Believe to Achieve

Mel picked me up at the bank where I parked my car and we headed for Payson.  Just like old times.  Me and Melanie just being ourselves--- runners and buddies, adventurous times over the years as we have pushed ourselves to do well together.  We ran a 2.34 mile warmup at 8:10 pace then within a few minutes the race started.  Me a bandit.  Mel official.  I just wasn't thinking I would want to race two days after the big run Saturday.  Mel felt the same way but she and I are trying to break our bandit habit.  She is obviously doing better in that goal.  So off we went at 7:05 am.  No plans to PR but I did in a way since my garmin measured what I ran to be 6.24 miles in 40:58.  If I had run better tangents I would have been in at 40:42 for 6.2 miles (a 5 second PR).  Oh well.  My bad.  I was all over the road.  I never looked at my pace except at each mile (I had it in hide mode) when my garmin beeped and showed me the split.  I should have looked at it at mile 5.  I knew I was most likely slowing due to the hill but if I saw my watch showing that I know I would have sped up because HELL--0 my 20th mile of my 23 mile Saturday was a 6:49 as well.  Granted this mile in the 10 k was uphill but really?  Duh.  But you know what?  I never felt like pushing it in this race.  I ran comfortable fast.  It all felt nice and controlled.  No heavy breathing.  No feeling like I am going to die.  No "get me the heck out of this race" feelings/thoughts.  Just the feeling like  I didn't feel like racing.  Burnt out.  Conserving.  No need to push, push, push.  JUST YET.  Here are the splits:  6:24 (right behind Lily, Melanie about 10 seconds ahead of her), 6:27 (next to Lily, want to stay with her and motion her to stay with me, running with someone is so liberating if you aren't trying to race each other but trying to help each other, you share the work), 6:30,  (3 miles in 19:21, the clock reader said 19:15 but my garmin didn't read that mile until after I passed her, but either way I look at it--- 5K PR, in a 10 k race-- surely I could run that last .1 in less than 43 seconds, my PR was 20:04, COOL  : D).    Anyway mile 4-- 6:30.  And then yahoo we get to run east into the sun coming up blinding us.  But luckily it is not blazing hot out.  Alleluyah.  But with the sun and the hill at the same time I lost perspective for a bit.   I didn't look at my pace and then when it flashed my split as 6:49 I was like YIKES what are you doing, lazy Julie get it in gear....but then I just kept my watch in hide mode and focused on the slight accent before the final turns to the finish. Mile 6-- 6:44.  I could see Melanie just beyond the guy in front of me.  Last .24 miles in 1:31.  I had no kick.  I still wasn't even breathing hard.  I was just like not caring about pushing it.  I was slightly worried about my sore back from waverunning Saturday and the fact that it was pulling a bit on my hamstrings so  I didn't overly put it in gear.  It is hard to explain but it didn't matter to me.  It was like a nice speedwork out without all the stress I usually have when running SW.  I finished right beside the finish line, luckily the road was wide enough that I could run beside the finish shoot.  AP for 6.24 miles = 6:34.  Time 40:58.   Mel came in second overall  and I just 36 seconds behind her.   We ran a 2 mile cooldown together at 8:19 AP.  Then Mel drove me to Pleasant Grove to my car off the freeway exit there and I literally jumped out of her car and ran towards Noah's Ark there in PG and got in 3.5 miles at 7:58 pace.  I was getting VERY lightheaded from fasting yesterday and not eating much before the race (1/2 fruition bar and 3 gu chomps before starting).  I decided to go home and eat something then finish up my 16 miles for the day.  First went to Macey's to get milk and bread.  Ate some toast at home and three hershey chocolate bar squares with some milk and OJ and off  I went for 2.1 more miles at 7:52 pace.  I have to say breaking up a 16+ miler like this is harder than running all of the miles together.  Sweat then cool off, sweat then cool off, sweat then cool off, sweat then cool off.   Three hours later BYU women's soccer game at home then 7 Peaks Water Park  for the last time this season.  Work the next three days in a row.  Blah.