Yeah, so I'm slow in doing this blog thing. If I was really fast and smart, I would have thought of this long before the first session, but oh well. You get what you get. I'll see if I can remember things to this point.
The first meeting was a fun kickoff. We got to meet the coaches, mentors, and support staff at Fleet Feet. Yeah, a LOT of promotion of what Fleet Feet sells, but they provide SO much for these programs, that I can't blame them at all. They're building their customer base. Great marketing plan and a great way to get people healthier with good equipment.
A good bit of nerves all the way around. Lots of questioning faces around. Can I do this? What have I done? Am I going to die doing this? Understandable. Even I had some of these feelings. Knowing how I didn't give it my all in high school has made me apprehensive, but with my wife there doing this, I knew I wanted to give it my all. After all, I knew she would be and I don't want her to think her hubby isn't doing all he can too.
Week one got there and we did our first mile. Each week is a build in distance from the week before, usually in .5 mile increments. So week 1 is 1 mile, week 2 is 1.5, and so on. We meet once a week as a group and those are mandatory (for the most part). We meet optionally 2 other times during the week, but those times are not always easy to do, especially when we're on the complete other side of town and meeting during rush hour times.
We meet up, discuss issues, then stretch. This stretching is supposed to get us ready, but I personally feel like more stretching is needed, especially with it cold. So we get there early enough to do a warmup walk, then stretch on our own. After the group stretch, things are better. Then the coaches would plan a route and each group, based on mile time/speed, would run together to knock that distance out. We focus on how our bodies are feeling, any issues coming up physically or mentally, and work to resolve them.
Now I have to admit, the 1 to 1.5 jump was not bad, but the 1.5 to 2 mile jump hurt. I'm thinking it was just the psychological aspect of going from 1 mile to multiple miles, but I found my first mile very hard to do without getting shortness of breath and side stitches. Those same issues plagued me in high school too, so I started feeling like I truly suck at running. The mentors talked with me and gave me ideas and tips on how to improve my breathing. Who would have thought I would be 43 years old and not know how to breathe???!!! C'mon! But they were right. I modified my breathing, and while it was still tough, because I'd go back into my old habits, I did better and felt better after running that I did before.
Yesterday was a run day, but we didn't meet up with the group. I ran on my own in my neighborhood. So with trusty heart rate monitor attached and my iPhone GPS application (Motion X GPS btw), I set out after stretching.
I started out slowly, dreading the first mile. My pace was showing a 6.8 mph on the GPS, faster than I had planned. I found a 10 minute mile felt fine for me without stitches or air issues, but I was at closer to a 9 minute pace and feeling good. So I kept on chugging away, reminding myself that walking is always an option, but not one I want to take unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. That's when I decided to run through any issues and fall back on what my mentors had been telling me.
Without a mentor there, without my fellow students with me, it fell on ME to not quit. Anybody who knows me knows I hate to lose. Yeah, I'm competitive. But when I have to walk, I feel like I've lost. I've lost the battle of wills in my own mind. I've beaten myself. But I KNOW my body can win, but the mind always wins. Today was going to be different. I just kept chugging away. I put a little more lean into my posture, increasing the speed, without necessarily fatiguing anything else. I'd glance at the GPS to see my distance, trying to ignore the speed reading and avoiding the heart rate #. I can tell what my heart rate is by how I feel (thanks to Nancy, our spin instructor at the Y).
1 mile down in 9:02. WOW! And I felt GOOD still. I waited for the hammer to fall and the cramps to start, but they never came. For perhaps the second or third time EVER while running, I felt my mind wander to other things - when I'm going to do my spring maintenance on the Jeep, when we can plant in the garden, and when we can do our next bike ride - anything other than what I was doing. I ran past my turn and kept on going, knowing the 2 mile marker was coming up. I ended up going a way with another small hill, but I felt good enough to know I could handle it. When I say small hill, here in Alabama, it means a very slight rise. NOTHING like the hills in St. Louis where I ran Cross Country! But still that grade was noticeable. Finished that stretch, and ran the rest back to the house. 2.0 miles down in 18:26. My fastest time since high school!
I understand the group run and what it is meant to do. But I've found out a few things about myself. Perhaps this applies to you, perhaps not, but I'll share. In a group run, to stay as a group, you may alter your stride, your cadence, or your posture. When I do that, I get stitches. I may bounce more when I run to keep a slower pace. Not sure exactly what all happens, but when I run at my pace and my stride, I am going faster than give myself credit for.
If you take anything from this blog post, realize that the group runs are important. They help you know your fellow runners and you can get some GREAT advice from those mentoring you. And it helps you learn a pace. The group also helps keep those demons in your head away. But do NOT underestimate the power and value of a solo run. Take the lessons you've learned in your training and apply them. Force your mind to think of them until it is second nature. These solo runs are also when the demons will rear up and try to defeat you. You know what they'll say. You know what they'll try to do to you. Ignore that. Now having said that, if you BODY is telling you "Woah" then perhaps you should listen, but learn to tell the difference. Tell those demons to kiss your butt and take a flying leap off a tall cliff. That comes in time. It came to me yesterday - 6 weeks into the program.
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