Well, its been a while since my last post and yes I am a terrible
blogger. Actually that's not entirely true; back a few years ago I was
so blog-obsessed with politics that it was all I could do to pull myself
away from the keyboard. Running was the replacement to satisfy my OCD
and I am happy with that choice.
Since my last post, training has been going quite well. As I mentioned, I began a 6 week online Running Techniques Course by James Dunne at Kinetic Revolution and while I didn't follow it religiously, I have seen a major improvement in my form. It took some time but I finally began to reap the benefits as my previously ignored muscles got stronger.
Also in the "muscles" department, I undertook some work on the one between my ears by reading The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by Dr. Jim Afremow. I've always been a believer in the power of the mind and how it can help us overcome our physical limitations. If you are looking to up your mental game, I highly recommend this great book.
As my training progresses I am able to see that I am getting faster and mentally stronger but there is still plenty of room for improvement which is encouraging.
Yesterday I ran Pat's Run to honor the legacy of former ASU and Arizona Cardinal great Pat Tillman, who walked away from his NFL career to join the military after 9/11. Pat's Run is a first class race with some 28,000 runners and is the kickoff to my racing season.
With a finishing time in the 4.2 mile race of 30:25 last year, in March I set a goal of 28:00, which at the time was almost unrealistic. To be honest I would have been thrilled just to finish in 30:24 given where I was running-wise at the time. At least I had something to shoot for and a lot can, and did, happen during the next 7 weeks.Training went well, both mentally and physically and while I came up short by :19 I am still please with the result. Could I have done better? Sure considering that mile 3 was :20+ slower than miles 1, 2 and 4 (6:48, 6:39 and 6:50) but I gave myself a pat on the back and a mental fist bump for a race well run.
Coming up next weekend is the D-backs Race Against Cancer 5K and I have set another "unrealistic" goal of running a sub 20:00 race. I know that's going to be pushing it but the course is flat and I'm "thinking gold".
I'll let you know how it goes.
