After coming up just short of an ambitious goal for this year's Shamrock half marathon, I wanted redemption. And I wanted it soon. I started thinking about upcoming races I could throw myself into for another shot at a sub 1:40, and the Dismal Swamp Stomp was the first race that popped into mind. While training for the full marathon last year, I ran my 20 miler at the swamp and thought its rather boring straight, flat, out-and-back course would be ideal. Then I checked the race website and saw the date was a couple weeks earlier in April than I had thought, and was actually the day after I'd be coming home from a trip to New York with my daughters. That seemed like the polar opposite of ideal and a lot like setting myself up for disappointment.
I scrapped that plan as quickly as I concocted it and am so glad I did. My mental recovery from Shamrock has taken longer than I expected. I gave my all during the last few weeks of training and during the race itself. In the weeks since, I simply haven't felt like running hard. My head hasn't been in it, and I'm giving myself the gift of recovery, both mental and physical. With the hilly Gorges Ithaca Half Marathon only 8 weeks away, I'm keeping my mileage up but with less emphasis on pace. I'm loosely following my Run Less, Run Faster training plan by completing my key workouts, but I haven't been worried about hitting my target paces. Now that the dust has settled and the adrenaline has dissipated, I realize my shot at the 1:30s doesn't have to be this spring or even this year. My number one running goal is to be that little old lady you see running all over town, and giving myself a break when I know I need it is the only way to reach that goal.
91 year old San Diego Marathon finisher, Harriette Thompson
Today's 7 mile tempo run gave me confidence that this approach is what's best for me right now. I've been feeling incredibly sluggish thanks to the copious amounts of histamine (and consequently anti-histamines) coursing through my seasonal allergy-stricken body, and it's been tough getting motivated to run hard when just sitting and breathing is a challenge. I knew I'd be hating life if I pushed a stroller for today's miles, so I got my run in before Ryan went off to work. My training plan called for 1-2-1-2-1, with the 2 mile stretches at a 7:28 pace. I felt overwhelmed by that number and decided to push harder for those 2 mile chunks without worrying about whether I actually hit 7:28. Given how I've been feeling (mainly wheezy when exerting myself and like my head is being squeezed in a vice), I was pleasantly surprised to see my average for the tempo portion was in the low to mid 7:30s. I can handle those numbers without panicking when I know I'm not feeling fantastic or putting forth my best effort. And I know from experience my current la-dee-dah approach to running will eventually be replaced by the eye of the tiger, especially as we get closer to my next half in June.
In an effort to survive Ithaca, I've added some hills to my diet. I've done two workouts on the bridge at Rudee Inlet, and I plan to get some stairs and hill work in at Mount Trashmore when I can find a window of time big enough to squeeze in both the commute and the workout. I figure that, running with the jogging stroller, and even some runs on the beach will help get these legs ready for the hills of Ithaca. I've checked out the course map recently, which has me equal parts excited and terrified. While the ascent to Cornell University appears to be more gradual than I expected, it's still 1000% more of an uphill than I have ever run in my life. Throw in the downhill during the second half of the race and getting me to the finish might involve scraping me off the pavement. But it really should be a beautiful course, circling through Stewart Park at the base of Cayuga Lake and crossing over Fall Creek up by Cornell at least twice. I still haven't really wrapped my brain around getting to be in Ithaca with my husband and kids this summer, but the excitement builds the closer we get.
Stewart Park - Ithaca, NY (1.bp.blogspot.com)
Fall Creek - Ithaca, NY (gawker.com)
Ithaca College (Allie Healy - bustle.com)
Between now and our Ithaca trip, I plan to pound the pavement at whichever intensity I feel so inclined, as well as sneak in a race or two between now and then. I will not give my immune system's aversion to pollen a second thought and will just get out there and enjoy the rest of my body being healthy enough to run and race this spring and summer. I will turn down fewer Friday afternoon cocktails on warm, sunny days and instead slow my roll on those Saturday morning long runs and enjoy the best of both worlds. Spring has sprung people, get out and enjoy it!
