In the few weeks leading up to the Eugene Half and Full Marathon, we’ll be featuring our Team Run Hub athletes on the blog to give you a peek into their backgrounds, goals and training. Enjoy!
Rachel Harris is a 24-year-old who works in hospitality. She has been running for one year.
When and why did you start running?
I started running just about a year ago because I didn’t have any goal-oriented things in my life. I had finished my bachelors in music and was really struggling with not having any big goal, like a recital for which to prepare or playing in a very competitive ensemble. When I realized (through running a color run with a friend on a whim) that if I chose a comfy pace and distance to run I really enjoyed running, it became a good outlet.
Why did you sign up for the #teamrunhub training program?
I signed up for #teamrunhub because the program looked like it would guide, teach and give me the accountability that I needed as someone who’d never run more than six miles.
What are your goals for the Eugene half/full Marathon? What pace(ish) are you planning to run during the race?
Since this is my first half marathon, I just want it to feel good. I want to have the first 2/3 of it feel comfy and then have a good push to the finish. Knowing how I’ve been feeling on my runs, I’m expecting to run about 11:00 minutes per mile, but would love to be closer to 10:30 pace. I’m just going to see how it goes and not go out too fast!
What has been your favorite part of being a member of the training group?
It’s very hard to pick one thing as my favorite because I’ve loved everything! The training plan has been high quality – when I did my first 11 mile run two weeks ago, I definitely saw how the speed workouts and gradual increase of distance has paid off. The foam rolling classes have really helped keep me healthy and injury free. Before I started the training program, I was feeling some pulling under my right kneecap and I didn’t really know how to help it because I was new to running. The classes have taught me how to loosen up my leg muscles and I think that has really helped! Finally, I can’t forget the camaraderie! Since we’re all running so much, we’re at different events during the week and typically get food together after. It’s so nice to have people to hang out and get a beer with.
What has been the most challenging part of your training?
The most challenging part of the training has been the speed workouts. While I’m more mentally prepared for them now, the first workout that I did of 1.5 mile repeats was terrible. I was not mentally prepared and it seemed to be so long for that kind of diligent focus. It’s gotten better and I see the result in my running, but speed workouts and I are still not friends.
Tell us: Are you running the Eugene Half or Full Marathon? What keeps you focused during speed workouts?
