Scott is still working towards his goal of finishing a full Ironman Triathlon, and in preparation he wanted to start working on long runs and a good place to do that is the the Half Marathon. Since I really had nothing better to do at 7:30 sunday morning... and needing to work off a few of the many thanksgiving pies I devoured, I ran it with him.
It was a great day for it. The weather was "warm" mid 50's which is warm enough to not need a bunch of layers to start with and cool enough to not overheat along the way. The first 2 miles were cake(pie?!?), at least for me. We actually ran about a 7:15 min mile, not meaning to that was just the pace of all the people around us. Scott takes a few miles to get warmed up, so I think it was a little fast for him, but about mile 3 we settled into a good 8 min/mile pace. It was great running with someone because when you want to slow down they keep you going and vice versa. I thought things were going great but it was about mile 6 that Scott had to make a sudden and unplanned "stop". He said he would catch up... but I was determined to not let that happen.
And then I was on my own.
Endurance races are tricky. Not that this 13.1 mile run was all that far or that hard, its just that when you are spending long periods of time out there it gives you plenty of time to think, which is unlike any other sport. Most sports are fast paced, action and reaction, attention and focus. But distance sports are unique allowing you to zone out or to have long discussions with your body, which is always pessimistic.
Along the way there are a multitude of different thoughts, you think about the race and your pace, then about how far you still have to go. After a few miles as you settle into a comfortable pace your mind starts to really wonder in all directions. This can be really good because it passes a lot of time without even realizing it. But it can also be really difficult. Your body is a funny thing, it has the ability to do crazy and seemingly impossible things but it doesn’t want to. In this case, finishing 13 miles. Your mind, on the other hand, wants to do it... but has to convince the body to keep going. With each step you get closer to finishing and closer to quitting. It’s just a matter of which one will happen first.
I was talking with Ryan one time about swimming to a certain point after jumping off the boat. I liked what he said, “Once you get going, its not like you’re gonna quit”, and he is right. Ill probably alway think back to that when Im in the middle of a long distance anything "Its not like your going to just quit".
Throughout the run I kept thinking of what my legs and body would feel like if this was only mile 8 of 26.2 instead of 13.1, AND if I had just got off of a 110 mile bike ride, after a 2.4 mile swim. Feeling like that goal was almost unattainable, I just kept running, "its not like Im gonna just quit".
And then I was on my own.
Endurance races are tricky. Not that this 13.1 mile run was all that far or that hard, its just that when you are spending long periods of time out there it gives you plenty of time to think, which is unlike any other sport. Most sports are fast paced, action and reaction, attention and focus. But distance sports are unique allowing you to zone out or to have long discussions with your body, which is always pessimistic.
Along the way there are a multitude of different thoughts, you think about the race and your pace, then about how far you still have to go. After a few miles as you settle into a comfortable pace your mind starts to really wonder in all directions. This can be really good because it passes a lot of time without even realizing it. But it can also be really difficult. Your body is a funny thing, it has the ability to do crazy and seemingly impossible things but it doesn’t want to. In this case, finishing 13 miles. Your mind, on the other hand, wants to do it... but has to convince the body to keep going. With each step you get closer to finishing and closer to quitting. It’s just a matter of which one will happen first.
I was talking with Ryan one time about swimming to a certain point after jumping off the boat. I liked what he said, “Once you get going, its not like you’re gonna quit”, and he is right. Ill probably alway think back to that when Im in the middle of a long distance anything "Its not like your going to just quit".
Throughout the run I kept thinking of what my legs and body would feel like if this was only mile 8 of 26.2 instead of 13.1, AND if I had just got off of a 110 mile bike ride, after a 2.4 mile swim. Feeling like that goal was almost unattainable, I just kept running, "its not like Im gonna just quit".
Mile eight was tricky. I was over half way, but thinking about running 5 more miles seemed kinda ridiculous. Then before long I got to mile 9. Now somehow I thought that I only had 3 more miles to go...that was encouraging. But then at mile 10 I realized I can't add.
But now, I really did only have 3 miles, that’s just one lap around Greenlake, easy. Right on pace to make it in 1:45 and Scott still hasn't caught up. At mile 11 I started to feel a second wind and picked up the pace after much internal dialogue but it seemed like a good idea... for about a quarter mile. Then I slowed way down. The last 2 miles were hard. I was starting to really feel the lactic acid build up from not training enough and not doing very many long runs. Then, in the distance I saw the finish. We were up on a hill, so it was still over a mile away... but it was there. The last part is easy. No matter what is hurting or tired, its almost over. I kept looking back expecting to see Scott on my heels, but he wasn’t there. I crossed the finish line glad we were not doing 26.2 and grabbed some water. Before I could even make my way back to look for Scott he was walking up behind me. After 13.1 miles our times were only 3 seconds apart from each other, one hour forty three minuets and 34 seconds.
So, we both made our goal of 1:45. I realized, or I should say, I was reminded yet again, that I really don’t like running. However, I do like accomplishments and I like accomplishments way more than I dislike running.
So, we both made our goal of 1:45. I realized, or I should say, I was reminded yet again, that I really don’t like running. However, I do like accomplishments and I like accomplishments way more than I dislike running.
So, I guess its time to start getting ready for the 26.2. I mean, "Its not like im just gonna quit now".
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment