Speedwork 4/28/2011

SPEEDWORK!  The hardest most dreaded workout...is completed for today.  The thing that kept me going was repeating the words..."Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable...YOU CAN DO IT"

Dist: 8 Mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 8 w/800 jogs (@10); Cool.  I interpreted this as doing 1 mile  @10 min pace for warm-up, 1 mile @8 then half a mile @10 four times, then a cool down jog and walk.  When I was doing my 8 mile pace run I was really in the zone.  Nothing hurt.  The hardest part about it was that I felt tired.  My breathing was fine, my feet, legs, knees, back and core was fine.  I was just having to really focus and run through the exhaustion.  I am so grateful that I haven't had an injury or issue to deal with in a while.  (KNOCK ON WOOD!)  I was also pondering the fact that in my last two miles at an 8 mile pace, I felt my cadence change to where I was running with my whole core and then some--not just my legs and arms.  I felt the connection from my head to my toes of that rhythm of the run.  It felt really good and kept me in the joy of feeling more power and confidence that I could finish the 8 miles without stopping.

Staying with speed is so mental.  If you think you can you can.  If you think you can't, (that you are too tired), you can't and you stop.  But the clock doesn't stop.  You either make the most of the time on the clock, or you cheat yourself.  I think of speedwork now as "WORKING HARD".  I give it everything I've got but at the same time I have a surety that I can do whatever my training log says to do in order to reach my goals.  If I wimp out, I don't deserve to qualify for Boston.  I have to put the work in.  Then I will have my prize.  If I don't qualify, at least I will be sure I gave it my all and didn't expect something for nothing.