So much for that leisurely run I had planned...
I don't know why, but I can't just set out for an easy run... ever. I truly did intend to take it easy today, partly because Thursday's workout was a hard one and partly because I didn't feel I had anything to prove. And somehow, if I can find some way to turn my workout into a personal competition, I do it. Every time.
Today I reached that point at the 6 mile mark. My plan was to run my usual 6 mile loop twice. I stopped to use the restroom at home at the end of the first loop (once again, coffee is not my friend on long run days), which turned out to be a great place to check my watch. The first six miles took me 52:18. An 8:43 mile. A much faster time than I was shooting for.
So, what would I do for the second half of my run? I had three options: go faster, go slower or try to keep the same pace. Since it was my intention to run at a slower pace today, the option to go slower seemed like a good way to go. Then again, that didn't seem to make much sense as far as training was concerned. I have to assume that it would be more beneficial to be working on maintaining a pace, regardless of what that pace might be. So, the obvious answer was to try to go exactly the same pace for the second loop. Unfortunately, with my ability to turn every little thing into a competition, I couldn't help but wonder if I could run the second loop faster. I knew, however, that this was not the answer to my desire for an easy day, so I told myself that I would attempt to maintain my current pace. Of course, I was also very aware of the fact that I was completely bullshitting myself... there was no chance I was going to have a time in my head and not try to beat it. Regardless of what I told myself about training smart... I knew I was going to bust my ass to beat that time, no matter how much it killed me.
And beat that time I did... my second loop took me 50:04, a total of 2:14 faster, making my per mile pace a little more than 22 seconds faster. The last 6 miles of my 12 mile run were at an 8:21 pace... not the least bit leisurely.
And while there's no question that I don't need to be pushing myself this hard, I don't regret it in the least. Every little improvement is so exhilarating and proves, once again, that I'm far more capable than I ever give myself credit for. It reminds me that anything is possible... with a little extra effort, anything can be achieved. Yes, I am that cheesy (and am giving some thought to starting a second blog... sort of a 'Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy' meets 'Super Cheesy Motivational Clichés'... it'll be sweet).
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