After ignoring my blog, I have found that my running has been sucking. It's been hot, I've been running with my teammates which makes me feel the need to race and doesn't give me a chance to go at my pace, I've had to schedule my runs around work, I've been having to run in the mornings when I'd rather run at night, my routes aren't that great, I've haven't been doing what I'm supposed to on my xc training schedule, and on and on. So as I said, my running has been sucking. At the beginning of my run today, which began at 8:00 and was a much cooler 79 degrees, I figured that my problem was that I needed to fall in love with running again. It shouldn't feel like every run is forced, it should feel good. I needed a magical run, something to show me that I have made progress and that I do love running. I found one of those runs today. I can actually post about how running is awesome, which is different than what I have been feeling.
I finished supper around 7:11 and I usually try to wait an hour afterwards before running but I needed to get my miles in before it got dark. I drove to a mile long trail that has marks every .1 along the loop. It's gravel and pretty flat. There's a lot of trees and enough people to let me race someone but without feeling crowded. I do a lot of my summer training along this mile long loop and the surrounding neighborhoods. It gives me a comfortable feeling because I know I don't have to race anyone but can if I want to.
My first mile felt slow. I took Saturday off so my legs were kind of tight. I was going to do 6 or 7 miles if I could fit them in before darkness but I wasn't sure if my legs would let me. I had been running about 8 minute miles on my runs so I was pretty surprised when I passed my first mile in 7:36. I thought I had started out too fast like I have before but it didn't even feel like I was going that fast. I didn't try to speed up and passed the second mile in 15:11 or 15:18.
The third mile was the hardest. I could feel myself slowing down and kept telling myself not to let me feel that. If I didn't let myself know I was getting slower than I wouldn't. I was getting slower though, and was at 22:55 at the third mile.
I realized that I could break 45 minutes, the unreachable number. So I took off. The fourth mile was at 30:15, the fifth at 37:30, and the sixth at 44:36. I broke 45 minutes and didn't feel that exhausted when I was done. This run meant that my miles have been doing something for me.
I can't get myself motivated to run miles in the heat for xc season. This run taught me that maybe I should just run for now. I don't have to train for something that seems far off, I can train for what I can do now. Each run should be me trying to do my best so I can improve now and not later. The hills I've been doing will improve me later but I have to let myself show the improvement sometimes. I have to love running in order to improve. And after this run, I realized that I do.
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
PLATEAU
Even with all the training I have been doing, I've hit a plateau. My 3000m times have not decreased since I ran 11:46 on April 11. They've actually been increasing with 11:50 and 11:53. My coach thinks I can run an 11:30, but I'm not sure about that. He says I need competition, people running those times instead of the large gaps that there has been. It's hard to believe him though when whatever I'm doing doesn't seem to be working.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
What's most frustrating however, is not my 3000m. It's the 1500, my favorite race. The last four times I've ran in the race- 5:23, 5:18, 5:18, 5:19. I need to improve in this race if I want to go anywhere with it. My coach keeps telling me that a big drop in time follows a plateau but with Friday's meet, it doesn't seem like it. Comparing that meet with the one on April 11, in which I ran the same races, I've gotten slower in both events. I don't know what to do about it but I want to do something. And it's not like there isn't anyone else in my races who aren't running those times, if I would have run a 5:18 on Friday, the crazy finish wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like I can get my times down except I'm too tired from practices. We haven't even been doing that much in practices though so I'm not sure. I don't like complaining about my times that much either, before this season I would've been estastic to be running like this. I just really want to get better and improve, but I don't know how.
Monday, April 6, 2009
RACE REPORT: BREAKING TWELVE
On Friday April 3rd, I had the honor of running the 3000m at our first outdoor track meet. I've come to terms with the fact that the 3000 is very long compared to every other race, and that I run more than everybody else, in just one race. One good thing about the race though, is that it is the first. This means I get to relax the rest of the meet and eat delicious popcorn because I only have to run one race. It also means that nobody watches it, because it is the first race, and because it is the 3000, and who has the attention span to watch a couple of girls run around the track 7.5 times for over 10 minutes.
We had to be at the track at a ridiculously early time which wasn't a good idea because it was windy, although it was about 50 degrees. During the "team" warmup, my legs were feeling a little tired but okay. After stretching, I held a serious conversation with two of my favorite teammates about running. It was very interesting to hear their views about running but I'll save that for another post.
For our real warmup, I ran a mile with my friend and teammate AK. Besides the usual race nervousness dealing with not only a meet, but it being the first outdoors, and people I know actually being there, I was also nervous about running with her. She's always been faster than me until the beginning of track season this year, and I'm still a little intimidated by her. She looks like a fast runner and has done triathalons before, but she is very nice.
After the warmup and some stretching, we went for our traditional prerace bathroom break. I was waiting for AK outside the bathroom when one of my teammates runs up to me and tells me that they just announced the final call for the 3000. Obviously I freaked out, because it was 4:34 and our race was supposed to begin at 5:00. I still had to get my spikes, do some more stretching, make sure my parents had arrived, check in, find AK, and much more. My coach and teammates were considerably more calm than I or AK was, which helped a lot, because the race was now going to start at 4:45. We didn't officially ever check in for the race, because we couldn't find anybody, but apparently it didn't matter. We also had enough time to get ready because they started it a little later.
I received the right side of lane one for my lane assignment. The only worse position in any race but most of all this race, would be the left side of lane one. In the 3000, you are able to cut in immediately, as long as you don't cut anyone off. So of course, after the race started, I took two steps and was in last place because everyone else just slides in around the corner. That meant, since I was planning on running faster than most of the people ahead of me, that I had to go around a huge group of people in order to make it to the middle pack.
During the race, I ran with pretty much the same 4 or 5 girls. One of them happened to have the same name as me (which usually happens although my name is not that common, it seems to be a runner thing), so it seemed as though everybody was calling my name. Her coach was standing on the side and every time he'd yell at her, he'd say something but usually with her name. While he was saying things, it felt like he was talking to me, so I'd do what he was telling her. It is very motivating to have all these people cheering your name although you don't know half of them.
With about 3.5 laps left, my teammate AK suddenly showed up beside me. She had been running behind me the entire race, and one of my goals was to beat her. This wasn't anything personal, it was just a way of proving to myself that I had improved. She scared me a little though, because she had made of a gap and seemed to be running strong. After a lap though, the two girls I was running with sped up a little, and I stayed directly behind them. AK slipped back a little, because of the faster pace but she had made me more determined to pass these girls.
With two laps left, I knew that I was going to PR. My coach had been yelling at me that I was running a good race, and my watch was confirming that. I still had some running to do however, and I was determined to beat the girls I had been running with, especially the one I shared my name with. With one lap to go, but not a step before the line, I started finishing the race I had began over ten minutes earlier. One girl ahead of me took off even faster and the gap between us quickly grew large. Yet I also took off and I seemingly left the others behind. Sprinting the entire last lap is actually easier when you've done 6.5 laps beforehand.
With half a lap left, I passed a girl who looked like she was struggling. I didn't know this at the time, but I was lapping her. I know I shouldn't enjoy it but because I used to be one of those girls, I do.
I sprinted all out the last 100m although I knew nobody was near me. At the finish line I found out that I had gotten fourth(!) which was awesome. AK finished in fifth, a few seconds behind me. When the person filling out my results on a card was asking me to spell my name though, I couldn't believe it. I had just run a PR 3000m and they were asking me to spell out my name. So I did it the only way I could, two breaths, a letter, and repeat.
My coach congratulated us afterwards and told us our times. He was really proud of both of us, because we had improved so much and we had double scored. After cheering on my fellow distance runners in the 4x800 and having an interesting discussion about clouds, I began my cooldown. During this, an announcer came on the speaker and welcomed everyone to the meet. He talked about a police officer in our city who had been severely injured and named all the teams. Then the national anthem was sung and the meet officially began. Officially began after two races had been run. And I know they were boring and long distance races that nobody watches anyways. This was why my race started early, because the meet officially began at 5:00. I've gotten used to being overlooked, I run cross country which is as overlooked as you can get in high school sports, but this still really bothered me. It was like our races didn't count or something.
I did well at the meet and I enjoyed it although I had to leave early because I had my ACT test the next day. My coach seemed to be happy with us and sometimes that's really all that matters.
Time: 11:52 (PR and improvement by 28 seconds)
Place: 4th
We had to be at the track at a ridiculously early time which wasn't a good idea because it was windy, although it was about 50 degrees. During the "team" warmup, my legs were feeling a little tired but okay. After stretching, I held a serious conversation with two of my favorite teammates about running. It was very interesting to hear their views about running but I'll save that for another post.
For our real warmup, I ran a mile with my friend and teammate AK. Besides the usual race nervousness dealing with not only a meet, but it being the first outdoors, and people I know actually being there, I was also nervous about running with her. She's always been faster than me until the beginning of track season this year, and I'm still a little intimidated by her. She looks like a fast runner and has done triathalons before, but she is very nice.
