15 Things I Did to PR and break a 1:25 Half Marathon

Here at the Minivan Bucket List, our bucket list goals aren’t just about travel. In my case, it’s my dream to break a 3-hour marathon. The first step on my journey there was to break a 1:25 half marathon. Before this year’s Vigor Big Cottonwood, my PR was 1:32. And despite some personal setbacks, I beat my goal by 4 minutes and ran a 1:21 half marathon! So here are 15 things I did this training cycle to help me achieve my goal and set a personal record – with fewer training miles.

1:25 Half-Marathon Training Plan: 15 things to improve your time

15. Make goals with a running bucket list

Set Goals. I wrote down specific goals (in my case, it was to break a 1:25 half marathon on my way to breaking a sub-3 hour marathon) and it’s no secret I am a huge fan of bucket lists. If you want to improve in your running or physical life, I would suggest downloading this FREE PDF customizable Running Bucket List and writing in your personal goals. You can work up to different goals or PR’s over time to reach bigger milestones. I suggest to even DREAM BIG and add anything from running a simple mile to running in the Olympic time trials if you want. You are way more capable of reaching them than you realize! This is personal so start where you need to.

Here is an example of mine. I added to the generic one as my goals got bigger.

14.Create a detailed running plan

Plan. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. As soon as I signed up for a PR goal race, I made sure to have a running plan in place. There are many apps and plans for free you can use but some are not curated specifically to your level of fitness or goal race times. Many plans just tell you a generic pace and miles per week goal. But I found a way to make my plan suit my stage of life, current pace and goal pace while incorporating a switched up routine. I am a big fan of MYRUNPLAN from Runner’s World and any plan by Jeff Galloway tailored to women. The best plans incorporate speed, threshold, tempo, long and recovery runs.

I also took advice from the greats on my 1:25 half marathon running plan like olympian Demetrio Cabanillas.

13. Get Social

Connect. When I started posting my running on instagram I was able to connect with a great running community who shared everything from workouts to secrets to failures and triumphs. I got so much faster. You learn so much from others about their running ambitions or racing strategies, plus it’s a place to have accountability in the public eye. Start posting your running journey on social media. You can even use tools like workoutsnap to display your time and pace. You can also find local runners to join up with for long runs or speed workouts. Harness the power of having a solid group to cheer on and cheer you on.

12. Invest in good running gear

Buy good gear. When I ran my first half marathon, I was wearing some 5 year old shoes from college and timing my race and workouts with MapMyRun which is not always accurate. By the time I finished, my feet were covered in blisters and my arches had nearly collapsed. I knew I could do better than that. Go to a running store and get your foot analyzed. I am a firm believer that Asics Gel Nimbus are the best running shoe for all types of runners and foot strikers. Getting a Garmin Forerunner watch changed my life because the GPS accuracy was amazing but it had all the bells and whistles from recovery advisor to V02 to race predicting. I was able to become more in tune with my body during training and racing. Imagine the possibilities!

11. Switch up the running routine

Switch it up. The best recipe for injury and lack of improvement is to run the same pace, same terrain and same routes day in and day out. You need to both stress and rest your body. from 2013 to 2018, I only improved my PR time by a full minute from 1:28 to 1:27 because I was running the same pace and same route over and over. I was running my body into the ground and not giving it a challenge. In my latest training for my 4th half and PR of 1:21, I varied my workouts like crazy. If you want to become the best running version of yourself, get excited about switching it up!

Varied workouts to incorporate into your 1:25 half marathon training which you can do with the MYRUNPLAN app (click links below to understand how to execute each one).

10. Don’t run everyday and rest like crazy

Rest. Sometimes runners hate that word but they must learn to love it if they want to perform better. You body needs to chill out. I used to run daily. Now, I run every other day or 4 days a week. I rest my legs entirely 3 days a week. On my rest days I work core or upper body but do absolutely zero running; not even slowly. More importantly, listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs a break and so will your garmin watch. Tell yourself you deserve to rest. Get on vacations too for some R&R.

9. Practice progressive runs weekly to perfect the negative split

Run progressives. This is starting at a slow warm up pace and progressing the speed by 5 or 10 seconds per mile. Negative splitting is when you run the second half of the workout or race faster than the first half. Training and racing this way is good for your body to burn through glycogen stores more slowly and you often feel a surge so you don’t “hit the wall” or “run out of gas.” Plus, it works wonders on your racing confidence, strategy and mental game. I can promise you, you will feel confident as you’re passing all the racers who went out too fast. In a long race like a half or full marathon, saving some gas in the tank is key, especially if you’re trying to break a 1:25 half marathon.

If you look at my stats, you could see my last half is where my body felt strong with the negative split.

First half I started more conservatively

If you noticed the negative split had 4 miles in the 5:00s (5:51, 5:50, 5:58, 5:32).

