HARD TO EXPLAIN

I usually don’t have an agenda for topics I want to blog about. Usually whatever pops into my head during my morning run makes it here during my lunch hour. Being 12 days out from my goal race, you can imagine what most of my thoughts have been about lately. As a result, some of the topics lately may be rehashed over and over. And while that may bore my readers to tears, it’s important for me to write what I’m thinking during these last few weeks so that in the future I can look back and say, “Yeah, that’s the feeling I’m looking for. That’s the level of confidence I need in order to run a great race.”

I’ve mentioned all factors are pointing to a sub-2:55. Sure I’ve listed all the workouts, races, times, etc. Those things are easy to quantify. But explaining this level of confidence is very hard. Sure a lot of the confidence stems from all those things mentioned above. It’s like the “chicken and the egg” question. Am I confident because of my training/racing or am I training/racing well because of my confidence? I imagine they go hand-in-hand and feed off of one another.

I’ve had decent marathon training in the past. I’ve written 2:55 down where I could see it every day – and I’ve come up short every time. So what’s different this time? Why the confidence? I don’t know the answer. All I can do is compare it to past races. In 2001 and 2002 I ran 3 marathons between 3:00:55 and 3:03:15. Then in my fourth marathon during those years I had a similar level of confidence and ran a still-standing PR of 2:58:10.

Last year at Chicago was a lot like that string of 3:01 – 3:03s. I thought I could run 2:55 but I just didn’t have the confidence. So when I was running 6:50s instead of 6:40s I just accepted it and was content to run 2:58:57. Now I find myself in a similar situation as prior to my PR; calm, confident and looking forward to race morning.

Alright, enough about me. If you have a chance, check out my most requested interviewee.

Quote of the day;

“I usually train on a treadmill at a decent pace, and the only speed work I do is the race itself. I run what I feel like doing for that week. If I am feeling good, I run a little more than if I’m feeling sore. I also mix in a bit of biking. Some may think it sounds like a weird way to train, but it keeps running enjoyable.” - Amy Lyons