Saturday, June 16

So close...

So close but yet so far. Sigh.

I ran my second 8K today. I'm a little disappointed in my ... performance. I also wrote in my time, but that's not really true. Time is just a reflection of performance. (My somewhat arbitrary time goal was 40 minutes, but mostly I just wanted to run fast, wanted to feel like I ran fast.)


In the last mile of this just under 5 mile race, I just couldn't go as fast as I wanted to. Maybe I was focusing too much on other runners and not enough on myself. There was the runner on my heels who eventually overtook me. There were the runners in front of me who I couldn't catch.

It was an out and back course and on the way back I passed two runners and then I was passed by one of them in the last half mile of the race. I wanted to pass more people though. I just couldn't get the speed I felt I could. If I felt like I couldn't run any faster, that would be one thing, but I know I can. I can feel it.

My time today was 41:32. In my previous 8K I ran 43:19.

So when I got home, I slipped over to the Y and I ran a mile in 6:59 on the treadmill. It was hard, but I need more hard miles and shorter runs.

Yesterday I wanted to do a quick run and did a two mile jaunt to Jordan Creek and back. Somewhere with about a half mile left, a black guy on the sidewalk said, "Open it up some. Open it up."

I tried. I got a little faster. But next time I'm going to try harder.

So close, but yet so far.

My friend Ryan ran a good race. I don't remember his exact time but it was about 30 seconds faster than me. Congrats.

6 Comments:

Blogger Jim Evans said...

Brian,

This was not an easy 8K. The course was flat but a little long and the temprature would slow anyone. It it had been 40 degrees you would have run under 40 minutes with the same effort. I think you should be pleased with your race and looking forward to great times this fall.

June 16, 2007 3:17 pm  
Blogger bl said...

You may be right, but the heat affected everybody. I'm not happy with my effort. I think I should have had a better kick. And I waited too long to run faster. And I just didn't run a smart race.

But enough piling on. I'm not that dissatisfied. Just a wee bit dissatisfied. I must work harder and with more intensity. However, tomorrow's long run will not be that incredibly intense. It will be hot.

June 16, 2007 3:48 pm  
Blogger rslight said...

Amen to jim evans' remark about the temperature. I sped up a bit in the second half just to get under those dang shady trees.

June 16, 2007 7:46 pm  
Blogger Pam Sailors said...

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but I stumbled onto the blog and enjoyed the reading.

Anyway, this may sound odd, but the biggest lesson I had to learn to get faster was to slow down. That is, instead of starting fast and holding on as long as possible, start slower than your goal pace and gradually pick it up. My fastest mile on Saturday was the last one.

June 18, 2007 11:48 am  
Blogger bl said...

thanks pam.

Glad you enjoy the reading.

In theory I tried to do what you describe, but obviously I didn't. I must not have started slow enough.

I'll remember that for my next long race, most likely the Y not run 10K or whatever it's called out at Highland Springs Country Club in July.

Of course, I want to try the 2-mile again on July 4 and see how much I can improve upon last year's effort.

June 18, 2007 2:04 pm  
Blogger Jim Evans said...

If you are "Pam I Am", I can confirm that you do run smart. We should all heed your advice.

June 19, 2007 8:26 pm  

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