Finding My Happy Pace...

I never thought I would run below 9 minute miles, and am still in awe that I did it and did it for 13.1.  For someone who started running so slow and so late in life, it just feels magical to me. I feel like I have nothing left when I finish and can't imagine finding more, but I do. What an awesome journey to become better than I was yesterday.

Another PR in my Rock40 year: 1:55.03. A 3.5 minute PR. Breaking 2 hours was such a feat in March and it didn't come easy. I remember how it felt to push so hard and demand more than I had ever put out there and to believe without seeing it. And yet, I did it again two weekends ago with less angst. (Sorry, it took me a while to post this one.) Sure I have trained a few more months now, but I have not been doing much speed work. Actually, I can count the days I feel speedy on one hand and it isn't planned. So my speed and strength is coming from my cross training, which I will go into on another post.

I had all the mental strength I needed. I have been experiencing some lower leg pain and decided to base whether I was going to run this one for enjoyment—run casual—or "race it" on how my leg was feeling the morning of. If it started hurting, I needed to pull back. 8:50 would be my finishing average goal pace, in which I had to take in account the slop out and incline coming back.  That is 13 seconds per mile faster than my last PR in March. I was a little worried in the beginning thinking that I just wasn't feeling it and already pulling out the tough love. But it worked. Faith over fear. Choose faith. And to those that say I cannot, watch me!!

I kept watch of my pace mile after mile and knew I was still in it. I looked for a good pacer person and found myself passing people that seemed strong for a while but I had to stay on track. I found one veteran runner that was running strong in the second half and focussed on his hat. Yes, my pacer at last.
Chasing him down was rough. I felt like laughing at one moment, because I felt like he just might kill me and the wheels may come off this bus. He slowed in the last 2 miles so I left him and went on. I couldn't let go.

In the last mile I thought of one of my power songs that wasn't even playing on my iPod. You must be willing to bleed and I was. You have to want it more I told myself, and I did. I passed quite a few people in those last couple of miles that had ran out of gas. I actually was willing to puke. I felt ill going around a corner. I even looked at the roadside and thought about how much time that would cost me. Luckily pushing thru it, it passed.

8:47/8:27/9:01/8:57/8:52/8:22/8:33/9:12/8:49/8:29/8:40/8:56/8:31/8:19 last .25

Mama has some powerful legs. Look at all the boys behind me!