I am competitive. Lots of people can vouch for this: ask my good friend Fred, and he might tell you about the time I threw my controller when I was losing to him in Super Mario Brothers. Ask my brother Ted, as we always try to one-up each other with GPAs, salaries, and points scored in this game or that. Ask my brother Tom about our training for the Chicago Marathon, or my Dad about our annual rivalry in the Beach to Beacon 10k race.
Right now my body is finally getting the better of me. The past few months of diligent sleep and vitamins have worn out their welcome, and have been replaced by a fever, a stuffy nose, and a god-awful voice.
And unfortunately, I am not helping myself--because my biggest competitor is often Betsy.
At Crossroads on Thursday, I had planned to do an easy-ish 10.5 miles with Marisa and Mike, not wanting to push myself too hard. But as soon as the hills came into view, my legs felt great. So I pushed the pace and decided to do a hard 8.8 miles over the hills--I couldn't bear the thought of not trying to better my time at Crossroads (it's a sick little game I play with myself each week). It turned out to be my best Crossroads run ever, finishing at 1:05 (yes Ben, that is 7:30/mile. For all 8.8 miles). My legs felt great, but my throat and head felt awful.
Yesterday's DFMC group run in Wayland was supposed to be 20 miles...and I got out of bed approaching it as twenty-with-a-question-mark, meaning I would run until I felt awful enough that I should stop. I was hoping for just 10 or 12.
But at the first water stop, my legs felt great. I couldn't bear the thought of running these 20 miles slower than my last 20 mile run. So I pushed the pace and decided I would focus on negative splits. I reached the 10 mile mark at 1:22, and finished the full 20 miles in 2:40. So the run became twenty-with-an-exclamation point!--and my legs felt great, but my head and chest felt awful.
What do I have to show for these two great runs today? Not much. As I write this I am home from school, with a box of tissues and a bottle of cold medicine at an arm's length. Since I can't run today, maybe I should use that extra time to talk some sense into myself.
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rning about bones! 
3 comments:
Betsy, you should be darned proud of yesterday's run.
Just think: If you ran that fast - that far - while sick, what can't you do?
You'll get sick, and your body will likely ache more. But from what your training has showed, combined with your competitive nature, the sky is the limit for you five weeks from today.
Feel better!
First, I hope you feel better. I had no idea that you were under the weather - maybe a little blue for your normally upbeat persona.
Anyway - listen to your body and give yourself a break - it will result in a better time down the road.
You are doing one thing very correct - making every run have a purpose. Too many times people just dial in the miles without an aim to the run. Just the notion of making each run have a purpose - will result in that qualifying time you are looking for at the finish line.
Bets, Sounds like your training is going just the way you intended. Keep up the good work! Mom and Dad are cheering for you. But, please take care of yourself.
lots of love!
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