My past 6 weeks

My RC sent me a copy of my running file and broke down my first 6 weeks of training and I liked what I saw. I have been a slacker for the last couple of days with my vacation and getting back to reality. I was told that if I got off schedule that it would be a little hard to get back on track and now I am seeing it.

This morning I went for my longest run since my training started. I was suppose to run 8 miles at my new easy pace in the low 10's. I got out to our local triangle to run with some of the Macon tracksters on a cool Sunday morning with showers on the way.

I started out a little slow in the low 11's cause I knew that today was going to be a test of will power and stamina. I have never run 8 miles non-stop before. Well at least that I can remember. I watched as the rest of the group slowly peeled off into the distance leaving me and my lonely self to battle the elements of the weather and the little man on my shoulder trying to tell me that I could not do it.

When I reached about the 3 mile marker, I started to see some people going back to the cars. They must have hit the 4.5 and now are on the way back. I will still treading along at my own pace determined to finish my run no matter how slow or long it took me. I reached the 4 mile marker and now I was on my journey back to the finish area.

My mind started to play tricks on me around mile 6 cause I looked at my watch and it said I was running at an 8 something pace. Then I remembered that I just finished one of my 30 seconds bursts. I started thinking that my body was getting tired.

1 hour into the run and I knew that now this is the longest training run so far today. I just thought about going to 70 minutes and calling it quits but then I remembered our team motto. Team POD ( Pain of discipline ). I could not quit and be part of the team. I would not do that to my coach, my team nor to myself. So I slogged forward. I started to now feel a little better. I was actually picking up the pace, I think.

I passed the 7 mile mark and kept going. I then saw my watch read 7.5 miles and I could see the finish. I reached the finish and I still had .04 to go and some people thought I was a little crazy because I kept going now down another road. I had to make the watch read 8:00 miles and it did. I had a 10:38 pace and a HR average at 153. On the mark.