Adjusted Reality

**Note – I thought this would be a clever post, but upon rereading it, it feels very weird and disjointed.  Hopefully it makes some sense to y’all.  Also, super random funny pictures because it’s late and I’m lazy. /end disclaimer**

5pm:

So, I am SUPER NERVOUS about this tempo today.  8 miles @ 8:55 pace.  This is the run for all the marbles (if by marbles you mean confidence in the sillyfast pace I picked for myself which I do).  If I can hit this pace, I am convinced I can do anything.  This is also the LONGEST run I will have to do at this fast pace.  I’ve done 6 miles twice and the first time it was tough, and the second time I barely made it.  I am trying to channel the essence of time 1 when I wasn’t shooting darts through my brain at the inventor of the FIRST program after mile 2, and realize that all I have to do is add just a bit under 18 minutes to that fairly notsohard run.

If I just remember that #1 the pace is non negotiable and #2 I am not going to remember how hard it was, just if I finished it or not and #3 I never have to run this again at this pace – I should be all golden.  I have a good playlist, and I am about 1:30 away from hitting the ‘mill, but I doubt I’m going to finish the post before then, so instead I’m going to talk to you from the future.  I bet this guy would have liked a future-gram saying PROTECT THE FAMILY JEWELS, kthx.

Hi all!  It’s about 7pm and I’ve just gotten out of the shower after my run.  I am soooooo pleased to report that I was able to get through my 8 miles and keep my pace.  I’m totally pumped now because it means I can do ANYTHING! ROAR!  I have confidence a-plenty that I will ROCK my goal pace at this half coming up.

So I went into the day prepared.  I had a super 30g protein bar for breakfast, and made sure to stay SUPER hydrated all day.  I had a nice mild lunch that I know doesn’t aggrivate my tummy (seafood salad salad w/cilantro dressing) and kept feeding my face with healthy snacks (like pistachios, carrots and hummus, and fruit) so my fuel tank would be topped off and I’d be rarin’ to go.  I had also changed up my playlist and put all my favorite songs that make me pick up the pace so I didn’t run into silence around mile 6.5.

I got to the gym and warmed up and took off.  I decided that it seemed to work best last time when I started at 6.2 and worked up to 6.7 over the first half mile, so I did that.  Once I got there, it felt fast, but comfortable, and I threw my workout towel over the numbers and spaced out, getting really into my music.  I had even remembered to bring a second towel so I could cover the screen with one and wipe my sweaty face with another.

Miles 1 and 2 were uneventful.  Mile 3 started getting a little tough, but I focused on some happy news I got today and breathed through it and made it through my first 5k feeling strong.  I just kept repeating 5 miles to go.  You can do anything for 5 miles.  Look at how STRONG you look.  How STRONG you feel.  You are such a STRONG runner lately, how awesome is that?  Mile 4 – 5 seemed to go quicker, but 6 kinda dragged.  I was starting to feel it – this SHOULD be the end where I do my final sprint to the finish line, but I still had more to go.

I dug deep and reminded myself that this was the most important run before my marathon.  That if I can do this, I can do anything.  That though it was tough, I didn’t NEED to slow down, I just WANTED to.  That I would only remember if I did or didn’t do it, that there was no room for “I tried”.  That this was my longest tempo run I have to do.  That I have 2 days off running starting the moment the treaddy ticks to 8.0 miles.  These thoughts got me through the first half of mile 7, and then a really kickin’ song came on and I got buoyed up by that and barely noticed when I was onto mile 8.

When .5 miles to go hit and it was time to kick – my legs were barely my own, but my fingers were still within my control so I hit the speed increase every tenth and finished up the run at an 8:57 pace.

As Miz likes to say, I am my own superhero today.  Almost as super as Fire Breathing Al Gore.

After the gym, I shall come back and share how things really went in superfun strikeout text.

