235.24+ Miles into the Path of a Marathon (So Far)

This past week was a small week with miles put in, but a big week with the quality of the runs. On Tuesday I went for a run just because I felt the need to. The 2 miles turned into a strong 4 miles in 43 minutes with 5 hill repeats and 3 fartleks (one going up hill). On Thursday I did not really have time for a run, but I felt determined to fit it in. I ran 2 miles on the hill course that usually takes me about 25 minutes to run and I ended up doing it in 20 minutes. Also, both of those runs were accomplished in about 70 degrees weather (one cloudy and the other sunny, but both muggy), which shows I have adapted into this weather finally.

On Saturday I decided to run the Mayors Challenge, because it was going to be a fast race (qualifier for the Peachetree Roadrace) which I thought would be a good race to work through my mental block during races. I would train strong and get faster than on race day it would not seem as I trained as I did.

This race proved I broke through my mental block. Mile 1 I timed in at 9:18, mile 4 I timed in at about 37 minutes, mile 5 at 49 minutes and I finished the race in 61:32!!! My first 10k race was in 66 minutes. I shaved off 5 minutes and ran faster than even my training runs. Also, I was only 6 minutes behind the top finisher in my age category. I had to walk after hitting around mile 4 since my pace was harder than I am use to (about minute faster), but I am really proud of myself and gained my confidence back!