That's a quote from Clarence DeMar, seven time winner of the Boston Marathon. That's pretty much how I feel about races. You can't move the finish line any closer, but you can get there faster!
Over Thanksgiving break, I had two races. The first, on Thanksgiving morning, was a 10K Turkey Trot. Although I'd been training, I didn't think I'd PR because it's a crowded race and I hadn't really focused on speed during training, just maintaining my current fitness level. And it was 30 degrees that day, so I told myself to just run my best, and try to come in around an hour. I pushed it pretty hard, and tried to stay with two of my faster running buddies. Even so, I was really surprised when I ran across the finish line and saw that I'd PR'd! YAYYY!!!
Then today's 12K race. I felt emotionally drained from a confrontation with a friend the day before, I was physically feeling ill (I hadn't eaten dinner because of the stress, and was having GI problems), and I was considering dropping down to the 5K distance. But I hadn't trained for speed. I'd trained for distance. And so I decided to tough it out. There were several points during the race when I seriously thought about quitting. (I always think about quitting, but for once, it seemed like the most logical plan). I just kept running. I just wanted to be done. And I ended up running a pretty good pace (almost the same as my 10K pace).
Over Thanksgiving break, I had two races. The first, on Thanksgiving morning, was a 10K Turkey Trot. Although I'd been training, I didn't think I'd PR because it's a crowded race and I hadn't really focused on speed during training, just maintaining my current fitness level. And it was 30 degrees that day, so I told myself to just run my best, and try to come in around an hour. I pushed it pretty hard, and tried to stay with two of my faster running buddies. Even so, I was really surprised when I ran across the finish line and saw that I'd PR'd! YAYYY!!!
Then today's 12K race. I felt emotionally drained from a confrontation with a friend the day before, I was physically feeling ill (I hadn't eaten dinner because of the stress, and was having GI problems), and I was considering dropping down to the 5K distance. But I hadn't trained for speed. I'd trained for distance. And so I decided to tough it out. There were several points during the race when I seriously thought about quitting. (I always think about quitting, but for once, it seemed like the most logical plan). I just kept running. I just wanted to be done. And I ended up running a pretty good pace (almost the same as my 10K pace).
Post-race cocoa with Gingy! (She actually ran the entire 12K in that costume!)
So now I'm going to take the rest of the day to rest, and get stuff done around the house.
How was your Thanksgiving break?
How was your Thanksgiving break?