8. Race without music and your phone

Ditch the headphones and unplug: Music is great tool for getting us pumped up or during hard workouts or long runs. But stop listening as soon as you are ready to line up at the starting line. Put your electronics in a drop bag. Listening to music during a race you’re trying to improve in can potentially cause problems. Many people zone and and don’t listen to their bodies. Many go out too fast because of an upbeat tempo song just to run out of energy at the end. When your mind is quiet, so is your body. You can hear your breath, control it and have clear thoughts about your racing strategy. Also, if you’re trying to pass someone, they can often not hear you because they are blasting music. This can be turned into a huge advantage. Unplugging also helps you recall happy memories of your running journey.

7. Do a caffeine fast for a week prior to the race

Fast from caffeine: Just like you taper your legs before a big race you have got to taper your nutrition. If you’re a big coffee or soda drinker, the best thing you can do is detox it from your system. If you do this, you will feel a heightened sensitivity to caffeine on race day and your body will adapt better when you take it mid-race.

6. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Drink all the H20. Drinking the right amount of water can:

help optimize blood sodium levels, which is a vital component of athletic performance.
help your muscles feel replenished so they don’t cramp up.

So many people wait until the day before a race to hydrate. By then, it’s usually too late. To avoid this mistake, you should start hydrating at least 5 days in advance. I easily drank 100 -125 ounces a day during taper week. But that might be too much for most people. You can calculate your water needs here.

5. Embrace the power of carbohydrates as fuel

Don’t be afraid of carbs (and ignore the scale). There is a reason the idea of carbo- loading has endured for centuries; because it actually works. I grew up in the “atkins diet” era. Previously in my racing, carbs were always underutilized because I worried about the scale. This time around, I stopped weighing myself completely. In fact, at my slowest half-marathon I was 117 lbs. At my latest PR half I was around 135lbs.

I focused on the necessity carbs could be as fuel in my performance. During taper week, I replaced my usual 30% Protein with complex carbs but did not increase my calories. However, the night before the race I went more simple to avoid GI issues that often come with complex carbs. I ate a giant bowl of white pasta and a piece of white bread. The morning of I had a simple carbohydrate granola bar and a piece of white bread with banana and peanut butter.

4. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and relaxation

Be grateful and relax: When we are grateful we stop fearing. When we stop fearing, we relax and sleep better. When we sleep better, we perform on the course better. Having an attitude of gratitude allows us to slow down and find all of the positive things we get to experience during a race. Before the race began, I talked to myself and thanked heaven for my legs, the opportunity to run and for the beautiful course. I also bought jewelry with positive messages to remind me of my running abilities.

However, dealing with anxiety is real and many feel the physiological negative effects it can have. I have struggled with anxiety for years and it manifested itself in prior half-marathons. I knew I needed to manage it this time around. A few weeks before the race, I started taking tryptophan supplements which was natural way to help me relax and produce seratonin levels. I also took a warm lavendar epsom salt bath the night before the race for relaxation and better sleep. In fact, I made lavendar and a weighted minky blanket a part of my pre-race routine.

3. Listen to motivating books

Buy some good books. There is something about hearing inspirational stories that gets you pumped up to take on the world in both training and on race day. As the bus was taking this to the starting line, I listened to amazing stories of Steve Prefontaine, one of the best runners of all time. “Pre” dominated the distance racing world and quite a sketch of his life is in the book How Bad Do You Want It? The part that got excited me was what Pre once said:

I echoed this mantra over and over in my head while I was training to break a 1:25 half marathon.

How Bad Do You Want It also talked about using our mind over our body and focusing on perception of effort. The mind is a powerful muscle. It must be developed like the body. Make sure to take time to do it.

2. Practice Visualizing Success

Run the race in your head and drive the course if you can. The more you visualizing yourself at certain spots on the course such as where to slow down on the flats and where to sprint on the hills or vice versa, you will improve your performance. I also day dreamed about winning and passing competitors on certain hills or at the last stretch before the finish line. Whatever your goal is, visualize the success that will come with it. I also visualized seeing my family’s smiles and hugging them at the end.

1. Welcome Pain and Adversity

Pain and adversity can be you greatest ally. Before I began the race I told myself that I would be in pain and that when the pain hit, I would welcome it and use it to push myself to my greatest potential. If you’re not feeling any pain in a hard race, you’re not pushing your limits. When I hit mile 8 I got a grueling side ache but told myself it was good for me. When I hit mile 11 my left ankle started to feel sprained but I told myself it was great because I was giving it my all. Let pain be your friend.

We will all have struggles but overcoming them will make victory that much more sweet. As I worked toward this goal I look at my ups and downs of 4 c-sections, postpartum depression, anxiety, eating disorders, running injuries, 8 surgeries, 3 life-threatening incidents, 2 nearly fatal car accidents that have affected my life, missing races, dropping out of races and falling short. But learning to turn those trials into triumphs is what we must do to reach our full potential. We can control hardship or it can control us.

In the end, I not only met my goal of breaking a 1:25 half marathon but surprised even myself with a 1:21 finish! I was sho happy I cried.

You have a choice. You can do it! Download the bucket list and get started. Your dream is closer than you realize!
XOXO
Brittany