Boy, it sure seemed warm this morning, even though I started my run at 5:21am instead of the normal 5:45am. I also had a really hard time getting my legs moving this morning. I ran alone up into Lindon and then back along the canal road. It took me 3 miles before I could get under a 10:00 pace. Of course, the first 3 miles were mostly uphill, but even coming back along the canal road I struggled to barely get under a 9:00 pace. I ran 6.2 miles overall, average pace 9:31/mi. I'm pretty sure I was still feeling the effects of the long hard run with Wayne on Saturday. I could feel it in my legs all weekend. I don't know how else to explain averaging 8:10/mi for 16 miles (7:40/mi for 12 of those miles) on Saturday and then struggling to average 9:30/mi this morning.
At lunch time I decided to try running again. I wasn't sure if anyone else would be running today, and they weren't. I ended up running Eagles View alone. I ran the 5 miles in 42:45 (8:33/mi average; 8:52/mi up, 8:14/mi back). It wasn't quite as hot as some recent days (upper 80's instead of 90's), and a little overcast, but it was still plenty hot. My pace during this run was about a minute per mile faster than this morning, but still not very fast.
I like to think of days like today as mental conditioning days. It's hot, there's nobody to run with, my legs are tired and my mind and body are trying very hard to convince me not to run. When the runner in me wins out and I run anyway (which isn't always the case) I think it builds a mental strength and endurance that shows itself in other areas of my life when things get hard. I was just telling my sister-in-law (who is staying with us this week) this morning as we were talking about running, that I have an imaginary chalkboard in my mind. Every time I want to quit (slow down, stop, not run), and I don't, I put an imaginary tally mark on the "I Won" side of the board. It's silly I know, especially since I can't ever remember putting a tally mark on the "I Lost" side of the board. Maybe that's why it is so helpful to my confidence and self-esteem. In my mind's eye I have various tally marks on the "I Won" side, and few if any marks on the "I Lost" side. Even though I ran slow today, I did get out twice and finished the runs, and earned a couple of new tally marks.
| 