I probably shouldn't be too upset about my 5K results. I think they're pretty much in line with what I ran at the Get in Gear 10K. Plus, I'm beating (or at least a lot closer to) people that were beating me in March. It's just a little frustrating that I've added speed since then, but it didn't translate to my 5K. And I know all about the "you don't need speed for a marathon" comments. That may be true, but there's no denying the numbers. For example, 2 years ago I ran 17:52 at the same 5K and then managed to PR at Grandma's in 2:57:30 (McMillan predicted 2:54). This year's 18:58 ("chip time" - i.e. "my watch") calculates to 3:05. I'm guessing that this year's marathon training program isn't any better than what I did in 2007.
I was thinking if this is what growing old is going to be like, I'm going to have to find a better way to deal with getting slower. Maybe I'll have to start focusing more on competing with the runners around me, rather than running certain times. Or maybe I should start working on new age group PRs this summer. Of course, it doesn't hurt to keep Joey Keillor's advice in mind when he said, "I’ve come to believe that the majority of your satisfaction should come from your present circumstances, and a lesser amount should be reserved for what you hope to be."
I spent a lot of today's run thinking about what I want to do after Grandma's. I know I mentioned focusing on speed, but now I'm leaning towards mileage. Again, there's no denying the numbers. For me, I've run my best when I've run my most miles.
You've probably heard of The Summer of George and maybe even The Summer of Malmo. Well, this is going to be The Summer of Chad. Simply put, that means running as many miles as I can from July - September and seeing what comes out the other side. It could be twisted steel or it could be hamburger. I'll probably be cranky. I might even get injured. I may blog less and possibly even forget my facebook password. I may loss my sex drive. Heck, maybe my wife will even be begging me for some action for a change. Those are all things I'm willing to experience during The Summer of Chad. What better to ring in my 40th year on this planet? I may not end up setting PRs, but it should be memorable.
Quote of the day;
"If you think that life has passed you by, or, even worse, that you are living someone else's life, you can still prove the experts wrong." - Dr. George Sheehan
5 comments:
I was just thinking about getting older today too (a friend was bit$#ing about turning 40), and the first thought that popped into my mind was "that's 5 minutes closer to qualifying for Boston". So in my mind, aging isn't necessarily a bad thing with running.
You may surprise yourself at Grandmas this year.
You answered your own question. Strive within your current circumstances, not the past ones. If you try to hang close to the 17:52 of a younger you, you risk injury and risk losing the love of running. Definitely ramp up the mileage, but it has to be geared toward staying healthy rather than toward sub-3 etc. Sub-3 and/or other time goals may very well happen, but it should come as a pleasant surprise from consistent, smart training, not as the end result of mentally torturous, over-zealous training. We all know this, but our minds f*&^ with us, and before we know it, we're burnt and injured.
At least you have some fast times to look back on. I'm 47, been running regularly for 30 years, and never been fast. Not sure why I keep plugging away, other than the fact I love running and all it's benefits. I'm hoping to keep going at least well into my 60's...maybe I can win get some age group wins.
"The Summer of (No) Love" ;-)
Cindi, I think runners tend to handle aging (especially the big birthdays) better than most folks. Probably due to the new age groups we join and additional minutes for Boston.
Charlie, I always come back to a quote I heard a few years ago; "If you want the things you've never had before, you have to do things you've never done before." I'm pretty confident that I won't have a breakthrough on 70 mpw.
Anon, times are all relative. Mine may be fast compared to you, but they're slow when I compare them to others. In the end it's best just to compare against ourself.
Eric, let's hope I don't get that extreme!!!
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