Notes
Driving home last night, I had a thought about the running I’ve been doing lately – really, the training build up to a single run in October. I mean, I was on a treadmill for nearly 2 hours yesterday. On Saturday morning I was running in complete darkness on a dirt road – I couldn’t see my own feet it was so dark – but was wholly unconcerned, as I’ve run that road so many times for so many hours, I know it well enough that I don’t need to see it. I thought about where I could drop some Gatorades on Friday night so they’ll still be there on Saturday for my 21 miler. I’ve run more in the last 3 months than I did in all of 2010, more in the last 7 months than I did in all of 2011. In the snow, in the rain, on vacation, sick, in pain – run. And yet, I’m still concerned it won’t be enough.
Enough for what? To meet some time goal? To have the best performance I can? What does that mean?
The race performances lately have been good. 4:52 mile. That one actually kind of scared me. All at once it was a great time, but it raised a hundred questions. Some might be answered at King of the Hill 5K. Then again, that race might just raise more questions. If I run what my mile time says I can run, then okay. If slower? It’s not like I’m maximizing workouts for short distance. I’m not out hitting the track running quarter intervals, or doing any sort of speed training really. Maybe a tempo run a week. So how can I run a mile like that, out of nowhere, and not run an equally or close to equally fast 5k? Surely I can back off 20-25 seconds a mile for 2 more miles?
And then there’s the marathon. The lingering doubts about having enough to keep pace the last 10 miles or so. Doubts raised from the half in April (ha! April! A lifetime ago it seems – I am a different runner now). Doubts from 12 years ago, and completely breaking down in NYC (are you kidding me? 12 years ago? I had no clue what I was doing. None.). Doubts from that 5k last month. It was long. It was hot. It was slow. How was I that slow? Was I really that slow? What the heck is going on?
53 days – that’s a long time to tweak.