Official Training

It's real to me now. Today was the first day I did official training - not just a prescribed amount of miles, but actual hill training at mach speed. Okay, so maybe it wasn't mach speed, but after two repeats, it sure was starting to feel like. My workout consisted of 5 miles at recovery pace, but as usual, I couldn't get myself to slow down enough to be in the recovery zone.

Recovery zone for me is supposed to be in the range of a 9:45 to 10:30 pace. I find when I am focusing on my form that I naturally speed up, so I'm having a hard time working the form and staying slow. If I run my funky old school "I'm gonna die" gait, I am much more effective at recovery paces.

I ran the first 3 miles or so, and then buckled down for the 6 x 45 second hill repeats that were on the schedule for today. The plan (which is in the book Brain Training for Runners) called for me to run said repeats at a "relaxed sprint speed", but honestly, there is no such thing as a relaxed sprint up a steep hill. By the 2nd repeat, I was bargaining with myself, reassuring myself since I didn't start marathon training on time I shouldn't have to do all of the hill repeats that were called for. Just do four, I chided myself. But after the 4th, I thought, okay, one more. And once that one was done, I couldn't not do the sixth. And so I did all six repeats, and then ran home.

Whew. First one down, way too many to go.