Ran a "5k" on part of my "hilly route" this afternoon. I didn't go 5k race pace, but I wanted to go a bit faster than I had been as of late. For a training run, this was an OK one. I was very cautious in that once I experienced the slightest bit of discomfort or a little pain, I seemed to back off. If I was racing, I hope I would have just powered through it. Maybe I should have done that anyway....
Even though the Crim 10 Mile is the lead-in to my Brooksie Way Half Marathon in October, I still want to do well and really want to feel good and healthy going into it. Ideally, I would do a mid-tempo morning run on Wednesday and a very light run on Thursday this week. Hopefully, I will do it and not just talk or type about it. :)
I think I have been too cautious overall in my running this year and maybe I'm not as "good" as I should be, but the main thing is that I am still at it and have no plans to stop. I wouldn't say I'm in great shape, but I probably haven't been in better shape in the past few years.
Love to my grandparents who are both dealing with health issues.
Hey Josh, the best piece of advice I can give you going into your 10 miler this weekend is to not sell yourself short. You've built a solid base and it's time to draw from that base on race day. You are faster that you think and limited more so mentally than physically at this point. You just said it yourself, "I think I have been too cautious overall in my running this year..." Cautious is great for training, but forget it this weekend, its race day and you'll have plenty of time to recover before the October half.
ReplyDeleteBelieve in yourself, put up your best effort on the course and you'll have nothing to regret in the end. You are going to feel pain out there, but that's what racing is all about...embrace it!
Don't come out too fast in the first mile, but hold a steady pace that is just above your comfort level. Once you settle in you can slowly ramp it up and finish strong. You've covered the distance in training so don't worry about that. 10 miles may seem like a long race, but its really a great distance to test your speed and endurance.
I think your running plan for the rest of the week sounds great. You may also want to do a mile or two 24 hours before the race just to keep your legs sharp.
Best of luck to you and bear in mind that the most important thing you can do is believe in yourself. Stay strong out there.
Remus
Thanks for the encouragement Matt. Unfortunately, life intervened and my grandfather passed away last week and I could not race. I will put your advice to good use in the near future!
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