We had just passed the 10 km mark of this half-marathon. Things were going well. Very well, actually.
As I was passing another runner, he called out, “Strong!”
I glanced at him. “Thanks! I hope it will be enough!”
“It will, it will!”
We both knew exactly what “enough” meant: far ahead of us, we could just about make out the 1:30 pacemaker. If only we could catch him!
When I arrived at the start that morning, I had no idea what to expect. Last year, I had run this race in 1:38. My personal record on this course, many years ago, was 1:34.
But things were different now. For the past ten weeks, I had been training under the strict regime of my new coach, The Colonel. I felt fitter and, according to my spreadsheets, faster. But how much faster would I be in a race? I had absolutely no idea.
So I had decided to run by feel and just find a pace that felt sustainable. And right now, at kilometre 10, I had been running for 42 minutes and felt absolutely amazing. I was going faster than I had expected, but more importantly, it felt easy and fluffy. Nearly like a walk in the park.
Earlier on, I had also spotted Gabi, the woman who had beaten me by a minute last year. I didn’t chase her. I just kept running my own race, and slowly, almost accidentally, I got closer. And then I passed her.
This was getting interesting. I started doing the maths. If I could keep this up, I might actually crack the holy grail, the 90-minute mark. Never, ever have I run a sub-90 half-marathon. This would be the first time!
All I had to do was hang on and hope this lovely fluffy feeling lasted.
And it did! Until kilometre 16, that is. The easy-peasiness was fading, and I now had to work harder. But there was good news: the gap to the 1:30 pacemaker was getting smaller. Not because I was running faster, mind you, it was more that he was slowing down. Whatever…onwards!
Then came the final 3.5 kilometres. By now, all walk-in-the-park vibes were definitely out of the window. I was hanging on for dear life. I didn’t dare look at my Garmin. Instead, I had the town’s church clock. We had started at 10am. The clock showed 11:15. As if for maximum drama, the church bell gave one single, lonely chime.
It sounded like a death knell. Or perhaps a very Swiss way of saying: You have 15 minutes. Don’t screw this up!
OH MY GOODNESS. RUN!
Whatever I had left in the tank went into those final two kilometres. With one kilometre to go, I passed Kai. He realized what was going on.
I wanted that sub-90. I wanted it so badly.
And then the finish line appeared.
The official clock had just ticked over to 1:30.
OH NO!
But maybe… just maybe… there had been a few seconds between the starting gun and me crossing the start line. When I finally found Kai, he had the results on his phone.
1:29:42.
With 18 seconds to spare, I had finally done it! SUB 90! I was ridiculously happy. And then I saw the rest of the results: 1st in my age group out of 86, 23rd woman out of 2’770, and 8th out of 7’627 on the age- and gender-adjusted scale (results here).
At the awards ceremony, I got a grocery shopping voucher and a recovery pillow, which Kai promptly confiscated and somehow, magically, ended up on his side of the bed.
If you’d told me a few months ago that I would run a sub-90 half-marathon at 58, I would have said, “Never.”
But then again, as they say: never say never.
I am linking up with Jenny from Runners Fly and Jenn from Runs with Pugs for Tuesday Topics as well as Runners’ Roundup with Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs!
Hi Catrina! Oh how good it is to read this. What an amazing feat! I had a boss once who said ‘when you train well, the luck becomes less.’ You clearly do not depend on luck at this stage and it is always very inspiring – especially your consistency in anything and everything. The clock tower was a bit dramatic. Congratulations! Get the pillow back!
I have a lot to catch up with – reading what you’ve been up to.
Oh, I love your boss’s saying! It’s good to be lucky, but it’s even better if you don’t need to depend on it! (Although I’m still quite happy to have a little bit of luck thrown in for good measure!)
The pillow is a lost cause, I’m afraid! It’s well and truly in Kai’s possession now! 😄
And don’t worry about catching up, Monica! It’s lovely to see you back! Enjoy life again!
Irre, irre, dein Biss, dein Ehrgeiz, dann noch diese Endzeit !! Wow ! Ich bin – wie man in meiner Heimat sagt: ” geplättelt “.
Wie machst du das nur, woher nimmst du die Kraft, den Biss ? Ganz herzlichen Glückwunsch zu deiner neuen Bestzeit, irgendwann landest du ´bei den Weltbesten in deiner Altersklasse, wenn du so weiter machst !!
Hat er gut gemacht – dein Coach – und DU natürlich auch !!!!! Wo willst du noch hin, liebe Catrina ?????
