17 Dec 2008 - Yeah, I missed a day, sorry. The weather was foul, and I got caught up taking care of some other important business. It happens, I'm told, so I'm trying not to beat myself up over it.
Anyway, yesterday I had what I am trying to get in the habit of calling a "good running lesson" rather than a "bad run." It wasn't a bad run, really; just...
So, what did I learn last night? I learned I can't judge my own pace. Not yet, at least. I remember in that movie about Prefontaine where he ran each lap on the track exactly one second faster than the lap before. As much as I would like to be that perfectly aware of my body and my performance, I have a long way to go yet.
I ran my usual 5k route around the neighborhood last night, and I timed myself. I'm not really sure why I started doing that; I'm really not so concerned with my time, although I do like to see that I have remained fairly consistent these last few weeks. Anyway, I tried to pick the pace up last night. I ran faster than I am used to, and while my legs felt all right at the end, my lungs were burning and I felt I must have demolished my PR for a 5k (29:02, if you're curious). Lo and behold, to my complete and utter shock and disappointment, I finished in 30:53!
I'm not sure if this is more a testament to my own inability to judge my speed or to the collective motivation that comes with running a race, surrounded by other runners. Either way, I'm making a conscious decision not to try to make or beat any certain time when I go on my training runs. I'm not shooting for a specific time in the marathon (although "under 5 hours" seems like a pretty reasonable and accomplishable goal - if I can maintain my usual 10-minute mile pace, I can actually finish in 4 1/2 hours), so why should I worry about time when I'm training? Right? Right?
Right.
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