Saturday was our first CES summer marathon/half-marathon group long run. I'm a little excited that I wasn't too nervous about running 6 miles. No sweat! Well...okay there was sweat. I'm not that good.
We all met at the Ben statue in the park, had a few announcements and gathered with our pace groups. One of my girls moved herself up to 9:30 Reds. It was a tempting proposition, but there's no way I'm ready for that yet. Moving myself up to 10:00 Reds was a big enough step for me for this year. We'll see how it goes. This is all part of my plan to trick myself into running faster, so that one day I'll be able to run a full marathon under 4 hours. I feel like, given appropriate training and work on my part, this is doable...eventually.
It also brings me to something I've been pondering on my runs lately. How fast could you run if you didn't know how fast you were? When I started running, I plopped myself down in the 11:30 pace group (for a 5K training program, back in the summer of 2006) because I thought that sounded right. I figured that a 10:00 mile was a good, round number, and that since I was post-surgery and healing, I wouldn't be able to run faster than that. I hadn't ever been a runner, so I knew I couldn't run any faster. Impossible.
But now, three years later, I regularly run 9:30's. How did that happen? And what if I'd told myself on that August day, back in 2006 when I signed up with CARA's 5K training program, that I was faster. What if I'd decided that 9:00 was a great pace to run. I was a dancer after all, so this can't be completely inconceivable.
Inconceivable! Sorry...I was having a Princess Bridee moment. Carry on...
Clearly, I can't sustain a 9:00 pace for a marathon yet. I've been able to get pretty close on my tempo runs, and even in my 5Ks, but not for much farther than that.
Anyway, it was just something that I've been pondering.
Overall, the run went really well on Saturday, despite the mist. Oddly enough, I had to convince most of the Lakefront Angels to up their respective paces to 10:00 with me. Most of them loved it in the end and will stay with me. One girl decided that it was not going to happen and plans on dropping back to 10:30. And as I mentioned, another two at making the leap to 9:30's. Good times!
7 comments:
Dude, I was just here a minute ago. WTH? ;)
You're totally going to get that sub-4 marathon one day. You have the drive and are self-disciplined enough to do it. I, on the other hand, just want a sub 4:30 somewhere down the line. Hey, maybe I can hire you as my trainer. :)
OK, how weird. I was thinking about this sort of thing on my last run! I swear! I think we talk ourselves into our lives -- what we think is reality and all that.
Think you can run under 4 and I bet you will do it!
You are going strong and consistent. 4:00 marathon is within your grasp...real soon.
You're right. You wonder what barrier the ole brain might have put up right from the beginning to make you think you were supposed to run a certain pace!
Running can sometimes be more mental than physical--especially when it comes to pace. Maybe try a few runs w/o looking at your watch--just go by feel. See what happens.
Man, 9:30s. I can not fathom. truly inconceivable! (I LOVE that movie btw!)Does the light streak by you like warp speed on Star Trek when you run that fast ?
You rock! Congrats on moving up a pace group. That is a big deal and you should be proud of the work you have done.
I am still on the quest for sub-5. :o)
Hmmmmm I think about this sort of thing especially when it comes to harder runs. It's like there is this signal in my brain that triggers the hurt once I see the number 7:XX. I've gone bopping along at that pace before at a good chunk of distance, not even knowing it but then when I look down and SEE the numbers it's like "OMG you can't go that fast without it feeling bad" and then it starts to hurt. WTF?! Stupid brain.
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