...absolutely NOTHING!! A few of you (Mandy, Kim, Carey, Micah) will get that "joke." I ran with them a little yesterday and I was trying to motivate us by naming things that didn't even compare to how good that running felt. You know, things like chocolate, a free trip to Hawaii, even sex. Well, I'm here to say that ALL of those things are much better than yesterday's run. :-)
I felt pretty good until about mile 12 or 13. I started feeling really tired but kept on going. At the 14.4 mark (according to my Garmin), at the Lakeshore water stop, I honestly considered stopping. I felt that it was more mental, though, than physical so I knew I had to perservere. I'm glad that I did, but those last 5 miles were TOUGH. My 4:1 intervals went out the door. They pretty much turned in to "run for as long as you can" intervals, which turned out to be 1 or 2 minutes at most. And, as I'm coming up Spillway, about to cross Old Fannin to head back to Lakeshore, I can't help but be disappointed in myself for having to walk so much. I should be finishing strong--like I did for the 18 miler. What went wrong?? I mean, the weather was cooler yesterday, I remembered my water bottle so I think I stayed hydrated better, my shins felt good. So what gives?
Well, thanks to my Garmin, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. I started out too fast. (I started fast on my 18-miler too but for some reason that was o.k.) Call me crazy but prior to the run, I was actually excited about running 20 miles. I had been looking at the chicagomarathon.com website last week and that really pumped me up. I guess a little too much. I just ran too fast, too early. So, even though I'm disappointed in my run yesterday, I think I learned a valuable lesson. Start slow. Force myself to start slow. Set my Garmin, if necessary, to beep at me if I go faster than a certain pace. Whatever it takes! I don't want to repeat yesterday's performance in Chicago!!
I'm proud of everyone out there yesterday--no matter how many miles you completed. It's definitely a mental battle from here til Chicago. But, we can do it!! Stick with our weekly training, keep hydrating during the week and take it slow on Saturdays. Those 3 things will be top priority for me until October 7.
Hope everyone has a good week. See you all next Saturday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
See, if you'd run with me, you'd have so much energy the last 5 miles you'd be able to sprint like a Kenyan at the end. Don't you hate all these "learning experiences" we're having. Every week requires another adjustment. Funny how we all have taken this time to discover what works for us individually. Take care of yourself this week.
Just be glad you finished it!!! It was tough for EVERYONE!!! If you ran with Carey the whole time he would definitely keep you going. Whether you want to or not!!!!! :-) You finished, that's all that matters.
You probably just burned yourself out early. I could barely read your license plate when you sped by!! :) Anyway, take it easy, and pace yourself....cg
You are absolutely right - starting out too fast will do it to you every time. Tha will be a challenge in Chicago with all of the music and excitement, but resist the urge and it will pay off BIG TIME!
Yes, you learned a very valuable lesson. I always have trouble remebering that lesson, though, but you will pay in the end for going to fast in the beginning!
Post a Comment