The Power of a High Five: Oakland Half Marathon Lessons

I completed my second half marathon on Sunday as part of the Oakland Running Festival. I learned numerous lessons by participating. The training program that I am using for the Ojai Marathon suggested that I run a half marathon race or a simulation run. I opted for the race, and I am glad that I did. My first marathon taught me the 18-week training block can be long. This race was scheduled halfway through the training. It broke up training nicely and would allow me to see the benefits of my current training. The other reason I ran a race was to dial in my marathon pace for May. Here are the lessons I learned: Train in all conditions, you can’t rely on pacers, memorize the elevation profile, and high fives are awesome.

Train in All Conditions

I signed up rather late for this half marathon on March 14. I looked ahead at the forecast and saw it was clear skies. As Friday rolled in, the forecast changed to rain on race day with 54-degree weather. In the past nine weeks, I have been very consistent in getting all of my runs completed. I have run in the drizzle and in the rain; my most extreme run was seven miles during a cold, windy, rainy night. Training in all conditions prepares you for unpredictable race day weather.

You Can’t Rely on Pacers

I never caught up to the pacer from the start line in my first marathon. I started near the pacer for this half marathon, but as the crowd surged toward the start line, I lost the pacer. I eventually found and passed the pacer about half a mile from the finish.

Memorize the Elevation Profile

I learned I need to commit the elevation profile to memory. I knew there was a climb as I went up Broadway and the turnaround point was near 51st Street. I was getting tired of the climb when I passed 30th Street and thought, “I still need to run 21 blocks uphill, yikes”. Knowing I would be running down the same hill on the return gave me the kick to get up the hill. However, I vaguely remembered there was a hill near the finish. I did not remember how tall or long it was, which played havoc as I tried to kick it in high gear for the finish. I wish I had studied the profile more.

High Fives are Awesome

Besides the obvious health hazards inherent in keeping an arm aloft for an extended period of time, the emotional effects of leaving a Bro out to dry in public can be devastating. If you ever see a Bro, even one you don't know, looking around frantically with a paw held high in the air, throw him a Brone and hit him up top.
- The Bro Code, Article 107, courtesy of Barney Stinson, "How I Met Your Mother"

Along the course, a few spectators offered high fives, “side fives” to be precise. Channeling Barney Stinson, I could not leave a Bro hanging. I made my first high five, not realizing the psychological and physiological benefits. Once our hands made contact, I had an instant speed boost. It’s like I had a turbo. I saw a few more outstretched hands along the course, and each high five worked like magic.

Overall, I was shocked by my race. I completed the half marathon in under two hours. I averaged 9:09/mile after mile 2. Miles 3-8 were all at or under 9:09/mile. I hit mile 11 with 20 minutes to run 2.1 miles for a sub-2:00 time. I knew there was a slight uphill and hoped to make it to the end without blowing up. At the same time, I was starting to think oh my gosh, I am going to break two hours.

I learned many lessons from this half marathon. I am so glad I ran it. I will share one bonus lesson from the race with Apple Maps. I was a little anxious about finding parking in Oakland and navigating the road closures for the marathon. When I woke up on Sunday morning and put the address in Apple Maps, it showed all the road closures and directed me around the closures to get me to my destination. I imagine other mapping services do the same, but I was thoroughly surprised and grateful.

Can you relate to any of the lessons that I learned? Your lesson doesn’t have to be running-related. Please share in the comments below. I would love to learn from your experiences too.

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