As I get mentally prepared for this weekend’s River Trail 15K, I can’t help but reflect back on my last race, the CASA Half Marathon in December. A nice PR, but it could have been so much better had I only listened to my Amy, my running coach. My original plan after the Athens Authentic Marathon, was to race in the Jingle Bell 5K. However, I had such an amazing first half at Athens. I averaged an 8:40 pace even with the rolling hills. I had to fight to hold back and not run faster. In the days post marathon I did not feel sore and recovered really well. It got me thinking that it would be nice to go for a half marathon PR since I was already trained. I mean, hey, I’d already put in the work! I could spend the next four weeks maintaining the base I’d already built and maybe even have a HUGE PR.
Well that’s when I began to lose touch with reality. We have all done it! Thinking you are ready to run faster than you really are. Unfortunately, I had made up my mind and could not be told differently. My previous had PR was 1:47 at the Mississippi Blues Half. It was a 5 minute PR for me and I had a great race. I had run a 20 miler the week prior AND it was a hilly race course! So in my mind I start reasoning that I will be running on fresh legs, the course is flat, and both races are around the same time of year so it should be a perfect PR opportunity.
Mississippi Blues Half Marathon 2012: a 5 Minute PR! photo credit: Michael Smith
There was one big difference: for the Mississippi Blues Half, Amy and I had made a realistic race plan and I had stuck with it! The week before CASA, during our weekly coaching call, Amy suggested that I shoot for a 1:42 -1:45. I told her that I was thinking about trying to break 1:40. In my head I was really thinking about running a 1:37. As I write this, I can now laugh at myself for thinking this was realistic, but I believe its also motivating to DREAM BIG!
She gave in and we made a plan to go out a little slower for the first 3 miles then work my way down to the 7:25-7:30 pace and finish strong in the last 2 miles. The first 5 miles went as planned, but then I found myself struggling to hold the pace. My final 8 splits were 7:59, 8:13, 8:08, 7:59, 8:30, 8:00, 8:26, and 8:24. I averaged a 6:50 pace on the final .1 mile. The good news is, I ran a new PR of 1:45 and more importantly I learned a valuable lesson: If you pay a running coach you might as well listen to her! She had me prepared to easily run away (pun intended) with another 5 minute PR!
CASA Half Marathon 2014 Mile 7 still feeling good! photo credit: Run Bike Swim Photos
Running and racing has always taught me valuable life lessons as well. The things I learn from running can easily be applied to my daily life. It’s ok to DREAM BIG. You absolutely should have stretch goals. They are inspirational and motivational! However, you have to be willing to put in the daily work to get there and the daily work needs to be tasks that will build upon each other to help you reach your goal. In the 4 weeks of training for CASA Amy had me get in some solid speed workouts and based on the types of workouts and my performance, I was definitely ready for a 1:42, but not a sub 1:40. Not yet anyway. I was anxious to do this now and get it done because I knew that I was only planning for shorter races in 2015, so in my mind this was a one shot deal.
In dealing with my frustration and disappointment after the race I realized I was at a crossroad similar to where I was with my online wellness business. While I really would like to break 1:40 or faster in the half, I’m just not crazy about racing that distance and the training required to reach that goal plus training for another half could interfere with my other racing goals. What I really wanted was to enjoy my training and race distances that I love, which means accepting the fact that my half PR might not be what I believe I am capable of running. The same is true of my online wellness business. I felt a bit all over the place in 2014 as I wrote about in my post Finding Balance. My intention for 2015 is to spend my time doing the things that I really love doing and that serve my business goals. In my last post I told you that purpose of my online business is to supplement our retirement and to allow us to support ministries that are important to us. Since I have another business I want to make sure that the time I spend here is truly enjoyable and not something that I dread or that overwhelms me.
Sometimes its hard to admit when we need to changes directions. In running, most of my friends run half marathons, marathon, trail races and even ultra marathons. I really want to be a part of their world. But truthfully I don’t want to put in the time required to train for those distances. I have other things that I want to accomplish in my life and don’t want to spend so much time away from my family. In my online wellness business, my mentors are all working their businesses full time. They have more time to dedicate to building their businesses than I do. They have many great ideas that I’d like to implement, but not at the cost of driving myself crazy and feeling like I don’t have enough time. The beauty of my online wellness business, is that it is mine to work as it fits into my lifestyle and my schedule of which I have control! Just like my running.
What important lessons have you learned from running? Are you doing anything different in 2015 that you did last year either in your running, your work, or your personal life? Leave a comment below and share the lessons you have learned! Perhaps this post has inspired you to take a closer look at the direction you are going and reevaluate whether it really serves your life’s desire and purpose. If so I’d love to hear from you!