Diesen Ehrgeiz hat auch nicht jeder ! Kannst wahrlich stolz auf dich sein – YES !!!!
Ach Margitta, jetzt bin ich auch ganz schön geplättelt von deinem Kommentar! 😂 Ganz herzlichen Dank!
Ich glaube, während eines Rennens schaltet mein Hirn irgendwann einfach auf „Jetzt erst recht!“ um. Und The Colonel scheint genau zu wissen, wie man diesen Schalter findet. 😄
Vor zehn Wochen hätte ich jedenfalls NIE gedacht, dass eine Sub-90 drinliegt. Jetzt bin ich erst einmal ziemlich happy damit und lasse das Ergebnis ein bisschen sacken.
Ich bin wirklich erstaunt, wieviel ein strukturiertes Training ausmachen kann…es ist manchmal auch hart, aber es scheint sich zu lohnen!
Soviel Bescheidenheit findet sich selten und vermutlich wenn, dann nur bei Spitzensportlern und -innen.
Wen sonst machen ein paar Sekunden so extrem glücklich?! Noch dazu 18 Sekunden, die du NICHT genutzt hast! Wenn das nicht die Spitze der Genügsamkeit und Anspruchslosigkeit schlechthin ist!
Völlig konsequent also, das gewonnene Kissen an den Ehemann abzutreten 😜
Catrina – das ist schlicht … unfuckingfassbar, was du läufst … nein: fliegst!
Bestimmt hat die Glocke oder haben alle Glocken weit und breit zur Siegerehrung ein Triumphgeläut angestimmt und danach herrschten bei euch beiden fly-in-the-sky-vibes.
Bekommt der Personal-Quäler dafür einen Extra-Bonus. So als eine Art Erfolgsprämie?
Haha, Lizzy, ich wusste doch, dass du die 18 Sekunden nicht einfach so durchgehen lässt! 🤣 Du hast natürlich völlig recht: Eigentlich habe ich 17 Sekunden verschwendet. Eine einzige Sekunde hätte ja für einen Sub-90 gereicht!
Das Kissen musste ich nicht einmal „abtreten“ – kaum war ich bei Kai, hatte er sich das Paket schon unter den Nagel gerissen. Ich sah das Ding erst abends wieder, auf seiner Seite des Bettes. Aber man muss schliesslich an das Wohl der Familie denken. 😜
Das mit dem Triumphgeläut gefällt mir übrigens sehr! Wir haben zwar nichts gehört, aber es waren auch so genügend fly-in-the-sky vibes da. Ich war einfach so aufgeregt!
Und was den Personal-Quäler (ha, wie treffend!) betrifft: Ich glaube, The Colonel bekommt seinen Bonus in Form von weiterem Trainingsmaterial. Jetzt kann das Training ja eigentlich nur noch härter werden… Ich glaube, ich komme da nicht mehr raus, Lizzy! 😂
Sub 90 ist ‘ne Wahnsinnszeit!
Ich bin vor 11 Jahren mal eine 1:31 gelaufen und weiß genau, dass ich da nie wieder dran komme. Es sei denn und allerhöchstens dann: Ich würde darauf trainieren. Aber dazu habe ich wirklich keine Lust. Daher erfreue ich mich an solchen Rennberichten wie deinen und daran, dass man auch mit 58 (wir sind wohl ein Alter!) noch derart gut performen kann.
Und: Hol’ dir das Kissen zurück!!
Danke, Martin! 😄 1968 ist doch ein ziemlich guter Jahrgang, oder?
1:31 ist ja auch schon verdammt nah dran. Aber ich verstehe dich bestens: Das Training ist mühselig… Da muss man sich schon fragen, ob monatelanges Krampfen im Verhältnis zu ein paar Minuten Glücksgefühlen steht. Irgendwie ist es auch schön, ganz entspannt anderen beim Quälen zuzuschauen. So geht es mir, wenn ich Diamond League und ähnliches schaue: Lieber die als ich!
Ich werde es versuchen!! Ich muss nur noch einen diplomatischen Weg finden, das Kissen zurückzuerobern.
Dann doch kein selber Jahrgang, bin ein 67er. Mit Erschrecken stelle ich fest, dass ich nächstes Jahr in der AK60 laufe. Dabei komme ich mir vor wie 50. 😀
Ja, genau damit hast du recht: So viel Aufwand für die paar Minuten. Muss man wollen.
