Big Confidence Boost Today!

With Miami 3 weeks away I am starting to get nervous about beating the 2 hour mark. I know I can run short distance on a treadmill fast enough, but what about outside on my own? Not so sure…

But today was the first official group run with Team Playmakers new season and I planned on running 10 miles, hopefully at a 8:30/m pace. I was feeling very trepidacious about the run. I knew if I had a good run I would feel confident going into Miami but if I had a crappy run I would feel doomed. And with only three weeks left I feel as though my fate is pretty well cast in stone.

So I arrived pretty keyed up. Quite and nervous with a fair amount of anxiety but it looked like the weather was going to cooperate. It was cool, about 30, but not to cold and there was some concern about ice, but a fellow team member had been out on the path and said it was in good condition. So I started my run and hooked up with an older women who seemed to be clipping along at a good pace. My plan was to hang with people just a tic faster than me for as long as possible.

We ran along for about a mile and it came out that she had just qualified for Boston. For all you non-runners this means she can run really freaking fast! So I literally though “Oh S&*&, I can’t run with her for 10 miles”. So we came up to the first water stop at mile two and I announced I was going to stop for a drink and she said she was going to trudge on. THANK GOD! So I ran a bit more and heard footsteps coming up behind me. Still keeping a good pace but knew I would soon be passed. So I announced “I hear you coming” and he said yeah but would it be OK if he ran with me for a while. In my head “YES PLEASE… I need a pacer”. He was a talker, kind of crazy and scatter brained, but a talker. He was also faster than me but focused mostly on short distance. Plus he was a Chicago boy so we chatted about running along the lake and past races. But again I felt like I was really working to keep up. So I lost him at the second water stop about 4.5 miles. THANK GOD!

So the next two miles I ran basically on my own. I remember thinking that I had run the first half of my run pretty fast, so I could just keep up a respectable pace for the second half I would give myself a boost for Miami. Mental Check… What hurts? Legs are good, but lungs hurt and am breathing a little hard.

The fun part is after halfway I started seeing other runners and walkers coming towards me which kept me occupied. I kept thinking if I can just make it to Sparty (2 miles from the end) I would be OK. So I’m trudging along and I see a red jacket several hundred yards ahead of me. I don’t think there’s anyway I can catch him but he had to stop, he was having a wardrobe malfunction. I caught up to him and we ran together. He asked how I was doing and I said that I had started out too fast but was too stubborn to slow down now… He was experiencing a similar problem. This guy was just about right. I felt like he was pushing me a little but not too much. So when we got to Sparty I said I going to stop for water and he said he was going to keep going. DAMN! Oh well the last 2 miles would be on my own. So I drank my water and took off and could see him about a quarter of a mile up. Well if I can just keep him in my sights I’ll be OK. And then I noticed that I was gaining on him. And I think we all know how I like to pass people so I picked it up. And with a mile to go I ended up passing him. I had planned on slowing and running it in with him, but by now I was really starting to feel tired and I just wanted it to be over as soon as possible. So a kept going.

At about 9.5 miles I really wanted to stop. Uncle Hal prescribed a 15K today and that was actually 9.6 so I could stop and still be on track. But I knew that was cheating and if I could just keep this up for 4 more minutes I could put a good run in the books. So I held pace and soldiered on.

There were some walkers ahead of me that I was able to pass so that was good mentally and I finally made it back to the MAC. So freaking tired. Stick a fork in me, I’m done. So I was walking it off too tired to look at my watch. But the sun was out and I knew I did well.

The great thing about this run is that I know I can run 10 miles at a fast pace, but I’m not overly confident because I don’t think I had another 3 miles in me. I remember after my 20 mile run before Detroit I was supremely confident and let my diet and training kind of fall off. Know I feel like I’m well on my way for Miami but still have more work today.

All in all a great day. I got to run with the team, I had a good time, and the weather was perfect. The sun even came out at the end.

10.36 miles/1:25:19/Avg 8:14