So I was coming off a fairly satisfying season opener in the 1500m this past weekend. I ran the fastest season opener I've ever run, which isn't all that impressive since it was only a 3:48, but it showed progress. I stepped on the line nervous as hell, and I have no clue why. It's not even my event!!!! But it's what comes with racing. The butterflies in the stomach, the ever thirsty mouth, and the biggest hit to the confidence....THE DOUBT. And it's the kind of doubt that encompasses everything. I questioned, my training, my fitness, my ability to compete...All I kept thinking was "I don't want to do this!!". My races are typically in the evenings so I have an entire day to just sit there and think. But like every other race I've run in my life, I stepped on the line and when the gun went, I raced. To be honest it felt good again to compete. It felt good to experience it all again. I love this sport!
THE BAD
Everything felt good until Thursday. Workout intensity has really picked up both in the weight room and on the track. I'm tired, sore, and want to be curled in a ball all day. But so does everyone in the group so at least I know there is some normality here. The track workout for Thursday was a pretty standard workout for this time of year.
600m-400m at 1km pace,
500m-300m at 800m pace
On a typical day this should go fairly smoothly....but that wasn't today. To sum it up, the 600m was a little slow, and I dropped out of the 400m because I felt like I was running backwards.
But here's where it's gets better. Coach comes over to me and tells me to call it a day (remember I've only done the first set). As I stood there bent over on the sideline as my training partner finishes the rep, I begin to question myself. "Am I just being a wuss?" "Could I have gotten through that if I just toughened up?". I figured there was only one way to see. SECOND SET!!! I decide to run 400m-200m-200m to simulate the similar quality of the workload while allowing me to still finish the workout. I take off the line feeling really smooth and relaxed. "So I was being a wuss" pops into my head....... 200m in I look at my watch that reads 25 high......perfect split. As I come around the turn I notice my legs beginning to tingle.....F......!!!!!! On the straight away with 100m left my head starts to swing from side to side, my knees stop driving upwards....yup I'm dying. As I cross the line I looked at my coach who has a big smile on his face that says "TOLD YOU DUMBASS"!!!
I took off the spikes sat on the track and laughed to myself. At least I know it wasn't a mental component. Oh ya the total time was 54.5 (29 seconds second lap).
Tomorrow is the final workout for the week. Hope this isn't the UGLY
600m-400m at 1km pace,
500m-300m at 800m pace
On a typical day this should go fairly smoothly....but that wasn't today. To sum it up, the 600m was a little slow, and I dropped out of the 400m because I felt like I was running backwards.
But here's where it's gets better. Coach comes over to me and tells me to call it a day (remember I've only done the first set). As I stood there bent over on the sideline as my training partner finishes the rep, I begin to question myself. "Am I just being a wuss?" "Could I have gotten through that if I just toughened up?". I figured there was only one way to see. SECOND SET!!! I decide to run 400m-200m-200m to simulate the similar quality of the workload while allowing me to still finish the workout. I take off the line feeling really smooth and relaxed. "So I was being a wuss" pops into my head....... 200m in I look at my watch that reads 25 high......perfect split. As I come around the turn I notice my legs beginning to tingle.....F......!!!!!! On the straight away with 100m left my head starts to swing from side to side, my knees stop driving upwards....yup I'm dying. As I cross the line I looked at my coach who has a big smile on his face that says "TOLD YOU DUMBASS"!!!
I took off the spikes sat on the track and laughed to myself. At least I know it wasn't a mental component. Oh ya the total time was 54.5 (29 seconds second lap).
Tomorrow is the final workout for the week. Hope this isn't the UGLY