Ha, ein neuer Jahrgang! Immer ein cooler Moment, wenn man eine neue AK aufmischeln kann.
50? Du könntest auch bei den 40ern mitmachen, das würde keiner merken!
Haha. Lass gut sein. Aber lieb gemeint. 😀
Liebe Catrina,
was für ein Spannungsbogen! Hast du jemals daran gedacht, Thrillerdrehbuchautorin zu werden? Und dabei machst du das ganze “so nebenbei” bei einem Halbmarathon. Irre. Einfach irre! 😀
Ganz große Gratulation zu deiner Spitzenzeit! Und ich bin sehr gespannt, wie die Kissenverhandlungen ausgehen werden. 😉
Liebe Doris
Da müsste ich erst ein paar deiner Schreibkurse besuchen, glaube ich! 😅
Danke dir! Ich bin froh, dass es so gut gelaufen ist… da hat sich dass frühe aufstehen in den heissen Sommermonaten wenigstens gelohnt!
Noch hat Kai die Kissen-Oberhand! 🤪
I saw this on Strava yesterday. That’s amazing!! Such a great sign that hard work pays off. I’m so glad for you! But that’s hilarious about the recovery pillow! 😀
Hard work really pay off! It’s rare that you get feedback already after 10 weeks… but I guess it’s all the factors taken together: nutrition (thanks again for the tip on protein shakes!), recovery and training. Talking about recovery, I’ll need to get that pillow back! 😂
CATRINA! What an incredible result, brought about thanks to your tireless dedication and hard work. This is a triumph <3
Thanks, Elisabeth! I’m so glad it worked out!
I’m so happy for you. I may have gotten teary.
Age is just a number.
You’re the next Jeannie Rice.
I am so happy, Darlene! Jeannie Rice is one of my biggest heroes out there. But look at yourself, doing all those races at over 70! We need runners like you as role models!
What an exciting read – I have goosebumps! Congratulations on so many things: first and foremost for running a sub 90-minute half and winning your age group while beating 86 other women, and the list goes on! The Colonel certainly seems like a good match for you. Can’t wait to see what’s next for you – good things for sure!
Thanks you so much, Debbie! You are right, it really looks like The Colonel is just the right coach for me. I’m excited to see what could happen in the next marathon. I have none planned yet and it’s a whole other beast which will be much harder to tackle. But I’m excited to see what could happen!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m trying to figure out how to put the emotion of wanting to jump up and down and hug you into words…hmmm…it’s not happening so I will just say CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Running has its ups and downs, and this is a huge up. I’m so happy for you!
Thank you so much Birchie!! I can feel your hug!! This up will carry me through a few downs (there will awful races and training runs ahead, of course) but this one will keep the endorphins flowing for a while.
Wow wow wow! Congrats!!! I am so glad the Colonel’s bananas (in my view, LOL) training plan has paid off! You should be so very very proud of yourself! Setting a PR at 58 is so incredible! I hope you are basking in the glow of this major accomplishment!
I am scratching my head a bit at the 10am start, though! That is soooo late!! It must be cool enough at this time of year for that late of a start? Races in Minnesota NEVER start that late, even in the dead of winter!
Thank you, Lisa!! Haha, the Colonel is proper nuts, but it seems to work! I guess the benefit of starting to run late in life is that there are no big PRs to beat (I started to run at 35). In hindsight, I think that late start in life helps me to keep on running at an older age.
Guess what? That race used to start at 3pm (!!) for over 30 years. They changed it a couple of years ago when they realized that too many people were getting heat strokes. You are right, 10am is still late! I’d rather have it between 6 and 8am. On Saturday, the weather was perfect, coolish, but sunny.
WOWZERS!!!! That’s simply amazing, Catrina! Huge congrats on a well-paced performance…it’s obvious you were feeling great & all that “fluff” worked its magic. Well done!!
Thank you, Kim! I love that fluffy feeling in a race… too bad it never lasts until the end, though! 😅
wooo!!!! big congrats!!! this is amazing! colonel did his magic. please share what you think worked with his training plan. I need insights to keep running to PB in my 50s too!!!
Thank you, Coco! You will! You are so consistent and determined, I am SURE you will be running PBs in your 50s!
I think his magic is that his training plan is very demanding. I’m doing workouts 5x a week (sometimes twice a day). I have two rest days, which I really need. There are no easy runs or recovery runs. The only time I run easy, is for the first 28km of my long run, the last 20-30 minutes are a workout. Also, I think it’s key for me to eat lots of protein: 2g per kg body weight.
