NOT EASY

"It doesn't get easier, you just go faster." -Greg Lemond

(My race report from yesterday's meet is in the process of being typed but this post is about today's run. And how it completely sucked.)

I've always liked that Greg Lemond quote and now I have an excuse to use it. My run backs up the claim he made.

Many of the distance girls have been sick including my fast teammate JS who was also gone for the meet. One of the girls (RB) was back though and she was running on fresher legs than I was. We were told to do 6 miles so I decided to go about 8 minute pace as long as I could beat RB. My legs didn't feel too tired which was surprising and it was really nice out, almost 75 degrees in March. It was a little too warm for a nice run so the weather had some effect on me. It was also St. Patrick's Day which, because I am a redhead and Irish, should have given me extra strength to run with.

The first mile was in 7:52 which was good. RB was a little behind me which was also good. My legs began to get more tired throughout the run but I was at the halfway mark at 23:27. RB was running about 20ft behind me and I wasn't sure how she felt. I knew I shouldn't have been racing her, but I really wanted to beat her, as I usually did, not only because I'm competitive but to show my coach that I was continuing my improvement.

After I turned back, my legs became exhausted. I was fighting every step and not concentrating on my form, which is evident by my almost tripping (again) on a piece of the trail. I couldn't dwell on my embarrassing moment because I was having trouble just moving forward. The urge to walk was strong but I knew I couldn't no matter how hard it became because I had come beyond the giving up hope and walking thing, and RB was closing the gap. I refused to look at my watch until I got to 1.5 left (35:35) but even then I could feel my remaining energy leaving. My legs had become numb, I could hardly lift them up and so it became a step at a time.

The 6th mile was hard. I had passed a few of the 5 mile girls but because I refused to look back, I wasn't sure how far behind RB was (for some reason this still mattered). Running up a hill with about a half mile to go, a sprinter was running the opposite way and passing me, smiling and telling me I was doing a good job. As nice as this was, I felt like smacking her and screaming. I was going as fast as I could yet it felt like I was barely moving. My legs were so very tired and my good form had been gone miles ago.

I reached the parking lot of my school ready to fall to the ground. A quick glance showed me that I had actually increased my gap but I still sprinted, slowly, the last few feet. As soon as I came to the grass, I flopped to the ground and sat, which felt very nice. When my coach asked me how it went, I told him that it was terrible. He seemed genuinely concerned but I had no reason for why it was so hard. My meet shouldn't have had that much effect but neither should the heat. My run just incredibly sucked.

My time for 6 miles was 48:22. The last 3 miles were done in 24:55, more than a minute slower than the first half. I don't have an explanation for why it was so hard, but it was. I may have gotten a lot faster but it's still not easy.