Hunters Strength & Conditioning Blog

Running a half-marathon

5 Lessons From A Half-Marathon

March 20, 202410 min read

Running a half-marathon this year was not on my radar, but when at midday on a Wednesday in January my business partner asked me to run with him, I couldn’t say no. A little more than a year earlier, I told him he ought to run the Georgia Death Race, a 75-mile jaunt through the rugged terrain of the Appalachians of Northern Georgia; and he did it. I couldn’t in good conscience, and with any semblance of dignity, tell him no when he asked me to run a mere 13.1 miles. I didn’t consider telling him no. When he looked up at me from the bench and said, “You want to run that half-marathon with me in March?” I said, “Yeah, I’ll do it,” without hesitating. 


The half-marathon was eight weeks away. While I’d run consistently, I’d done no traditional half-marathon prep – nor would I. But I showed up and I did the damn thing on March 16, 2024, finishing in 2:04:25, and holding an average mile pace of 9:26. There’s nothing impressive about that time, and I can’t say that I loved the experience of running the race. I did, however, learn. And, in list form, I’m sharing that experience with you.


1. Enough GPP and Zone 2 Will Get You Through


I am not an aerobically inclined man, but I’ve developed a solid aerobic system. 


For context: I am 5’11” and I float between 195 and 200 pounds, and I’ve been about the same size since I was 18 years old. I dunked my first basketball when I was in eighth grade; I had one of the fastest 40-yard dash times on my college football team; I deadlifted 615 at a body weight of 203 when I was 26 years old. I am built for speed, power, and strength, not endurance. But I could show up, say yes to running a half-marathon on short notice, and put up a respectable time without completely murdering myself. GPP and Zone 2 volume are the reasons.


GPP is short for general physical preparedness. You could also call it general work capacity. It’s composed of movement quality, aerobic capacity, aerobic power, and relative strength. If you have enough of each in relative proportions, your body is prepared to handle a wide range of tasks. It’s what we focus on most with HPPM training because hunting is mostly a GPP/work capacity activity. You need to be ready for a lot of different shit. 


Zone 2 is the training zone just below your aerobic threshold. (I wrote a detailed explanation of it here.) It contributes mostly to aerobic capacity, but it also has an effect on aerobic power. I do most of my conditioning in Zone 2 throughout the training year, and I’ve done all but about 50 minutes of my running in Zone 2 – the exceptions being a threshold test and a couple of hard intervals.


Now that we’re through the definitions, let’s talk about why I say each is enough to get you through.


As I mentioned in the intro, I didn’t do any traditional half-marathon prep – which would include more speed work at, and slightly above, lactate threshold. I ran two to three times per week while keeping my heart rate in Zone 2. One of those runs was longer than 60 minutes, with the longest being 120 minutes a couple of weeks out from the race. This was nothing more than my normal conditioning-for-hunting plan.


And for the better part of a decade, I’ve focused hard on improving my aerobic system and general physical preparedness. All of my lifting, conditioning, and movement work has been aimed at this end. It’s given me the ability to take on a wide range of physical feats while performing relatively well and without too high a tax on my body. 


So, when it came time to run 13.1 miles, I had the gas tank and the general ability to run without stopping and without my legs, lungs, or heart crapping out on me. 


The strength training based on building work capacity kept my slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles contributing as they should.


The aerobic development, especially in Zone 2, gave me the ability to sustain energy production for a long time while clearing waste products out of my muscles so I didn’t fatigue too quickly.


The result was me being able to hold a pace faster than my normal running pace by about 30 seconds to 1-minute per mile for longer than I’ve ever run in my life.


Now, my strategy didn’t allow me to maximize my performance during the half-marathon, but it did reassure me that with enough GPP work, Zone 2 conditioning, and low-intensity running, you can be ready for an event like this, put up a decent time, and not totally wipe yourself out. (I’m writing this on the Wednesday after the race and I’m ready to train hard again.)


All of that work allowed me to say yes to running the half-marathon without hesitation. Commit to aerobic development and building your general work capacity with GPP, and the world is your oyster.


2. Gratitude is a Powerful Mental Skill


Not to sound like some kind of hard-o douche canoe, but there wasn’t a point during the race where I thought I couldn’t sustain my pace and finish. I never thought, “Can I do this?” I knew I could. It just wasn’t that mentally taxing. 


That being said, there were times when my mind drifted and I thought, “This isn’t fun. I’d like for it to be over. I’m not sure I’d like to do this anymore.” And I know, had I let that negativity creep further in and take over, I would have lost my pace, had a worse time, and contrary to my wishes, prolonged my run. I developed a counterattack to the negativity – gratitude.


As I felt my mind drift, I started to notice things. I’d notice the smile on another runner’s face or the determination on another’s face. I’d spot a bird or enjoy how blue the sky looked. I’d notice the scenery as I ran past the river or the creek. These little moments brought me back into the present and made me grateful for where I was in time and space. I’ve long believed we only truly suffer when we wish we were somewhere else, that our conditions were different. But if we accept things as they are, or even just take the time to notice, our psyche relents and we stay in a much better place – if not positive, at least neutral. As I steered my mind back to a positive place, I noticed each foot contact with the ground; I noticed the feeling in my legs; I noticed how good my lungs felt.


