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.
Chris, thanks for the book recommendation. I'm definitely gonna check it out!!
ReplyDeleteOutstanding!. It's really helped me up my game and lower my times.
DeleteI hope you enjoy it.