Running Efficiency Led to My Massive PR
Written by Invictus Member Ginger Spanbauer
I initially joined the Invictus Track Club late last year with the hope to work on my general running form, improve my pacing and reduce risk of injury through poor form. I also happen to work with a bunch of competitive-types, and somehow I keep getting persuaded to join some type of fitness event with the group, most of which end up being running-related (less equipment). So obviously, I wanted to make sure my training addressed my concerns around form (no time for injuries!), and that it helped me get faster. Track Nights was my solution! It provided me with a method of running that was actually fun for me (i.e., with a coach, a group of peers, with variety in workouts), and one I was more likely to stick with in consistency and keeping myself accountable. Sure enough, despite a brief hiatus due to an unrelated injury, I kept my participation pretty consistent.
By way of background and measurement, I’ve done a couple half-marathons in the past – my times have varied between the ranges of 2:02 and 2:05 – and neither race really felt that awesome. Training had been my own (no real program), and I had a really bad habit of starting off my races way too fast and burning out way too early. I needed some serious pacing education.
Fast forward to June 6th, 2016, and the Rock N Roll San Diego. I tried my hand – yet again – at a half-marathon. By this time, I’d been running with the Invictus Endurance Team pretty consistently for several months. Not only attending the Wednesday evening track group sessions, I also made it a point to ensure I carved out the time to complete the other two weekly running assignments from Coach Nuno. Considering my past half-marathon times – and of course, understanding that it’s exciting to achieve a big perceived milestone – breaking two hours seemed really appealing to me, while being somewhat realistic. At the time, I honestly wasn’t entirely sure if I was getting faster on my long distance runs. I approached it as a stretch goal, and was fully prepared to be REALLY pleased if I crossed the finish line at 1:59:59.
I crossed the SD Rock N Roll Half-Marathon finish line at 1:53:25. Not only was I amazed I had gotten that much faster (an 8:30 min PR) – I realized I had become so much more efficient, performing negative split paces (meaning, my speed gradually increased as the race went on). Needless to say – I was beyond pleased. And as a bonus – I actually had fun doing it! The race felt good, and even still, I felt I gave it my all. Track Club was the only change I had incorporated into my regular fitness routine (CrossFit), so I have to believe it played a major role in the impact on my running and efficiency.
Beyond that – I get to hang out with some incredibly cool people every Wednesday night at Track – so experiencing good community, and improving at something, all at once? I’m in!
Note from Coach Nuno
It’s been a pleasure to watch Ginger improve her running. We make minor adjustments to her form during our track workouts and she puts in the time and is consistent with her training. Leading up to the race, we discussed her pacing strategy and made sure she was well prepared to have a great race! I am super proud of her accomplishment. The two additional running sessions Ginger did to help her prepare for her race in addition to Track Nights are very similar to our Endurance Online program but with a slight different focus towards endurance events such as ½ Marathons and 5K Races.