Fast is good!

I'm training to race Ironman USA this July. I am not an Ironman athlete, nor have I ever aspired to be one. As I've said in this blog, I'm doing this for the Ironcops for Cancer who I admire and support. I'm happy just to get the opportunity to experience and Ironman. I won't be racing to see what heights I can take my performance to.

That said, I don't want to suck at it!

On the contrary, I would really like to do well, and when I say "well," I mean "better than anyone would expect of me."

So I've trained. 3am wake up calls to get on my bike in the basement in the winter on a spinner, sweating like crazy, hammering out workouts that felt ridiculous. But I did them.

Swimming for 1 hour and a half in the pool, where I never like to be because I not only am not a very good swimmer, but because I also am afraid of the water. But there I am.

Running has never been difficult for me. That's because I've always been able to get away with trying just hard enough to do well.

So yesterday I put it all on the line and ran the Limestone 1/2 Marathon. Nothing new here, as I've done this many many times in the past. After pbing six years ago at 1:38 and change, I was happy to come in at or near that time every race. But this time it would be different.

This time I made it impossible for my usual "just hard enough" effort by telling everyone I knew of my 1:35 goal! No pressure. Now I HAD to come trough with something.

My friend Dalton is fast. He wins tris and running races. He always strives to get the maximum out of his performances. But two weeks ago he came down with a very bad strep infection, and then relapsed a week later. So as a recovering runner, he offered to pace me. I like a fool, accepted.

He and I were joined at the line by another Ironcop, Allyson who is much much faster than me, and so I knew the day was going to hurt. But I did it.

Dalton took us out at a steady but manageable pace, which we held until about 3 ks to go. And by the time I finished, dry heaving and barely able to process oxygen, I'd ripped 4 and a half minutes off my best-ever 1/2 marathon finish, and took home a medal in my age group.

Now I can go back to my steady, but not fast training. I can go back to pain-free workouts that will build my base, but not my speed. I can go back to working on becoming an Ironman. But I'll never go back to running any race "just hard enough."

Thanks Dalton and Allyson.