To be honest, Coco, I don’t think I could have done this training programme while holding a full-time job… it’s quite exhausting.
Catrina! You’re incredible! You’re defying all odds! If one more person says that we inevitably slow down when we get older – you’re proof that this does not have to be the case. Your training and determination has got you there. HUGE congrats!! What an achievement!! I am so happy your race day worked out in your favor!
Thank you so much, San! Thank you, San! I’m so happy that everything came together on race day! There’s nothing worse than doing all the training and then things go wrong!
The Colonel’s training plan really helped me to get this result. It’s amazing what a difference only 10 weeks made… I didn’t expect to see results that soon.
Now I’m just wondering what The Colonel is going to come up with next… probably tougher workouts, argh!
Wow pretty impressive girlfriend! There is no stopping you
I’m so happy it worked out, Deborah!
OMG. OMG. Catrina. CATRINNNAAAAAAA!!!!! You did it! This is amazing!!! Congratulations and I was kind of sweating a little bit reading this. Like…did she do it? The clock chiming at 11:15 feels like the perfect detail.
And a grocery coupon! What is a recovery pillow? I am imagining a massaging pillow but I know that’s not right.
Speaking of recovery – after a race like that, what do you do? Do you walk for a few minutes to cool down? Then what happens after? Do you take a few days off? Get an actual massage as opposed to the massaging pillow that I made up? Soak in a hot tub/ cold plunge? I would read a whole post on your recovery process after a race! If you wanted to share, of course. NO PRESSURE!
ZOMG you were FIRST. And then 8th out of 7200+????? That is amazing. Your training with The Colonel is really paying off! I am in awe.
Haha, Nicole, you would have enjoyed all the race drama… that church bell was just too much! 😂
I was kind of expecting to finish 1st in my age group after I overtook Gabi, but I’m absolutely stunned by the whole sub-90 thing. That was so cool!
The grocery voucher was CHF 200, which is about CAD 340, so definitely a useful prize!
As for the “recovery pillow”… hmm. It basically looks like a square memory-foam pillow. I asked Kai how he liked it and he didn’t sound all that convinced… so there’s a good chance I’ll be getting it back soon, ha!
And imagine, they had free massages there! So I got one, and it felt amazing. Then we had to wait for the award ceremony, so I walked around with Kai, chatted with other runners I knew, had a sandwich and a drink, and generally enjoyed the vibe. It’s basically a big party for runners, which is exactly my kind of event!
And then, once we got home, I had a prosecco with Kai. Or maybe two. Don’t tell The Colonel! 😂
Ganz ganz ganz hervorragend!! Herzlichen Glückwunsch!! Beim Lesen konnte ich jeden Meter mitfiebern, kenne diese Gedanken unterwegs bestens. Zwischen km16 und 18 ist der fluffige Spaß vorbei, ab dann ist Biss gefragt. Und den hattest du parat. Und wie! 🙂
Zum Schluss um Sekunden kämpfen, klasse! Ich feiere dich dafür 🙂
Aber “never say never” ist gesetzt, bei deinem Training ist noch mehr drin, wie du dieses Jahr ja schon beim Marathon bewiesen hast.
Also dran bleiben!
Danke, Oliver! Du kennst ja das Gefühl… du weisst, irgendwann verschwindet das Fluffige… und dann ist der Kopf gefragt. Interessanterweise habe ich gerade heute ein Interview mit Andreas Almgren gelesen, der ja den Rekord von sagenhaften 58 Minuten im Strassenmarathon in Kopenhagen gerannt ist. Der fühlte sich bei KM 21 noch genauso stark wie am Anfang. Er sagte, er hätte noch “4 Gänge” zur Verfügung gehabt. Er sah auf im Video sehr souverän aus… wie machen die das??
Bei mir war nichts mit “souverän”… nur panisches Laufen! 😂
Jetzt bin gespannt, mit was für neuen Einheiten der Colonel jetzt kommen wird… wenn das nur gutgeht!
🎊Congratulations once more. Not a surprise really. You work, you get the result. I am happy for you that you got that sub 90 min. That is huge and worth Don Perignon I say.🎊
I am certain there are several new PBs coming your way soon in SA. Free massage sounds amazingly better than a pillow. I bet there were lineups for the massage therapists? That was a perfect race. Nicely done 🏃♀️💨🤚
Yves