My alarm buzzed at 5:15 am, but I awoke 2 minutes before, naturally. I quietly got out of bed, politely not waking my husband. I dressed quickly, ate a banana and a Gu, downed some orange juice, and headed out the door. I purposely hid my Garmin from view. I'm visiting my parents in Omaha this weekend. The weather is supposed to be rainy all day Sunday, so instead of going long 3 days after my tempo, I only get 2 days for recovery. I didn't want to push my luck and feel pressured to go out too fast.
I started out warming up nice and slow and after a mile, slowly accelerated to what felt like a sustainable, moderate pace. Usually, I try and keep the same pace no matter how the terrain changes. If it is a mile long 7% incline, I try to run up it at the same speed as I would a straight shot. Today, I wanted to maintain only by effort. I thought of it as keeping money in the bank. "Keep your effort moderate. Hills hurt. Save some for later so you can finish strong." Dog walkers think I am crazy, but self talk works.
On the straightaways and downhills I opened up my stride and sped up, keeping the moderate effort. On hills, I backed way off, listening to my breath and paying very close attention to my legs. As I rounded the 12th mile and saw my house, I felt great. I truly wasn't tired. I could have kept running for another 10-15 miles or more. The fresh feelings in my lungs and legs were exhilarating. I haven't felt that good after a run in months!
While I cooled down I looked at my watch to finally check my splits. My goal was to maintain right at a 9:00 pace.
Mile 1 - 10:06
Mile 2 - 9:18
Mile 3 - 9:03
Mile 4 - 8:38
Mile 5 - 8:56
Mile 6 - 8:20
Mile 7 - 8:31
Mile 8 - 9:10
Mile 9 - 8:35
Mile 10 - 8:48
Mile 11 - 9:08
Mile 12 - 9:10
I read all the time that negative splits are key. I agree this is very true as you don't want to start too fast. A warm-up energizes muscles and saves a lot of energy for later. However, I didn't run true negative splits today and I felt great. It was a hilly course that climbed over 1,400 feet; some of those hills were 2-3 miles long. There is definitely something to be said for running based on effort and not the clock.
When I got home, I felt energized and ready to run again. I miss that feeling. It made me think, what have I been doing wrong?
- I push too hard sometimes. I want so badly to improve and grow, but I am not allowing my body to relax and let go. I need to start listening to how I feel, and run based on that.
- Somehow I was really focused today. I was able to stare straight ahead and not worry about anything but how I felt at that very moment. I wore a lower brimmed hat without sunglasses and I think that tunnel vision kept me only looking a few steps ahead. Also, the reduced pressure of not looking at my watch kept my stride relaxed and simple.
- Yesterday, I ate really clean. For breakfast I ate papaya, yogurt, and Kashi cereal. I had mixed grain bread and organic turkey for lunch with a huge kale salad. For snack, I ate a homemade energy bar with walnuts, banana, cranberries, and whole wheat flour. Dinner consisted of salmon, long grain rice pilaf, and another giant kale salad. I didn't have any alcohol and instead enjoyed a huge glass of milk with my dinner. What I eat the day before a run has more impact than anything else.
- I've never eaten a banana and a Gu pre-run. It is usually one or the other. I will do that again!
- Sleep hasn't been enough of a priority lately. Last night, I was alseep before 9:30, allowing me to wake naturally before 5:15.
At first I thought I was insane to run the same marathon two years back-to-back. There are thousands of courses out there, why do the same one again? But how much I've grown in the last year is substantial. I can't think of a better way to prove how far I've come than running it again, and steadily improving from one year to the next. I am not the same person I was a year ago. I am much more driven with set goals and tangible plans to achieve my dreams. For the first race ever, I feel prepared to run.
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