After the warmup and some stretching, we went for our traditional prerace bathroom break. I was waiting for AK outside the bathroom when one of my teammates runs up to me and tells me that they just announced the final call for the 3000. Obviously I freaked out, because it was 4:34 and our race was supposed to begin at 5:00. I still had to get my spikes, do some more stretching, make sure my parents had arrived, check in, find AK, and much more. My coach and teammates were considerably more calm than I or AK was, which helped a lot, because the race was now going to start at 4:45. We didn't officially ever check in for the race, because we couldn't find anybody, but apparently it didn't matter. We also had enough time to get ready because they started it a little later.
I received the right side of lane one for my lane assignment. The only worse position in any race but most of all this race, would be the left side of lane one. In the 3000, you are able to cut in immediately, as long as you don't cut anyone off. So of course, after the race started, I took two steps and was in last place because everyone else just slides in around the corner. That meant, since I was planning on running faster than most of the people ahead of me, that I had to go around a huge group of people in order to make it to the middle pack.
During the race, I ran with pretty much the same 4 or 5 girls. One of them happened to have the same name as me (which usually happens although my name is not that common, it seems to be a runner thing), so it seemed as though everybody was calling my name. Her coach was standing on the side and every time he'd yell at her, he'd say something but usually with her name. While he was saying things, it felt like he was talking to me, so I'd do what he was telling her. It is very motivating to have all these people cheering your name although you don't know half of them.
With about 3.5 laps left, my teammate AK suddenly showed up beside me. She had been running behind me the entire race, and one of my goals was to beat her. This wasn't anything personal, it was just a way of proving to myself that I had improved. She scared me a little though, because she had made of a gap and seemed to be running strong. After a lap though, the two girls I was running with sped up a little, and I stayed directly behind them. AK slipped back a little, because of the faster pace but she had made me more determined to pass these girls.
With two laps left, I knew that I was going to PR. My coach had been yelling at me that I was running a good race, and my watch was confirming that. I still had some running to do however, and I was determined to beat the girls I had been running with, especially the one I shared my name with. With one lap to go, but not a step before the line, I started finishing the race I had began over ten minutes earlier. One girl ahead of me took off even faster and the gap between us quickly grew large. Yet I also took off and I seemingly left the others behind. Sprinting the entire last lap is actually easier when you've done 6.5 laps beforehand.
With half a lap left, I passed a girl who looked like she was struggling. I didn't know this at the time, but I was lapping her. I know I shouldn't enjoy it but because I used to be one of those girls, I do.
I sprinted all out the last 100m although I knew nobody was near me. At the finish line I found out that I had gotten fourth(!) which was awesome. AK finished in fifth, a few seconds behind me. When the person filling out my results on a card was asking me to spell my name though, I couldn't believe it. I had just run a PR 3000m and they were asking me to spell out my name. So I did it the only way I could, two breaths, a letter, and repeat.
My coach congratulated us afterwards and told us our times. He was really proud of both of us, because we had improved so much and we had double scored. After cheering on my fellow distance runners in the 4x800 and having an interesting discussion about clouds, I began my cooldown. During this, an announcer came on the speaker and welcomed everyone to the meet. He talked about a police officer in our city who had been severely injured and named all the teams. Then the national anthem was sung and the meet officially began. Officially began after two races had been run. And I know they were boring and long distance races that nobody watches anyways. This was why my race started early, because the meet officially began at 5:00. I've gotten used to being overlooked, I run cross country which is as overlooked as you can get in high school sports, but this still really bothered me. It was like our races didn't count or something.
I did well at the meet and I enjoyed it although I had to leave early because I had my ACT test the next day. My coach seemed to be happy with us and sometimes that's really all that matters.
Time: 11:52 (PR and improvement by 28 seconds)
Place: 4th
Thursday, March 12, 2009
ANOTHER PR
Today I flew.
On my 6 mile run there was nobody to push me because some of my teammates weren't able to come to practice. So I had to push myself. I probably should've taken an easy day but my first mile was in 7:34. I fell into my rhythm and hit the halfway mark in 22:29 which is on pace for 45 minutes. My legs made me feel like I was just cruising along and had given me no idea of how fast I was going. Once I figured out that I only had to run 7:50 miles on the way back to get under 46 minutes and that I had the possibility of getting around 45 minutes, which had seemed like my new unreachable number.
My feet felt like they were barely touching the ground in the second half. They were getting a bit tired but my legs felt good. My nose was dripping all over which created a small problem but when I passed some of the girls up a hill on the way back, I forgot about it. I did something uncharacteristic of me, I ran the second half faster in 22:02.
That gives me a time of 44:31. My teammate told me that I had been a beast on my run and I'm inclined to agree. My coach told me I shouldn't have tried to PR but sometimes you don't get the option of choosing. Yes, it was probably stupid and my legs will start to hurt but I had to do it. Sometimes you have to fly.
By the way, my new 6 mile PR is almost 2 minutes less than the previous one. This was also run only a few days after a race, which makes it even better.
On my 6 mile run there was nobody to push me because some of my teammates weren't able to come to practice. So I had to push myself. I probably should've taken an easy day but my first mile was in 7:34. I fell into my rhythm and hit the halfway mark in 22:29 which is on pace for 45 minutes. My legs made me feel like I was just cruising along and had given me no idea of how fast I was going. Once I figured out that I only had to run 7:50 miles on the way back to get under 46 minutes and that I had the possibility of getting around 45 minutes, which had seemed like my new unreachable number.
My feet felt like they were barely touching the ground in the second half. They were getting a bit tired but my legs felt good. My nose was dripping all over which created a small problem but when I passed some of the girls up a hill on the way back, I forgot about it. I did something uncharacteristic of me, I ran the second half faster in 22:02.
That gives me a time of 44:31. My teammate told me that I had been a beast on my run and I'm inclined to agree. My coach told me I shouldn't have tried to PR but sometimes you don't get the option of choosing. Yes, it was probably stupid and my legs will start to hurt but I had to do it. Sometimes you have to fly.
By the way, my new 6 mile PR is almost 2 minutes less than the previous one. This was also run only a few days after a race, which makes it even better.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
FOUR MILES
On my first real high school track practice I ran 4 miles. Having not trained over the winter, I had also not run over 2 miles consecutively. That run was terrible. I had to walk some of the way and I couldn't believe we still had a week of practice left. I thought of that as a long run but it turns out it wasn't. It took me over 40 minutes and I was exhausted at the end. I had no idea how I was ever going to get through track.
On Thursday I ran 4 miles. I set a new PR in 30:34 even though it felt like I was struggling. My legs didn't feel too bad though with only 16 miles ran so far this week. Besides the PR, there was one more thing that made this run special. The lead runner was me. My faster teammate wasn't there but I would've been able to keep up with her like I have most of the week. With or without her though, I was in the front. I've been in the front before but never by myself. I was running at a faster pace then everybody else on my team. This time, I was the one everyone tried to catch. This fact was not lost on me, as evident by the random smiles on my face. I felt like I had truly made it. I was flying in front. I was the leader of the run.
I didn't realize until I was stretching afterwards that I had run the same exact route when I first started. My running has changed so much since then, and not only in my endurance. I now look the part of a runner and I am good friends with many of my teammates. I now understand that these miles are neccessary for me to succeed. I love running more than ever. I have run miles and miles since that first practice and have worked hard to get where I am now. It hasn't been easy but on Thursday, when I was in the front, I knew it was all worth it.
On Thursday I ran 4 miles. I set a new PR in 30:34 even though it felt like I was struggling. My legs didn't feel too bad though with only 16 miles ran so far this week. Besides the PR, there was one more thing that made this run special. The lead runner was me. My faster teammate wasn't there but I would've been able to keep up with her like I have most of the week. With or without her though, I was in the front. I've been in the front before but never by myself. I was running at a faster pace then everybody else on my team. This time, I was the one everyone tried to catch. This fact was not lost on me, as evident by the random smiles on my face. I felt like I had truly made it. I was flying in front. I was the leader of the run.
I didn't realize until I was stretching afterwards that I had run the same exact route when I first started. My running has changed so much since then, and not only in my endurance. I now look the part of a runner and I am good friends with many of my teammates. I now understand that these miles are neccessary for me to succeed. I love running more than ever. I have run miles and miles since that first practice and have worked hard to get where I am now. It hasn't been easy but on Thursday, when I was in the front, I knew it was all worth it.
Friday, February 20, 2009
SOARING, FLYING
Earlier today, I set a new PR, breaking the one set on Tuesday. Including this week, I have run 6 miles under 50 minutes three separate times. Two of those runs came this week.
September 22, 2008- 48:17
February 17, 2009- 47:11
February 20, 2009- 46:26
The strangest thing about my run was that I didn't feel like I was going that fast. My legs have been tired so I just wanted a long, slow easy run. I set out to do my own pace and not race with my faster teammate or my coach. I just wanted to get some recovery miles in. During the first half, it felt like I was doing a pretty good job of that. My teammate was ahead of me but still in sight while my coach was behind me. I was feeling good but more of a relaxing run good. Then I reached the halfway point. My watch read 23:11. Tuesday's PR mark at that spot- 24:00.
My initial reaction was to make sure my watch was still going and that I didn't bump any of the buttons. Once I was assured of this, I just thought to myself how awesome it was that my "slow" run was on track to be a PR. I didn't speed up, well maybe a little. I just made sure my teammate didn't get too far ahead and kept going. I did race up the last .75 mile stretch to make sure I got my time but I didn't go fast enough to feel like I needed to stop. I checked my watch once I was done and there was that wonderful number. 46:26 which is a 7:45 minute pace.
I found my teammate after I finished and checked to see what her time was to make sure I hadn't messed my watch up. She said it was 45:something which meant my time was for real. I had really gone that fast. I told her that I didn't believe I went that fast and she responded by saying "Yeah, we were really flying out there".
I'm still in disbelief about my time though. I believe I can run that fast but I didn't feel like I was today. Slow recovery runs aren't supposed to go that fast. It was supposed to be around 50 minutes but I was so much speedier. The biggest thing is that this was after four days of running fast. I'm not complaining though, I'd like these days to come more often.
September 22, 2008- 48:17
February 17, 2009- 47:11
February 20, 2009- 46:26
The strangest thing about my run was that I didn't feel like I was going that fast. My legs have been tired so I just wanted a long, slow easy run. I set out to do my own pace and not race with my faster teammate or my coach. I just wanted to get some recovery miles in. During the first half, it felt like I was doing a pretty good job of that. My teammate was ahead of me but still in sight while my coach was behind me. I was feeling good but more of a relaxing run good. Then I reached the halfway point. My watch read 23:11. Tuesday's PR mark at that spot- 24:00.
My initial reaction was to make sure my watch was still going and that I didn't bump any of the buttons. Once I was assured of this, I just thought to myself how awesome it was that my "slow" run was on track to be a PR. I didn't speed up, well maybe a little. I just made sure my teammate didn't get too far ahead and kept going. I did race up the last .75 mile stretch to make sure I got my time but I didn't go fast enough to feel like I needed to stop. I checked my watch once I was done and there was that wonderful number. 46:26 which is a 7:45 minute pace.
I found my teammate after I finished and checked to see what her time was to make sure I hadn't messed my watch up. She said it was 45:something which meant my time was for real. I had really gone that fast. I told her that I didn't believe I went that fast and she responded by saying "Yeah, we were really flying out there".
I'm still in disbelief about my time though. I believe I can run that fast but I didn't feel like I was today. Slow recovery runs aren't supposed to go that fast. It was supposed to be around 50 minutes but I was so much speedier. The biggest thing is that this was after four days of running fast. I'm not complaining though, I'd like these days to come more often.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
WHY I RUN (and why I am awesome among other things)
Old 5 mile PR: 38:50 on a rainy day in September with my fastest teammate (great weather conditions).
New 5 mile PR: 37:32 on a windy day in February by myself with 7mph winds.
In my own modest opinion, I totally rock. I beasted this run. I'm still finding myself doing victory dances when I think of it.
I'm not usually this excited when I PR, although this record was one of my fastest and one I was particularly proud of. So I guess I sort of knew that I'd be extra happy when it fell. But since it fell 3.5 days before track starts, it feels even more amazing. This feeling of great accomplishment is one of the best.
My run started out in not so prime conditions. I had decided to run a 5 mile route that went to another high school down the street, but I didn't know what the weather was going to be like so I had to guess (I was right on) and when I went outside, the wind almost knocked me over. It didn't get better because the first half of my route was straight into the wind. I had taken yesterday off so my legs should've felt rested, but when I was less than a mile into my run, my legs were heavy and weren't moving very fast (although it might've just seemed this way). I was struggling against the wind and a slight but long hill was coming up. I contemplated turning back but decided I'd look even stronger if I went on and I wanted to show off to all my classmates who drove by in their cars.
I went on and the wind lessened up a bit. Then I spotted two girls from the high school I was running to. When I spot other runners, especially those I want to impress, I become a vulture and chase them down. Not only would my school look good, but I would look good and they wouldn't (I become a nasty person when I run). I, of course, began speeding up the pace and was less than 5 feet away when.....they started walking. What kind of people start walking when they're about to be passed? I hate when people do this, just let yourself be passed or go faster.
About 100m later I saw another runner from the same school, which I was now in front of, and once he went by me I considered turning around and racing him just for the heck of it but decided that I needed to go the full distance. Plus he was a high school guy so I thought he might be to fast for me to race.
I went about 200m more and actually went the full distance of the route before turning around. I checked my time a few seconds later and it was.....19:35!?! Immediately I tried remembering my PR (I thought it was around 38:30) and knew I was on good pace to beat it. I had just run against this terrible wind yet I was racing right along. I knew I had a good chance of making it because not only would the wind be at my back, but after a long hill it would be downhill. On my way back, I went as fast as I thought I could keep up, because suddenly I really, really wanted that PR.
I sprinted up the hills but also concentrated on my form. At the large intersection which divides the road between the two schools in half, stood the high school guy. He was certainly surprised to see me. Luckily, the uncomfortable silence we stood in was soon over and across the street we went. Naturally, I started racing him. It was at this moment that I decided I wanted to beat this kid. I was feeling good and beating him would make me feel great. Plus he was a boy (males seem to get especially upset when they're passed by a girl) and he was from the other high school. He was also running at the exact pace I needed to run so whenever he sped up, I followed. If he slowed down, I kept going. I wanted to see the look on his face when I passed him. I did get to see parts of it as he kept looking back at me once he realized I was racing him. I was right behind him when he suddenly turned the corner. I could not believe it. We had only been racing for about 400m and he already quit. The road he was taking wasn't even a good option, it offered about 600m more and there were few sidewalks. This made me upset because I love beating guys and he wasn't going to give me the satisfaction (it was a good move on his part though).
I ran even harder once I was alone, half hoping my coach would drive by and see. Even at the faster pace I wasn't getting tired. I felt like I was flying, the noise of my feet pounding the pavement was the only indication I was on the ground. I felt amazing. At the large intersection, I wasn't sure if I was going fast enough to get the PR but with each step I could feel it slip into my grasp. When one of my classmates ran by, I barely noticed him because I was so focused. Because I was going to get my PR.
I sprinted up the parking lot to my school and stopped my watch. I wasn't sure what my old PR was so I knew I needed low 38's to get it. I looked and it was.....37:32. Immediately a huge smile graced my face and it stayed there as I slowly walked back and forth. I was extremely excited and had suddenly gotten a huge burst of energy. I was also filled with a rejuvinated love for running.
I had done it. I had beat myself and achieved a new PR. It was just an awesome feeling to know that the miles and miles of hard work I had put in over the winter were finally paying off. That I was ready for track to start and that even before the start of the season, my PR's were being replaced. Even though the weather was unfavorable and there was no one to push me except myself, I had done it. This PR is proof of the hard work and determination of those miserable long days spent in the snowy streets running. It is also proof that I can do so much more than I thought was possible.
And Happy 200th Birthday to Abraham Lincoln, who gave me a little extra power on this fabulous run. It was superb, kind of like he was.
New 5 mile PR: 37:32 on a windy day in February by myself with 7mph winds.
In my own modest opinion, I totally rock. I beasted this run. I'm still finding myself doing victory dances when I think of it.
I'm not usually this excited when I PR, although this record was one of my fastest and one I was particularly proud of. So I guess I sort of knew that I'd be extra happy when it fell. But since it fell 3.5 days before track starts, it feels even more amazing. This feeling of great accomplishment is one of the best.
My run started out in not so prime conditions. I had decided to run a 5 mile route that went to another high school down the street, but I didn't know what the weather was going to be like so I had to guess (I was right on) and when I went outside, the wind almost knocked me over. It didn't get better because the first half of my route was straight into the wind. I had taken yesterday off so my legs should've felt rested, but when I was less than a mile into my run, my legs were heavy and weren't moving very fast (although it might've just seemed this way). I was struggling against the wind and a slight but long hill was coming up. I contemplated turning back but decided I'd look even stronger if I went on and I wanted to show off to all my classmates who drove by in their cars.
I went on and the wind lessened up a bit. Then I spotted two girls from the high school I was running to. When I spot other runners, especially those I want to impress, I become a vulture and chase them down. Not only would my school look good, but I would look good and they wouldn't (I become a nasty person when I run). I, of course, began speeding up the pace and was less than 5 feet away when.....they started walking. What kind of people start walking when they're about to be passed? I hate when people do this, just let yourself be passed or go faster.
About 100m later I saw another runner from the same school, which I was now in front of, and once he went by me I considered turning around and racing him just for the heck of it but decided that I needed to go the full distance. Plus he was a high school guy so I thought he might be to fast for me to race.
I went about 200m more and actually went the full distance of the route before turning around. I checked my time a few seconds later and it was.....19:35!?! Immediately I tried remembering my PR (I thought it was around 38:30) and knew I was on good pace to beat it. I had just run against this terrible wind yet I was racing right along. I knew I had a good chance of making it because not only would the wind be at my back, but after a long hill it would be downhill. On my way back, I went as fast as I thought I could keep up, because suddenly I really, really wanted that PR.
I sprinted up the hills but also concentrated on my form. At the large intersection which divides the road between the two schools in half, stood the high school guy. He was certainly surprised to see me. Luckily, the uncomfortable silence we stood in was soon over and across the street we went. Naturally, I started racing him. It was at this moment that I decided I wanted to beat this kid. I was feeling good and beating him would make me feel great. Plus he was a boy (males seem to get especially upset when they're passed by a girl) and he was from the other high school. He was also running at the exact pace I needed to run so whenever he sped up, I followed. If he slowed down, I kept going. I wanted to see the look on his face when I passed him. I did get to see parts of it as he kept looking back at me once he realized I was racing him. I was right behind him when he suddenly turned the corner. I could not believe it. We had only been racing for about 400m and he already quit. The road he was taking wasn't even a good option, it offered about 600m more and there were few sidewalks. This made me upset because I love beating guys and he wasn't going to give me the satisfaction (it was a good move on his part though).
I ran even harder once I was alone, half hoping my coach would drive by and see. Even at the faster pace I wasn't getting tired. I felt like I was flying, the noise of my feet pounding the pavement was the only indication I was on the ground. I felt amazing. At the large intersection, I wasn't sure if I was going fast enough to get the PR but with each step I could feel it slip into my grasp. When one of my classmates ran by, I barely noticed him because I was so focused. Because I was going to get my PR.
I sprinted up the parking lot to my school and stopped my watch. I wasn't sure what my old PR was so I knew I needed low 38's to get it. I looked and it was.....37:32. Immediately a huge smile graced my face and it stayed there as I slowly walked back and forth. I was extremely excited and had suddenly gotten a huge burst of energy. I was also filled with a rejuvinated love for running.
I had done it. I had beat myself and achieved a new PR. It was just an awesome feeling to know that the miles and miles of hard work I had put in over the winter were finally paying off. That I was ready for track to start and that even before the start of the season, my PR's were being replaced. Even though the weather was unfavorable and there was no one to push me except myself, I had done it. This PR is proof of the hard work and determination of those miserable long days spent in the snowy streets running. It is also proof that I can do so much more than I thought was possible.
And Happy 200th Birthday to Abraham Lincoln, who gave me a little extra power on this fabulous run. It was superb, kind of like he was.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
MY WEEK IN REVIEW
I have had a very upside down week. Snow and intense cold have turned my week into a 5 day vacation from school. It's been tough though having no homework and only free time to deal with. It was pretty bad weather though, even for Iowa, with about 20 inches of snow and negative temperatures all the way down to -29 (that's without the windchill). At least there was no ice though, so my neighbor's car didn't end up in our front yard again.
The extreme cold did keep me from running, but that dealt more with safety issues. Running in wind chill warnings is dangerous and I'm not going to risk frostbite for a 10 minute run. So that meant I couldn't run from Tuesday to Thursday with cross training on Wednesday. While snowboarding Wednesday, I managed to make a not so spectacular crash turn into a huge ache Thursday. Since I was having a hard time getting off the couch, I decided that maybe I shouldn't cross train that day.
On Friday, my family drove to Ames for my younger sister's Lego League State competition that was to take place most of Saturday. Because it started very early, we had to stay in a hotel which meant I was able to run. On a treadmill of course, but it was still a run. I only ran 3 fast miles before I was forced to sleep but it was the first running I did since Monday.
The Lego League State competition started early on Saturday so we had to be there around 8:00. The competition had many parts but consisted mainly of three parts revolving around a central theme, which this year happened to be "climate connections". One section involved making the robot built of legos (that had been previously made by the kids) do specific tasks. The highest score of the three times they did this was their final score. They also had to research some way to help solve a problem related to the climate and give a presentation. The last part of the competition was two more presentations about the robot and the group's teamwork. A lot of hard work is put into the competitions but at times it can be a bit overwhelming with all the screaming children who supposedbly have team spirit, and a lot of waiting and standing around.
My family decided to wait around for the closing ceremonies before heading back. The closing ceremonies took about an hour longer than expected though because of a demonstration which tried to make Segways look cool. It didn't work but it wasted a lot of time. Many parents started getting ansty by the time they started giving out awards due to the road condition warnings flashing on the bottom of the screen. My sister's team didn't win any awards, but they made it to state which I think is the best part. Plus, the road conditions had gotten so bad that my parents decided to stay another night at the hotel. Which, judging by the 16 cars we saw in the ditch or off the sides of the road on the way home, was a good decision.
Another night in the hotel meant another night of running on the treadmill, which I was actually excited about. I ran 4 miles this time in a new PR of 31:09. This PR unfortunately doesn't count though since it was on a treadmill and inside. I had to take a break halfway through the run though because it was about 100 degrees in the exercise room. I had to do this the previous day too and I think I was freaking the desk guy out by standing outside when it was freezing out.
I ran only 4 miles again because my legs are pretty sore. It was slower at a time of 36:36 but it was outside and snowing (again). My pace was faster than it has been which is was but now my legs are really sore, especially on the outsides of my knee. So now I'm sitting here typing this icing my leg which in turn is making me really cold. Hopefully, my legs will be less sore but since it is the beginning of the cycling season I think I can deal with it. Expect my next post to be a bit different though, since it will not be about running but instead about my other favorite sport.
