Larry, Wayne and I ran the normal Cascade route this morning, but took it easy and cut off a mile as part of our taper for Saturday. I saw a little lightning and heard a little thunder as I got up this morning, but there was no rain. Last night I finally started thinking seriously about goals for the 1/2 marathon on Saturday. I must be getting old because I was thinking I'd run it last year in 1:33 or so, but when I looked back I saw that I had run it in 1:29. I was almost shocked looking at my splits. All I remembered was the big hill on the highway and fading at the end and worrying about Josse passing me. I'm not sure I have a 1:29 in me this year. I think I'll target 1:30 as my stretch goal, but I'll be satisfied with anything under 1:35. I must say, however, that there's a part of me that is urging me to "let 'er rip" and do a little limit exploration on Saturday morning. I haven't been doing a lot of speed training, but I've done a little, and my mileage has been pretty good, and I feel healthy.
I believe it was Tom that first called me a zen runner. I don't follow a strict training plan or race plan, but tend to consider the circumstances at hand (weather, buddies, schedule, etc.), listen to my body, and my spirit, and then try to run whatever feels right. I think this works for me because I have a tendency to overdo and push too hard. Neither my body nor my mind tell me to take it easy unless there is a good reason.
A great part of being a zen runner is never knowing quite what to expect. Every race is an adventure. There are so many factors that determine the outcome, and it's an adventure watching things unfold and watching how I respond and discovering what I'm capable of. Another great part of being a zen runner is not being too disappointed if my performance is less than what I hoped. The finishing time is only one measure of accomplishment. The experience itself is the adventure. It will be interesting to see what unfolds Saturday morning. | 