26 Or Bust!

This past Tuesday we had our first test. No multiple choice or essays to write, it was a test to see what our mile pace is at this point in training. The course started with a mile, followed by a half-mile recovery, one more mile and a final half-mile recovery. The mile was run at a fast clip—not quite a sprint, but the fastest speed you thought you could maintain for an entire mile. With the handy new stop watch I bought (I was cheap and hit Kmart at lunch. I’ll save the $350 sports watch for my next marathon!), I timed each section of the course. The goal was to have the pace of the first mile and the second mile be no more than 30 seconds apart.

I was rather shocked that not only did I keep my times within 9 seconds of each other, but they were much quicker than I expected. My first mile pace was 8:01 minutes and my second 8:10 minutes. I credit my second time to the people running in front of and behind me. I started off a bit faster trying to keep up with the people ahead, but they were little too quick. As the gap between us slowly widened and the last quarter mile approached, I could hear someone just steps behind me. It gave me the boost I needed to push harder through the end as I felt determined to let no one pass me (probably because I was a hint disappointed that I couldn’t keep pace with the people ahead). A bit competitive of me, but at that point I was ready to draw on any feeling I could for extra energy.

Next week we start our hill training and will stick with that for the next six or seven Tuesday nights. After that, we’ll repeat this mile test to see how much stronger we’ve become. If I did this round faster than I thought possible, I’m excited to see how much better my times will be in two months!

That was my finish time for my first race, which I ran this past Saturday. It was the five-mile Fred Lebow Classic in Central Park. It was surprisingly fun. I ran with a friend I’ve met through Team In Training (TNT) and we met another TNT member during the race that we talked to for the rest of the course. As you can tell by my time, I really didn’t race the course. I just wanted it to be a good time and it was. The weather was great, the course fairly easy and, overall, a fantastic first race experience.

Most importantly, since I joined New York Road Runners (NYRR), it counts as my first race for 2008. If I complete eight more NYRR races this year, I’ll automatically qualify for the 2009 ING New York City marathon! How cool is that? I figure that if I can run 26.2 miles in Tennessee, I can run 26.2 in my own town. Guess for that I’ll need a “Bklyn 26 or Bust” website.

This week the New York Times had two great articles on running that are worth checking out. Mind over matter was the subject of the first article, looking at how focusing their mind on something other than running helps athletes go the distance. The second article was all about the science behind what makes a song an ideal work out soundtrack.

That line was hand-written on a T-shirt I saw last weekend and it got a chuckle out of me. It popped in my head again last night during our interval training.

A course was marked and we ran half of it almost sprinting and then half barely faster than a walk to recover. Doesn’t sound so bad, but after 50 minutes, it was a struggle. The last lap was surreal as my body felt like I was flying. I was on autopilot as my legs sped up, racing to the halfway point. My fatigued lungs couldn’t pull in enough air, but my feet just kept on going.

The very last lap a friend and I pushed for a full out sprint. Running like we stole something. I learned I haven’t got it in me to be a criminal.

Interval training is a key part to training, making you stronger and faster. I know this, but I’m looking forward to Saturday’s nice, slow paced 5-mile race.

As expected, Saturday was my first distance record with a solid eight mile run. Near the end was hard, but I kept telling myself that I would run past one more light post, one more light post, just one more. When I finally started to walk, it was three miles over what I had ever run before.

Was it exciting? Sure. Tiring? Yep. Hurt? A tiny bit. Best part? From here on out, every Saturday I will run farther than ever before. Every Saturday will be a new personal best.

It’s day two of the new year and week five of a new me. The miles will start to increase this week with a six to seven mile run on Saturday and then there’s no looking back. It really will be 26 or bust as I start building up to running 26.2 miles. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do. Who am I kidding, I never thought I’d be able to run six miles! Saturday will mark my first major…well…first. It will be the first time in training that I can look at what I’ve done and say, “I never thought I’d be able to do that, but I just did.” The thought of that is down right amazing to me and has me psyched to head to the park Saturday morning. May this feeling of optimism and wonder last me through all six miles!

Speaking of things I never thought I’d be able to do, I’m closing in on the $600 mark in my fundraising. Yes, it’s still a few dollars short of my $6000 goal, but it’s more than I’ve ever raised before. Thank you to everyone that’s supported me already!

If you haven’t yet contributed, what better way to kick off the new year than with a donation to aid patients battling cancer? Just consider it fulfilling a new year’s resolution of helping others. January won’t even be over and you’ll be able to honestly say that you did see through on at least one resolution this year. Won’t that be a nice change?