Well, there are only three more training days left (after today) until I run my first 10k. Of course, I will be slowing the training down more and more between now and then, but they are still training days! As you may have noticed prior to this post, I have had a struggle on my runs this week. I know some of the mistakes that I made (i.e. running during the heat of the day, using sub-par training equipment, not stretching enough prior, and not eating enough prior), but I still remained confident in my quest for a sub-55 minute 10k. This morning, I was able to get out on the trail a little earlier, and I was lucky enough to enlist my retired mother to come along for the fun. While she cannot run well for various reasons, she was wanting to support my efforts, so, since the trail is a 1 mile loop course with various small hills and heat exposure, she sat near the start/finish line in order to hand me my water bottle at the conclusion of each lap. Since the race will have water at each mile marker and Gatorade at miles two and four, this was a great help as it enabled me to simulate the race day setup! While I feel that I can still perform better on Monday, I was able to run 6.2 miles (10k) in under 56 minutes. The only downfall was that I ended up resetting my stop watch app on my Palm Pre while drinking water from my water bottle and as I started the final lap, but I remember looking down at the clock just a few yards earlier and tried to do my best to truly understand my completion time (which was somewhere between 54 and 56 minutes).
Looking Forward
While I was running, probably during the mediocre second lap, I actually started to wonder what I was going to write on this blog and about the run as a whole. As I ran and listened to my iPod Touch, I ended up wondering what strategy I need to run for the race. Of course, I do not want to overdo it on the first mile and hence burn out before the heart of the race gets started! On the other hand, I do not want to run like a turtle just to finish. I am confident that I have a chance to run 55 minutes or below that, by looking at recent year’s results, would put me in the top 1,000 –potentially earning me a medal! When I was in the Marine Corps and at boot camp in San Diego, people would try to take it easy on the first half of the three mile runs in an effort to have more kick at the end, but the drill instructors would motivate you to run hard on the front end of the course in an effort to have a good halfway (turn-around point) time. This actually helped me run my fastest three miles that I ever recorded because I was able to then see just how far I was to the halfway point and then figured out how close I was getting to finishing. But, then again, this race does not feature a loop or out-and-back course, so I have to think this through a bit more than I probably should. And being one who can be found to over think and over analyze things more than recommended, I begin to wonder what is the best strategy for me; plus, I must say that I am a knowledge seeker and a perfectionist, so I am willing to absorb whatever knowledge others are willing to share! But, I have been known to be a risk-taker, and that means that I would sometimes rather lose big and potentially not finish than to underperform. Yet, being that this is new territory for me by being the first race I have ever entered into, I truly want to finish.
Goals with Rewards
So, I have set some goals for myself and rewards for when I achieve them!
- Finish the race – go to the water park after the race and take the afternoon off of weight training (for those who know me, this is a rarity for me)
- Finish the race in under 1 hour – buy some new (cheaper) weight lifting gloves
- Finish the race in under 55 minutes (and be within the top 1000) – buy some better weight lifting gloves
- Finish the race within the top 900 – buy some new running/workout shoes
- Finish the race within the top 800 – buy a new iPod Touch armband
Well, I am excited to race, even though there is a lot of unknown here! But, it will be a great experience for me and my fitness goals!
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