APPLES AND ORANGES

I go through these stretches where I don’t have much to write about, then all the sudden I have a bunch of topics and they usually don’t intertwine. I’ll pick a couple today and save the others (or spare you entirely). I mentioned in a comment that this weather isn’t terrible, but the timing sucks. Spring was here. The snow was gone. Warmer temps should be coming. Then all the sudden the snow and cold are back.

This morning I managed an easy 6 miles. My trail wasn’t plowed yet, so I just ran through various neighborhoods to pass the time. Wind chills in the single digits in March suck. This evening I joined my training group for a hill workout in downtown St. Paul. Most of the run was spent focusing on dodging glare ice, rather than worrying about running. I managed another 84 minutes which I called 11 miles.

Running these hills got me wondering if I’m pushing hard enough during my group training sessions. There were 4 people ahead of me, 3 of which I could probably beat in a race. Based on the effort I’m putting out, I feel like I’m where I should be. However, maybe I’m not putting out enough of an effort. I think, “What sort of effort are those other people putting out?” I feel strong. I don’t feel totally spent after a hill workout or long run. I guess I can justify the slower pace because of the higher mileage. The one day I was rested for a hill workout, I ran awesome. I just need to keep telling myself that.

I found an interesting comment on Tri Mike’s blog for a week ago or so. I believe the comment was from a triathlete who has a runner friend that does high mileage. He mentioned that said runner only beat him by 3 minutes in a 10k and 15 minutes in a marathon. I don’t know what other people’s standards are, but 30 seconds per mile is A LOT, especially if you’re talking about someone running Boston Qualifying times or faster. You don’t just bump you mileage for a while or hit the track for some speed and shave off that kind of time – unless you weren’t very fit to begin with.

Granted, comparing runners and triathletes is like comparing apples and oranges. Even if the triathlete just focused on running, there’s no guarantee that he could catch his friend. Or maybe he’d smoke his ass. In the end, we can only try to maximize our own potential. Whether it involves one discipline, two or three doesn’t really matter.

Quote of the day:
“Hills are speedwork in disguise.” Frank Shorter