I can't believe it's nearly Christmas and the end of 2012 is around the corner, where has the year gone?! This was the first year I actually kept a running journal for the entire year (thanks to the Runner's World training journal book I got free with my subscription!) I've enjoyed looking back at the training I've done, miles run, the hours spent on foot, the paces I struggled at and where I was just 5, 8, 10 months ago. It's funny to read that on Jan. 6 I had the flu but managed to still put in a 33 mile week, what was I thinking? It's amazing to see that I logged just over 570 miles between Jan and April and completed 2 marathons. It feels terrific to note that so far, my total miles for 2012 are just over 1300 (which includes time off during the summer).
I find it inspiring to go back over the past year and reminisce, see where I've been and where I'd like to be, and learn from both mistakes and triumphs. There were highs and lows of 2012, but the one thing I've learned is that you just keep pressing on. "Keep fighting, drive harder, believe in yourself, find empowerment to be better, struggles mean progress, and just be the best you can be," it's like a really long mantra for those really long runs. :) The journal is a tool, a way of keeping track of successes and failures, a way to remind yourself of how you climbed Mt Everest when you thought you couldn't even make it to the mailbox. I believe I will keep a journal for 2013 as well, I encourage you to keep one too.
This is week 3 of training, and the beginning of workouts that don't include the words "easy pace" anymore. Monday, for instance, meant running 2 miles of rolling hills followed by 6 x 1 min climbs up an enormous hill, followed by 2 more miles of rolling hill running, followed by a really long, hot shower. It went well, it was just harder than I had anticipated and the added heat/humidity/fog just didn't help. Wednesday, a cooler morning and a 5:30am run start, was tougher! Keeping an 8:15 pace (rather than an easy 9min) on gentle rolling hills for 6 miles nearly killed my hamstrings! My training plan said to run 55-65 min at an easy pace, but since I ran with a friend and her plan said to run 6 miles, I thought I'd just go with that. BUT, since we finished in 49 min, I fell short of my plan's requirements......hmmm. Running 6 miles at a faster pace should be equivalent to running 55-65 min at a slower pace, but in my head I was struggling with these numbers and my plan. So, after heading home, having breakfast, bringing the kids to school, I went back out and ran 15 min in my neighborhood. Completely satisfied after that!! Today is a REST day (awesome) and Friday will be a long run day (on hilly surface with tempo running!) I look forward to the struggle.
Your workout is what you make of it, do it all the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment