Tuesday: 6 Miles (49:48)
If this is a sign of things to come, I know that I am in a great place heading into my 7 week of training. This morning run was phenomenal. My body responded well and as you can see from the splits, I ran negative splits and even maintained an 8:13 pace for 3 consecutive miles which I have never been able to achieve, identical splits that is. Running on the trail this morning I was reminded of how your perspective shapes everything that lays ahead of you. I am anxious for this week due to the long distances this weekend and naturally that is what my head is thinking about. After this run though, I know that my body is responding well to the distances and pacing that I am launching at it regularly and know that if I can maintain this level of training, Baltimore will be memorable. Here is to a great week of runs and possibly breaking my mark for most miles logged in a week this week!
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:51
Mile 2: 8:14
Mile 3: 8:13
Mile 4: 8:13
Mile 5: 8:13
Mile 6: 7:58
Overall Time: 58:31 & 8:21 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“What you do today is important because you're exchanging a day of life for it.”
Wednesday: 4 Miles (33:38) 7 Miles (58:27)
With the Wednesday evening run becoming the norm, I seldom ever attempt to run double in a day, but leave it to Stephanie to push me outside my comfort zone. The morning run was sticky with the humidity creeping in quickly as we ran out down Little Blue Parkway to log 7, yes 7 miles after logging 6 yesterday morning. The last half of the run was a little difficult as Stephanie pointed out, “You doing ok, you aren’t talking much.” not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I could barely breathe! With positive momentum from yesterday, this morning’s run, though not anticipating to ever got 7 miles was refreshing. With 13 miles logged before 7 am on Wednesday, this week is shaping up to be spectacular.
The Wednesday running group is always a fun time. The temperature and humidity however made these 4 miles less than refreshing like this morning. From the amazing fog captured this morning, little “amazing” moments could be found in this dreadful evening run. The air was thick and my body was less than pleased to be running for a second time though I was happy to say that I had already logged 17 miles for the week. Positive thoughts and a positive perspective for the rest of the week, it's going to memorable !
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Morning Run
Mile 1: 8:57
Mile 2: 8:11
Mile 3: 8:10
Mile 4: 8:04
Mile 5: 8:28
Mile 6: 8:25
Mile 7: 8:05
Overall Time: 58:27 & 8:20 Pace
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Evening Run
Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 8:25
Mile 3: 8:25
Mile 4: 7:56
Overall Time: 33:38 & 8:23 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart.”
Thursday 4 Miles (34:43)
Treadmill running, enough said. :)
Saturday: 18 Miles (2:35:48)
Mental barriers, they are very much real. Coming into today, I knew that I was going to face some obstacles, particularly in the later stages of my run. From advice received from others, I tried to eat before the run, which I seldom do. I did this because I found that I was crashing around miles 12 - 14 and was unable to recover. With food in my belly and rehydrate waiting between stops, I set off with my goal of maintaining a pace that would be similar to my marathon pace. (8:45)
I would like to say that I could document well the miles and the feelings but really my mind was fixated on the mileage between 12 - 14 which you can tell did adjust negatively as the run went on. I know that marathon will require me to start out slower with the intent to run negative splits at the end rather than the beginning of the race, here, we typically set off and just run, time is not tracked and I must continue to be mindful of this with longer distances coming up in the future. Overall, I am very pleased with my time and ultimately how I felt afterwards. Though my body was sore, which how could it not be, I felt as though I could continue to run, which was the feeling i needed with a 20 miler coming up in two weekends. I definitely couldn’t have done it without Mark and Stephanie and I am consistently reminded of the power of a group of runners and friends that can help push and support you both mentally and physically when your mind is telling you to quit. The brain is a muscle and just like anything it can be trained to tune out the negative noise and focus on the goal, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to make it think differently.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 9:17
Mile 2: 8:59
Mile 3: 8:40
Mile 4: 8:19
Mile 5: 8:35
Mile 6: 8:22
Mile 7: 8:35
Mile 8: 8:24
Mile 9: 8:19
Mile 10: 8:22
Mile 11: 8:20
Mile 12: 8:35
Mile 13: 8:52
Mile 14: 8:42
Mile 15: 8:50
Mile 16: 8:55
Mile 17: 9:03
Mile 17: 9:03
Mile 18: 8:30
Overall Time: 2:35:48 & 8:39 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“The greatest barrier to someone achieving their potential is their denial of it.”
Sunday: 9 Miles (1:21:15)
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:12
Mile 2: 9:26
Mile 3: 8:34
Mile 4: 9:01
Mile 5: 9:46
Mile 6: 9:20
Mile 7: 8:54
Mile 8: 9:01
Mile 9: 8:55
Overall Time: 1:21:15 & 9:01 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”
Final Thoughts:
Though I never admitted it, my goal early in the week was to hit 50 miles. Sadly, I hit 48 and though it is now my new PR for weekly logged miles, I was a little frustrated with myself that I didn’t put in two more miles when I had already logged that many this week. My total after 7 weeks is now up to 247.3 miles which is exactly the same distance from KC to STL. So rather than 7 weeks of training, you might say that I have spent the last 7 weeks running across Missouri. (All about your perspective)
When you put that into context, I truly appreciate the journey that I am on. With each week leading me closer and closer to Baltimore I am constantly reminding myself that i am the only person standing in the way of making my dreams become reality. “I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul” These words often are what plays in my mind when I get to points where I want to give in and slow down or at times just stop. I control this ship which my body and i can either continue to steer it in the right direction and stay the course, or allow it take on water and sink, either way, I am the one responsible for it and I have no one else to blame. With that being said, I am one week away from being halfway to Baltimore, I am moving in the right direction and I am happy with the success that I am seeing, one run, one week, one day at a time and soon enough I will standing at the starting line, ready to put the finishing touches on a 16 week journey that will forever change me for the better.
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