The Next Race (Goal-Setting)

On Wednesday, my mom told me my posts have been so positive and she loves that I'm running again. I told her, "I know...even I'm getting sick of how much I'm gushing!"

So this post will maybe be less gushy and more goaly.

On May 5th I'm running the Riverfest 5k in Port Orange. We've never run this race before, so the course and venue will be totally new to us. We were drawn to the race because it's near our friends Mark and Shane, which gives us a good excuse to visit them. Plus there's a separate SUP race, so Matt can double-dip.

Setting goals for this 5k is proving more difficult than it was for the Fast and the Furriest. Ironically, now that I have a pretty good baseline for what I'm capable of, I'm struggling to choose goals that are both challenging and realistic. When discussing this with Elizabeth (who guessed my last 5k time almost on the nose), she suggested I aim for 27:30. She thinks I could do 27:00 but based on the projected heat, gave me an extra 30 seconds.

Her reasoning was that I've been running the first two miles of most of my runs in the low-9s and feeling, for the most part, like that pace is comfortable. Add in some heat, a third mile, and race-day adrenaline, and we've got another story. I don't want to sell myself short, but I'm also not sure I can truly hold 9:00 miles for a 5k. I couldn't during F&tF.

Still, breaking 28:00 sounded doable but tough. So there's my A-goal. For my B-goal, I decided beating my time on the last 5k would leave me with a sense of accomplishment. And my C-goal...

I told her, "I wrote it in pen so there ya go."

After I wrote these goals in pen I researched the route and apparently the race goes over a pretty big bridge, so now I'm freaked out. An out-and-back 5k with a big causeway you run twice without a break between ascents? (I'm envisioning the Run to the Arts 5k from a few years ago. Ouch.) Yeah, that's tough.

Yikes.

Elizabeth originally approved of all three goals, although she thought C was a little conservative. Then we did a 5k bridge run to simulate race-day conditions and I just think I'm not yet strong enough to hold sub-9 miles in those conditions. My original goals can be pushed back to the next 5k (in late May). Elizabeth thinks the C-goal is still attainable (haha) but now I need to revisit the others.

I finished the Run to the Arts 5k in 33:xx, so I think a lofty goal for this similar race would be a sub-30. I'll be happy with 30:00 flat, really. That makes my B-goal "no walking", which may actually be really tough depending on how fast I start and how steep the bridge is.

Also, isn't it kind of hilarious how setting goals for a 5k can be such an arduous process? But it's fun to be putting thought back into my running and formulating goals. I feel like 5ks are giving me a nice balance between running-for-fun and running-for-training. I'm really enjoying it.

ABK

Crankypants

I am 32 years old and Monday night I wanted to throw a tantrum.

Every year, we hold an evening meeting for parents of 5th graders to give them all the pertinent information regarding transitioning to 6th grade - middle school. This year we also linked this meeting to the informational sessions on the DC and Tallahassee trips. Basically, I was at school until 8pm. That's 13 hours at work, for those counting.

Monday nights are for running. Lately, I haven't been running on weekends because things have been busy, so by the time Monday rolls around I am ready. Monday runs are a nice way to start the week. This Monday, I realized they are an important way to start the week.

My last run was Thursday. Missing my Monday run meant I hadn't run in four days. I was cranky! At first I couldn't figure out why I was in such a foul mood, why I felt antsy and why I wanted to kick something. I just knew I was revved up and peeved.

Real-live footage of me on Monday night.

I tossed and turned in bed all night, and when I woke up Tuesday morning from my fitful sleep I put two-and-two together. Sleeplessness and irrational anger? Running withdrawal.

It's funny how quickly that sets in! Apparently a couple weeks of running three days a week is enough to form the running habit, and four days off is enough time to feel the effects of missing it.

Luckily, Elizabeth and I had planned a run for Tuesday (as the Spanish teacher, she had to be at the meeting to talk about middle school electives) ahead of time. I think she was feeling as antsy as I was; we were both frustrated over missing a Monday run. When we made up for it on Tuesday, it felt SO good.

The funniest part was when I was telling her about my "running withdrawal" symptoms. It made us both realize that we're truly back into a normal running pattern. It's one more step on the recovery staircase. These days, extra rest isn't welcome or necessary. It's just annoying.

I plan to continue to run three runs a week for a little while longer; it's not a perfect habit yet and sometimes I still feel I'm testing the water, but I'm feeling more consistent every week! And apparently, I'm at the point where I'm feeling it when I miss a run.

ABK

Pace-Talk

Every run feels like I'm unwrapping a gift. It's so dang corny; my heart is just so full.

I am so grateful to be running again, and I'm blown away by how quickly my legs came back. I just can't help but be surprised every time I have a good, strong, fast run. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When I ran on Wednesday, for example, I fell into a rhythm that felt comfortably challenging but not really hard. I glanced at my watch and realized this "comfortably challenging" pace was 8:55.

I mean...this didn't feel easy but it certainly didn't feel hard either.

And then I held that pace easily for a full mile; I only started to lose steam in the last quarter mile of the run (lungs, not legs), and yet I still managed to maintain a 9:00 pace.

In a race situation, I can apparently still bust out those paces. But on a random Wednesday night run? When I was just running by feel? That's...bizarre. I wasn't even holding those paces pre-compartment syndrome! This run left me feeling so grateful and filled with joy, and honesty a little gobsmacked.

To be honest, I haven't been paying much attention to my paces during my runs, only after. I still feel like I'm in recovery so trying to aim for specific speeds and distances isn't a priority. Maybe that's been paying off.

I simply can't wrap my head around the fact that this is reality now. I just hope it keeps progressing this way, and soon my reaction won't be shock and the need to reflect on where I've been and where I could go. I'm tired of the reflection, I'm tired of the topic, but it's where I am right now.

Running has changed me. It has made me brave and resilient. It has taught me how to fail gracefully and learn from that failure. It has given me confidence and self-understanding. It has made me reflective and introspective. Because I know I can do the impossible, I now have a deeper belief in what others can accomplish, too. Running has made me strong in my mind and my body. It has given me so much and changed me so deeply. That, friends, is #whyimove. 💕🏃🏻‍♀️

A post shared by Ali (@abk_runs) on Apr 18, 2018 at 5:59pm PDT

Right now, it almost feels like I've picked up well ahead of where I left off. I don't know how that's possible, but I'd like to stop second guessing it. My head isn't there yet, but my body certainly seems ready to move ON already! Maybe my head won't be too far behind.

ABK