When I first started running in scored races, I didn't care about my time at all. My goals were simple: Don't die. Reach the finish. More ambitiously, reach the finish without walking.
But now, I've run plenty of 5Ks and 10Ks. I've run a marathon and walked another. In August, I'll complete my second half-marathon. Suddenly, it's no longer enough just to reach the finish, even without walking; I want to get there faster than I have in the past. I've become competitive with myself, anxious to beat my previous times. The first year I ran the Circle of Friends 10K (that's 6.2 miles), I finished in 1:03:31. Last year, I improved to 1:01:38. And this year, I totally kicked ass in 54:46.
Tonight I ran the Run Until the Violence Stops 5K in Prospect Park, and for the first time, I went into a race with a goal: I wanted to break 27:00. That, I figured, was a long shot for a girl who was thrilled to run 10-minute miles until very recently, but according to my new best friend the results predictor at the MarathonGuide website, I could do it. Anyway, for some weird reason the race was lengthened to 3.2 miles rather than 3.1, so my final time is sort of a rough estimate, but -- 26:29. 26:29! Pace per mile -- 8:32. What? What? Did I honestly just run eight and a half minute miles in a three-mile race?
That, my friends, is respectable! But, it makes me worry that I'm heading down a dangerous path toward an obsession with speed. It's like now, I'm not content just to run; I want to run faster. At tonight's race I realized two things: 1) I much prefer longer distances, where you have room to build up steam and you don't have to push yourself so hard right out of the gate, and 2) speed cannot become the focus of my running, otherwise I'll just start to disappoint myself when I don't perform and I won't enjoy running the way I used to. On the other hand (pardon me as I get all Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof), I don't run in races every day, and I run in them to see how fast I can push myself -- so it was kind of nice to feel my legs pumping me past the other runners, to hear the breath in my ears churning out my modified marathon chant: "I am a 5K runner. I can and I will!"
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I feel the need for speed
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There's nothing wrong with caring about your speed. I used to know people who knew their splits for every single race. Ben used to sit in class and figure out spilts--and he only swam two laps in his best race. You just have to realize that after awhile, you won't get a best time at every race. You plateau, and sometimes you go slower, but that just makes it all the more awesome when you have breakthroughs! And you can always get faster. I was still getting best times senior year!
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