On Wednesday while running one of my now very familiar routes to work, I was struck with a bothersome thought. Every stride of my training so far (in fact every stride since I started back in January) been taken slowly. No speed work whatsoever. No races (last week’s doesn’t count). No hill work to speak of. So, as I jogged along at my 9 or 9.5mm (or whatever it is) pace, I started to worry that perhaps my legs have totally forgotten how to run any faster. I wouldn’t know – I haven’t put them to the test. This worry was enough to spur me on to do some spontaneous and random farkleg towards the end of the run. It was a start…
This morning I got to test whether there is anything resembling speed in my legs at a hilly and humid Queens Half Marathon. The conditions didn’t feel quite as hellish as last week’s, but at 87% humidity who’s counting? About a mile in, I made the decision to ease off slightly. I could have pushed just a little bit harder, but I knew if I did, it was going to be a very unpleasant 13.1 miles indeed. So I relaxed a bit, stopped fighting the conditions, and ran steady. After mile 5 I started to feel much better, in spite all the annoying little hills. I took a gel at mile 10 which worked wonders, and finished feeling strong.
Even though my time is almost 6 minutes off my personal best of over three years ago, I can’t believe I was any more pleased back then than I am today. I took my fitness for granted back then. Now I take nothing for granted. A hell of a lot more work has gone into my being this fit now, so I’m much more appreciative of the results it reaps.
After finishing I learned that Hellgater Phil Sneller won the race. Clearly my little Queens running club has recruited all kinds of awesome speedy men during my absence!
Philly Training Week 8
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 6.9
Wednesday: 7.8 (including approx. 4 x 300m farkleg)
Thursday: 9.2
Friday: 6.9
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 13.1 (Queens Half Marathon)
Total: 44
About Me
- Yvonne
- I was born and raised in Scotland, but have been living in NYC since 2001. Although I ran on and off throughout my teens and twenties, it wasn't until I hit 30 that I decided to take it more seriously. I wanted to lose weight and feel good. I was also interested to see if I'd inherited a smidgen of my mum's running talent. I ran three marathons before taking a break in 2006 and 2007 when I became a mum. Getting back into running postpartum was a long hard road, but at last two years later I am fit and healthy. In Nov'08 I returned to marathoning in Philadelphia. Running and writing are the only hobbies I've ever been passionate about, so its great to have this outlet which combines the two.
Personal Records
- 5K: February 22 '05: 20:51
- 5 Miles: June 20 '04: 35:18
- 10K: April 3 '05: 43:55
- Half: March 19 '05: 1:38:33
- Marathon: October 9 '05: 3:30:15
My Marathon History
- Philadephia '08: 3:33:39
- Chicago '05: 3:30:15
- Boston '05: 3:38:46
- New York '04: 3:40:09
5 reactions:
I think you're definitely on the way back. Don't worry too much about the pace. That will come back faster than endurance.
Congrats on a great race Yvonne.
Nice job, both with the race and your newfound recognition.
I don't think I adequately conveyed to you in the car ride back to Astoria how impressed I was with your speedy time in the race on Sunday and with your high-mileage training. You go, girl!
That's a good positive attitude!
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