…ok back from the gym.  Here we go:

Hi all!  It’s about  7 9pm and I’ve just gotten out of the shower after my run finished my run, eaten dinner, had a beer, and am snugged up watching sci fi.  I am soooooo pleased to report that I was able to get through my 8 miles and *almost* keep my pace.  I’m totally pumped now because it still means I can do ANYTHING! ROAR!  I have confidence a-plenty that I will ROCK my goal pace at this half coming up.

So I went into the day prepared.  I had a super 30g protein bar for breakfast, and made sure to stay SUPER hydrated all day.  I had a nice mild lunch that I know doesn’t aggrivate my tummy (seafood salad salad w/cilantro dressing) and kept feeding my face with healthy snacks (like pistachios, carrots and hummus, and fruit) so my fuel tank would be topped off and I’d be rarin’ to go.  I had also changed up my playlist and put all my favorite songs that make me pick up the pace so I didn’t run into silence around mile 6.5.

I got to the gym and warmed up and took off.  I decided that it seemed to work best last time when I started at 6.2 and worked up to 6.7 over the first half mile, so I did that.  Once I got there, it felt fast, but comfortable, and I threw my workout towel over the numbers and spaced out, getting really into my music.  I had even remembered to bring a second towel so I could cover the screen with one and wipe my sweaty face with another.

Miles 1 and 2 were uneventful.  Mile 3 started getting a little tough, but I focused on some happy news I got today and breathed through it and made it through my first 5k feeling strong.  I just kept repeating 5 miles to go.  You can do anything for 5 miles.  Look at how STRONG you look (didn’t have a mirror spot).  How STRONG you feel.  You are such a STRONG runner lately, how awesome is that?  Mile 4 – 5 seemed to go quicker just about as painfully, but 6 kinda dragged.  I was starting to feel it – this SHOULD be the end where I do my final sprint to the finish line, but I still had more to go.

I dug deep and reminded myself that this was the most important run before my marathon.  That if I can do this, I can do anything.  That though it was tough, I didn’t NEED to slow down, I just WANTED to That I actually physically needed to slow down a little for just a little bit if I was going to make it through. That I would only remember if I did or didn’t do it, that there was no room for “I tried” That a strong finish was more important than pooping out at 7 miles.  That this was my longest tempo run I have to do. That I have 2 days off running starting the moment the treaddy ticks to 8.0 miles.  I took a tenth of a mile at 6.0 at the beginning of mile 6, and because I had to stop to reset the treadmill after 60 minutes, I slowed a tenth of a mile before and after stopping as to not shock myself into a stop from a breakneck pace. These thoughts got me through the first half of mile 7, and then a really kickin’ song came on and I got buoyed up by that and barely definitely noticed when I was onto mile 8.

I tried to start the kick at 1 mile to go to make up some time, but I had to slow down again because I felt physically spent, however… When .5 miles to go hit and it was time to kick – my legs were barely my own, but my fingers were still within my control so I hit the speed increase every tenth and then every 5 hundreths the last quarter mile and finished up the run at an 8:57 9:07 pace.

As Miz likes to say, I am still my own superhero today.

…no explanation for this one.  It just made me LOL.

Analysis:

So honestly, I’m going to give myself a B+.  Sure, I didn’t hit my pace.  Sure, I had to slow down.  Sure, it sucks BALLS that I was just 10 seconds per mile off my goal pace.  But – I was only 10 second per mile off my goal pace!  I felt pretty strong at the end of it.  I found that 8 miles was just a little too far today to keep one OMG CRAZY pace, but I did learn that it is way doable with a few slowdowns for recovery.  And if I can add 5 miles and stick pretty close to the pace I kept tonight, I will still beat my goal.  And… I firmly believe I run stronger outside, so I have that going for me.

Now, it’s up to me to keep training strong.  Somehow I had lead myself to believe in my sillybrain that if I did this run perfect, everything else would fall into place.  I didn’t do this run perfect, but I did good enough.  And that will just have to be good enough for my confidence.  I get another chance to rock it Saturday with an 11 mile run @ 9:40 minute miles, and then another 2 hard weeks of training to prove myself to myself before the taper.  Wish me luck!