After Monday's planned day of rest and Tuesday's very much unplanned stomach bug sidelining me for two more days, I was anxious to get moving again. I can't say I felt particularly well during these 4 miles, but I was determined to make it happen.
The training schedule called for 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 on Wednesday and 3 on Thursday. Already down 7 miles for the week, I decided to go for 4 today. Well, I shouldn't say I 'decided'. In fact, I struggled with the decision for almost the entire first 3 miles. My first thought was to take it easy and slowly get myself back up to speed. Then, with the realization that the Cleveland Marathon is exactly 7 months away, I thought I should push myself a little harder so I wouldn't fall too far behind with my training. About a mile in, I settled for the goal of running 3 miles at a steady 10:00 pace and to revisit the decision once I saw how I felt. I had moments throughout the next 2 miles where I figured 3 was more than enough. But, in the end, when I reached the 3 mile mark, I knew I had it in me for at least another mile. At that point, all bets were off. I knew I wouldn't be setting my sights any further than 4, so I was determined to get the rest of my workout completed in as little time as possible. Not wanting to rock the boat (or my stomach, as the case may be), I slowly increased my speed every tenth of a mile, finishing my last mile in 8:49. Not exactly a record setting day, but there was no doubt when I finished that I probably should have given myself a little longer to bounce back. Fortunately, I did get all 4 miles in and I'm proud of myself for pushing harder when I could have easily taken another sick day.
I wonder what would have happened if I had pushed myself this hard in high school?
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