A week away…
Hmm…
On a perfect day… yes. If it’s windy like it’s been this week? Or sunny and hot like last Friday? Err… 8:45s might be more feasible.
The Wisconsin Half (and full) Marathon is next Saturday. Kelly and I are racing it together, again. We’ve trained together, again. 23 runs with each other this year – nearly 200 miles, lots of speedwork sessions and puhLENTY of bitching (mostly, me, ha!).
My original goal for this race was a personal record (PR) for me, but really, I’d be happy to see Kelly PR, run the entire race with her, and NOT fall like I did last year. For me, that would be a successful race.
Also… if I don’t mentally give up. Ever since that late March run where I let the wind do me in, my mental game has been crap. I need to be more like Desi (from here):
… a lot of running is getting comfortable being uncomfortable—physically, as well as mentally, which means just throwing out the doubt. You can look up and think your day is over and pack it in, or you can find out what motivated you in the first place and reach down into whatever that is. It’s a place you can go to when you’re hurting before the finish line and maybe pull a little more out of yourself. There’s so many things in life where we take the easy way out and buy our comfort—that extra legroom on the airplane, the comfiest couch. In a marathon, it’s all about how far we can push ourselves and make ourselves hurt.
Maybe I’ll have to write a reminder like that on my hand again. But… in less words, ha ha.
Themocracy
I’m happy you will be wearing that band and not me. Seeing it gives me palpitations of anxiety and excitement.
No more mention of the F word!! No more!!!
We GOT THIS!!
And you know I will be yelling at you NOT to look at your watch again this year! 😀 Hee hee. Let me watch the pace 😀
I can’t wait to discuss race strategy with you!
But I can do the Eff word, right?!
WOO HOO!!!!!
No waving too, right?! I have plans for my watch! No worries I won’t be able to see what it says!
Yes, a lot of EFF is totally appropriate!!
Ha ha, you know it! And I am happy you and the watch have reached an agreement.
You’ll know things are going downhill if I STOP swearing 😉
I have PR dreams for my 5k on Sunday and my half next Saturday and I have been kinda dreading how “uncomfortable” those races will be. But then I realized that my best races have been where I keep a challenging pace, yet I was never too uncomfortable (at least until the last mile or two). Heck, during my half PR, I wasn’t uncomfortable ever (and felt like I could run another 5 miles at the end)! So, I’m going to try to relax and let the race come to me. Good luck and have fun!
That is how my best races are too. My 5K PR? I felt good until the end. That just felt WRONG at the time, but that is how I realized I prefer my PR attempts to be. I don’t want to feel like caca the whole time!
I hope you have a good 5K and half! Which half are you running?
Yes, it feels wrong to me too when I feel good at the end of a PR race. I’m like, maybe I didn’t push myself enough – even though I just PR’d. Ha, ha. Thanks and I’m doing the Indy Mini (half).
Good luck! I really like that quote about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Oddly enough, Jillian Michaels says that same thing in her yoga DVD 🙂 It’s hard when so much of our life is about maximizing our comfort level.
I am not surprised to hear Jillian said something like that! I find her really motivational. A lot of what she says makes sense to me (minus a few food things, lol!). Do you listen to her podcast?
I didn’t even know she had a podcast! I’ll have to check it out.
Let me know what you think of it! 🙂
Great quote and something on my mind lately, that it’s okay to be uncomfortable when you’re pushing it. But yes, definitely need fewer words! Haha!
GOOD LUCK next weekend!!! You are going to do awesome!!!
Fantastic quote. I very much struggle with getting comfortable being uncomfortable. I definitely dread the discomfort any time I’m gunning for a PR. I’ve thought many times about how nice it would be to just give myself lots and lots of training time such that the new PR was achievable without having to push to the limit! But alas, it obviously doesn’t work that way. Sigh!
Thanks!
I dread my speedwork for that reason – the uncomfortable level. But then I get out there and am like “this isn’t that bad!” lol. My goal is usually to have the PR without pushing the limit the whole time though… which does require training your ass off. It’s only happened to me once on purpose (and once by accident).
Love Desi. So much. You definitely do have to learn to run through the pain if you want to PR. Such a tough one to get okay with. I hope your race goes well and that you both can PR! Good luck and I can’t wait to read the recap! 🙂
She is great! She seems so down to earth (although, many elite runners do!)
Thanks! 🙂
You can doooooo it! (In the voice of the guy in water boy)
I wouldn’t stress about the weather too much. (Expends energy needlessly) I think if you run a smart race pacing wise, you should be able to hit your goal no prob despite the weather. Or just run a smart race and that will give you mounds of mental strength for your next pursuit 🙂
Ha ha, thanks!
Oh yeah, I am not a pre-race weather stresser (those people kind of make me crazy). I will look at it Friday and that will be that! 🙂 I just… do think if it’s hella windy, I may MENTALLY crumble. Help me, Desi, help me! LOL! But you know me, if I don’t hit this goal now, I will try again some other time! 🙂
Truer words have never been spoken, Charlyn! The weather will be what it is… You will run to meet it! Good luck and have fun!!
I used that quote about running uncomfortable on my page and blog recently. Because my speedwork has been all about hitting those paces–and they don’t always feel good! Learning to run uncomfortable is one of the best things I’ve ever done! Read my recap from CARA 10 last weekend…the old me would have quit. Nope.
good luck! You guys have this!
Good luck! I’m sure you can PR even in wind, what with your high mileage lately and your insanely speedy 5Ks. You know the course. I’ll be there! I can’t wait to relive my first half marathon 1 year later!
Good luck – I will pray for no wind for you (but even if there is wind, you can do it)!
You’ve got this, Kim!!!!!! Have a great race!!!
Ugh – the WEATHER! It can be hard/impossible to be “zen” about it. It’s been so mild in SoCal lately, but next week it is going to heat up – just in time for my biggish spring race. I’m a little frustrated, but there isn’t anything that I can do.
I hope that you have a great race, and thanks for sharing the reminder about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable!
OH man, I hope you still have a great race, too! 🙂 Can’t wait to hear how it goes! 🙂
Girl with all the miles and hard work you’ve put in these last few months, you’ve got that PR!
Aww, thanks 😉
Best wishes for a great run! I love the pacing bracelet, I have never used one though. I always love hearing about your buddy runs! I live vicariously 😉
I really like using pace bands! I used to always print them on paper and cover them in tape so my sweat wouldn’t ruin them, but this is much less labor intensive, ha ha!