I have *barely* run in the month of June. I've probably logged less than 10 runs, and the longest one was only like 7.5 miles (at a slow pace). We had signed up for this 10K like 6 months ago, but I was SO not enthused about it. I barely slept last night (no real reason, just tossed and turned and only got about 3-4 hours of sleep). I finally stopped fighting it and got up at 5:30 (30 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, mind you).
We dragged ass and got out of the house at 7, and to the race start line around 7:35. The bathroom lines were short (thank goodness) and they had a wave start, which was awesome after the BAA 5K cluster-ffff. I had no problem starting out fast, and there was little to no crowding out of the chute.
I had no intentions of trying to PR. First mile: 7:31. I thought to myself there was no way I'd be able to hold that, and started to waiver in my head. It was getting hot and I really didn't feel like running.
Mile 2: 7:44
Mile 3: 7:47
In those few miles I was really distracted with watching the elites and other super fast people run by (it was an out and back). I guess I got inspired or something (or maybe I just needed a warm-up?) because from that point I picked up the pace. I also spotted a guy who dropped his keys while trying to take his shirt off (it was getting really hot) and I was able to alert him. Good deed for the day!
Mile 4: 7:25
Mile 5: 7:17
Mile 6: 7:35
last .2: 1:54 (6:58 pace)
Official results: 47:08, 7:36 avg. pace. This is more than 90 seconds faster than my best 10K to date! So it was a PR day after all. It certainly wasn't easy, and I wavered a good bit in my head. But at the end of the day I still really wanted it, and that is all that matters. Going into marathon training, I really need to keep my motivation high.
Otherwise, this week has come up short on mileage. This week was officially week 1 of marathon training, but since my mileage has been low (okay, really low), I didn't want to risk injury by suddenly jumping from 15 miles a week to 33, so I chose to reduce. I hope to be at 100% by week 3 or 4. I am really enjoying the Pfitzinger book and have decided to use their 18/55 plan (18 weeks, going as high as 55 miles a week). While I totally see the merits of the 55-70 plan, I do NOT want to risk injury. My highest mileage week of my life thus far has only been about 42 miles, so now is not the time to suddenly jump that high.
What I've enjoyed most about this training is that I feel like I am running with much more intention. I am not simply going out to acquire miles; each workout has its own pace and meaning, which I think makes me appreciate it much more. I also now understand how to obtain the physical gains they speak of in the book - and that means NOT always just running as fast as you feel like on that specific day. I realize now I've been running myself into the ground, and my training probably suffered. I am looking forward to finally doing things the right way!
Oh, and of course, obligatory (after) race photo:
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| Yes, aqua top, red shorts, yellow shoes. I cannot tell I lie, I love bright things. |
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