Getting Back on Track

This week has marked my return to training.  I took much of the month of April easy to recover from Whiskey Basin.  A week of almost nothing and then two weeks easing back into it with slow runs, fast walks, and not too much mileage.  I am feeling great and ready to start ramping my training back up as I prepare for the San Diego Half Marathon in June.

2012 was the last time I raced a half marathon with a goal of setting a PR (personal record for you non-runners).  Since then my focus has been much more for fun, including helping several friends finish their first half marathon.  During that 2012 race, I didn’t pay attention well to the mile markers on the course and made the mistake of going by the GPS miles on my phone.  Big mistake.  My phone told me I passed the 13.1 mark at 1:48 and change.  Unfortunately, I still had almost a mile and a half on the course.  My goal for that race was to break 2 hours and I ended up finishing in 2:00:29.   I couldn’t believe it.  29 seconds short of my goal!!  It did show me though that I was capable of hitting that goal; I just needed to try again.  

For more reasons than are worth describing, I gave up on that goal, and almost running for that matter, for a long time.  Now I am back, ready to tackle the elusive 2 hour half marathon.  

Enter my current training.  As I trained for Whiskey Basin 57K, speed wasn’t an issue so I avoided the track in favor of long climbs on the trails.  In fact, I haven’t done much in the way of track workouts since I lived in Eugene the first time almost 10 years ago.  But now as I plan to break this barrier, a little speed is in order.  

Some friends and I attended a track workout Wednesday morning and afterwards, I remembered how great these workouts can feel, even though in the moment they are so challenging.  This particular group, run by Susan with Believe Train Become, was amazing.  Welcoming and encouraging as well as smart and driven, we instantly felt like part of their community.  

We ran partner 800’s, pairing up a with a friend and taking turns running 400 together and apart.  Despite my lungs and legs feeling like they were going to burst at times, it was a blast.  Something about the track makes a person feel like an Olympic runner (even though I am sure they would be lapping me in less than 60 seconds!!)  

I am excited to go back next week and continue to add to my running repertoire as I continue to explore the bounds of my running.