Wow, has it really been over three months since I posted? UGH. I hate that. I could make a bunch of excuses about life being busy–and it has been–but that’s all they are, excuses. Truth is, I’ve been starting posts in my head, but not putting fingers to keyboard and so they just haven’t come to fruition.. There’s almost too much to write about so I didn’t really know where to start.
We left off with me having screamed at my BRF (best running friend) and realizing that I needed to shake up some things if I was ever going to get where I want to be running wise. So I met with a running coach and we decided we’d start working together after the start of the year, and that for the last couple months of 2017 I just needed to focus on continuing to run and keep my base.
Continue to run, I did. One of my dear friends was training for the Disney Dopey Challenge–48.6 miles over 4 days–and I went along for the ride on some of her longer training runs. She was one of the people who made me realize that long runs are always better when you have someone to complain with. Some of them were a real struggle, but we had fun getting lost in the city and figuring out how to get the miles. These runs also reminded me how much I love distance running, and kind of made me miss it–even though I promised that I’m not doing distance this year.
I’m not doing distance this year. Half marathons and shorter. And I MISS it. My friends are mostly training for the full (or longer) and man do I wish I could be out there on their longer runs with them. But I’m focusing on speed and sticking to the plan from my coach–and it’s working. I’m already seeing crazy progress from sticking to the plan. And I love it. I love the hard work. Not to say it’s not without it’s struggles. Cut back weeks are rough for me-my anxiety spirals when I don’t have the quality workouts, so we’re adjusting my plan to keep me sane. Getting faster also means I can’t run with my friends as much. They’re running long and slow–and I can’t. The time is coming for me to graduate pace groups on our Saturday runs and I’m really struggling with it–because even though I’m not running *with* them now, I know they are *there*. I can see them. We start and finish together. I couldn’t handle the group runs before I found my people–there are few things worse than being completely alone in a group. But growth means challenging yourself and being uncomfortable, so soon I’ll bite the bullet and in the end it will be worth it.
Had to adjust my training plan this week because I pushed last weekend’s long run off to Sunday. On Saturday I had the honor and pleasure of filling in as race support crew for my BRF during his third 50k. His wife came down sick and he needed someone last minute so I jumped in. I had so much fun. I helped more than just him–opening gels, handing out oranges and the occasional beer (since we weren’t drinking them). We had a perfect location set up–I could see him coming and made sure his stuff was ready when he got there so he didn’t lose too much time. And he absolutely crushed his goal, blew it completely out of the water. He PR’d by over 20 minutes. It was incredible to be there to witness it–he’s been training so hard and it’s paying off. I am so incredibly proud of him–you’d think I PR’d by the way I grin when I talk about it. My heart bursts when I think about how far he’s come as a runner in the time I’ve known him, and how he’s pushed me in the process. Five years ago this past weekend we ran together for the first time and it was during the same race he participated in–though he wasn’t running it at the time. In fact, when we talked about the race and the distance he said he would NEVER do that. But he did. And then he did it again. And then he did it again and he CRUSHED it.
In my own world, I PR’d a recent 10-mile race (on a tougher course than I’d set the original PR) by 4 minutes, so I’m getting really excited for my spring goal races to see what PRs I can pull off. I feel myself getting stronger and faster. I’m excited for my friends who are all chasing big goals–new times, new distances, some tackling their first ever races. I don’t know where I would be without this sport, but I’m so thankful for it and the people it’s brought into my life. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds for all of us.
More soon (for real, I promise)…