Fight For It
I have been blessed with a fairly easy training cycle this go-round, which I am very thankful for. My long runs have been nice at a steady but pretty easy conversational pace and the hours fly by while my training partner and I talk the miles away. We have had lots of sunshine and mild temps. So naturally I have been a little worried! I have been feeling like I needed a "tough run," you know, one you have to fight for. One where it is less than ideal conditions, so that you have to push your body to perform, and work on your mental toughness to overcome the physical conditions. Well I got more than I bargained for today, and I loved it!!
I had 16 miles planned for my last long run today, and two friends lined up to split the distance with. One was meeting me for the first 10 miles, and another for the last 6. It was going to be great. But then the 6 mile friend had to cancel, and right when I was going to bed I got the call that the 10 mile friend was sick and wouldn't make it either. Bummer! I do not run in the dark by myself, so this now solo run would have to be pushed back later in the morning once the sun was up. I was frustrated but knew this would be a good mental training run. Then comes the weather. 46 degrees and sustained 17-20 MPH winds!! Yikes. Definitely not ideal. Bring on the mental toughness!
I started off trying to run slow but I naturally fall into a 9:30 mile pace when I'm on my own. I thought I would aim for a 10 minute pace overall as I figured the wind would slow me down considerably later on. Well I put in my ipod and took off, cranking out the miles. My first 3 miles were my slowest as I warmed up, and then I settled into a good groove and just kept going. I kept my average pace between 9:30 and 9:35 the entire run, which included my stops for water. I finished the run strong at an even 9:30 overall pace for 16 miles, and my last mile was the fastest at a 9:01! I never ran slower than a 9:44 mile the whole run. Needless to say this has been one of my hardest and best runs to date. I haven't pushed myself too hard on my long runs, but wanted to see what I could do before I taper down the next few weeks and give my legs a rest before the marathon. I was pleased overall, physically I did well, especially in the conditions, but more than anything, this was a mental run. I got my head in the right place and got it done even though I had to fight for it. I can't believe I've got nothing but short runs left now:) And I am really hoping marathon race day is a nice pretty day to run:)
I had 16 miles planned for my last long run today, and two friends lined up to split the distance with. One was meeting me for the first 10 miles, and another for the last 6. It was going to be great. But then the 6 mile friend had to cancel, and right when I was going to bed I got the call that the 10 mile friend was sick and wouldn't make it either. Bummer! I do not run in the dark by myself, so this now solo run would have to be pushed back later in the morning once the sun was up. I was frustrated but knew this would be a good mental training run. Then comes the weather. 46 degrees and sustained 17-20 MPH winds!! Yikes. Definitely not ideal. Bring on the mental toughness!
I started off trying to run slow but I naturally fall into a 9:30 mile pace when I'm on my own. I thought I would aim for a 10 minute pace overall as I figured the wind would slow me down considerably later on. Well I put in my ipod and took off, cranking out the miles. My first 3 miles were my slowest as I warmed up, and then I settled into a good groove and just kept going. I kept my average pace between 9:30 and 9:35 the entire run, which included my stops for water. I finished the run strong at an even 9:30 overall pace for 16 miles, and my last mile was the fastest at a 9:01! I never ran slower than a 9:44 mile the whole run. Needless to say this has been one of my hardest and best runs to date. I haven't pushed myself too hard on my long runs, but wanted to see what I could do before I taper down the next few weeks and give my legs a rest before the marathon. I was pleased overall, physically I did well, especially in the conditions, but more than anything, this was a mental run. I got my head in the right place and got it done even though I had to fight for it. I can't believe I've got nothing but short runs left now:) And I am really hoping marathon race day is a nice pretty day to run:)
posted by Lauren at
6:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home