The Final 7

I'm down to seven weeks to race time and, as I mentioned in my last post, that means a revision to the training plan was in order.  I know it's only Tuesday but so far so good with abiding by the plan!  My long run on Sunday (7 miles) was a great lesson in my true speed abilities; read on.

By the time I made it to the gym on Sunday (no, I didn't feel like running in the rainy, cold weather), I had just over 1/2 hour before closing time.  I started as usual with a 1/4 mile walking warm-up and then broke into a 12-minute mile run.  I soon realized however that my usual speed for long runs wasn't going to allow me to finish before closing time.  So, with every mile I completed, I upped the speed on the treadmill and ended up running mile 6 and 7 at a 9.5-minute mile pace.  My mathematical skills served me well and I had enough time to finish my run, cool down, and stretch before the staff kicked me out.

Jen threw together a delicious salmon with rosemary and black olives dinner and we concluded the night with a small bowl of ice cream.  Yum.

Even though I upped my speed out of necessity, it clearly demonstrated that I do not have the speed constraints I believed I had when it comes to long runs.  Knowing that is a breath of fresh air.  Test yourself in the same way - see what you can do.  We all have false beliefs built up within and we often find comfort in these beliefs (it was, after all, much easier to run 7 miles at a steady 12-minute mile pace).  Do whatever you need to do to push past it.  Go to the gym right before they close next time and see what happens.