I will start this blog with a funny! Several years ago a friend captured a photo of me finishing a race. It was ugly! I was running up a hill while trying to stay ahead of the 3rd place female….it was a battle! Boy – did he capture it in print.
Shortly there after, a running meme started circulating around the internet. It was me! (Not really…but, boy it could have been!) This is when I thought, hmmmm, I need to do something about my form. LOL!
I so thought I had it going on! I finished in second place…surely I had awesome form! NOT!!!! I printed the two photos together as inspiration. It has taken me a while to get there…but I am making great strides. I would say I really didn’t make it until these last 8 months.
Last year I gained entry into the 2014 Chicago Marathon and once I returned from Boston, I kept training. But, I was running injured and stopped running in July. The running had taken a toll on my body. Since April 2013 I had run 4 marathons and was on track to do my 5th in two years…not that that was what I was going for at all…it was just how it worked out. After a long run in California, I made the tough decision my body needed a break. I would stop training and defer my Chicago training.
That was the best decision ever…for a couple of reasons! First, instead of training alone I am now in this with the 3 others I mentioned in the previous posts. We are in this together during the good runs and the bad ones. Whether we are running together or virtually, we know we are in this with each other! Secondly, I found CrossFit which led me to CrossFit Endurance and Pose running.
My CrossFit coach had a Pose Running Seminar in September of 2014. I hadn’t been running for a couple of months and thought it would be a good time to start back. Through this seminar I learned proper form and technique. Boy, I had it all wrong…as the above picture shows oh, so well! I am still learning! Not growing up as an athlete, I was not used to skill work and drills. I was familiar with it of course, just didn’t do it. I just ran. Now, it is a very important part of my training. A VITAL PART!
This is all so encouraging to me because I was able to qualify for Boston twice with HORRIBLE form and technique. Now, that I am running better…I can’t wait to see what is in store. God has a plan! He knew, as He did with Boston, I needed a team to train with…and a great coach as well. I have both! A team that encourages me mentally, spiritually and physically! When I don’t want to go…they are there to hear me gripe and then they kick me out the door. 😉 Our coach knows our potential and pushes just enough! I am beyond excited. Another thing that got me excited was comparing my oh so horrible picture to a recent race finish photo. As I said, I have come a long way…but, I am still a work in progress.
Now to the week of training.
Tuesday – 10 x 200 meter repeats with 300 meter recovery – Not too bad…did it with Yoli and we got it done in our neck of the woods. It is so awesome having her out there running her pace as I run mine!
Thursday -6 x 800 meter repeats with 2 minute rest – Not so much fun! Again, I met Yoli and we got it done. I just don’t like 800 meter repeats. LOL! And 6 of them…yuck!
Friday – 5k @ 85% of 10k pace – I did this one alone. Fun! Thanks to my sweet husband I have my new Garmin watch to help me stay on track. The first .25 mile, the watch yelled at me continually. I was either too fast or too slow. Finally, it stopped beeping and I found my groove and stayed on track the rest of the run. I accomplished my target pace! So very thankful!
Saturday – 5k time trial – DIDN’T HAPPEN! Mentally I have such a hard time with time trials. It is so hard for me to make race day pace without a race. So, I looked for one all around the area to no avail. The closest was Knoxville and I just couldn’t justify it! So, I skipped it. Not really…I just put it off until Sunday when I knew Yoli would be able to run with me or should I say in front of me. So Saturday’s run happened on Sunday. 🙂
How was it? It was okay. It was hot. It was humid. It was, well it is done!
Here is the run report I sent to my coach:
Run 1 – 10 x 200 –
:50
:52
:53
:52
:51
:51
:49
:51
:59 – I don’t have a clue what happened here. 🙂
:48
Run 2 – 6 x 800 –
3:46 – slow getting started….
3:40
3:41
3:43
3:40
3:41
Run 3 – 5k @ 85% 10k pace – GOAL pace – 8:01-8:09 – 25:08 – PACE – 8:07
Run 4 – 5k time trial – 23:56 – 1 minute and 19 seconds slower than PR of 22:37
Time trials kick my butt mentally. I have to learn how to power through them. My hamstrings were really sore from workouts…excuses, excuses. 🙂 But ALL DONE!
WEEK ONE – is in the books! We are thrilled to be chipping away! I have had faster weeks, faster times…but each time, whether faster or slower is making me stronger and better! Today, Rick Warren tweeted a great quote: When setting a goal, what matters is not who you think YOU are, but rather who you think GOD is. My goal is to finish well! And I am sure His is the same!
2 Timothy 4.7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Hebrews 12.1-2
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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