Conquering Fear (and Some Hills, Too)

So, seven miles isn't particularly long, but it's the longest I've run since my injury back in July, so it was more of a mental hurdle than a physical one.

I accidentally overslept, so I missed GTS this morning, and apparently, some pretty gross weather. Tim only did half of his 13 miler this morning, so offered to join me for an afternoon run.

I mapped out a pretty tough course--through Defoors, Bohler Road, up to West Wesley, down Howell Mill to Collier and up the evil, evil hill at Woodland Hills back down to our neighborhood. Overall, it was a pretty hilly course. Miles 4-5 (West Wesley and Howell Mill down to Howell Mill and Collier) were straight uphill, and then of course, there's my nemisis--Woodland Hills. I didn't run the whole thing, but felt pretty strong, and once we hit the downhills of Chattahoochee, we were flying around 8:00-9:00 minute pace. All in all, a great day. And I enjoyed spending time with Tim, as our running schedules rarely collide.

I also got to try on his Garmin 305, which he ordered me today as my belated Christmas present. I had originally wanted the 405, but after reading reviews, I decided there was more positive feedback on the 305, AND it was over $100 cheaper. I can't wait to start using it for all of my runs!

It's a Chrismakkuh Mircale!

I am not a fast runner. And I hate tempo runs. The only explanation I have for what happened today is a Chrismakkuh miracle!

I set out for my tempo run on the lovely FLAT streets of Flo-town, anticipating a four mile run at 10:15 pace. It was warm (yay!), though quite windy (boo!), and my legs were a bit weary from yesterday's drive (double-boo!). But Tim said to push myself and to run at a challenging pace that I could mantain. As I ran past things that are rare sights during my Atlanta runs (horses, pick-up trucks and W bumper stickers) and noted the various people that have lived in neighborhood houses over the years (among them about a dozen Facebook friends), I thought I was maintaining a 10:00 minute pace. Fast forward to Wedgefield Road, when I knew I was close to three miles into my run. My stopwatch was just past 25 minutes. How was it possible?

As I hit Arundel Drive, I was around 34 minutes and was determined to finish in under 36 minutes, making the run around 9:00 pace. So, imagine my surprise when I went back to the computer to map my run, and the distance was 4.3 miles, meaning I had averaged 8:20 pace! Now, for the Mike Sklar's and Amy Fingerhut's of this world, that pace is pretty normal. But considering even my fastest 10K was run at about 10:00/min pace, this run was HUGE! Probably my best ever, in terms of short distances. Granted, the Flo is extremely flat, so that probably helped my pace, but wow--I actually feel like a sub 55 minute 10K is within my reach.

Hooray for small miracles!

Winter Blues

Is anyone else wondering what month we're in? I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt for my run yesterday and was sweating like I did back in June. But I love it. I'll take this over the cold, though I would like things to cool off just a wee bit for Christmas.

In spite of the balmy weather, I've had a case of the winter blues. It's been a pretty tumultuous year, and I think I'm just ready to take a break, relax and enjoy some quiet time.

Thankfully, running is one of the few things I'm energized about, so yesterday, I tried my first non-track speed workout. I mapped out a 400 meter route on Defoors Avenue, which is relatively flat. It was strange to run full out on curvy sidewalks (all while dodging trash cans, low-hanging limbs and the occasional car), but it was fun, and a good way to get out all the pent-up aggression I had from my sketchy internet service yesterday.

I was supposed to run each split between 2:15 and 2:30 minutes, but it was hard to stay in that range, even when I pulled back. My splits were 2:07, 2:08, 2:12, 2:22, 2:18 and 2:08. Those times give me hope that I can achieve my goal of running a sub 55 minute 10K in the early months of 2009.

I needed a challenge, plus I'd love to have a chip for the Peachtree this year. I've always been a slow and steady runner, but I've learned over the past eighteen months that I can do many things I thought I was incapable of before. It's also easier to set time goals for 10K's than half or full marathons, simply because TNT is so team-oriented, and I don't see myself leaving my friends in the dust just to run a few minutes faster (though I do hope to finish the ING under 2:15).

I've set my sights on the Chatthoochee Challenge on February 7. Tim's planning on running it with me, and I find that as with all things in life, I'm better and faster with him by my side.

Advent

It's ironic that my training season begins in advent--the season of waiting. Because if you know anything about me, you know that I am anything but patient. Base miles can feel like drudgery, and the ten thousandth singing of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" just doesn't ring as sweet.

So here I am, in the early days of December, laying the foundation for later rewards, of both the physical and spiritual variety. Time will tell...

Sigh...

Today was a bad running day. As in, I didn't want to run, I was sore, tired, wheezing, sluggish and generally defeated. Did I really run a great 10K six days ago?

At least the weather was beautiful, and I had great tunes.