Tuesday: 8 Miles (1:08:05)
Running is more and more a mental endeavor, especially with your mind in a haze. This morning I was expected run 6 miles, but over the last few weeks, I have continued to push that with the help of Stephanie and Losey and today was no different. Jen, someone who I have seen post frequently on another running groups page also ran with us this morning, so it was nice to have new company to run with. The first few miles were difficult. As I said earlier, my mind was already moving and I was struggling to remained focused, but luckily their conversations filled the silent morning and I was able to slowly eliminate my thoughts and listen to their conversations as we made our way down Little Blue Parkway. While I was not the most energized this morning, the splits showed that my muscle memory carried me this morning. I am still at times baffled that I have made it this far, what once would have seemed like an accomplishment has almost become the norm and anything less would be a less than mediocre performance.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 9:14
Mile 2: 8:23
Mile 3: 8:29
Mile 4: 8:20
Mile 5: 8:34
Mile 6: 8:25
Mile 7: 8:40
Mile 8: 7:54
Overall Time: 1:08:05 & 8:30 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Wednesday: 7 Miles (58:26)
The run this evening took place at a new venue, Summit Rehab & Wellness, in Lee’s Summit. Wanting to get in a few extra miles before the actual event I met up with Ashley and Stephanie and we proceeded to get in 3.5 miles before meeting up with the other runners. I didn’t feel like it at the time, but looking at our pacing and the overall time, we did maintain a much faster pace than our typical Wednesday runs. Ashley was feeling it, or as she said, just ready to be done with the run, having already ran that morning and Stephanie had already ran 13 miles, so needless to say I was only person without a remotely good reason not to speed up! A storm was also brewing as we ran and we were met with some thunder and lightning off in the distance as we completed our run. If that doesn’t make you speed up, nothing will!
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:43
Mile 2: 8:23
Mile 3: 8:19
Mile 4: 8:06
Mile 5: 8:16
Mile 6: 8:20
Mile 7: 8:15
Overall Time: 58:26 & 8:20 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“Remember everyone looks at the world from their own perspective.”
Saturday: 10 Miles (2:53:01)
With several of runners participating in the Royals’ 5k event, I decided to meet-up with Stephen and run 10 of his first 20 miles with him on the Little Blue Trail. His group, or a group that he is part of, Team World Vision, also was running that morning. It was neat to start off with a prayer, which I can always use and to meet new runners in the community. The run was down Little Blue Parkway, since the storm the night before had flooded most of the trail making it impossible to run on, though parts of the sidewalk looked as though we were doing a brick workout! (Term used for Triathlon training, look it up!) The part that i thought was the most interesting was looking back at last week’s 20 miler with Stephanie. The 6th mile of both runs was at an 8:31 pace and really, the other splits were within seconds of last week as well. At this point in the training I am realizing that my muscle memory is taking over and now I can truly begin to focus on the mental aspect of pushing the barriers, aches, and pains of training to see what my body can actually achieve. With my goal of achieving an average of 8:45 the marathon, I wouldn’t expect for my training to always be below that, so I am attempting to reanalyze what I am capable of achieving without running myself into the ground and not being able to recover. With next weekend’s 22-23 run, I am going to push my tempo and see if I can maintain a pace closer to 8:30, we shall see what I am able to do.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 8:44
Mile 3: 8:41
Mile 4: 8:29
Mile 5: 8:38
Mile 6: 8:31 *
Mile 7: 8:31
Mile 8: 8:29
Mile 9: 8:33
Mile 10: 8:18
Overall Time: 1:26:22 & 8:38 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“Sometimes burning bridges is awesome. It eliminates you from ever going back to the places that you have absolutely no need to visit again.”
Sunday: 6 Miles (50:50) & 5 Miles (54:48)
For Sunday’s run, I wanted to add additional miles as I was completely off my schedule for running this week, I was happy with the total miles for the week considering that I was only able to run 4 days. Thought the first 2 miles were relatively slow, Stephanie and I were able to pick up the pace and finish with a respectable pace. I am still amazed at Stephanie’s ability to log so many miles each week, especially with a cracked rib, I couldn’t even big to imagine what that would feel like!
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 9:09
Mile 2: 8:59
Mile 3: 8:18
Mile 4: 8:04
Mile 5: 8:10
Mile 6: 8:06
Overall Time: 50:50 & 8:28 Pace
The actual Sunday morning running group was met with Jennifer and I running a 5 miler together as she prepares to tackle the Plaza 10k. Though the splits were less than stellar, I was imperative for Jennifer to spend this time today struggling. With work and other elements, Jennifer has struggled to get all of her mileage during the week and with new shoes for today’s run, her body wasn’t exactly happy with her! This helped her realign her thinking and keep in perspective that the run is very real and it is coming sooner than later! Next weekend, after my long run Saturday, we will be tackling a 6 miler, her longest so far in training and I am excited to see if we can maintain a pace much quicker than today. I know she can do, she has proven it, she just has to continue to herself that throughout the run.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 10:00
Mile 2: 10:24
Mile 3: 10:45
Mile 4: 10:50
Mile 5: 12:45
Overall Time: 54:48 & 10:57 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“The moment that you realize how important time is, your entire perspective changes.”
Final Thoughts:
47… the number of days remaining until Baltimore. With 354 miles in the books for training, I am excited to break into the 400 mile club next week with my next 20 miler scheduled for Saturday. (22-23 miles) Though I was only able to run 4 days this week, i still managed to accumulate 36 miles and was happy with a daily average of nearly 10 miles a day. Though I have not successfully followed me “plan” the last couple weeks, I am realizing that I have built a solid base during my training. Before, 2-3 miles was a solid base that I thought I had acquired, but often fatigued when I tried to push past the typical runs that I accumulating now. Now, I am not saying it is easy by any stretch of the imagination, but logging double digits in back to back days isn’t killing me like it used to. Part of me feels as though I might be giving myself some false hope as a little voice in my head is beginning to challenge me to push my pace and increase my miles rather than following my plan. I think this is where I have to exhibit some restraint, my life story you might say, to ensure I don’t rush the process and mess up all that I have worked for. It’s funny, the parallels to running and life, both test you, shake you, and at times break you, but it's only to reveal something more beautiful than before. I have fallen apart, but got back up time and time again, each time stronger than before and with a greater sense of purpose. Life is what you make it, as is running and at this point I am willing to fall apart to see what my body can endure.
I know you may not have asked for opinions or thoughts on this one, but you’re getting it anyway. :) As I read through your post, there were a couple specific quotes and lines that stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteFor starters, “Share your aspirations only with those who will support you, not those who will respond with doubt or lack of interest.”
Wow. Talk about powerful and timely. Simply, I love it.
Next, “Sometimes burning bridges is awesome. It eliminates you from ever going back to the places that you have absolutely no need to visit again.”
This is an interesting one. I think those bridges are so often in our minds. We allow connections to be made, letting one thing remind of us another, which leads back to yet something else. When we continue to allow ourselves to feel the same pain over and over again simply because we never accepted it the first time, we are in essence the one responsible for the pain, right? We allows others to hurt us by the way we react to the words, the actions, or often time the lack thereof. When we let our mind continue to visit, we can’t be mad that the door is always open.
And last, but not nearly of least significance, “I think this is where I have to exhibit some restraint, my life story you might say, to ensure I don’t rush the process and mess up all that I have worked for.”
Stay focused, my friend. You’ve got goals, you’ve got plans, and you’ve got some things to prove to yourself. You are well on your way and certainly shouldn’t count yourself out. I may just be an outsider, with a bit of insider intuition, but I truly believe you’re a bit like me when it comes to the stubbornness. It’s great to have goals; set them, share them, and feel compelled to meet because you’re being held accountable simply by others being aware of the goals. But…if you ask me, the goals that matter the most, the ones that bring the most satisfaction and accomplishment, are the ones you’ve kept inside. The ones that lurk around in your mind and keep you driving forward…be it personal or running related. Don’t take those goals lightly, keep them there, inside where it matters most to you. When you reach them, you’ll celebrate, you’ll be proud, and the best part is, other people won't even have to know about it.