2.42 mi. in 35:00 min. 1% incline
Sometimes I'm slow. Slow to learn, that is. But I have learned over the last several years to admit my mistakes, learn something from them, and move on.
Today it was cold and snowy again so I headed out to the gym to run on the treadmill. I have been reading a new book I picked up at Borders. It is The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik. I skipped ahead to the chapters on racing and took a look at the training schedules for 5K & 10K races and also half-marathons. And I panicked. Only 15 weeks to train for my half-marathon. Oh no! I better pour it on and get serious about this training thing or I wouldn't be ready. As if the past 7 weeks have been just fooling around.
So when I hit the treadmill today I was determined to do 7 4/1 circuits. Then I figured I would run the first 4 min. circuit at 5.0 m.p.h. and drop it 0.1 m.p.h. on each succeeding 4 min. run. My convoluted thinking was that it would be so easy because each running segment would be slower than the last one. What I failed to take into account was that the fastest I had run on the treadmill was 4.6 m.p.h.
My thinking was crazy for a couple of reasons: 1) Why 7 circuits? I am used to doing 6, not 7. And I haven't even run 30 min. consecutively yet. Why add additional time at this point? 2) I forgot the mantra "Slow & steady wins the race". My goal for the half-marathon is to finish it running. I'm not out to set any speed records.
So after 4 circuits I was spent. As in, my legs were wobbly and I could barely catch my breath. But here is the good part where I think I have learned something. Instead of stepping off the treadmill and giving up, I regrouped and slowed way down and walked for about 5 minutes. Then I was able to do one more circuit of 3/2 and cool down. I am really proud that I reacted like I did and didn't just quit and walk away when I was so tired out.
So again, I pushed myself too hard for too long at too fast of a pace. Have I learned my lesson? I sure hope so, but I know I am definitely not a quitter. I was able to come up with an alternate way to finish my workout and that's an achievement I am proud of!
You cannot cram training into one session or one week or even one month...training is cummulative and must build SLOWLY on your previous workouts. If you've never done 7 run/walk sessions before AND you've never done 5.0 on the treadmill before AND you had a tough workout the day before then don't combine all those things and expect good results. Don't get overwhelmed by the idea of the half-marathon being x weeks away. Break down your training into months, weeks even. Look how far you've come in just 6 short weeks!!!!!!! You are now running 4 minutes and only walking 1 min. for over 30 minutes!!! Don't hurt yourself my trying to accelerate your training or doing more than your body is ready for. You'll only get injured and/or discouraged. You've had an AMAZING attitude on this journey, keep it up, and keep it all in perspective.
ReplyDeleteYes, Ma'am.
ReplyDelete