I can't believe that fall break is almost over! I am really thankful though, I had a lot of down time, but at the same time, I had some busy days. I was able to see both of my nephews, all of my siblings, my family, and spend more time with my husband...it was fantastic! During the school year, I stay tired with working long hours, so I am thankful for these breaks:)
So...I PR'ed AT MONTE SANO 15K TODAY! :D I was able to keep a sub 10 pace, which had my relaxed, marathon training legs running with SPEED! My time last year was 1:33:53 and I averaged over a ten minute pace, but this year my average pace was 9:33! It doesn't sound like much, but really, it is!! :D
I will be honest, I haven't done speedwork in so long that at one point I thought I was going to throw up. Note to self: add speedwork in the weekly training! :-O If I want to PR at the Huntsville Half Marathon next month and beat my half marathon PR (2:16:58 at a 10:22 average pace), I need to incorporate it in my training instead of doing mostly hill training.
It was great to see running friends (and my sister!) run this race today! It just reminds me what an awesome community Huntsville has, and it's great to train with athletes in all levels/experience when it comes to the sport of running! I learn so much from this group of people! I am so thankful for We Run Huntsville!
Speaking of training....OH MY GOSH I HAVE A 50K IN 5 WEEKS! Seriously, even though my training plan is on my refrigerator and I see it daily to keep up with my training, I am still in shock right now. It really hit me yesterday that I am actually going to attempt this. The distance is not what's intimidating me (I feel if I fuel correctly, pace myself, and be realistic mentally during my race, I will be alright), but the fact that it's a trail race is making me super nervous. But you know what? It's alright to train for something that scares you and challenges you...if you train correctly, it WILL make you stronger! Like Walt Disney once said, it's kind of fun doing the impossible!
I try to get on the trails to train at least once a week, but with five more weeks left, I will try to make it two times a week instead. I have to be strong and "trail fit" to accomplish this with no injury...it's a lot different running on trails than running on the flat pavement. I am also going to become more strict with myself with my cross training...I have really been slacking the past few weeks. I know better, I don't want to get injured, so I need to remind myself that yoga and circuit training are my friends. It just gets difficult with long work hours...but I have to discipline myself better! I HAVE TO! I have done well, but now it's crunch time! One positive note: at least with the trail race being in November, I won't see any snakes, right?!
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend! Congrats to everyone that raced today!
