This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve trained for races before. I’ve picked a goal, set out a plan and started training. And yet it always comes as a surprise when it starts to feel hard, and then the doubts set in.
Pre 10 miler – didn’t want to go
This week I was running on the treadmill doing 2x 2 miles at 7:24/mile pace. The first mile went ok, and then it started to get a bit harder. I stared down at the numbers ticking over on the display in front of me and I willed them to go faster so my legs could go slower.
It felt hard. And then the doubts came.
I can’t do this.
I can’t run a faster half.
I don’t want to run faster, I just want to sit down here and do nothing.
But it’s only week two of training. Last week’s miles won’t have kicked in just yet, it’s bound to feel hard and we’ve still got a long way to go.
When I was training for Edinburgh Marathon this year, 10 miles at marathon pace felt hard until one week before. And in those last 10 magical miles of training at race pace, my confidence soared and my doubts all but disappeared.
I know all this, but when I’m staring down two more miles at 7:24 pace, I forget it. But then something else happened. I watched that distance gauge click over to two miles for the second time, I reached out my hand to press the cool down button, but my hand hovered over it for a second (as well as a hand attached to an arm attached to a person running on a treadmill can hover). A few more seconds were all it took for me to realise that, actually, yes it was hard but I could keep going.
And then of course I hit stop and sweated all over the place.
Feeling very Olympic
Week 2 Running
Tuesday
2x1200m + 4x800m on the treadmill for a total of 5 miles
Thursday
6.6 miles with those pesky 2×2 miles
Saturday
10 miles, easy (slightly hungover) pace
Sunday
4 miles at my old marathon pace (that felt more like 10k pace)
Total: 28 miles (inc. a couple of miles with my beginners)
from Lazy Girl Running http://ift.tt/2aBXXOW
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