The extreme cold did keep me from running, but that dealt more with safety issues. Running in wind chill warnings is dangerous and I'm not going to risk frostbite for a 10 minute run. So that meant I couldn't run from Tuesday to Thursday with cross training on Wednesday. While snowboarding Wednesday, I managed to make a not so spectacular crash turn into a huge ache Thursday. Since I was having a hard time getting off the couch, I decided that maybe I shouldn't cross train that day.
On Friday, my family drove to Ames for my younger sister's Lego League State competition that was to take place most of Saturday. Because it started very early, we had to stay in a hotel which meant I was able to run. On a treadmill of course, but it was still a run. I only ran 3 fast miles before I was forced to sleep but it was the first running I did since Monday.
The Lego League State competition started early on Saturday so we had to be there around 8:00. The competition had many parts but consisted mainly of three parts revolving around a central theme, which this year happened to be "climate connections". One section involved making the robot built of legos (that had been previously made by the kids) do specific tasks. The highest score of the three times they did this was their final score. They also had to research some way to help solve a problem related to the climate and give a presentation. The last part of the competition was two more presentations about the robot and the group's teamwork. A lot of hard work is put into the competitions but at times it can be a bit overwhelming with all the screaming children who supposedbly have team spirit, and a lot of waiting and standing around.
My family decided to wait around for the closing ceremonies before heading back. The closing ceremonies took about an hour longer than expected though because of a demonstration which tried to make Segways look cool. It didn't work but it wasted a lot of time. Many parents started getting ansty by the time they started giving out awards due to the road condition warnings flashing on the bottom of the screen. My sister's team didn't win any awards, but they made it to state which I think is the best part. Plus, the road conditions had gotten so bad that my parents decided to stay another night at the hotel. Which, judging by the 16 cars we saw in the ditch or off the sides of the road on the way home, was a good decision.
Another night in the hotel meant another night of running on the treadmill, which I was actually excited about. I ran 4 miles this time in a new PR of 31:09. This PR unfortunately doesn't count though since it was on a treadmill and inside. I had to take a break halfway through the run though because it was about 100 degrees in the exercise room. I had to do this the previous day too and I think I was freaking the desk guy out by standing outside when it was freezing out.
I ran only 4 miles again because my legs are pretty sore. It was slower at a time of 36:36 but it was outside and snowing (again). My pace was faster than it has been which is was but now my legs are really sore, especially on the outsides of my knee. So now I'm sitting here typing this icing my leg which in turn is making me really cold. Hopefully, my legs will be less sore but since it is the beginning of the cycling season I think I can deal with it. Expect my next post to be a bit different though, since it will not be about running but instead about my other favorite sport.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
MY LONG WAIT...FOR THIS?!?!?
So apparently I have waited weeks....weeks to find out that all the doping positives they promised us with in the Tour, a "mountain of positives", we get 4. 1 of which we already knew (Ricco), 1 we kind of knew (Piepoli), and 2 we thought we knew (Schumi and Kohl). Now they are telling us there are no more. I feel let down. Not that I like hearing doping news, but I thought that there were all these doping positives going to come out and it would shake the sport upside down. It really did nothing, nothing I could see. Sure, the cyclists will be less likely to dope, we found out that we were right about the riders who surprised us (that they were doping), and we found out that our favorite riders are clean, or clean from the known drugs. I feel like I keep getting lied to though, by the media, the riders, the race directors. We get told that cycling is being cleaned up, then we are told there was widespread cheating at the Tour, and then we are told that there was just a little cheating. It makes you very confused on who you want to believe.
I may sound like I think pro cycling=doping, but that's not true. There were only 4 cheaters (that were caught) out of over 170 riders. I think that the sport is moving towards being clean, more than other sports. Cycling is catching cheaters, yet it is always talked about badly. Yet other sports who don't catch cheaters, like baseball or track, don't get a bad rap like cycling does.
At least I had a good day in running today. A new 3M Pr (23:14) with only 2 days before a race. Maybe not the smartest run, but it felt good.
I may sound like I think pro cycling=doping, but that's not true. There were only 4 cheaters (that were caught) out of over 170 riders. I think that the sport is moving towards being clean, more than other sports. Cycling is catching cheaters, yet it is always talked about badly. Yet other sports who don't catch cheaters, like baseball or track, don't get a bad rap like cycling does.
At least I had a good day in running today. A new 3M Pr (23:14) with only 2 days before a race. Maybe not the smartest run, but it felt good.
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