A favorite seventy-something year-old friend likes to remind us (whenever we get fed up with current circumstances) that all we have to do is wait five minutes and things will change.
We know this to be true about the weather of late. These photos mark a time lapse of 48 hours. Okay, so that's longer than five minutes.
It is Spring. Time for change, growth, renewal, waking up. I'm following it's lead this year and waking up too.
After proclaiming I had no plans to run any races this year or ever I have already signed up for two. If you've been following along at all you know this is a first. I've adopted a singular focus on running with mountain biking and slacklining as offshoots because I can't run every day or maybe I'm just crazy. I even swam laps Monday for the first time in over 20 years. I think that makes three times in my whole life I've ever swam laps.
I'm spurned on by stories of people much older than me who can run much, much faster and farther. It makes me want to go faster and farther too.
I'm spurned on by stories of people much older than me who can run much, much faster and farther. It makes me want to go faster and farther too.
So with a little help from a book on loan from Clair (thank you again), I've started actual training without telling you.
I'm up to eleven miles at a 9:36 average pace. Tuesday I did some speed work (interval training from the book) and warmed up for a little over a mile, 9:22 pace, then ran 3 miles fast with rest in between to sputter, gasp for air and regain feeling in my legs (7:22 mins; 7:20; 7:18) and then cooled down with a 9 min mile.
I could have sworn I went slower with every mile but I blame that on a side effect of perceived effort. Running is hardest when I want to quit. And when it's hard.
All this is to say that with a bit of focused effort things can change. I never ran like this before, maybe because I had no idea it was possible. I've still got nothing on this guy. He was amazing.
My theory is there's something in the shoes (Clif ran in wellies), and this all may change come race day. In my many years of playing tennis I practically perfected the choke.
2 comments:
You are amazing! Those are impressive times. I am inspired and awed. And cautious because I cannot possibly run that far nor that fast. Because I'm older than you. Isn't that how it's supposed to work??
I don't know Pam. I found an 82 yo man who ran Boston in 2:40 or some unreal time like that. Something for us to both aspire to. And, I thought I was older than you!!?
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