All of this noticing culminated in some self-talk. I said to myself, “It’s a beautiful day and you’re healthy enough to do this. Just run until you’re done.” And wasn’t it the truth? What an opportunity to be outside, doing something physical, doing something I’d never expected myself to do while doing it relatively well. From the inception of that phrase, I used it every time I felt my mind drift toward negativity. Then I’d get back to noticing all I could in the present moment.


Gratitude forever saved its place in my mental skills rolodex.


3. Accrued Training Volume Matters


I guess you might say that this is a reinforcement rather than an all-out lesson. But it’s nice to have things validated from time to time.


See, Chris hadn’t run for five months leading up to the race save for one little five-mile jaunt. He had, however, done a tone of jiu-jitsu, continued to strength train in a way that promotes GPP, and done other forms of aerobic conditioning. 


And – here’s the big one – he accrued a ton of running volume in 2022 and 2023. Like, a fuggin’ lot. Now, with all that accrued volume plus the “maintenance” conditioning provided by jiu-jitsu and his other training, he was able to run a 1:51 half-marathon. Had he not kept his training volume up with jiu-jitsu and the like, he never would have been able to run that fast. Had he not accrued all of that running volume earlier on, the jiu-jitsu and other training wouldn’t have counted for much when it came time to run. A huge body of accrued specific training volume remains useful, even after a break, if you maintain a solid level of general training volume that keeps the same energy pathways sharp.  


Now, that run cost him way more than it would have if he’d kept running. And he definitely didn’t run as fast as he would have, but he still kicked a fair amount of ass for someone that hadn’t run in five months.


4. Run Your Race


I got passed by people that, by appearance, I wouldn’t, and you likely wouldn’t, have expected to pass me. There were folks with supremely fucked up running gaits; there were others that were sincerely obese. A competitive streak runs through me that is sometimes dickish. I felt that part of my personality rise up on several occasions when one of those folks ran past me. But I’ve learned over the years of being a business owner that sometimes the best thing you can do is put on blinders. So, as I felt that urge I’d curtail it by checking in with my pace and whether or not it would be wise to run faster. There were a of couple occasions when I realized I could pick up the pace. But more often than not, I quelled my ego and ran my race.


See, you don’t know if that person passing you is being smart. Maybe they are burning themselves out – as I realized when I caught back up to a few folks during the race, and as I’ve noticed in business. And looks are deceiving. Just because someone looks a certain way, doesn’t mean that they don’t have abilities that you don’t. Maybe they have a natural gift. Maybe they’ve just done more work over a longer period. It’s unwise to make a snap judgment and adjust course based on someone else’s actions. It’s sometimes smart to use those actions as a barometer to examine your own. But it’s usually a better course of action to put on the blinders and run your race.


5. Eat and Drink a lot After the Race


There were bottles of water, chips, cheesy popcorn, fruit snacks, and bananas waiting at the finish line for all of the runners. I grabbed one bottle of water, a bag of chips, and a bag of fruit snacks. I focused on the water first and got most of it in before I worried about food. Then I ate the chips; then I ate the fruit snacks. 


The race organizers set up a free beer and wine garden for all of the runners, so once we finished our snacks, Chris and I went in and had ourselves a beer and some wine. But I didn’t eat anything else for another couple of hours and barely drank more water.


We did end up slamming some Thai food once we got close to home again. But I had myself another alcoholic beverage with that meal, along with some water.


As the day wore on, I got chills because I didn’t have enough water or food in my body to regulate my body temperature. I know this is a common thing after races that last a couple hours or more. But I know that if I’d taken better care of myself after the race I wouldn’t have felt like I had the flu all night.


So, don’t do what I did if you do yourself some race running.



And I’ll close with that practical lesson. 


I have no plans to run another half-marathon, but I’m glad I ran this one. That said, if you ask nicely, maybe I’ll run one with you.


half-marathon
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Todd Bumgardner

Todd Bumgardner, the renowned strength and conditioning coach specializing in fitness tailored for hunters, has an exceptional background rooted in Central Pennsylvania's hunting culture and sports. Having honed his skills through both hunting and collegiate football, Todd pursued his passion by obtaining a master's degree in Exercise Science. With an impressive 17-year tenure as a dedicated strength and conditioning coach, he has catered to a diverse clientele ranging from aspiring young athletes to seasoned NFL veterans. Aside from his pivotal role at HPPM, Todd is a proud co-owner of Beyond Strength, a prominent training gym nestled in Northern Virginia. Notably, he also serves as a human performance coach for a prestigious tier 1 unit. His adventurous spirit extends beyond fitness, as he traverses North America in pursuit of hunting endeavors. Todd Bumgardner truly embodies a harmonious blend of expertise, experience, and a deep-seated passion for optimizing the physical prowess of hunters.

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