I’m the One at the Sail

Exciting time, this 2018 of running. After a PR in both of the 5Ks to start the year, I did a PR in my half marathon just this past Sunday!

I went into the Run the Border race hoping that I would be able to pull off a personal best. My goal has been to run a 1:45 which was a New Year’s resolution and about an eight minute mile pace. Over the last year or year and a half that has seem feasible if I just sort of sucked up and ran a half with that expectation.

To me, the issue with running a 1:45 half is that it would probably be uncomfortable and I thought there would be the good possibility of totally failing halfway in and slowing myself beyond what I’ve run in the past.  I knew that some part of me needed to be okay with the idea of falling apart in a race but that’s a hard thing to embrace. So with this race I thought why not give it ago although even mentally italic myself to maybe just an 8:15 pace using excuses like being sick and training in my head (blah blah blah).

 Lining up for the race it turned out to be a pretty good tailwind and because it was just down the border that tail one would be with us a majority of the time. It was colder than I expected but certainly not something beyond what I’ve rin and even this winter. So I least up got myself prepared and went out.

And lo and behold:

1:45:02!!

The tailwind definitely helped  propel my race to this time; however I will say that even though it was uncomfortable and I definitely had moments of wanting to stop it was not something that was insurmountable. It was something that I even upon finishing thought “I could maybe go faster”.That’s a pretty cool place to leave a new personal record especially going into my second attempt at a BQ.

In the end I got third in my age group and beat my best half marathon pace by four minutes or thereabouts. It was a pretty cool race and I like how I felt (not necessarily during it but after) and the thought that I could do better. It will/would take more work and focus but not something that seems entirely insane

Windows Rolled Down

It’s a new day and I’m waiting for my breakfast to digest before heading out for a 10 miler. I’m trying something new which is having an English muffin, some peanut butter, and a dab of jelly in lieu of my normal bar. Calories wise it’s about the same, but mass wise it’s more so I’m curious how this will go.

I also still have my head or chest or whatever cold which is seeming to not be better or worse. Just IS and it’s annoying. I’m hoping to hold back on the pace, not that I flew last week, but probably looking closer to 8:45 or 9:00 isn’t a bad thing right now.

Lay Me Down in a Bed of Roses

After a week vacation in which I was active, although only did one (island!) 5K, I am now finding myself off the street going on day two. It sucks and is one of the first times in a while that I remember taking time off because I felt sick (and not injured). I’m pretty sure I couldn’t run well even if I wanted so it’s relatively moot but it’s still weird. And I feel super lazy (and headachy). I’m just trying to keep in mind the fact that some off days doesn’t mean everything goes to crap. I have Easterns States on March 25th which may now be a tad off, it there’s always th next one and, maybe this one isn’t a lost cause just yet.

In other news: Baystate opens up today... let’s see when I make this commitment..