I get so excited about running a race or maybe it’s the opportunity to run with humans instead of the dogs.
Bipeds make me try a little harder to meet goal pace.
Come the morning of the race, my stomach does flip-flops. I scan the room filled with other runners and take note of all the women, wondering who runs at what pace and thinking to myself “I bet she’s a fast runner.” I get myself in a state where I just don’t want to run. I don’t want to run by myself either which is why I always go through with it. It helps if I start talking to other folk and get my mind off things.
On this day, I had a nice chit-chat with Kermit. He’s a seasoned runner who has done..I think he said 19 Boston Marathons! He’s running this year as well. WOW! Seriously, WOW! That’s a lot of Boston’s and I didn’t even get to ask how many marathons in all. We had a nice talk and I told him, as I did a couple of other folk, that my goal for the day was not to PR but to try to run at tempo, about 15 seconds faster than marathon pace.
In spite of all the nervousness and anxiety (which I kept trying to justify but couldn’t and ended up berating myself because it was just a run and no one cared what I ran or how I ran, only me) I ran according to my goal.
Slower than last year but maintained a good pace with negative splits.
- 7:52
- 8:00
- 8:03 *Up the stairs and through the fort.
- 7:35
- 7:33
- 8:10 *Nasty hill at the end really got to me.
48:23, a 7:48 average pace (last year was 47:14, a 7:37 ave. pace but an all out effort).
The rankings: 76 out of 266 runners. 13th Female. 3 out of 15 in my age group.
Funny thing: I did what I set out to do but feeling disappointment because it wasn’t an easy effort run. I pushed it a bit. Plus, whenever I run slower than I ran the previous year, I feel discouraged. Gotta slap myself around a bit for that and come to my senses. I’m sure I’m not alone since competitive runners seem to have that same desire: surpass, exceed, excel …all expectations.
Marathon Pace Prediction Calculator says this 10K run should make a 3:42:22 marathon within my reach. Hmmm… it’s never been right before.
How was your workout this weekend? Are you all fit and healthy and ready for a big Easter meal?
Great job on the race! Wouldn’t it be nice to PR at every race you do? But, you know you peak for certain races and not others and you know which is the most important race for you in your season.
We did a nice 30 mile ride today. I am feeling in good bike shape for early season. Almost ready to do our Saratoga rides (40+ miles). Doing well on the hills, too, surprisingly. I think my strength workouts have helped a lot with the off season. However, I hate to say that age kind of is creeping in there. Boooo….