started my strides to warm up for the upcoming half marathon.
“Why am I doing this?”
I already knew the answer to that question.
The reason that I signed up for this half marathon and the reason that I’ve signed up for March races every year is that I need them. For me to have my best races in the spring, I need to race in March.
For me, March races are truly a necessary evil.
A Necessary Evil?
Let me explain. For several years, my first major race was the Drake Half Marathon in late April. It’s one of Iowa’s more prominent races, bringing in thousands of runners. I would train for this race, using workouts provided by my running coach, Timothy Ives (of The Body Project). Thanks to his training, I would typically have a solid outcome in that race, placing in my age group with a time under ninety-five minutes.
Which was fine. Except that I always struggled with the mental aspect of the race, making it seem that much more difficult. Was I using up too much energy on those first four miles? Should I pick it up a bit after the sixth mile? Why does it seem to take forever to go from mile eleven to twelve?
My legs were ready to tackle thirteen miles. But my mind clearly wasn’t.
I’m the type of person who likes to feel fully prepared before going into important, stressful situations. With work, that means time devoted to writing questions and outlines that I typically won’t even look at when the event commences. With running, it means having at least one race of that distance already under my belt before the “big ones".
Having initiated this strategy two years ago, each of the subsequent April half marathons have had what I consider good outcomes with me still placing in my age group and remaining under ninety-five minutes. More importantly, my focus on each race improved. No more distractions about the distance or worries about strategy. Simply put, I felt more “comfortable” with the race itself.
What About This Year's March Race?
First off, kudos to IowaRuns.com for another successful St. Paddy’s race on March 15. Everything went off without a hitch. Nice medals and mugs awaited participants at the finish. And one free beer was available to those who worked up a thirst. (Having eaten only a banana a few hours earlier, I skipped the ale, opting for a hot mocha on the way home.)
For me? This race provided the following takeaways:
The Value of Patience. Coach Ives’ advice about keeping a comfortable pace for the first six miles paid off nicely as I felt strong enough to increase my per mile pace by over twenty seconds once I was out of the wind, passing a number of runners for the final half.
A Happy IT Band. This has been an issue in previous half marathons. But not in this race. Even with colder temps and a chilly, stubborn wind, I felt nary a niggle or hint of tightness in my left knee when I shifted into higher gear for the return trip. Clearly the exercises provided to me to strengthen my hips paid off. It’s my hope I won’t have to worry about this troublesome body part for my next half.
It’s a Half Marathon - Not a Sprint. I knew that everyone was taking off too quickly at the start of this race. Yet I allowed myself to be partially caught up in their zeal, hitting my targeted pace on the first mile instead of several miles later. This also caused me to ease back a bit more than I wanted for the next several miles so that I wouldn’t hit the “wall” later.
Each of these has me feeling that much more prepared for my favorite race, the Eugene Half Marathon in late April. I now have a better sense of how to run it as well as goals to set. If I’m successful in a good race that reaches those goals, then devoting several hours to the unpredictable weather of March in Iowa will certainly have been worth it.
What about you? What are your thoughts my approach? I invite you to share any ideas or experiences in the comments below or on Facebook. And best wishes with your running this Spring!
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