Aman Basi, recently completed her very first half marathon race! Within the past year, Aman has completed MANY events with Innovative Fitness, including the Chilly Chase 5 km, Grand Canyon April 2015, The Longest Road Race 5 km, Adventure Challenge 2015 and, most recently, the AMICA Insurance Seattle Half Marathon.
As one of her trainers, I had the pleasure to talk with Aman about her experience with her most recent event. Here is what she had to say about the half marathon:
What made you decide to do a half marathon?
Mike (IF trainer from Kits) would always joke and tell me that I should sign up to do a marathon run by the end of the year to challenge myself. I always told him I like to take small progressive steps and slowly work my way to a big goal. Then in May I was reading a runners magazine and found a training guide on how to train for your first half marathon. That was when I really started thinking about potentially training for a half marathon. Later that week I started to Google half marathons in November and December. I knew I would not run my first ½ in my own city only because I know the streets and distance too well, so I chose Seattle. I chose Seattle because I don’t know all the streets and it’s still relatively close to Vancouver, plus I love that city.
How did you train for the event? Did you feel prepared?
I trained using the guide I had found in the runners magazine with a few changes that my other trainer Camille (IF trainer from 4 Seasons) had suggested. I felt very prepared for my run with all the advice that both Mike and Camille had given me over the 5 months that I was training. The guide had suggested 16 week training program but I knew I would need more time so I trained for 21 weeks. This gave me extra time in case of any injuries.
After completing the run, how (if anything) would you train differently for the run?
I trained on my own for 95% of the time (except for my dog Boss always being by my side–not by her choice). Next time I would join a running club
What tips would you give individuals training for their first half marathon? What tips were you given that you found to be the most useful for the run & training?
I would say that you know yourself the best so give yourself all the extra time you need. When you’re running such a distance and have never run that long before, extra time is never a bad idea.
Some of the tips given to me that I found most helpful were to pay attention to my nutrition and to not over-train close to the actual event. Any tips on injury prevention were also useful as you could say I have two left feet when it comes to working out.
Finally, I was constantly being given advice as I was training because my trainers would always ask me how my runs were going and give me advice on how to make my next run better than the previous one.
What did you like best about the experience (training, the event itself, post-race, etc.)?
The best experience was the event itself and just crossing the finish line, realizing that I just ran 21.1 km and accomplished the goal that I had set for myself.
How did IF (and the coaches that you train with) help you complete the race?
I personally feel that I have 2 of the best trainers IF has to offer. Mike and Camille were the most supportive people during the 21 weeks that I was training. My biggest obstacle is always injuring myself and they helped with a lot of agility movements and with conditioning. They helped me recognize when my body needs a break compared to just needing a good stretching day.
Can you give us a short play by play of your race?
Race day was probably the coldest day I had run during all of my training, including the 3 weeks I spent in Toronto. The run started off fine but around the mile 2-5 stretch it was very slippery due to fog and frost on the ground. This was a little scary for me and I did not want to fall so I ran a little slower over the frost. I felt great throughout the run until about mile 11, when my right leg started to cramp a bit and then my right calf started to cramp and it was hurting. On top of this, I was just physically tired and I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other to keep moving closer to the finish line. My main goal during this run was not to walk so my run became a jog and then a very slow jog.
Once I could hear the music, I knew I was close to finishing so I picked up my pace and gave it all I had left! When I crossed the finish line, I had no words to express how I felt. It was such an overwhelming feeling.
What event are you training for now? How will IF (& your coaches) help you with this event?
I am thinking about running the BMO half marathon next. In the mean time, let’s see what events IF has coming up that I would like to do.
Amazing work Aman!!! We are so proud of the amazing work you have done this year! Looking forward to see what you achieve in 2016!
Camille Hindley,
Events Manager
Innovative Fitness – Four Seasons
Cell: 778.231.4292/Phone:604.609.5450
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