Last year I ran the Mid-Winter 10 Mile Cape Classic up in Maine.
I had an awesome race, finishing in 1:11:4something/ 7:11 pace. I felt so strong. I remember it was bitterly cold that day. I had the beginnings of Achilles Tendinitis, but I was ignoring it. In the next week it became full blown and I had to take a full week off from running and enter physical therapy.
This year's race will likely not go so well. I'm not in the rocking shape I was in at this time last year. Still, I'm so excited. I'll get up early and drive the 2.5 hours to the start, drinking my coffee and listening to the end of Through A Glass Darkly, the somewhat cheesy novel I'm listening to in the car. I'll see Ange and some new blogger friends like Mindy and Speedy and Nitsirk, and after the race I'll have lunch with Ange, her family and my good friend from high school, Alina. I hope it's a good day, and I hope I will allow myself to be proud and happy with my pace/time, no matter how much slower it is than last year!
I have to remember that not being super fast right now is a part of the master plan. I need to peak in August, not January. Right now I'm just building an aerobic base. Remind me of this when I lament my race time in my report.
I don't know if you all do this, but lately I've been having massive delusions of grandeur. Winning races and heading to Kona just don't seem impossible right now. This could be because I'm in a rest week. Whenever I'm resting I feel so full of energy that I start imagining that at my next race it will be revealed that I'm as good as Kate Major or Michellie Jones. Sponsors will knock at my door and offer to get me a new Tri Bike and coaches from all over the country will contact me hoping I will allow them to coach me. I spent a lot of time figuring out who will be some of my main competition in my age group at Timberman 70.3 this year. There are at least four women I know of who are returning to compete this year who posted faster times than me last year or the year before (not including Ange, who will likely beat me, but who isn't a "threat" because she's Ange!) My current plan is to smoke everyone in my age group,including these women, but except Ange, who will also smoke everyone, and go under 5 hours. I'm dreaming big. 'Til Tomorrow.
4 comments:
Okay, I know speed is relative, but I've never run a 7:11 pace for one mile, much less for ten!!
Keep dreaming BIG DREAMS because you are speedy, girl!
Good luck with the race tomorrow and have fun with your friends after :)
as usual, I am a day late and dollar short, so how'd the race go??
I can't wait to hear about the race.
It was so cool to see you and put a face with a blog! I'm still sure I've seen you around somewhere (maybe the bathroom line at other races?!) Anyway, I hope you had a fabulous race. I'm sure it was much better than mine, even if you didn't set any land speed records!
I totally hear you on the off-season delusions of grandeur. I've won Ironman 100 times on paper, if only running 7-minute miles were as easy out on the road as writing down lightning-fast splits in my (dream) training plans! But then again unlike me, you're *good*! Dream big and make it happen! Make those chicks at Timberman say uncle!
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