Distance: 6 miles
Time: 33 minutes
pace: 5:30
Today consisted of a relatively short run but was what's called a tempo run. It's a workout where you run at an intensity between 7-8 the entire way (except for the first mile warm up). It doesn't put you into immediate oxygen debt, but you're consciously pushing it during the last few miles. These are the shorter runs that begin to prepare you both mentally and physically for the longer runs to come in the months ahead. Since the tempo is a definite workout, it requires more mental energy than an easier fun run. You're more aware of your pace and its maintenance.
For me, the mental aspect of distance racing draws me to the sport as much as the feeling you get after a solid workout or a first place finish. U.S. marathoner Ryan Hall says it best, "distance running is all about pain tolerance." In a race, you're going to feel pain, and fatigue is a long-time acquaintance. It's a matter of how you handle it in your mind. Not only is it the physiological conditioning during the hundreds, if not thousands of miles you've run leading up to race day; it's also the psychological preparation. When the going gets tough, there's no coach to urge you on, there's no climactic, emotional music that emanates from some unknown source. You're left with the sound of your feet striking the pavement, your breathing, and the seemingly increased weight of your legs.
A race is a truly unique experience for serious runners. In ways it requires strategical thinking like in a game of chess. It's also a lot like poker; patience, reading your opponent(s), and determining what level of shape they're actually in. Are they going to hold this pace? Do they have more in the tank at mile 23? It all comes down to one reality.
It's a silent war.
There's something very personal about a race. The person running only a few feet at your side is not a friend or comrade, he's the enemy. The goal is to have him behind you when you cross the finish. It's time to put up or shut up. No excuses.
These thoughts fill my mind as I begin to push it hard during the last miles of workouts like today's. Your level of fitness increases. You get stronger.
You can run the distance, but can your mind?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You can run the distance, but can your mind? Whoa, very good, applies to anything really, really difficult that we attempt(commonly called survival in our family). It is usually the war in the mind and your inability to give into defeat that enables you to move to the next leg of the war (commonly called life, in our family). Keep running, on the road and in your mind. Run in such a way that you can win.
ReplyDelete