As expected, the run yesterday had some lasting impact on the rest of my day. I was tired and sore, and today I awoke even more so. It was hard to hobble around work all morning, and any time I stopped for even a few minutes, the sore started all over again.
I wanted to run 8 miles in the afternoon. It was difficult to imagine how that was going to be possible, and even harder to imagine how it could be done under 8-minute pace. That may not seem important, but to me it is. Running fast starts with the mind, and you have to decide a bottom level for what you accept. If I'm going to run a BQ, all my stuff should be under 8.
Being that it was the first day after cross season, there was no rush to get out to the high school and start practice. This freed me up to hit the gym right away and get my lift done. After that, I came home and started my run. The plan was to get in 3-4 miles before the group run. I figured by then I would be warmed up, and Scott could drag me around like a rag doll if he wished.
The first part of the run didn't hurt as much as it was hard to get my balance right for the first half mile. After that, things opened up, and I was comfortable right at the 8 mark. As the run progressed, the pace dropped more and more. This appears to be a pattern.
Bartlett, Roy, Scott, John T., Jesse Schofield, and Trey Pemberton (two of the boys' cross members) were there, and we took off after we discovered Jimmy would be delayed. This I knew would be trouble because A) they would be faster than us, and; B) I would chase them. Never mind the long run yesterday, or how sore I'd been all day, or whether or not it was the smart thing to do - it would be done. I might get dropped, but I wasn't just going to let it happen.
They broke away about the church, and I let them go a bit. I was talking with John T. and Roy, but I watched the distance growing. As we returned to U Street, I knew it was now or never. If I didn't move then, it would be too late and the gap too large to cover.
So I caught them. I started asking them about mileage and goals, and meanwhile the pace kept getting faster and faster. We got back to the office, and still the pace got faster. I told them they needed to get comfortable at the 7-minute per mile or under level, and simply expect to do that all the time. And we went faster and faster. Finally, we were down by the salon, preparing to make the final turn.
I didn't know how much I had left, but I wasn't feeling too poorly. I decided to press the issue. I pushed the pace down hard. It wasn't full-out, but there wasn't going to be any talking going on. Jesse began to struggle to hang in there, but Trey... he was right there. I didn't have a lot left in reserve, and had he possessed the confidence to break away, he could have easily done so. We carried it into the finish, and it was a solid effort for both of us. Jesse came in shortly after.
Now here's the thing.. these guys have goals for the team next year, and the team needs them to be great. Talent isn't going to be their enemy, confidence will. Hopefully they will continue to run with us over the winter. If they do, well, we're going to produce a couple of very different looking runners for the team...
I wanted to run 8 miles in the afternoon. It was difficult to imagine how that was going to be possible, and even harder to imagine how it could be done under 8-minute pace. That may not seem important, but to me it is. Running fast starts with the mind, and you have to decide a bottom level for what you accept. If I'm going to run a BQ, all my stuff should be under 8.
Being that it was the first day after cross season, there was no rush to get out to the high school and start practice. This freed me up to hit the gym right away and get my lift done. After that, I came home and started my run. The plan was to get in 3-4 miles before the group run. I figured by then I would be warmed up, and Scott could drag me around like a rag doll if he wished.
The first part of the run didn't hurt as much as it was hard to get my balance right for the first half mile. After that, things opened up, and I was comfortable right at the 8 mark. As the run progressed, the pace dropped more and more. This appears to be a pattern.
Bartlett, Roy, Scott, John T., Jesse Schofield, and Trey Pemberton (two of the boys' cross members) were there, and we took off after we discovered Jimmy would be delayed. This I knew would be trouble because A) they would be faster than us, and; B) I would chase them. Never mind the long run yesterday, or how sore I'd been all day, or whether or not it was the smart thing to do - it would be done. I might get dropped, but I wasn't just going to let it happen.
They broke away about the church, and I let them go a bit. I was talking with John T. and Roy, but I watched the distance growing. As we returned to U Street, I knew it was now or never. If I didn't move then, it would be too late and the gap too large to cover.
So I caught them. I started asking them about mileage and goals, and meanwhile the pace kept getting faster and faster. We got back to the office, and still the pace got faster. I told them they needed to get comfortable at the 7-minute per mile or under level, and simply expect to do that all the time. And we went faster and faster. Finally, we were down by the salon, preparing to make the final turn.
I didn't know how much I had left, but I wasn't feeling too poorly. I decided to press the issue. I pushed the pace down hard. It wasn't full-out, but there wasn't going to be any talking going on. Jesse began to struggle to hang in there, but Trey... he was right there. I didn't have a lot left in reserve, and had he possessed the confidence to break away, he could have easily done so. We carried it into the finish, and it was a solid effort for both of us. Jesse came in shortly after.
Now here's the thing.. these guys have goals for the team next year, and the team needs them to be great. Talent isn't going to be their enemy, confidence will. Hopefully they will continue to run with us over the winter. If they do, well, we're going to produce a couple of very different looking runners for the team...
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