Yesterday was National Running Day and I gave you info on all kinds of great discounts and giveaways that I hope you took advantage of. I also shared my “Why I Run” reasons.
Did you see it? Did you read it? Did any of it resonate?
Last night, I decided I didn’t want to celebrate alone so I made arrangements to meet up with Fleet Feet STL to do some track work. I’m a little leery of the track because it humiliates me. Then when you add others, you add an extra layer of humility. I went anyway and I’m so glad I did.
I forgot how much there is to learn in those moments of humility. The workout for the night was 2 x 1200, 2 x 800 and 2 x 400. Doesn’t look like much but when it was over, I was DONE.
Before the first 1200, I figured out what I THOUGHT my pace should be and lined up in the back of the pack. (Something you might not know: I can be pretty shy in groups of people I don’t know. Not the outgoing Type A you would assume.). The clock started and I took off. I have invested in a Forerunner 620, which I love, I had a clear picture of what my pace truly was. I felt strong the first 1200 and actually kept a speed much better than what I thought I would do. I felt confident and still didn’t finish in the top of the pack.
The second 1200 was tougher. I found my pace, then picked it up a little. First lap was good, second lap was decent, third lap burned.
By the time we got to the 800’s I was struggling to figure out what pace to try to keep. I picked an aggressive one and took off. About 200 in, I looked at my watch and heard myself say..
This is too fast
thinking I wouldn’t be able to maintain it and immediately felt my legs slow. Then I shook it off and thought..
What if it’s not to slow? What if I can maintain this?
And found the pace again and kept it. The last 100 were beyond painful and I could hear my internal voices arguing…one was saying
Go ahead, slow down
the other was saying…
“Suck it up buttercup, you got this!
By the time I had decided to follow the buttercup theory I had finished. Gasping for air, I was beyond excited to see a 6:38 pace.
This…this is why I love running. In the course of a lap, I had felt like my butt was kicked, I was down, I was ready to quit but in that same lap, I heard the voices, I found the depth and found a new level that I didn’t know existed. The door is open, I’m dying to see what’s behind it and so I will visit the track again, I will keep running and I will keep loving EVERY STEP.
The track kind of intimidates me too. I am not a fast runner and I always feel so slow. Need to get over that one!
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