So, it's been awhile since I've blogged , but not since I've run. I stayed consistent with my TP's marathon training through October, culminating in a 20-miler. Then I won an international silver medal with my show chorus, attended a week-long professional conference immediately after., came home sick with the flu for two weeks, and then immediately launched into holiday madness. Weeeeeeeee.
After getting outkicked by my kiddo during our Thanksgiving turkey trot's final 800m, I've decided to turn my focus to speed in the new year and train for a fast mile. I have no ambitions of anywhere close to the 6:00 goal I had several years ago. I'm older, slower, and just a lot less motivated. My goal right now is just to get back to working hard at speed, and, honestly, to contribute a little more to my TP and I's shared training runs. She's been the only one training for anything for the past few years, and they've both been marathons. lol.
I knew I didn't want to start anything I'd have to run through the holidays, so I'm looking at a January start date. To help prepare, though, I ran a time trial last week, just to see where I'm at.
I was certain I'd be below 8, pretty sure I'd hit below 7, and thought maybe on a great day I'd wind up around 6:45-50. I'm glad I told my TP and family, because I totally wanted to back out the night before... and, the morning of, I was already making mental excuses for running slowly to myself.
The cool thing about this training, I realized, is that it's not just physical. It's mental. In fact, for me, I bet this cycle will be so much more mental than physical. It's about re-training myself to make it hurt, to do things I don't want to do in service of a larger, long-term goal, and the mental tenacity to keep going when you don't have to, and literally no one cares but you. How bad do you want it?
The trial went better than expected. It was cold and windy, but I hit a 1:37 first split and didn't die. Though the next few were slower, at no point did I actually feel like I was at my breaking point. I certainly wasn't comfortable, and was definitely pushing, but it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. Thanks to a little kick from my TP setting herself up for me to "chase her" down the final straightaway, I finished in 6:48. Though I needed to walk right away, I easily completed a two mile cool-down jog, walked to/from school parties that morning, and wasn't even sore the next day.
Guess that's my sign I should have tried harder. :P
I'm kinda looking forward to training. It'll be nice to have a solid goal for myself for a bit outside of everything else in life. Plus, it's fun to have my kids cheering for me too.
