How I reduced my half marathon time by 15 minutes in under 4 weeks.

“Looks like you had some gas left in the tank!” That’s what Airhead said as I caught up with him running in our men’s workout group called F3. I was lagging behind most of the workout but on this last turn I knew I had some gas left in me to burn. So I did.

That moment at 5:50 am reminded me of a story I’ll never forget. One that has helped me push further than I never knew possible. I hope it helps someone else realize what's possible with a mindset shift and some accountability.

In 2015 I was in a business coaching program and one of the options was to also be coached to run a half marathon. My coach’s belief was that the way you do one thing in life is the same way you do everything. Meaning, your mindset about life and how it works doesn’t change from one activity to the next. It generally stays the same.

I chose to do the half marathon and we trained for it together. For about 13 weeks we had roughly 10 people in the program training almost everyday for the race. We incrementally increased our runs, got feedback, and slowly progressed until race day.

I felt ready. I did the program. I showed up and was ready for the race. I remember, towards the last 5-10% of the race thinking to myself just keep going. Keep moving. Don’t push yourself just keep going. I did and I finished. That felt ok. I finished the race with a 02:09:51 total time and a pace of 9:59 minutes per mile. Not bad for a first time half marathoner.

We all met up for lunch after the race, and as we ate our coach went around the table and asked everyone how they felt. I was in for a big surprise. I was sitting there thinking. I did the work and I completed the job.  Job well done! I felt good. 

As she went around the table I listened to what the others had to share. It was great to hear their stories of accomplishment and what each realized about their journey. Then she got to me… She asked, “Brad how do you feel about how you raced? I answered. “I feel good, I am glad I finished. I trained and did the work.”  

She noticed something in me and I hate when people see that ;-). She said something like, “It sounds like you didn’t push yourself too hard. Sounds to me like you left a lot on the table and coasted through this.”

I probably swallowed my throat at that moment because she was right. I had coasted. I still had a lot left in me, I just didn’t want to get hurt. Story of my life!

Accountability and honesty from someone who can see you matters. Your reflection of yourself isn’t the whole picture.

I decided to race again. I booked a trip to Little Rock Arkansas and did another half marathon about 3 weeks later. I continued to train but I had a new awareness in me… Gas left in the tank! Nothing changed, just my mindset.

I ran the Little Rock Half marathon with a different mindset. I pushed myself more this time throughout the race and the difference was tremendous. I finished that race with a time of 1:53:56 with a pace of 8:41 minutes per mile. I knocked 15:55 minutes off my time. 

I was reminded of this story because someone nicknamed Airhead was pushing himself and he took the time to call me out. That call out reminded me again of the gas left in my tank. If you’re breathing there’s still gas left in your tank… The choice is yours.

Photo by Erik Mclean from Pexels